A new side for chili

Last night, I tried this new recipe for savory cheddar muffins. They smelled amazing as they baked and were a delicious side to the chili I made last night. These had a wonderful texture, a pleasant mild taste and I think they will also be a delicious accompaniment for stews, soups and roasts.

Fresh out of the oven....

Cooling....

The night New Orleans came to Maryland

....In the form of this delicious recipe for Jambalaya that I found on the back of a box of Uncle Ben's Rice of all places. The result was savory and a chock full of wonderful things such as lean chicken breast and skinless turkey sausage. Best of all, it was very filling and made enough for six generous portions.

Pot o' Jambalaya on the stove

Jambalaya in a bowl with a spoon

My burning ab muscles thanked me for this delicious meal

I came home famished post Zumba but wasn't didn't want to to eat any of the leftovers I had. So, I set to work and made this delicious chicken spinach cheddar noodle casserole. This came together very quickly and baked to hot and bubbly goodness while I took a  post-workout shower. My burning ab muscles thanked me for this mix of protein, vegetables, dairy and carbs as I ate this simple, delicious and healthy meal.

Fresh out of the oven....

On a plate.....

A healthy take on a Chinese takeout classic

This dish was adapted from a recipe called Sweet and Spicy pork. As I do not cook with pork products, I substituted chicken breasts. The sauce consisted of pineapple juice, low sodium soy sauce, sugar and a little Asian chili paste. The pineapple chunks and baby corns added a delicious sweetness while the water chestnuts added texture and a little crunch. The result was very similar to sweet and sour chicken but without all the breading, grease and salt. Delicious!

Sweet and spicy chicken on the stove.

Manila comes to Maryland

Tonight I made a traditional Filipino dish: chicken adobo with bok choy. This was super easy to make as it was CrockPot recipe and was my first taste of bok choy.

The sauce was both tangy and sweet while the bok choy added a cabbage like texture and flavor to the dish.

Not only was this delicious, it smelled amazing while it was cooking in the CrockPot.

Chicken adobo with bok choy served with brown basmati rice

Spinach makes it delicious!

At the end of 2010, I made a dish called baked fettucine. It was delicious. The other night, I had friends over for dinner and made it again. This time, it was AMAZING. One of my friends said it was my best dish ever.

What did I do differently? I added spinach to the sauce. First, I sauteed the meat and added it to the sauce simmering on the stove. Then, I added the spinach. This took awhile as I had a big bunch and I had to trim the stems. As I added the spinach, I gently folded it into the sauce and allowed it to wilt.  This time I also used wild mushroom fettucine. The combination of the meat sauce, spinach and the slightly earthy flavor of the mushroom fettucine made for a dish that was truly amazing.

Baked wild mushroom fettucine with spinach

I couldn't stop making happy noises....

........As I consumed this absolutely AMAZING dessert: buttermilk panna cotta. This is a traditional Italian custard and the first time I tried this recipe. I had the joy of taking the first bite along with my dinner guests tonight, as I didn't sample my work before I served it. There are no words the describe how amazing this tasted. This recipe is DEFINITELY a keeper!