Child of the Wild Blue Yonder: food

Broccoli and Mushroom Mini Quiches

breakfast 2:04 PM

Between working almost every day, some times twice a day, it's hard to find time to cook for oneself... But there are certainly ways that it can be accomplished! Just think, it's so much better to cook for yourself; knowing every ingredient that goes into your food, and there's nothing that you can't pronounce! Not to mention, there's a feeling of pride when you take a bite of that delicious home made meal.
Josh and I both work a lot so time management is big. These mini quiches take no time at all, and they're the perfect make ahead meal - feel free to freeze or refrigerate for later.

What You'll Need:

-1 Cup Broccoli Florets

-1 Cup Sharp Cheddar, grated

-3/4 Cup Portobella, chopped into 1/4 inch bits

-10 Eggs

-1/4 Cup Milk

- Large pinch of Salt

-Small pinch of Black Pepper

-Homemade Quiche Crust

-Oil for greasing

(I have included a recipe card for download for our easy quiche crust!)

Click Here for Download!

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Start by prepping the vegetables and making sure they're ready to use.

2. In a large mixing bowl, crack in the eggs, add the milk, and beat together. Mix in the grated cheddar, salt, and pepper.

3. Oil/butter or spray a muffin tin so the food does not stick. Use one heaping tablespoon of the quiche crust, and press it into each muffin pan evenly.

4. Add in 2 tablespoons of the egg and cheese mixture and then add a large pinch of broccoli and mushroom.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating once halfway, or until the mini quiches are slightly browned and puffy!

Enjoy alongside your favorite cup of coffee for a super easy and delicious breakfast, or as a snack later. As mentioned before, this meal is great for storing, so it's great for a busy morning!

Fresh ingredients always look so appealing to me. Josh and I aren't really a "selfie" couple, we're more into taking pictures of what we plan on eating. Now 'that's amore'. :P

Okay. So I made the quiche crust first, and let it sit in the fridge while I prepare my other ingredients. Once everything is ready, take a large tablespoon of the crust and press it evenly to fill the muffin tin!

Then take the egg and cheese mixture and fill each cup about half way. It'll take about 2 tablespoons.

Add the fun ingredients...

Bake, and enjoy!

We served our mini quiches with hot sauce. I pretty much eat hot sauce with eggs non stop, sooo tasty.

White Wine & Mushroom Cream Sauce

cream sauce 9:54 AM

This is a sauce that you're going to want to put on everything; from pasta, to chicken, pork, or even mashed potatoes. It's very versatile, and so good you're not going to want to put down the tasting spoon. Although this sauce is a fairly basic cream sauce, it really takes on a lot of delicious flavor from the wine, and mushrooms. It's worth a taste.

Josh and I just recently drove up to Chicago to celebrate my aunt and uncle's Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary. A three course meal was included, and of course, the delicious dinner was very inspiring. I've got to say, I think food might be the language of love for some couples. My Ciocia (aunt) made an entire table of sweets to feed the guests; it's no wonder they've had 50 years of happiness together.

I love food, and I like to express my love for others with food. I'm very lucky that Josh and I have this mutual adoration for all things tasty - he's the best collaborator I could ever ask for.

What You'll Need:

-2 Cups Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced

-1 Large Clove Garlic, minced

-1/4 Cup White Onion, diced

-3 Tbsp Butter (split)

-A Pinch of Salt and Pepper

-1 Cup Heavy Cream

-1 Cup Chardonnay (or your favorite white wine)

-2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour

-1 tsp Fresh Parsley, minced

-1 tsp Fresh Basil, chiffonade for garnish

1. Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a medium sized frying pan over medium high heat, add garlic stirring constantly until it is fragrant. Add the onion, stir occasionally for about 3 minutes, and add mushroom, and 1/2 Cup wine and season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer.

2. While simmering, grab a sauce pan and melt 2 Tbsp Butter, adding Flour and whisking consistently until a paste forms. Add in the heavy cream, the rest of the wine, parsley, salt and pepper, and the mushroom mixture along with all the liquids. Stir everything together and bring to boil, continuing to stir until it sets at the desired consistency.

3. Use sauce on your favorite dishes, top with fresh basil for an additional delicious flavor. :)

Very basic ingredients treated properly will create beautiful, tasty flavors. :)

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Salad

chicken 7:16 PM

This past summer, my mom and I went to North Carolina. Our original vacation, a trip around the Northwest Coast fell through, and even though at the time it was extremely stressful, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We road tripped to North Carolina, visiting several cities from the western end of the state all the way to the coastline, because we wanted to see the ocean, of course! We stopped in Asheville, and both fell in love with that little mountain town. A few months later, Josh and I went to Asheville to attend the Brewgrass festival. (Josh and I love beer and bluegrass. Did I mention that I'm an amateur banjo player? Ha) Well anyways, during our time there we grabbed dinner at this pizza place, the Mellow Mushroom, and had this amazing Greek salad before our pizza. In this post, I do my best to replicate it, and I'm honestly super happy with the results.

What You'll Need:

For the Chicken:

-1 Large Chicken Breast

-1 tsp Olive Oil

-1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

-1 tsp Marjoram

-1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika

-1/4 tsp Coriander

-1/4 tsp Cayenne

-Pinch Cardamom

-Pinch Cumin

-1 Clove Garlic, minced

-Pinch of Salt & Pepper

For the Salad:

-1/2 Large Cucumber, diced

-1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced & halved

-1/2 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced

-1 Tomato, diced

-1 Tbsp Leaves Fresh Cilantro

-Handful Kalamata Olives, halved

-Handful Chopped Pepperoncini's

-1/2 Head of Lettuced, chopped

-Feta Cheese, to taste

1. Prepare the chicken breast, then rub with olive oil, and lemon juice. Add all the spices included for the chicken, and make sure to cover the chicken. Cover and let sit in the fridge in the time that it takes to prep the vegetables.

2. Cut all the veggies according to recipe. Set the veggies and lettuce aside in a bowl, and put in the fridge.

3. Heat 1/4 tsp of Olive Oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear both sides of the chicken, turning only once (about 2.5 to 3 minutes on each side.) Then cover the chicken and lower the temp to low, cook covered for about 7-10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

4. Slice the chicken and set aside. Add the feta cheese to the salad. Dress salad with dressing of choice. We used Kraft Greek Dressing. Squeeze a small portion of fresh lemon juice over the top. Lastly add the chicken, serve, and enjoy!

This recipe makes about 6 individual bowls.

Add the items to the salad, dress, and serve!

Light enough to be a side salad but hearty enough to be a meal in a larger portion!

Chicken, Bacon, and Broccoli Mac n' Cheese

2016 10:10 PM

It's 24 degrees out... 24º F...
It's officially way too cold out. It hasn't even snowed here in Carbondale, so beauty isn't even an excuse to enjoy the winter weather. However, Josh suggested something that brightens up my spirits during the cold winter months: comfort food! The recipe we have for you is what I consider to be one of the most comforting of all: Mac n' Cheese.

What You'll Need:

-1 Chicken Breast

-2 Strips Thick Cut Bacon

-1 Cup Muenster Cheese

-1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese

-2 Cups Cooked Macaroni Elbows

-1 Head of Broccoli, chopped into florets

-1/2 Cup Green Onions, chopped

-3/4 Cup Milk

-2 Tbsp Sour Cream

-3 Tbsp Flour

-1 Clove Garlic

-1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika

-1/4 tsp Coriander

-1 tsp Oregano

-Salt

-Pepper

-2 tsp Olive Oil (split)

-4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Season the chicken breast: rub it in 1 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, coriander, and oregano. Heat up the other tsp of Olive Oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken breast. Cook over high heat until a nice char is achieved. Cook in the oven until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes, and cut into bite sized pieces. Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside.

2. Make a roux for the cheese sauce: heat butter over medium heat, add the flour, and stir frequently until it becomes white and bubbly. Add the milk and both of the cheeses. Stir everything together until a cheese sauce is formed.

3. In a casserole dish, combine the macaroni, sour cream, and cheese sauce. Then add the broccoli, and 1/4 Cup of green onions. Mix all the ingredients evenly throughout the casserole dish. Grate some cheddar cheese to top off the mac and cheese. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Top with left over green onions, and enjoy!

Add sour cream, and the cheese

sauce to the macaroni. Mix until

the noodles are completely coated.

Add all the goodies, mix it up evenly and bake the mac n' cheese!

After baking, the mac n' cheese is ready to serve!

Homemade Bread Bowls

baked 4:24 PM

It's been getting really cold here in Carbondale, in effect I expect all my meals to be savory, comforting, and very warm! So we made bread bowls! Inevitably that means we're going to have to make soup.... but for now, here's a simple recipe to make a huge bun that can be turned into a bowl for soups and chili alike!

Baking bread can be tedious, this recipe takes about 3 hours total, but fresh baked bread is so worth it. Honestly, the worst part is just waiting for the dough to rise. Stick it out, nothing's better than the smell of fresh baked bread in the oven.

What You'll Need:

-5.5 Cups Flour (You may need a little more to reach correct consistency)

-2 Cups Warm Water (no more than 110º F)

-2 1/4 tsp Yeast

-1 Tbsp Sugar

-1 tsp Salt

-Egg White for egg wash

1. Activate the yeast: add sugar and warm water into a large bowl, mix it together, and sprinkle the yeast in an even layer over the water. Leave to activate, about 10-15 minutes, in a warm spot.

2. Once the yeast has activated add about 2 cups of flour, and the salt. Mix everything together and continue to add the flour, a cup at a time. Once the mixture becomes too tough to stir with a spoon, feel free to use your hands. The dough should be smooth, and elastic.

3. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes and then transfer it into a greased bowl. Set the bowl aside, covered, for an hour and a half, or until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Press down the dough, and knead it on a floured surface once again. Separate the dough into four 10 Oz balls, if you don't have a kitchen scale, do your best to separate 4 equal sized balls. Set them aside for 45 minutes and cover with a towel until the double in size.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Mix together the egg white of one egg with a 1/4 tsp of water. Brush each one of the dough balls with the egg wash. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the bread becomes golden brown.

6. Set the massive buns aside on a cooling rack. Once they have cooled, cut a hole into the top of the bun. I used an ice cream scooper to remove the bread from the inside, just enough so that I could fit a good amount of soup into the bowls. At this point, fill with your favorite soup, and enjoy! :)

It's very important that you allow the yeast to

activate before you get to baking. The bread won't rise without it! If the water you've used has heated past 110º F, it will kill the yeast. If you don't see bubbling going on - your yeast probably isn't working.

Once everything is mixed together, set the dough aside to double. Like I said, this is the worst part about making bread - the agonizing wait!

Once the dough has doubled in size, pat it down,

and knead it on a floured surface for 5 to 10

minutes.

Separate the dough balls, let the balls also sit aside to double in size. This usually takes another 45 minutes (ugh)

Cut out the top, and scoop out some of the bread. Just enough so that you can fit a decent amount of soup in there. You don't want to accidentally scoop too far, and leak soup out of your bread bowl.

And there you have it, a homemade bread bowl! It's easy, fun, and smells amazing as you bake. If I can do it, the queen of impatience, so can you! I promise you, it'll be worth it.

Oh, and stay tuned for a soup recipe that goes great with a bread bowl!

Puff Pastry Pumpkin Rolls

baked 11:34 AM

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, soon enough Christmas will be around the corner -- I'm sure Christmas music is being played around the clock at many retail establishments. When I worked at JC Penney's, our Christmas soundtrack was on repeat starting November 1st. Christmas at JC Penney's was the longest I've ever endured (maybe it was the 13 hour disaster, Black Friday.) Well anyways, at this point in the year I've usually been bitten by the baking bug. I don't know if it's the Christmas music, or the cool weather making it tolerable to have the oven on for long periods of time, but this is only the beginning...
These puff pastry rolls are a take on a cinnamon roll. They're not overwhelmingly sweet, and pumpkin-ey enough to satisfy your fall cravings. Using packaged puff pastry makes this a really quick, and easy dessert. Perfect for a last minute, Thanksgiving Day sweet treat.

What You'll Need:

-2 Containers Croissant Style Puff Pastry

Pumpkin Filling

-2 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream

-15 Oz Can of Pumpkin Puree

-8 Tbsp Brown Sugar

-1 tsp Cinnamon

-1/4 fresh Nutmeg

-1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Frosting

-1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (softened)

-1/2 Cup (4 Oz) Cream Cheese (softened)

-1 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

-1 tsp Vanilla Extract

(You'll need some extra brown sugar, and cinnamon to sprinkle on top of your filling before you roll the sweets.)

1. Mix together the ingredients for the pumpkin filling either using a hand mixer or a whisk. When all the ingredients are mixed together set this aside.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 375º F. Unroll the puff pastry onto a floured surface, make sure it looks pretty even. Grab a spoon, or a plastic basting brush and spread the pumpkin mixture evenly across both puff pastry's until most of the pumpkin mixture is gone. Sprinkle some extra cinnamon, and brown sugar as evenly as possible on top of the mixture.

3. Roll the puff pastry inward along the long side, and cut into 8 smaller sized rolls. Do this twice, using both pastries. Roll it inward along the shorter side for larger, fluffier rolls.

4. Bake the small sized rolls for about 10 to 13 minutes. If you've opted for the larger rolls it'll take about 15-20.

5. While the rolls bake, make the frosting. With a hand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese. Add in the powdered sugar gradually, continue to beat until the mixture becomes smooth, mix in the vanilla extract.

6. When the rolls have finished, immediately frost them by placing 1 tsp of frosting in the center of the roll. Use more frosting on the larger rolls. Add frosting, to taste. Allow the frosting to melt over the pumpkin roll, and enjoy!

Start by mixing together the pumpkin mixture.

Spread the pumpkin mixture all over the puff pastries, roll them up, and cut out the rolls!

While the pumpkin rolls bake, make the frosting. Beat together the ingredients until it becomes smooth.

Put a scoop of frosting atop each pumpkin roll, and watch it melt!

Smokey Chicken and Cauliflower White Bean Chili

cauliflower 2:00 PM

The leaves are changing, carved pumpkins are out on the front porch of almost every house, it's starting to get really cold at night. It's fall -- and chili season. Josh and I have come up with a wacky recipe that'll spice up your fall and keep you warm all night long. This chili is slow cooked so the flavors are thoroughly absorbed. It's a white bean chili that looks a bit unconventional, but has flavors that will not disappoint. It's smokey, has heat that packs a punch, and a combination of fresh and savory flavors.
Okay, so maybe cauliflower chili doesn't sound so appealing, but I hope this recipe can change your mind.

I will say, there is a lot of prep work that goes into this recipe, so I wouldn't go into this thinking it's just going to be a quick-dump slow cooker recipe. It's not, but if you're looking for a damn good chili, all the prep is worth it.

What You'll Need:

-A blender and Crockpot

for the Roasted Cauliflower:

-Half a head of cauliflower, chopped into florets.

-1 Tbsp Olive Oil

-1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

-1/4 tsp Onion Powder

-1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika

-1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

-1/4 tsp Cumin

-1/4 tsp Salt

-1/4 tsp Pepper

-1/2 Cup Vegetable Stock

for the Chicken:

-2 Large Chicken Breasts

-1 7 Oz can of Chipotles in adobo, removed from sauce and rinsed

-1 small Clove Garlic

-1/2 tsp Molasses

-1 tsp Worcestershire

-a Squirt of Lime per Chicken Breast

-1/4 tsp Pepper

-Pinch of Salt per Breast

for the Veggies:

-1/2 White Onion

-1/2 tsp Olive Oil

-1 small Clove Garlic

-1 tsp Brown Sugar

-1 Poblano Pepper halved and roasted in the oven

-you'll need less than a 1/4 tsp per pepper, and salt and pepper for each half

for the Crockpot:

-1/2 tsp Olive Oil

-1 15 Oz Can Corn

-1 15 Oz Can Great Northern Beans

-1 Cup Chicken Stock

-1 Large Clove Garlic

-1/4 tsp Cumin

-1/2 tsp Chili Powder

-1/2 tso Smoked Paprika

-1/4 tsp Salt

-1/4 tsp Pepper

for the Garnish:

-1/2 Lime

-1 Tbsp Cilantro

-Tortilla Strips (you can either buy these or bake your own using fresh tortillas)

-1/4 Cup White Cheddar shredded

I know this sounds like a lot, but managing all your prep work makes the whole process pretty manageable.... so, here goes nothing:

1. Start off with chopping: mince all the garlic, the onion, and half the poblano pepper. If you bought a head of cauliflower, cut it into florets. Set everything aside. Remove the chipotle peppers from the can and rinse them off. Bring out the crockpot, and set it to low. You'll end up periodically adding ingredients throughout the recipe.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 400º F, you'll be using it to roast a lot! Prepare your chicken by placing it in an oven safe dish and seasoning it with salt, pepper and a small clove worth of garlic. Sprinkle the chicken with lime, and cover it with the Worcestershire, and molasses. Make sure both sides of the chicken are covered, and put the chipotle peppers in the same dish. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.

3. Put the cauliflower in a bowl and mix it together with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, cumin, and salt and pepper. Rub the poblano with oil, salt and pepper. Place both the cauliflower and poblano in the oven on a baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned. Be sure to keep an eye on the veggies, flipping them at least once.

4. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan, and add a pinch of garlic. Once fragrant, add the onions and brown sugar. Coat the onions and stir frequently till the onions have caramelized.

5. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil, garlic, onions to the crockpot. Add the full can of corn, and beans, the chicken stock, and all the spices. Leave it uncovered. Remove the cauliflower and poblano from the oven and set aside to cool until they have cooled enough to be handled.

6. Cut the poblano into half inch cubes and add it to the crockpot. Put the roasted cauliflower, and vegetable stock in a blender, pulse until it is pureed. Add this to the crockpot as well.

7. Heat another pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken. Once both sides have been charred transfer the chicken back onto the oven safe dish and put in the oven for about ten minutes, until it's cooked all the way. When the chicken is totally cooked pull or shred it into bite size pieces and add it to the crock pot. Put the chipotle peppers in the crockpot as well for added smokey flavor, but remember to pull them out before serving!

8. Stir everything together and cover the crockpot, allow to sit for 4-5 hours. Add the garnish before serving. As always, enjoy! :)