Stuffed Peppers (with or without the peppers:)

I have always loved a good stuffed pepper. The filling is so delicious. Stuffed with yummy, hearty goodness. My husband, however, is not a fan of peppers, so I started making stuffed peppers without the peppers.  You can make this recipe either way! 

You need: 

1 lb of turkey chop meat or ground beef ( I used turkey just because it is a bit healthier.)

2 cups of rice (white or brown) 

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 can of sauce (I made my own. See post on sauce:)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Make sauce or prepare jarred sauced. Cook chop meat until no longer pink. Drain. While cooking chop meat, cook rice. I used instant, but any kind will do.  Once everything is ready (about 20 minutes) combine rice, sauce, meat and cheese in an oven safe dish. Make sure to put a little extra cheese on top. It makes a nice cheesy topping! Cook for 25 minutes at 350. Enjoy! 

If you decide to use this stuffing with peppers, cut tops off peppers and clean insides. Then boil peppers until soft but not breaking apart (5-7 minutes in boiling water). Follow the same instructions as above, but stuff the filling inside the pepper. Yum!

Fudge pops with Zoku!

For Christmas, I got a Zoku popsicle maker. Since it is summer and I had a hankering for fudge pops, I decided to put my Zoku to good use!  I highly recommend getting a Zoku. It is super easy to use and the pops come out so neat and delicious!

You need: 

1 cup of milk

1 cup of instant pudding (make pudding according to specifications on the box) 

1 cup of cool whip

(makes 8 pops!)

Combine milk, pudding and cool whip. Below is what mine looked like (a little drippy!) You have to stir a bit to combine the cool whip. A wooden spoon works best. 

Pour mixture into the zoku and in 8 to 10 minutes enjoy your delicious pops!

For more info on the zoku click here: http://www.zokuhome.com/

Chicken, Corn and Potato Saute

I got this recipe from a Rachel Ray cookbook a few years ago and tweaked it a bit to make it my own. It is a hearty mixture of deliciousness!

Chicken, Corn and Potato Saute

You need: 

2 chicken breasts

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1/2 cup of frozen corn

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of chicken broth

Dash of salt to taste

Chop potatoes into thin slices. I used the fabulous slicer pictured. It is a wonderful hands free chopper that makes perfect slices! I am pretty sure it is made by XO. 


 Add enough olive oil to pan to cover the bottom. Potatoes burn and stick pretty easily in this dish, so err on the side of more olive oil. These take a while to get soft, so allow 25 minutes for these to cook. I find that putting a top on the pan makes all the difference. 


While cooking the potatoes, cook the chicken in a separate frying pan lined with olive oil. Cook chicken until no longer pink. I usually cut the chicken into slices halfway through, so that it is easy to add to the rest of the dish later on.


 Once potatoes are soft, add the corn and chicken broth. After the chicken broth has boiled down a bit, add cooked chicken, butter and salt. Enjoy!

English Muffin Bread!

Every Christmas, we had English Muffin bread when I was growing up. I have been looking for a good recipe for awhile and I finally found it! I tried the recipe this morning with great results!

English Muffin Bread Ingredients

For the full recipe, go to http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/english-muffin-bread/

The only thing I did differently is line the pan with Crisco, so it popped right out and was all set. I baked for 24 minutes for a perfect outside and inside too:) Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Stir Fry

This is an Italian version of chicken stir fry. I am not a huge fan of soy sauce, so I make my own version of this Chinese dish with garlic Italian style. Enjoy:) 

Italian Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients

You need:

2 cups of rice (brown or white)

1 cup of carrots

1 teaspoon garlic

2 chicken breasts cooked and cut up into pieces

2 turns around the pan of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 tablespoons butter

Steam or boil carrots with two tablespoons of butter. While cooking carrots, cook rice. I usually use instant rice, but regular rice works too!

In a frying pan, put two turns of olive oil in pan, cook chicken until no longer pink. I usually brown each side for four minutes, then cut chicken into pieces and cook until all are white. Add garlic after chicken is in pieces. 

When everything is ready, combine, add the rest of the butter and salt and pepper to taste. Yummy and easy:) 

Delicious Brown Butter Sauce..Yum!

This recipe is based on a brown butter sauce from Rachel Ray. One night, I was searching for a quick butter sauce to make with pasta. Boy, was I surprised with the result! It is so delicious!

Enjoy:)

Delicious Brown Butter Sauce Ingredients

You need: 

6 tablespoons of butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon heavy cream

(might want to add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to thicken if needed)

Melt butter and add salt. Add garlic until it begins to brown, next add heavy cream. Cook for another few minutes until it thickens up. Add cheese if needed. 

Definitely try this one! So yummy:)

Italian Style Tomato Sauce, the easy way!

One of the staples of most things that I make is tomato sauce, in one form or another. Because of this, I have a short cut way to make really good sauce! If you are looking for the kind of sauce that takes hours to make and has real onions and garlic, keep looking! The recipe below has the homemade taste without all of the fuss. Enjoy:)

Tomato Sauce Ingredients

You need: 

1 can of crushed tomatoes. (Tuttorosso is the best)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1 tablespoon basil (dried)

1 1/4 tablespoons sugar

Dash of salt and pepper

Combine these ingredients in a sauce pan and cook for 20-30 minutes on a low boil. Make sure to keep in on a low boil, otherwise the sauce thickens up and starts to burn. 

The thing I really love about this recipe is that you can make it to your own taste. If you want a hotter sauce, add more garlic powder. If you don't like it as sweet as I do, add less sugar. Do a lot of tasting along the way! Enjoy:)

Who Doesn't Love a Good Meatball?

When I first moved out on my own, my Mom taught me how to make some of the basic Italian dishes that I grew up with, meatballs were one of them. We spent a day figuring out the measurements to all of the dishes I loved, even though my Mom could make them just from memory. Thanks, Mom:) 

Enjoy!:)


You need:
1 package of beef chop meat
1 egg
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic
Dash of salt
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon tomato sauce

The Process

Combine all ingredients and mix together. I use my hands to mix everything together. I find it works best that way. Shape meatballs into balls, small to medium size is best for nicely cooked meatballs. 

After shaping the meatballs, put them in a pan and bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes on each side. I recently got this meatball baker pan which I love! It cooks the meatballs beautifully without a lot of grease. I am a big fan of this pan! If you are using a cookie sheet to bake the meatballs, put a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pan to stop them from sticking. Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce. Recipe for homemade sauce coming soon:) 

Italian Style Mix Up

For Saturday night dinner last week, I made an Italian style meal based on baked ziti, but without the baking. It is a go to  meal for me because it is hearty, delicious and pretty easy! Enjoy!

Italian Style Mix Up Ingredients

You need:

One package of ground turkey

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

3 cups of rigatoni

1/2 cup of mozzarella

 parmesan cheese to taste

1 can of tomato sauce ( I make my own, recipe coming soon!)

sprinkle of salt and pepper

Cook ground turkey thoroughly. While it is cooking, season with the garlic powder, italian seasoning and salt and pepper.  While meat is cooking, boil water for macaroni. Bring sauce to a boil while meat and macaroni are cooking.  After draining pasta, combine pasta and cooked meat with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, pour sauce over pasta and stir. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese! Yum!

Easy like Sweet Cornbread on Sunday Morning

This morning for breakfast, I made this sweet cornbread. I usually make this with turkey chili, but I decided to mix it up and make it for breakfast today.  Enjoy!

Sweet Cornbread Ingredients

For the full recipe, go to http://allrecipes.com/recipe/golden-sweet-cornbread/

The only things I do differently from the recipe are mix it in the Kitchenaid mixer,  bake for 25-30 minutes and line the cake pan with Crisco. (I know the Crisco doesn't sound healthy, but that is a trick my sister taught me for baking and it works every time for unsticking baked goods!)

Mom's Mashed Potatoes

I've been trying to perfect my Mom's mashed potatoes for years! I think this recipe just about replicates them..although nothing is as good as Mom.:) My mom taught me some tricks over the years, when I was frustrated that they just weren't quite right...here is the recipe..with those tips and tricks! Enjoy! 

Mom's Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

You need: 

6 or 7 medium potatoes (washed and peeled)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

and my favorite kitchen tool: The kitchenaid mixer!

After washing and peeling potatoes, boil them for 20 minutes or until soft, but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes and put them into the mixer. Add the milk, butter and salt. It seems like a lot of salt, but that is one of the tricks to good mashed potatoes! Let the potatoes mix for three minutes. The more time that they mix the better. It's all in how long you mix them! Taste and add more salt or butter to your liking:) Thanks, Mom!

Easy Fettuccine Alfredo on a week night:)

Tonight I made an easy fettuccine alfredo. Delicious and super easy...even for a Tuesday night:)

Enjoy:)

Fettuccine Alfredo Ingredients

You need:

1/2 package of fettuccine noodles

1 cup of heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Boil water for pasta. In another saucepan, melt the butter, when it is good and melted add the cup of heavy cream. Stove should be at medium heat. The secret to thickening this sauce is to let the cream come to a boil, then add parm cheese to thicken. Once you add the parm, turn the heat to a low/medium. Add nutmeg. (This makes it so delicious!) (If you have nut issues, substitute nutmeg for 1 teaspoon of garlic.)  Continue to cook until sauce thickens up a bit. If the sauce is not thickening enough, add a bit more parm cheese. When pasta is ready, toss cooked pasta in Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan on top to taste. Yum:)

Italian Style Risotto, Breaded Chicken and Roasted Broccoli

For Saturday night dinner last night, I made Italian style risotto, breaded chicken and roasted broccoli. Risotto is an old stand by in our house. Enjoy!

Risotto Ingredients

You need:

2 cups of risotto

2 cans of chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

I like to use my Le Creuset large pot for risotto. Start with 11/2 tablespoons of butter. Melt in pot. Add risotto when butter has melted. Mix butter with risotto throughly. Once butter is mixed in, add 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Let chicken broth boil down while stirring. Continue to add 1/4 cup of chicken broth while stirring for 20-30 minutes or until risotto does not have a crunch to it. When risotto is soft, add 1/2 cup of parm cheese and the rest of the butter. Enjoy! 

Breaded Chicken Ingredients

You need: 

1 egg

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup milk

2 chicken breasts

These springer chicken breasts are great because they are individually packaged for quick unfreezing. I usually use the progresso bread crumbs, but I changed it up for this recipe and went with Whole Foods fresh bread crumbs. I don't think I can go back! These bread crumbs gave the chicken a really good crust and it was yummy!

To get ready to make this chicken, heat oil in frying pan and preheat oven to 400. Get it nice and hot and make sure there is enough oil in pan. That is the trick to making the crust of the chicken stick perfectly, hot pan and oil:) Next,  you need to combine milk and egg in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs and garlic in another bowl. Dip the chicken first in the bread crumbs, then in the egg mixture, then again in the bread crumbs. (That is secret number two:) Double dipping:) Transfer to hot pan. Cook in frying pan for one minute on each side. Transfer to preheated oven.   Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until chicken is white. I always cut in to check:) 

Oven Roasted Broccoli

You need: 

1 head of broccoli

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1 clove of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons oil 

I like to use my Le Creuset roasting pan for this. The broccoli comes out awesome!  Preheat oven to 400. Chop broccoli and clove of garlic. Combine all ingredients and bake for 25 minutes, until broccoli is crispy but tender. Be careful of how much lemon juice you add. Too much really messes with the taste!

Have a great week:)

Welcome to What's for Dinner? I love to cook and I am always looking for new recipes and ideas, so I thought I would share what I cook for dinner for those who are also always searching for new meals:) 


Enjoy!