Quarantine collection, part 1

April 15, 2020

I always feel bad when so much time passes between posts. In reality since baby #3, I just don’t have the time to blog. Too busy loving life to blog about it I guess. 😉 Recently, however, many of us have been given the gift of some extra time. I cannot express enough how thankful I am for some extra time at home with my family.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most is the extra time to cook/bake. I’ve been able to make some new and old recipes that tend to take longer, that I don’t always have time to make. I wanted to share a few of them with you!

The first of four recipes (making up this part 1 post, hopefully more to follow) is the White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut cookies I made for my hubby, as they are one of his favorites and something I don’t make often enough. There is really no excuse for not making them because they are pretty quick and easy. I happened to have an unopened can of macadamia nuts in the freezer, the rest is history. They put a smile on his face! 🥰

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla1 egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

dash of salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 jar (3.5 oz) macadamia nuts, chopped

Beat sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla & egg together with mixer til light and fluffy.  Stir in flour, baking soda & salt. Dough will be stiff. Stir in white chips and nuts. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet 1-2 minute then remove to wire rack to cool. 

Enjoy!

Next up is a Cajun pasta dish, a recipe given to me a long time ago from a family member. It’s one those recipe cards I found while sifting through my recipe box. I know I’ve made it in the past but it’s been a long time. I unfortunately didn’t happen to snap a picture of it, but I promise you, it will be a hit. Add the ingredients to your next grocery list! Another nice part is that you’ll have left over meat to make other meals. (I made egg roll in a bowl with the left over sausage; check out that recipe I’ve previously posted.)

Cajun Chicken Pasta

1/2 lb. italian sausage

2 chicken breasts

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tsp flour

1 cup cream

1 Tbsp cajun seasoning

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp pepper

2 sweet peppers (red & yellow)

1 box fettucini

Cook sausage and cut into bite size pieces. Then you can either prepare chicken the same way (cook then cut) or cut into bite size pieces before cooking on stovetop with sausage. In a large skillet, saute onion & garlic in olive oil. (Start water boiling for fettuccine.) Add flour, then wine, broth & cream, stir. Add meats, seasoning, paste, and peppers. Simmer and stir till peppers are cooked.  Add drained, cooked fettuccine to skillet, mix all together.

Enjoy!

*may also add 1/2 lb shrimp if desired.

Recipe three of four is a recipe card I copied at least 12 years ago and never made. Glad I made time to make it because it was a huge hit with everyone in my family. (Even the baby!? That never happens.) Have you ever had ‘hot pockets’? Yeah, they aren’t high on my list either, I know what you’re thinking. Well think of a homemade version instead, one that I promise won’t disappoint! One with a protein and a veggie hidden in there, and of course yummy cheese to tie it altogether.

Homemade ‘hot-pockets‘

12 Rhodes dinner rolls – thawed

1 (10oz) can chicken, drained

2 cups chopped broccoli – thawed & drained

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg beaten

Combine 2 rolls together & roll into rectangle, approximately 6″x8″. Combine remaining ingredients except egg & rosemary. Toss together lightly. Use mixture to fill dough pockets evenly. Moisten edges with water, bring in sides over filling and pinch to seal.  Place on baking sheet – brush with egg and garnish with rosemary if desired. Let rise 20 minutes.Bake at 350* for 25-30 min. until golden.

Enjoy!

**may add 1/2 cup slides fresh mushrooms and/or 1/4 cup green onions if desired!

Last but not least, another one for the hubby. He loves traditional rice pudding. Have you ever made traditional rice pudding? Hours of standing at the stove stirring; definitely a labor of love. This recipe however is much easier and so, so yummy. Just as creamy as traditional rice pudding and husband approved. The peaches are an added bonus for sure, along with the coconut flavor. (Again, sorry I wasn’t planning ahead and didn’t snap a picture!)

Another nice thing about finding these old/new to me recipes is thinking of the ones who shared them with you. Before trying this dish at a ‘bunco night,’ I didn’t like rice pudding and didn’t feel rice belonged in a dessert. This version won me over. I reached out to the one who shared the recipe with me a few years back, because she has since moved. It was a great excuse to reconnect! It’s often so much more than just yummy food. I hope you’ll enjoy this one!

Coconut milk rice pudding with peaches

(adapted from original recipe from Allrecipes.com)

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups basmati rice (long grain rice)

3 cups coconut milk (2 cans)

1 cup raw sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup skim milk (I used almond, and original recipe called for whole)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 Tbsp vanilla extract 

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 (15oz) can sliced peaches, drained & chopped (or I used 4 of the individual serving size cups already chopped)

1 cup coconut, if desired

Bring water to boil, add rice, cook as directed, covering & reducing heat to simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, approximately 20 minutes. Combine rice, coconut milk, sugar, and salt in large saucepan & bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until pudding is thick and creamy (approximately 20 minutes).  Stir milk and eggs into pudding gradually. Stir constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs and/or the pudding sticking; continue at least 2 minutes. Remove pudding from heat and stir butter, vanilla and spices into pudding. Then fold in peaches and coconut if desired.  

Original recipe said to chill for 3 hours, but we enjoyed it warm shortly after it was made. Enjoy!

Hopefully I’ll share more from my kitchen (or my runs or my devotionals) soon! I made some yummy nontraditional sweet potatoes already and will plan to share that recipe next time. Stay healthy friends!