chocolate lava cakes (for two!)

if my husband asks me, "are you making (carmelitas, brownies, cookies, cake, cupcakes, s'mores bars, etc) tonight?" i'm in no way the kind of person to say, "not a chance, i'm fat and need to go on a diet."

i always say, "let me see what i can make." and search for yummy things i can make with what's in the cupboard. so yes, this is part of the reason why i've gained 15 pounds since being married.

i found this awesome recipe on Budget Bytes after searching "chocolate cake for two." i've made a similar recipe before which involved lots of (Godiva) chocolate, heavy cream, rolling said chocolate and cream into balls, chilling them, making the batter, combining the two, baking and devouring. though those lava cakes were scrumptious - this cake was just as amazingly delicious and SO MUCH EASIER. also, way cheaper - because you can use chocolate chips (which most people have on hand) and all the other ingredients are basic staples as well (flour, eggs, white sugar and butter).

yes this cake has lots of butter. yes it has an ooey gooey delightful center (when pulled out before the center sets). check out the recipe here at Budget Bytes and browse her site. she has a lot of great ideas for tight budgets and lists the cost per serving/meal as well (pretty cool).

grilled veggie packets

so, can we talk about how awesome grilling is for a minute? i mean, we grilled a lot at my parents, but i never really did the grilling or the cleaning up (i was a spoiled little girl).

my sister and her hubs were awesome enough to give us their little propane grill. it's circular, small, lightweight and perfect for our bee-infested "patio." (we have a major infestation of carpenter bees.) after our yummy meal, i was super excited with no pots and pans to clean, no baked-on casserole dish and no hot-from-the-oven kitchen.

so, we cleaned up the grill, i got the propane tank filled up, and i set to work on cleaning and sterilizing the final parts at home. i thought chicken with veggie packets was the perfect way to break in the grill.

the main "recipe" for this came from Pillsbury Grilled Vegetable Medley Packets. it was really the only thing online i found that seemed worth trying.

 recipe:
~ingredients~
allows for 2 [large] servings - these are the amounts I used. you could easily add more or different veggies per your own faves!
3/4 zucchini (medium sized)
5 (small) red potatoes
3/4 white onion
1/4 red pepper
2 T butter (i used unsalted)
1 T olive oil (about)
1 sprig fresh thyme
S+P

~instructions~

1. preheat/prepare grill.
2. chop all your veggies and combine in bowl.
3. melt butter, add S+P, thyme and olive oil; pour over and mix veggies.
4. make a foil packet, add veggies to center, fold top and fold edges. leave an inch or two at the top for expansion.
5. i had my grill on pretty high and cooked for 25-30 minutes. the potatoes were perfectly soft. probably could have come out a little sooner, so if your grill is really hot - don't go more than 25 minutes. i would have liked the zucchini and pepper a little less soft.
6. open packets carefully, allowing steam to escape.

this recipe is pretty simple. limited seasons and herbs, and i liked that. however, probably could have used a little more salt and thyme and maybe some garlic cloves thrown in (but discard instead of serving). oh - and the chicken - i marinated in olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper - josh's had balsamic and mine had fresh lemon juice. those took about 15 minutes or less to cook. (seriously, that grill was HOT.)

big thanks to sissy and her hubs for the grill!! i see lots more grilling happening! (as long as i don't get attacked/scared away by bees...) and yes - we'll have you over for dinner sometime :)

chicken chili + creamed corn bread

okay. so i don't know if anyone cares for my recipes or not, because honestly, i know my pictures aren't that good. i don't have a good place to stage my food, nor do i have a good lens, skill, good lighting (um, we eat at 815 at night at the earliest) or a lot of time. so, i'm going to include the recipe, but really - people are going to cook what you post only if it LOOKS good, am i right? well...anyway...

i'm a huge chili fan, so it makes me very happy that it's a favorite of both mine and josh's. for this recipe, i had some leftover ground chicken in the freezer that i decided to use. i kept the chili "red" with light red kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. this recipe is based on a "cooking for two" theory and actually didn't make any leftovers (for the chili) because josh liked it so much he had seconds!

 recipe:
~chili ingredients~
2 T olive oil
1/4 onion (i never use a full onion when cooking, but you can use as much as you want!)
green pepper to your liking (i probably used about 1/4 cup chopped)
2 cloves garlic (mine were huge)
1/2 lb ground chicken (turkey or beef)
1 28oz can diced or petite diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1-2 T chili powder (to your liking)
1-2 T paprika (again, to your liking)
1 c chicken stock
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
S+P

~instructions~

1. heat pan with olive oil, add chopped onion and pepper to pan. cook till softened, a few minutes.
2. add garlic, cook a few minutes and add ground chicken. let brown.
3. add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, spices and S+P.
4. let simmer, at least 1/2 hour. i actually let it simmer for almost 2 hours because that was how much time i had before the hubby got home. i simmered w/ the lid on until about 1/2 hour before it was done. i also added more spices at the end and a little cornstarch to thicken it up.
5. serve with shredded cheese, sour cream or avocado...onions...tortilla chips...

~creamed corn bread ingredients~
recipe from alton brown
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (i didn't have buttermilk so i substituted 1 T white vinegar in a glass measuring cup then filled to 1 cup with milk and some heavy cream)
2 eggs
1 cup creamed corn
2 tablespoons canola oil

~instructions~

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees. place a 10-inch cast iron skillet into the oven (i didn't have a cast iron skillet so i used a metal pie pan...this worked okay but would have been better w/ the skillet).
2. in a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. whisk together to combine well.
3. combine the buttermilk, eggs and creamed corn, whisking to combine thoroughly. add dry ingredients to the buttermilk mixture and stir to combine. if batter will not pour, add more buttermilk.
4. swirl the canola oil in the hot cast iron skillet (i used a pastry brush to help spread the oil). pour the batter into the skillet. bake until golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 20-25 minutes.

i definitely enjoyed both of these recipes. i know it's a winner when i hear, "That was really good, can i have more?" from josh, the cornbread was definitely "corn" tasting, so if you aren't a big fan of corn this might not be the best recipe for you. all in all, it was a perfect meal for a cold, wintry night!

calzones

josh and i are big pizza fans, i mean, who isn't. i know it's not quite a "healthy" option, but for these calzones, i did opt out of pepperoni slices for veggies (peppers and onions). i've been using the same basic pizza dough recipe now for stromboli twice, pizza + bread sticks once and now calzones. i found the recipe here; it's Emeril's dough recipe, and i love it! this time i used rapid rise yeast so i didn't have to wait almost two hours for rising time (which i did last Friday, and it just seemed to take FOREVER to double).

i came across a few issues when i made this...like, i um, ran out of regular flour. luckily i had some wheat flour, so i substituted that, and it turned out fine. i also have a tendency to over-stuff my stromboli, so i didn't put much filling in these calzones...and it was definitely not enough. i also think my dough could have rested longer and i could have made it thinner when i rolled it out. despite these issues, the calzones were still tasty.

recipe:
~bread dough~
1 package yeast, .25 oz
1 c water (about 110 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 T olive oil, plus more for bowl
2 1/2 - 3 c all-purpose flour, plus more if necessary
cornmeal - for pizza stone/pizza peel, if you have one (we don't boooo)
egg wash (beaten egg + 1 T water)
Parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings and garlic powder
sauce for dipping

~fillings~
anything you want! we used pepperoni, mozzarella/provolone pizza cheese combo, peppers and onions.

~instructions~

1. combine yeast, sugar and water in large bowl, or bowl for electric mixer. let sit till foamy, about 5 minutes. i've read this isn't necessary for rapid rise yeast, but i do it anyway. i've also found heating your bowl a little helps with the yeast, or at least so it isn't freezing cold from sitting in your 60 degree kitchen all day.
2. add salt, olive oil and 1/2 the flour, stir to combine.
3. add remaining flour, dough will be slightly sticky. knead 5-7 minutes, adding more flour if necessary. dough should not be sticky by this point.
4. transfer to lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat. let sit till doubled in size, about an hour. if you're using rapid rise yeast like me, you only need to let it sit for about 10 minutes.
5. preheat oven to 475. 
6. form dough into four balls for calzones. cover w/ damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes. after this resting period, i froze two balls of dough wrapped in plastic and in a freezer bag for future use.
7. use this time to prepare your filling, chop veggies, etc.
8. form dough into two circles, about 8" in diameter. add filling of choice to center of one side of circle, fold over and crimp with fingers or fork to seal. brush egg wash over top of calzone, top with a sprinkling of garlic, parm and Italian seasonings, if desired. 
9. cut slit in calzone to allow steam to escape and bake for 8-10 minutes. serve w/ sauce.

chargrilled chicken + risotto

risotto has been a favorite dish of mine ever since i've tried it. i haven't had it or made it in quite a while, but finally, after weeks of having all my ingredients i made my recipe. i've been dying to make this recipe ever since i bought this book on risotto for $5.00 on clearance at a kitchen gadgets store. 

the recipe is chargrilled chicken + risotto. in my attempt at healthier dishes for two people, i made a few alterations and small additions to this fairly basic recipe, and it turned out AMAZING. the recipe called for white wine, which i did not have, so i substituted white cooking wine. i also added a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes, more chicken stock (+ a little water) than called for and less cheese. i'm telling you - i was sampling this as i was making it, before the cheese went in - and thought it was so good i almost didn't put in the parm. but then i did. and holy. it made it amazing. 

 

i'm trying to work on "healthier" meals for two people, with no leftovers.  i usually eat leftovers for lunch, but in an attempt to lower my weight i've found i can't afford the calories at lunch that usually are okay at dinner. the end result of this recipe is a for about two people, so that's what the ingredients below will get you. i had a few leftovers, but only because i didn't eat as much as i probably could, as i'm really attempting to monitor portion control for myself in meals. risotto isn't the healthiest of meals, but it's better than a side of Velveeta mac and cheese or a loaded baked potato.

recipe:

~marinade for chicken~

juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon

1-2 T olive oil

4-5 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and chopped (i buy fresh then freeze. it's a great way to have fresh herbs whenever)

1 clove garlic (i had minced, so about 1-2 tsp)

S + P

~risotto ingredients~

1-2 T olive oil

2 T butter, separated

1/2 small onion, chopped fine

3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped fine (if you can measure them in quantities, and they don't have to be in oil)

generous 3/4 cup arborio rice

1/3 c white wine (or white cooking wine)

2 1/2 - 3 c chicken stock

2-3 T Parmesan cheese

S + P, to taste

~instructions~

1. season chicken w/ S + P. mix together marinade ingredients and rub into chicken. let sit 4-6 hours (i had about 2 1/2 hours, which i think was plenty). cook chicken about 10-15 min per side, till juices run clear. let sit 5 min before slicing.
2. heat chicken stock, keep simmering while cooking risotto.
3. heat oil and 1 T butter in pan. add onion, cook to soften, do not brown. add sun-dried tomatoes, cook till warm. this is where i seasoned with S + P
4. add arborio rice, cook till translucent, about 2-3 minutes. 
5. add white wine / white cooking wine. cook till reduced.
6. add chicken stock, a ladleful at a time, waiting until absorbed before adding more. cooking takes about 20-30 minutes. 
7. once rice is finished absorbing, remove from heat. add remaining butter and cheese, to taste, and more S + P if desired.
8. serve chicken atop risotto.

delish!