Creamy Polenta with Sautéed Mushrooms

I discovered a new dish that I cannot wait to make again. It's a creamy and satisfying polenta. It tastes buttery and rich, but is surprisingly low fat. And then you send this dish over the moon balsamic glazed mushrooms. It's seriously so so good. And the best part? It's super simple! The whole dish comes together in about 10 minutes. 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 oz mushrooms (I had white which was great, but baby bella or cremini would be wonderful)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

18 ounces instant polenta (we LOVE the organic trader joes brand) 

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf italian parsley

salt and pepper

Directions: 

De-stem and cut your mushrooms in half or quarters depending on the size of the mushroom. You want them to be small bite sized pieces. Remember they will shrink down during cooking. Heat your olive oil in a skillet, add your mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are golden brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt your butter and cut open your polenta. Spread the polenta evenly across the pan and warm until cooked through. Top with half of the cheese. Once your mushrooms are done, add them to the top of the polenta. Top with your parsley and the other half of your cheese. Season again with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

For a 10 minute, meat free, inexpensive and healthy meal, this is one that you will want to make over and over. In fact, I'm going to go make some more right now. 

Curry Chicken Leek & Potato Soup

I have been obsessed with making soups lately. I guess that is just an inherent to-do that comes with the changing of the seasons. Even though I live somewhere where it's still relatively warm, I want to get in my cozy sweater and slippers and slurp something to heat up my insides. This soup does just that. Its got just a tiny mild amount of spice. The warm flavors, the creaminess from the potatoes, and just a hint of richness from the protein in the chicken. It was so simple to make, and so simple to devour. I hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients: 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
2 leeks, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp curry
1 tsp turmeric
4 cans stock 
2 carrots, diced
3 pound bag red potatoes
1 chicken breast, grilled or baked, then cut into 1/4 inch cubes

Directions: 
Warm your oil in a large dutch oven pot, leek, onion, celery, salt and pepper and saute until softened. Add your garlic and cook for 30-60 more seconds. Then add your curry, turmeric, lavender, and stir until fragrant. Add in your stock, then your carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat and simmer until your potatoes are fork tender. Use an imersion blender until you have reached your desired smoothness. Add your chicken to the soup and stir until warmed through. Season again with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with bread or pita chips for dipping. 

This soup has a warm creamy vibe with just a slight hint of spices. And the best part is, its virtually fat free and almost meat free. It is the perfect way to cozy up this fall. 

Peggy's Glazed Carrot Cake

One of my mother-in-law's recipes that my husband drools over is her glazed carrot cake. He would rather spend a night with this cake than with me. Even if you're not a fan of carrot cake, this cake will win you over. It's has the perfect moist crumble due to its delicious glaze and one secret ingredient: crushed pineapple! Maybe we should rename this Peggy's glazed pineapple carrot cake? Regardless of what we call it, we will always call it delicious. 

Cake Ingredients: 
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots (4-5 medium carrots) 
3 1/2 oz flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Glaze Ingredients: 
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

Frosting Ingredients: 
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar 

Grease and flour two round cake pans. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together your  cake ingredients. Divide into two and pour into your cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then prepare your glaze by mixing together all your ingredients (minus the vanilla) in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add your vanilla to the glaze and pour it over each of the cake rounds. Let cakes cool. Mix together your frosting ingredients in an electric mixer until smooth. Add extra powdered sugar if you prefer your frosting thicker. Frost the top of one cake round, stack the other on top of it, frost that as well. Serve and enjoy! 

Christie's Lettuce Wraps

I recently went back through and deleted a bunch of old recipes on this blog that I no longer enjoy, or that I have replaced with better ones. I realized an important recipe I use was missing from this blog! I have only ever tried one recipe for lettuce wraps. It is so delicious that I've never even been tempted to branch out and try a new one. I'm guessing if you make this for dinner tonight, you'll never want to try another recipe for lettuce wraps either. It has the perfect caramelized crunch and is surprisingly fresh and satisfying. 

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, diced

2 heads of bib lettuce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons soy suace

1/2 cup cashews, chopped

6 basil leaves, julienned

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup asian crunchy noodles

hot sauce (optional)

Ingredients for sauce:

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Heat your oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add your chicken and cook until golden on all sides (about 5-6 minutes). Remove your chicken from the oil, and set aside. To your oiled pan add your onions and soy sauce. When your onions are brown and tender, add your garlic and cook for an additional minute. In a seperate bowl mix together all of your sauce ingredients and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved. Add the sauce and chicken back to your onions in the pan. Saute everything together until fragrant and warm. Fill your lettuce leaves with the chicken mixture and top with asian crunchy noodles, hot sauce, and fresh basil.

Super simple, super delicious. Just the kind of recipe we love around here. Hope you enjoy it!

Hella Good Potato Leek Soup

My mother-in-law has so many wonderful dishes in her repertoire. Her leek and potato soup has to be my absolute favorite. I could drink gallons of this like a diesel truck drinks fuel. If I could fill a swimming pool with this soup, I totally would. Its creamy and full of amazing comfort flavors. I just keep saying "this is sooooo delicious!" the entire time I'm eating this. It's the perfect cozy fall soup. 

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons butter

2 slices bacon, chopped

2 large leeks, (the white part only) chopped

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs of thyme 

15-20 peppercorns (can sub pepper to taste)

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream (can sub whole milk)

Directions:

In a heavy pan, melt your butter and add your bacon. Cook bacon until crisp and all the fat is rendered off into the pan. Add your leeks and potatoes to the pan and cook until your leeks are soft. Add your wine, stock, bay leaves, & thyme.  Tie your peppercorns in a cheesecloth bundle with the green parts of the leek and add that to the pot too. Simmer until the potatoes are very soft. You can then blend the soup with an emersion blender until its creamy with just a few chunks. Remove from heat and cool slightly before adding your cream (so your cream doesn't curdle) or temper your cream before adding it to the hot soup. Reheat slowly and salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with bread, or the Nelson favorite is to pair this soup with crab. 

I've said it once, but I will say it a million times. This soup is sooooooo good. Creamy, full of comforting flavors, and the perfect velvety texture. Make this today and I dare you not to fall in love with it. Actually, I double dare you. 

Ooey Gooey Fluffy Sweet Rolls

Growing up, my mother made Sweet Rolls. Somewhere along the line I started calling them Cinnamon Rolls. I realized a good chunk of the world calls them Sticky Buns. Whatever you call them, you will certainly call them delicious. Behold! 

These magical rolls are made of light and fluffy dough. They have the perfect amount of sweet and spice. The oozy gooey frosting makes the melt in your mouth. They are literally finger licking good. 

Ingredients for the dough: 

1 small package of yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon lavender salt

3 1/2 cups flour

Ingredients for the center: 

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Ingredients for the frosting: 

4 tablespoons room temperature butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons hot water

Directions: 

In a small bowl disolve your yeast packet in warm water. In a separate bowl heat your milk in the microwave to almost boiling. In your kitchen mixer, use your dough attachment and mix together your milk, sugar, melted butter, egg, and lavender salt. Slowly add your flour and then add your yeast water. Mix on medium speed for about 4 or 5 minutes. The dough should form a sticky ball. Grease the sides of your mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Keep it in a warm spot on your counter until the dough doubles in size, about 60-90 minutes. 

Then knead your dough back into its original size. Using the backside of a greased cookie tray,  roll out your dough until it matches the tray in size. Cover your sheet of dough with your melted butter. Then mix together your cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle your mixture all over the melted butter. Roll it up from the long side so it makes a long skinny roll of dough. Cut it into 12 equal pieces. Place those pieces in a greased casserole dish, spaced into 3 rows of 4. Let rise again, until the dough fills the pan and about doubles in size again. This should take 30-45 minutes. 

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and back for 25 minutes or until just slightly golden on top. As soon as you pull your rolls from the oven, mix together your butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and water until its a smooth consistency. Pour your glaze over your rolls once they have cooled slightly. Serve immediately. 

This is the best desert I have made in a long time. We made it for lds general conference this weekend, which is always a perfect time to bust out a delicious and special breakfast treat. This is the perfect desert for a morning family gathering. But if you know my family, you better make a double batch. Enjoy!

Sweet Balsamic Dressing

I love finding a new recipe for a homemade dressing. Anything you can make that makes vegetables not taste like vegetables is a good thing. This dressing has only a few ingredients, but tastes much more complex. It comes together in a cinch and you can save it for days and reuse it. If you're bored of the same old same old dressing, give this one a try. 

Dressing Ingredients: 

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 good quality balsamic vinegar

1/2 clove garlic

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

You want to add all of your ingredients except for the olive oil into a mini prep, and blend them together. Then slowly add the oil so it can emulsify. Blend until smooth and fully incorporated. 

For this particular salad we used shredded romaine hearts, radishes, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and blue cheese dressing. The previous day I made this salad we used feta cheese, spinach, cucumbers, and almonds. Both of these salads were fantastic. That's the great thing about a good dressing. You can put it on about anything and it will taste fantastic. 

Enjoy!