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 And the other day, I was looking at those lists and realized just how out of date and non-reflective of my favorites they were.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

Spinach, Mushroom, & Ham Quiche

Remember when I finished White Collar-- and my world felt empty ;)  On Facebook, my go to source during boredom, a friend of mine posted about the show Suits. I watched an episode of Suits randomly and it was pretty good. So, when I saw that post, I decided to ask the hubby to get me the first two seasons, because sadly it is not on instant streaming through Netflix ::sadness:: I watched all of Season 1 in about 2 days and I am now almost done with Season 2 :) The show is awesome! Right up the White Collar alley. Isn't it amazing how many shows can be mystery solving  without being a police show- in this case it is lawyers. I highly reccomend the show. Though, Numb3rs is my favorite show, since it is so nerdy.

I now have to tell you about my lame slip-up. In the same post that I told you about White Collar, I mentioned that I ordered and sent out almost all of my wedding thank you's. When I went to the post office, I apparently left the unaddressed ones there (on a Thursday) and then I did not notice that I left them there until Monday! And by then, they told me they could not find it. I was in a panic because I needed to send a thank you to the hubby's former boss, who coincidentally, got me one of my favorite presents-- a Cuisinart food processor! Thankfully, a week later, the post office called me letting me know that they found it! YAY!

One of the best parts of food blogging, is always trying new recipes. Though I think that may be more of the hubby's favorite part, since he is definitely one of those people, who never orders the same thing from a restaurant, always wanting to try something different. Well, I wanted to try something very much outside box. I have only made a pie once- and the most difficult part of a pie is the crust. I also realized that I have never made a quiche. What better way to eat two cupcakes with one mouth ;)....then to make a quiche, because then I get my quiche and another go at making a pie crust. Plus, I get to say I made a quiche- now doesn't that sound very French fancy? This recipe is by no means "simple" but it is straight forward and yummy.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM, & HAM QUICHE

Crust from Add a Pinch

Quiche adapted from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 400F Degrees

CRUST
1 1/2 c. of flour (+ little more for rolling)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. shortening
1/4c. butter
4-5 tbsp. of ice water
olive oil for brushing

FILLING
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic 
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 large eggs, whisked
1 c. milk
3/4 c. grated Parmesan (or other grated cheese)
1 box (or bag) of frozen spinach, thawed and drained (completely dry)
2/3 c. diced ham
1/2 c. Mozarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust:
First, butter a 9 inch pie pan and set aside. Then in a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Dump into the bowl of  a food processor, fitted with pastry tool (i.e., the plastic blade). Then cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles a course sand. Gradually, one tbsp. at a time, add in ice water to the mixture until a dough forms.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and kneed. Then, lightly flour the top of the pie dough and cover the top with a sheet of plastic wrap.Rolling from the center, roll the dough into 1/8inch thick circle. Remove the plastic wrap, and gently fold dough over and across the pie pan. Press the bottom and sides of dough to conform to the pie pan. Shape the pie crust edge to desired design. I chose to be simple and just use a fork to create a creased edge. Cover the pie crust with a piece of plastic wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and lightly pierce the bottom and sides of the pie crust with a fork. Brush pie crust with a light coat of olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

For the Filling:
Before beginning, reduce oven to 350F degrees. In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in garlic and saute until fragrant and slightly browned. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper to taste, and then toss in mushrooms and saute for 8-10 minutes. At this pint, the mushrooms should have released all their moisture, and no water should remain at the bottom of the skillet. Set mushrooms aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs. Then whisk in milk and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Assemble the quiche as follows: cover the bottom of the pie crust with the thawed and completely drained spinach (this is important- you do not want to make your crust soggy with wet spinach). Next, cover the spinach with a layer of mushrooms, followed by a layer of ham. Once layers have been made, pour milk and egg mixture over the layers, until completely submerged (batter should be slightly below the brim of the the pie dish). Sprinkle Mozarella cheese over the top of the quiche. If it looks really full, that is okay, this quiche does not rise very much.. 

Place pie on  on baking sheet for easy transfer into and out of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour until the top of the quiche is golden brown and center is solid.  

•  After 30 minutes on the top rack, I transferred the quiche to the bottom rack. At which point, if you have a pie crust protector (so it does not burn) you should use it. If not, do what I did: Place a lined baking sheet on the rack above the quiche, and position so it is directly over the quiche. Allow to completely cool before serving.

Enjoy,
Chika

Country Club Chicken

Hello from Boston part 2 :) Though I am on my way out- just waiting for the plane to board. I was quite excited when I saw that Logan airport was offering free WiFi if you just watched a 30 second advertisement for a sponsor company! Score for me! Okay- well I left off sharing what I did the first day I was in Boston. Let's move on to what was accomplished Day 2 and 3...

Well- if you know me but at all, you would know that I continued with my cupcake crawl. I heard that Georgetown Cupcakes had a location in Boston. Given the infamy from TLC I figured I had to go visit this cupcakery while I was actually on the east coast. I had to attend a breakfast and present my poster first, and then I headed to Georgetown Cupcakery with Ashley and Mike. After the major disappointment that was Lulu's and Mike's Pasty I think we were all a bit cautious at what we were getting into! But we had a blast and may have eaten 6 cupcakes and I bought two to take home to the hubby, since that's our "thing." Just plain awesome! Gotta board the plane...to be continued...

Okay so I am now continuing this after I am back home :) ... After heading to the cupcakery we wanted a bit of lunch so we went to Boston's best rated pizza place called Regina's Pizza. That pizza just melted in your mouth and caused wonderful feelings of happiness. It was so stinkin' good! What an awesome food day! Well my advisor wanted to share with us all a favorite seafood place of hers- Union Oyster House- well we got a text message that she was ready and so we headed back to the hotel to meet her. Next stop: Union Oyster House. I split scallops and mussels with my advisor...soo soo good. Oh! And on the way out I got to hold a live GIANT lobster...haha..I was terrified! A nice way to end foodie fun for day 2.

Day 3 was pretty simple. Ashley and I headed to Sweet Cupcakes. We went to the original store Massachusetts Ave., because I was told it may just be better the Georgetown and I figured the original location would be the best. Sadly, it was a disappointment. Nothing to special at all. [check out my Cupcakery Review Page to read more!] We headed back because Ashley was presenting a poster in the evening. After the poster session- we had an early dinner- I may have had the sophisticated dish of beer battered chicken tenders (so so good)- I had a lot of seafood in the past few days and thought something different would be good. And Ashley and I ended our Boston foodie adventure with a delicious Crème Brûlée...drooool.... 

And now I am back and ready to share with you this re-make of country club chicken with a little less bacon than the original recipe because the hubby and I are those weird people that do not like bacon! I know! 

COUNTRY CLUB CHICKEN 

Adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

1 pound of spaghetti

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 large chicken breasts (I filleted the chicken for a total of 8 pieces)

salt and pepper to taste 

1 c. of diced onions or 1 1/2 c. of pearl onions (I used pearl onions)

1 carton of sliced mushrooms

1 (10.75oz) can of cream of golden mushroom (or just regular mushroom)

1 (10.75oz) can of cream of chicken

1/4 c. bacon bits (some reserved for garnish)

1/4 c. cooking wine

2/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

For the Pasta:
In a large pot, over medium heat, cook spaghetti according to package directions- approximately 7-8 minutes until al dente. Drain excess water and run cold water through the spaghetti to prevent sticking. Return to large pot.

For the chicken:

Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken breast with generous amount of salt and pepper (to taste). Quickly brown the chicken breasts on both sides. And transfer them to a greased casserole dish. 

In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and saute onions for 3 minutes, until slightly transparent and fragrant. Toss in mushrooms (and pinch of salt if desired) and saute until tender-- about 8-10 minutes. Pour in white wine and condensed soup. Add in crumbled bacon bits and grated Parmesan Cheese. Stir until ingredients are well blended--the sauce should appear creamy and smooth. 

Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts in casserole dish. Place casserole dish in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is tender and sauce is golden brown on top and bubbly.

Serve chicken over spaghetti and with a side of veggies! Garnish chicken with reserved bacon bits.

Enjoy,

Chika

Onion, Spinach, Mushroom Alfredo Pizza

I think I am failing miserably at my attempt to try to post every day. And the sad part about it is- that it is not because I do not have anything to post. I have quite a few really awesome recipes to share and some cupcakery reviews! I do not know what it has been about February but I have been so busy! The week just flies by--I feel like I am always on the go-- and by the time the evenings rolls around, I am just too tired post. I literally just pass out. Thankfully, the weekend has rolled around and I am ready to post...and to nap :)

Today I took Ninja to the dog park. His first day back in almost 4 months. Ninja freaked out! He was so excited, he did not even give me time to take off his harness- he was just trying with all his might to rush the gate and push it open...to bad there was a latch in his way. This Friday we are going to the vet for his 8-week follow up and I am hoping that he will give us the A-Okay on his coming back to the dog park in the evenings so he can have some fun times with his friends! Can't wait :) Here's a picture of my drooly face this morning, makes my heart melt every time!

I had made this delicious pizza a while ago as the hubby and I were long over due for some pizza, since the last time we had any was on New Years Eve. I have only made pizza once before-- BBQ Chicken Pizza, which turned out awesome, so I thought I would try making pizza from scratch again. I was pretty darn proud of myself for mastering how to make my own dough! The recipe usually makes enough for two pizzas, so I cut the dough in half and freeze the rest for another day! 

CARAMELIZED ONION, SPINACH AND MUSHROOM ALFREDO PIZZA

Adapted from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 425F Degrees

FOR THE CRUST

1 1/3 c. warm water

1/4 c. non-fat dry milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 (4oz) package of yeast

2 tbsp. olive oil

3-4 c. flour

FOR THE SAUCE

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 tbsp. garlic, diced

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. milk 

Pinch of salt

FOR THE PIZZA

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 c. onion, diced

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 carton of mushrooms

2 c. spinach leaves

1 c. shredded mozarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust:
In a small bowl combine warm water, dry milk, salt, and yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 3-5 minutes (until it begins to bubble at the top), then add in oil and allow to sit for another minute. Then in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook- mix into 3 c. of flour.  Slowly add in the last c. until the dough comes together. If it is too dry add more warm water or if too wet add more flour. Place in large bowl coated with cooking spray and cover. Allow to sit for 1-2 hours. When dough has risen, "punch" dough to deflate. Cut dough in half, wrap one of the halves in saran wrap, and freeze for future use. Grease pizza pan.  Roll remaining dough (the half not frozen) onto a 12 inch pizza pan. Poke holes in crust with fork and brush dough with olive oil. Bake for 5-10 minute until begins to bubble slightly on top. Remove from oven.

For the sauce: 
Heat butter over medium heat in a medium size pot. Add garlic and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Next add cream cheese, milk and pinch of salt. Whisk mixture until smooth. Reduce to low heat and allow sauce to thicken (about 5-8 minutes). Allow to cool slightly. 

For the topping: heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. The saute onions until transparent and slightly brown. Toss in mushrooms (and pinch of salt if desired) and saute until tender-- about 8-10 minutes. Finally stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until the spinach wilts. 

To assemble pizza: 
Spread sauce over the surface of dough with the back of a large spoon (spoon the sauce in the middle of the pizza and spread by making larger, and larger circular motions-- moving outward). Then evenly cover pizza with onion, spinach and mushroom topping. Finally top with mozarella cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. I cook my pizza on the bottom oven rack.

Enjoy,

Chika

Mushroom Risotto

Have you all heard of Color Me Rad and Color Run? Now that I am more fond of running- I've been thinking of registering for one of these runs. They are both really similar-- a run where you get color thrown at you as you run the course. Really the whole things reminds me of Indian Holi. Color Me Rad and Color Run are about 2.5 miles (5K)-- meaning pretty do-able for me. See, I am definitely not a "runner" who can run miles and miles without stopping. I am your recreational runner that celebrates at two miles :)

I really enjoy the concept of getting color thrown at you throughout your run. Why? Because in the end you look like a celebration! Both runs are held across the United States on different dates. The hubby and I live close to Austin and Houston-- both of which are having runs in March. I have done some reading online and found that Color Me Rad actually "throws" more color and hence makes you look more colorful-- so I am leaning towards Color Me Rad in Austin :) Any suggestions?

Onto food: another recipe I attempted this past weekend was risotto. When I was growing up-- and my mom went out of town-- my dad would always make "risotto" for us (good memories). And for my dad that meant, egg, rice and cheese mixed together; and it was actually quite delicious. Now that I have realized that- that in fact was not risotto, I really wanted to try to make an actual risotto. Risotto does take a lot of patience and concentration. You cannot just put rice in a pot, let it boil and add a few things. You need to watch, slowly add ingredients and stir constantly to cook the rice. But all, in all-- it did not take a ton of time and it was absolutely delicious!!!! 

Definitely one of my favorite recipes! I love how the mushrooms and risotto tasted together...mmmm. The hubby is not even a huge fan of mushrooms but ate this up :) Though this is not technically a traditional risotto because I did not use Arborio rice- instead I used Jasmine rice. If you also do not have Arborio rice-- do not fret-- any long grain rice that tends to absorb a lot of liquid, will work fine :)

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

INGREDIENTS

4 c. of chicken broth

2 tbsp. olive oil 

1 regular carton of fresh mushrooms

3 green onions, diced

1 c. rice (Arborio preferred, long grain rice as substitute)

1/4 c. cooking wine

1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a pot, bring chicken broth to a boil, then reduce heat and keep warm over low heat. 

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in mushrooms and saute until tender-- about 8-10 minutes. Empty mushrooms onto plate or container and set aside. In the same skillet, heat another 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add green onions and saute until fragrant and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add in rice and stir well to coat with olive oil-green onion mixture. Cook rice for an additional 3 minutes, stirring only occasionally. 

Next add in cooking wine and cook until all the wine is absorbed-- stir constantly. Continue to cook rice by adding 1/4 c. of warmed chicken broth at a time into the rice, stirring continuously until broth has been completely absorbed (Gimme Some Oven had the great suggestion of using a ladle and that is exactly how I added the chicken broth). Do not add more broth until the previous amount has been entirely absorbed by the rice. Continue adding increments of chicken broth and allowing rice to absorb all the broth-- do this until all the broth has been used and rice is cooked through (add more broth if rice needs additional cooking). 

Once risotto is cooked add in Parmesan Cheese and then mushrooms, stirring until well combined. 

Enjoy,

Chika 

Chicken Marsala Pasta

Happy Birthday to Me :) Well, belated birthday-- since it was yesterday. It was an AMAZING birthday from start to finish! I got woken up by birthday texts and phone calls. Then I got to spend a lazy day with Ninja filled with napping and catching up on DVR shows. In the evening I had dinner at my favorite sushi place- 40 Tempura-- with some of my closest friends (Justin, Luke and Sophia) and the hubby-- which always makes for a fun dinner filled with lots of laughs. I have some of the most awesome friends a person could ask for :)

For dinner, the hubby picked up cupcakes for my "birthday cake." He knows me so well right? He got the cupcakes from a new cupcakery I wanted to try (not new as in it just opened but new as in I did not try it before). So check them out in my Cupcakery Reviews (they are to come...). He got one cupcake for everyone that came to dinner- so we could have cake to eat and we each actually blew out a candle and made a wish. Who says it has to be your birthday to make a wish ;) I got two cupcakes- one for my friends and one for me to blow out the candle and eat with my family. 

Family? You are probably thinking- don't you live in Texas and your family is in California and Kansas City?You are correct! After dinner the hubby and I came home to finally OPEN PRESENTS. If you follow me- you are familiar with my excitement and lack of patience in waiting to open up boxes of presents that were delivered to my apartment! Well I finally got to open them! Well the family video chatted with me so they could watch me open my presents that they sent- it was so fun and funny! I LOVED IT! 

Together they got me almost everything on my Wish List! Can you believe it?! I could not! These were things that I just dreamed about getting, since they were not "musts." But they were so sweet to actually get them all for me- just so I can have more fun baking and cooking. I love how much they support me :) I was blown away. Yes, I am that spoiled and lucky! I cannot wait to bake with all the fun new toys I got! And all throughout the day I got more birthday messages. I truly felt so special and loved-- I could not have asked for a better birthday. 

I blinked but I wanted to capture my original happiness :) 

As for food: I made this Chicken Marsala Pasta for the hubby earlier this week. It was delicious! I always thought Marsala would be difficult to make but it was pretty simple! 

CHICKEN MARSALA PASTA

Adapted slightly from What's Cookin' Chicago

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, diced

10-12 oz. mushrooms (or 1-16oz. can of mushrooms)

2/3 c. onion diced 

1-2 tbsp. garlic, minced

3/4 c. cooking wine (Marsala cooking wine preferred)

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1-16oz box of pasta

1 c. Parmesan Cheese + some for garnish

5 tbsp. of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of butter, over medium heat and 1 tbsp. garlic. Add chicken and cook until tender and no longer pink in the middle- remove from skillet and set aside.

In a large pot of salted boiling water-- cook pasta according to package directions. Drain excess water and run cold water through pasta to prevent sticking.

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter in skillet and add remaining garlic, mushrooms and onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Garlic should brown and onions should become slightly translucent. Add cooked chicken back into skillet. Then add wine, chicken broth and cream-- bring to boil. Once boiling, simmer sauce until slightly thickened-- 5-8 minutes. 

In a large pot mix together drained pasta and remaining butter (3 tbsp.) until butter is completely melted. Then add Marsala sauce and stir until some of the sauce is absorbed by the pasta-- about 1-2 minutes. Mix in Parmesan Cheese until pasta is nicely coated. Serve with salt and pepper if desired, and garnish with Parmesan Cheese. 

Enjoy,

Chika