Chicken Jalapeno Popper topped Portobello Mushrooms

I have been so off my game this week--missing and coming late to meetings. I think a set fall school schedule will help keep me on track, or let's hope so. Though with school back in the swing of things only means less time for hobbies :/ (i.e., baking, cooking and blogging) ::tear::

It took me forever, but I finally got around to updating "My Top 5 Sweet Tooth Picks" and "My Top 5 Savory Picks"! You can see these updated lists on the right side of this blog underneath the "Popular Posts" section. Really, my lack of updating was out of laziness. Since I first created those two lists, I have made a ton of recipes. Some of which I have beyond loved! And the other day, I was looking at those lists and realized just how out of date and non-reflective of my favorites they were. So I decided it was time that I updated it. Out of the 10 recipes, 2 were still my favorites. But everything else changed. Take a look! Though my favorites do not seem to overlap much with my most popular posts, I think you just might like what I picked! :) After all the first time I made those list-- Crispy Ritz Chicken and S'moreos (which is still on there) were on there-- but were not on my most popular posts list-- but now look-- they are-- so I'd like to think of my favorites lists as fortune tellers of what is to be popular ;)

I have made stuffed portobello mushrooms before but it has been awhile. I love, love, love, mushrooms. Ever since I was little. Though I am not a fan of raw mushrooms, I do love sauteed mushrooms. Which is why, though at first I wanted to make a traditional stuffed portobello mushroom-- I decided to really bake my mushroom so that it would be more tender and juicy (almost as if they were sauteed). And then I topped the the mushrooms with a chicken jalapeno popper stuffing. The look reminded me of Mexican Sopes. This recipe will definitely be a go-to favorite for me. It was semi-healthy, quick and simple. The hubby, whose not as much of a mushroom enthusiast as me-- loved the stuffing! He used the left over stuffing as a spread to eat with some bread. He was addicted :)

CHICKEN JALAPENO POPPER TOPPED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

4 portabello mushroom caps, cleaned
Olive oil for brushing

FOR THE STUFFING
1/2 large chicken breast, shredded*
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. sour cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. Panko bread crumbs  (+ some for garnish)
1 1/2 tbsp. jalapeno juice
1/4 c. diced jalapenos 
1 tbsp. garlic
2 green onions

*To shred chicken, place one chicken breast and 2 tbsp. chicken broth in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours. Using two forks, shred apart the chicken and allow to sit for an additional 15-20 minutes to soak up liquid. 

DIRECTIONS

For Mushrooms:
To prepare the portabello mushrooms- first remove the stem by pulling in the opposite direction in which it's learning (it should snap right off). If needed, take a knife and cut it off at the base. Remove the gills by cradling the portobello in one hand with the gills facing up, then use a small spoon to scrape the gills off, moving in a circular path (the gills should come out very easily, and you do not need to use a lot of pressure). Then using a damp paper towel, wipe the cap of the mushroom to remove any residual dirt. Using a brush- coat the mushroom caps with olive oil. Place mushroom caps on a line baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until flat. If you do not want flat mushroom caps-- make stuffing first, fill mushroom caps and then bake 15-25 minutes, until tender.  Allow to cool.

For the Stuffing:
In a medium bowl, using a spatula, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. Then fold in chicken, Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs. Once well combined, add jalapeno juice and diced jalapenos followed by garlic and green onions.

Using an ice cream scoop- place one scoop of chicken jalapeno popper stuffing ontop of each portobello mushroom (still on baking sheet). Garnish with a little panko breadcrumbs.

Change oven setting to broil-- place topped mushroom caps under broiler and bake for 1 minute until Panko breadcrumbs are browned.

Enjoy,
Chika

Kid Casserole

It never ceases to surprise me no matter how much I travel, how tired I am when I come back. The phrase, "I need a vacation from my vacation" describes me perfectly. Which meant the first day back ended up being me sleeping for hours and afterwards I actually felt refreshed (oh, how short lived that was), so the hubby and I decided to have dinner with Justin and Luke! We actually ended up trying a Justin and Luke favorite that the hubby and I have never tried- Fuego's Taco. I think based on how much it seemed Justin and Luke liked Fuego's I was expecting more. It was good--do not get me wrong--but that was about it. Like it did not blow me away.

The hubby had surprised me with a few things when I came back: a new iPhone case which I was in desperate need for, sprinkles (which you just cannot get enough of) and a new game to play with Justin and Luke. Since I got a new game, after dinner we decided to go back to our place to make it a game night. Though before we did, I made a major fail. So at first I thought Justin and Luke were going to run back to their place to grab Cranium and then head to our place. But apparently they were just heading straight to our place. Well since I got the message mixed up, I went with the hubby to pick up snacks to enjoy during game night. Sadly, when we got back to our place- I saw Justin and Luke already there! They were waiting for 15 minutes :( Sorry Justin and Luke :/

What's up with the kid casserole? Well- until recently when I made the Sour Cream Noodle Bake, I realized that I had not really made any casseroles! Which I love! Usually the casserole recipes that I have tried in the past have always used condensed soup. I found this recipe on Pinterest that gloated about not using condensed soup- it looked yummy too and so it caught my attention for something I could make for dinner. How did I get the "kid"? I am not sure about y'all (okay, the Texas is rubbing off on me ;), but I always loved turkey hot dogs (since I do not eat beef) when I was a kid! And something about eating hot dogs as a grown up just makes me so nostalgic and reminiscent of my childhood--those fun days where you would play outside all day, come home and just eat up a delicious meal! Although the recipe called for chicken, I just got this fun idea to try to make a kid friendly version of it! I figured it would be a good recipe to share with all you moms out there :) And hey, it's always fun to be a big kid and eat food that takes you back to a good place! It ended up tasting great!

Add some french fried onions as a garnish. 

KID CASSEROLE

Adapted from Culinary.net

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

2 c. uncooked rice- cooked
2 c. shredded cheese
1-16oz package of hotdogs, diced
1- 12oz can of Evaporated Milk
1/2 c. green onions, diced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1/8 c. diced jalapenos (optional)
Pinch of salt
French fried onions (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Lightly grease a large casserole dish with either cooking spray or butter- set aside. In a rice cooker, combine rice with 3.5 c. of water- set to cook.

Once rice is cooked, in the large casserole dish combine rice, 1 c. of cheese, hot dogs, evaporate milk, onions, eggs, butter, jalapenos, and salt. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed and well incorporated into the rice. Spread mixture in casserole dish with a spatula and smooth the top until even. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of casserole. Bake 35-45 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean and cheese is melted. Garnish with French fried onions for a crispy texture!

Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving! Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy,
Chika

Skinny Jalapeno-Cream Cheese Wontons

Were you guys a big fan of "Boys Meets World"? I was! A huge fan. I have watched every single episode. Well rumor has it ;) that they are coming out with a "Girl Meets World." And this time the parents would be Cory and Topanga! How cool is that! I know that I am well into my twenties, but there is something so nostalgic about that show. Though I have to say, that I have been watching the MTV2 re-runs of "Boys Meets World" and realized how corny the show is I knew it was a bit dorky when I watched the show the first time around, but I did not realize just how corny and cliched it was. BUT I still very much enjoy watching the series! Can't wait for this new show!

Not only have I been on a S'More kick lately but I have also been on a Jalapeño Popper or Jalapeno-Cream Cheese kick too! I made a fried version of these Jalapeño-Cream Cheese Wontons awhile ago when I had invited Justin and Luke to come over for dinner to see our newly decorated place. Well, I had poorly planned my time and by the time I finished making everything- it was late at night. I tried to photograph the wontons but there is something about non-natural lighting that made the food look so ugly :( 

So I decided I would just try to make this yummy little appetizer again, but this time try to make them a bit more healthy by baking them instead of frying them. I am not usually one for attempting to make things "skinny" but I am definitely trying. I made a few modifications to this recipe so that I could make it as healthy as I could. And both the hubby and I really enjoyed them! These wontons were pretty easy to make and put together. The frying was a bit tricky, but baking them makes the process a lot easier and healthier. Nothing better than less-guilty food ;) Can't say it is completely guilt-less--I mean it is filled with cream cheese isn't it? 

SKINNY JALAPEÑO-CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Adapted from All Recipes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 400F Degrees

8oz. package of fat-free cream cheese

1 c. shredded 2% mozzarella cheese 

4 oz. can of diced jalapeño peppers (reserving 3 tbsp. of juice)

1 tbsp. garlic

3 green onions, diced

16 oz. package of wonton wrappers

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients using a spatula (except wonton wrappers) together- cream cheese, shredded cheese, diced jalapeño peppers (plus juice), garlic, and green onions. *The jalapeño juice will add a nice distinct jalapeño flavor to the filling. 

In a small cup or bowl- fill with warm water. Holding the wonton in a diamond shape in your hand, scoop one generous tablespoon of cream cheese mixture into the middle of the wonton. Then dip your finger in the water and lightly outline the "top" triangle border of the wonton wrapper. Then fold the bottom triangle portion of the wonton paper up-and over the top portion. Pinch the border of the wonton to tightly seal the wonton. 

Sometimes when sealing one side, the cream cheese mixture will push out on the other-- if that happens just use your finger to push the cream cheese back into the wonton, and slowly seal the other side. Repeat, until entire meat mixture is used. Make sure to tightly pinch edges down so prevent opening during baking.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until wonton edges turn slightly golden brown. Once done, dust the flour of the wontons (my pictures still show the flour- I forgot to dust it off before taking pictures :/). 

Enjoy,

Chika

Jalapeno Popper Mac n' Cheese

I cannot wait for this "three-day" weekend coming up. It is not an official university holiday, but originally my sister was planning to come into town (Houston) for the All-Star game with her sports-fanatic hubby. So when planning my schedule this semester- I did not schedule class or clients-- because I figured I would be in Houston all weekend. Well it turns out that they were not able to get tickets to the game like they planned and will not be coming to Houston this weekend. But since I already cleared my schedule (I think saying just kidding to my class...you have class,..is just cruel)-- so I am viewing this as a positive-- I get a three day weekend to both rest and catch up on some long over due "To-Do" items.

Onto food...I love all things jalapeno popper, the combination of jalapenos and cream cheese taste awesome! Truth be told, I really just love jalapenos and cream cheese separately- but whomever thought of putting them together was sheer genius. I probably would have served jalapeno poppers at my wedding if I did not think I would get a few looks about the level of classiness of these things and wonder about how this fit into my Indian Cuisine theme. Do not fret- after the wedding- when I felt I had some wiggle room in what I ate-- I may have ate some :) And by some I mean a bag of those frozen jalapeno poppers you can purchase at the grocery store :)

Lately, in my search for recipes on Pinterest or just random on-line searches, I have seen creative food bloggers make recipe renditions of the jalapeno poppers in other foodie forms: two of which were jalapeno popper wontons and jalapeno popper mac n' cheese. Both of which I made :) The second of which I am sharing with you today. Mmmmmm...::sigh of happy tummy::...did I love this mac n' cheese. I love mac n' cheese in general, so I am not sure it's hard to convince me on the deliciousness of mac n' cheese but this recipe was truly fantastic. It was quick to make and fun to eat :) Can't beat that combination. You will not be sorry if you make this recipe!

JALAPENO POPPER MAC N' CHEESE

Adapted from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

12-16 oz. of uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. garlic
1 c. milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk)
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
4 oz. can of sliced jalapeno (reserving 3 tbsp. of liquid)
4 oz. can diced green chiles (drained)
1 1/4 c. shredded pepper jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, over medium heat cook pasta according to package directions- approximately 7-8 minutes until al dente. Then drain excess water and run cold water through pasta to prevent sticking. Return to large pot.

You can prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking. In a medium sauce pot, heat olive oil, over medium heat. Then saute garlic, for 1-2 minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant. Then add in milk, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Using a whisk, stir the the ingredients until a smooth sauce forms. Then turn down to low heat, and stir in sour cream. Next, add the 3 tbsp. of jalapeno "juice" (this will add a nice distinct jalapeno flavor to the sauce), along with diced jalapenos and chiles-- stir well. **if desired salt can be added (though I do not think it is needed)**

Once sauce is made, pour the sauce over the pasta and combine well by stirring (do this while the pot is over lowest heat). Finally add the shredded pepper jack cheese and stir to melt cheese. The heat from the cooked pasta and sauce should be enough to melt the cheese (I place the pasta over low heat-- to keep it warm). Serve hot and best eaten the day. I garnished with crushed red peppers because I like a bit of spice. 

I re-heated the mac n' cheese the next day and ate some--still delicious. So I do not think it's a must to eat it the same day.

Enjoy,
Chika