Jul
2016

Baked Dover Sole Rollatini

categories: Main Dishes, Seafood
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Baked Dover Sole Rollatini are fish fillets, filled with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmigiano cheese, rolled & baked in a lemon-wine sauce!
Baked Dover Sole Rollatini are fish fillets, filled with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmigiano cheese, rolled & baked in a lemon-wine sauce!

I recently made Baked Dover Sole Rollatini for my husband and I for dinner.  It was absolutely fantastic! Dover sole fillets are filled with Italian herb-seasoned breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and Parmigiano cheese, then rolled and baked on top of a lemon-wine sauce. DELICIOUS!

The fish doesn’t taste “fishy”, light in texture, and is seasoned very well. I got the Dover Sole fillets at Trader Joe’s, and was thrilled that I got a package of 5 small thin fillets (frozen) for only $4.54. That is much cheaper than a burger at some fast food joints!

The recipe (which I found on Pinterest), is from famed Italian chef and author Lidia Bastianich, and I found it to be EASY and DELICIOUS! Here’s how to make it:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Dover Sole Rollatini

Make the filling by mixing breadcrumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, fresh Italian parsley, and oregano together in a small bowl. Add 4 Tablespoons of olive oil and stir to mix until all the ingredients are coated.

Bread crumbs, lemon zest, and spices in mixing bowl

Rub softened butter over the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.  Place thin slices from HALF of a large lemon on the bottom of the dish in a single layer.

Juice the OTHER HALF of the lemon, and add the lemon juice and white wine to the baking dish.

Lemon slices on bottom of white baking dish

Time To Roll the Fish With “Filling”

Spread out the sole fillets on a work surface. Blot them dry using paper towels to remove any excess moisture.

Raw dover sole fish fillets on red work surface

Evenly divide and spread the seasoned bread crumb mixture on top of the fillets, covering the surface.  Press the crumbs down into the fish a bit, so they adhere better.

NOTE: Reserve a bit of the crumbs to garnish the top of the fish before baking.

Fish fillets covered with bread crumb mixture on red cutting board

Time To Roll

Roll each fillet up, starting with the short end. Once rolled, secure the rolls with a toothpick inserted from top to bottom at an angle, because this holds it together while baking!

After securing the rolls with a toothpick in each one (top to bottom), gently place the rolls into the baking dish on top of the lemon wedges.  Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs you have left on top of the fish.

Dover sole fillet rolled up with filling

Bake The Dover Sole Rollatini

Add capers to the baking dish in the “open” spaces between the pieces of fish.  Drizzle the tops of the dover sole rollatini with olive oil. 

Bake the dover sole rollatini (uncovered) in a preheated 350°F. oven for about 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

Fish rolled up on top of lemon slices in white baking dish

Time To Serve This Dish

Once the fish is cooked through, remove the pan from the oven, and remove the toothpicks before serving, because no one want to bite down on a sharp toothpick!!  

Carefully lift each piece of dover sole out of the baking dish and transfer them onto plates using a spatula. The fillets are small once rolled, so we each had two pieces.

Baked fish in baking dish out of oven

There you have it!  I served the Baked Dover Sole Rollatini with some fresh fruit from our garden, and a Summer Vegetable Tian, The meal was light, fresh, and absolutely wonderful!

We will DEFINITELY be having this easy seafood dish again. My husband and I also loved that we had a healthy delicious meal, for less money than eating take-out!

Close up of dover sole rollatini with vegetables on plate.

I hope you have the opportunity to try this dish, because it is really yummy, light and full of flavor. You’ll enjoy this seafood meal.

May you find and take great delight in the smallest of things today.  Look around! There’s beauty everywhere, if you choose to see it. The beauty I experience through the 5 senses God gave me to enjoy life, continues to make me smile and give Him my heartfelt thanks.

Thanks for stopping by, and please come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!

Looking For More DOVER SOLE Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have other dover sole recipes you might enjoy, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

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Recipe Source: http://www.thedailymeal.com/recipes/baked-rollatini-sole-recipe

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Baked Dover Sole Rollatini
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

Baked Dover Sole Rollatini are Dover sole fillets, filled with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmigiano cheese, then rolled & baked in a lemon-wine sauce!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dover sole rollatini
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 410 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For The Breadcrumb Filling:
  • 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley , chopped
  • 1 large lemon (zest the outside, then juice HALF, thinly slice other HALF for fish prep)
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil , extra virgin
For Preparing Fish:
  • 2 Tablespoons butter , softened
  • 6 Dover Sole fillets (boneless, skinless)
  • Reserved lemon juice and lemon slices (see above)
  • Reserved thin lemon slices
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons drained capers
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix together the breadcrumb ingredients (breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian parsley, lemon zest, oregano). Sprinkle with 4 T. olive oil. Mix to fully combine.
  3. Rub softened butter over the bottom of 9x13 baking dish, to coat. Place the thin lemon slices onto bottom of pan in a single layer. Add the lemon juice and white wine to pan.
  4. Lay out the fish on a work surface. Spread the bread crumb mixture over the length of each fillet (reserving a bit of breadcrumb mixture to sprinkle on top of fish before baking).
  5. Roll each fillet up (with the bread crumb mixture inside), beginning with the short side of the fillet. As you finish rolling each one, insert a toothpick from top to bottom at an angle to hold it securely closed. Place each piece of fish in the baking dish on top of the lemon slices. Sprinkle top of fish with reserved bread crumb mixture (as a garnish). Lightly drizzle tops of fish with 2 T. olive oil. Spread capers in the pan in the open spaces between pieces of fish.
  6. Place pan in lower part of oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Remove pan from oven. REMEMBER TO REMOVE TOOTHPICKS, then place fish onto individual serving plates using a spatula. Serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

If using small thin fillets, plan on 2 per serving for adults. Calorie count is based on large fillet (1 large piece per serving).

Nutrition Facts
Baked Dover Sole Rollatini
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 410 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 17mg6%
Sodium 304mg13%
Potassium 78mg2%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 410IU8%
Vitamin C 3.3mg4%
Calcium 127mg13%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Baked Dover Sole Rollatini are Dover sole fillets, filled with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmigiano cheese, then rolled & baked in a lemon-wine sauce!

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Jul
2016

Beef Jerky DIY!

categories: Canning And Preserving
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Make your own delicious beef jerky in a food dehydrator or oven at home, for a fraction of the cost of purchasing it!Make your own delicious beef jerky in a food dehydrator or oven at home, for a fraction of the cost of purchasing it!
Have you ever wondered HOW to make really great tasting beef jerky for a fraction of the price of store bought?  Well, if you like to snack on this chewy treat and want to know how to make your own in a food dehydrator OR in your oven, read on!

Over 20 years ago I bought a food dehydrator (see photo below) for about $25. I have used that thing a LOT ever since. It is a real “workhorse”, and I have used it for making my own beef jerky (as well as many varieties of dried fruits, spices, veggies, etc.) ever since!

That original $25 I spent was a great investment. (The photo below is to show you my little 5 rack machine – drying mint leaves and cherry tomatoes from our garden). I’ve also dehydrated lots of fruits and veggies, too!

Food dehydrator with herbs inside

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of the Page

How To Make Beef Jerky

Making beef jerky is very easy, actually. Very thin strips of beef are marinated overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours), then placed in the dehydrator or oven and “dried” until the strips of meat are moisture free and pliable.

Here’s how you make beef jerky (with only 4 ingredients!)  The basic mix is 3 parts soy sauce, 1 part brown sugar, and 1 part Liquid Smoke (the picture shows what kind I use – found at grocery store).  Mix it up in a medium bowl.

Photo of bottle of concentrated Liquid Smoke flavoring

The meat (I like to use London broil or flank steak) is sliced into very thin 1/8″ strips (it is easiest to cut if meat is partially thawed after being frozen).  If you are using London Broil, cut slices WITH THE GRAIN.

If you will be using Flank Steak, cut slices AGAINST THE GRAIN. Beef jerky meat is then marinated in sauce for a MINIMUM of 4 hours in refrigerator. Refrigerate the meat (overnight is BEST), in a covered container.

Raw beef strips for beef jerky, marinating in bowl.

When the meat for the beef jerky is done marinating, lay the beef strips on paper towels to absorb excess sauce. Pat lightly dry.

Marinated beef jerky strips draining on paper towel.

Dehydrating The Beef Jerky

Place strips of beef onto dehydrator racks leaving space for air to flow between each piece. If you are using an oven, place the strips onto aluminum foil covered baking sheets.

Strips of marinated beef in dehydrator

If you are using a food dehydrator, dry the beef jerky strips for between 3-4 hours, turning strips over about halfway through drying process. When done the beef jerky should be fully dry, but still pliable.

If Using An Oven To Make Beef Jerky

If using oven, dry the jerky on the lowest setting your oven will go (usually between 150 and 170 degrees). The beef jerky will need to dry in oven for 8-10 hours, so it’s easy to put it in oven at night and have it done the next morning.

Storing Beef Jerky

The finished beef jerky will have a very nice smoky, slightly teriyaki taste, and boy, is it GOOD! Remove the strips from the dehydrator or oven, and let them completely cool.  Keep any leftover beef jerky stored in an airtight container or sealable bag.

I’ve made my own beef jerky for over 20 years now, and it is always a big hit with my husband and our sons… and given the price of a bag of jerky at the store (whoa!), making it at home is a real money saver!

Pieces of beef jerky on paper towel

Hope you will consider trying this easy recipe for beef jerky… it’s never failed me yet!  Have a fantastic day! Please come back again soon, for more yummy recipes.

Looking For More SNACK Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few recipes for some yummy snacks, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: My Mr. Coffee Food Dehydrator Owner’s Manual (really, really old)

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Beef Jerky DIY!
Prep Time
4 hrs
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs
 

Make your own delicious beef jerky in a food dehydrator or oven at home, for a fraction of the cost of purchasing it!

Category: Appetizer/Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef jerky
Servings: 25 slices (approx.)
Calories Per Serving: 35 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For marinade:
  • 3/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Liquid Smoke
For meat:
  • 1 pound London Broil or flank steak
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Slice meat into 1/8 inch wide strips (TIP: meat will cut BEST if you use slightly thawed, but still partially frozen meat).

  2. Combine marinade ingredients in medium sized bowl. Add meat strips to marinade. Coat all meat with marinade. Cover bowl and let marinate in refrigerator at LEAST 4 hours (or overnight-BEST!).

  3. When ready, lightly pat dry meat strips (place strips on paper towels). Lay strips on food dehydrator racks OR place strips on baking sheets lined with aluminum foil. Leave space between each piece so air can circulate.

  4. If using dehydrator, dehydrate at 145 degrees for approximately 3-4 hours, until dry but pliable. If using oven, turn oven to lowest setting (150-170 degrees). Let jerky bake for 8-10 hours until dry, but pliable.

  5. Remove beef jerky when done. Let cool completely. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Try to use meat with a limited amount of fat present, for best results. *The amount of marinade used will vary depending on how much meat you are using to make jerky. You will need to have enough of the sauce to marinade all strips of beef. 

Nutrition Facts
Beef Jerky DIY!
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 35
% Daily Value*
Cholesterol 11mg4%
Sodium 406mg18%
Potassium 85mg2%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 4g8%
Calcium 7mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make your own delicious beef jerky in a food dehydrator or oven at home, for a fraction of the cost of purchasing it!

 

 

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Jul
2016

Blackberry Pie Bars

categories: Bar Cookies, Desserts
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You’ll LOVE these delicious dessert Blackberry Pie Bars, made with fresh juicy blackberries baked on a shortbread crust, with a buttery streusel crumb topping.You'll LOVE these delicious dessert Blackberry Pie Bars, made with fresh juicy blackberries baked on a shortbread crust, with a buttery streusel crumb topping.
It’s THAT time of the summer when fresh berries are making their annual appearance all around the Pacific Northwest. The other day I picked 4 quarts of fresh blackberries that were growing wild in our neighborhood, and made these fantastic tasting Blackberry Pie Bars! It’s nice to pick wild blackberries (for FREE), and then use them to create a special “something” that my husband and I can enjoy AND I can give to others.

This recipe makes 24 bars, so I kept a few for us, then gave away 2 big plates of them to our sons and another friend. The Blackberry Pie Bars are delicious; they do taste like you’re eating a piece of pie!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Blackberry Pie Bars

Place flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest into a food processor. Pulse these together a couple times to mix. *Don’t have a food processor? No problem… just use a hand held pastry blender.

Flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, etc. mixed in food processor for blackberry bar base

Add egg, butter, and vanilla extract to the mixture. Pulse again until the mixture is crumbly (and the butter is in small pieces).

Butter, egg, vanilla added to ingredients in food processor

Put half of the crumbly dough into a prepared 13×9 inch pan. (either sprayed with non-stick spray, OR in a 13×9 pan that is covered with parchment paper with paper hanging over the edges.

This is what I do, and it makes lifting the entire pan of bars out very easy, once cooled!)  Pack down the crumbs with your hands, until it forms a solid crust.

Crumbled ingredients (before baking) form base for bar cookies
In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Add the fresh blackberries, and stir gently until the berries are coated.

Blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in large bowl

Evenly spoon out the blackberry mixture over the crust.

Blackberry filling spread out over bar cookie base in baking pan

Sprinkle the remaining half of the crumb mixture over the top of the berries, to cover the surface of the bars.  

Crumb mixture spread over blackberry pie filling before baking

Bake The Blackberry Pie Bars

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the crumb topping is lightly browned. When done, remove the pan from the oven. Let the blackberry pie bars cool completely, while still in the pan.

Once cool, if using parchment paper, lift out the entire pan of bars. Pull paper away from the sides of the dessert. If not using parchment paper, let blackberry pie bars cool completely, then cut.

Blackberry pie bars are removed from pan after baking

The best way I have found to make even cuts is by using my pizza cutter! Make 4 cuts lengthwise, then make 6 cuts the other direction, for a total of 24 bars.

Blackberry bar cookies are cut into squares with pizza cutter

Piece of a blackberry pie bar cookie

Here… I saved one of the blackberry pie bars for YOU! Go ahead… you KNOW you want a bite, right?  You’re welcome! Sure hope you enjoy every bite of it!

Blackberry pie bar close up photo, resting on a serving spatula

Have a great day!  Think of ways you could bring joy or encouragement into someone’s life today… and be intentional about considering just how much you and I have to be grateful for.

Looking For Other Bar Cookie Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few scrumptious bar cookie recipes on my blog, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/07/blackberry-pie-bars/

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Blackberry Pie Bars
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 

You'll LOVE these delicious dessert Blackberry Pie Bars, made with fresh juicy blackberries baked on a shortbread crust, with a buttery streusel crumb topping.

Category: Bar Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blackberry pie bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 188 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Zest and juice from 1 lemon (divided)
  • 1 cup (2 cubes) cold butter (cut into 1 inch slices)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 cups fresh blackberries
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Before beginning, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and spray the bottom. Make sure to leave parchment paper extended over the edges, so you can lift out the entire pan of bars once cooled. (If not using parchment paper, simply spray baking pan with non-stick spray).
  2. Place flour, 1 CUP of the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest into a food processor. Pulse a couple times to mix. Add egg, butter, and vanilla extract. Pulse the mixture until dough gets crumbly (and butter is size of small peas).
  3. Put HALF of the dough mixture into the baking pan. Pat down with fingers to form a solid crust. Set aside the rest of the mixture to use for the crumb topping.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rest of the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Add the blackberries, and stir gently to fully coat berries. Spoon the blackberries over the crust in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top of the berries.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes (or until the topping is golden brown). Remove to a wire rack. COOL COMPLETELY before lifting the bar cookies out of the pan (using the parchment paper).
  6. Cut into serving sizes. (It is easy to cut into bars if you use a pizza cutter!) Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

I cut the bars lengthwise into 4 sections, then cut 6 pieces in each section, for a total of 24 bars (each about 2 inches)

Nutrition Facts
Blackberry Pie Bars
Amount Per Serving (1 bar)
Calories 188 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 95mg4%
Potassium 77mg2%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 300IU6%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 21mg2%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll LOVE these delicious dessert Blackberry Pie Bars, made with fresh juicy blackberries baked on a shortbread crust, with a buttery streusel crumb topping.

 

Save

Save


Jul
2016

Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

categories: Chicken, Italian, Main Dishes
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Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!
Today I am happy to share and recommend a unique and delicious recipe I found on Pinterest for stuffed chicken breasts. YUM.

How can you go wrong with Italian seasoned, pan-seared (then baked) chicken breasts, stuffed full of fresh baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, AND ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese? I mean, really… how could this NOT taste good? Here’s how to make them.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts

The first thing you will need to do is mix up the Italian “dressing” in a small bowl. This will only take a minute or less.

An Italian seasoned "dressing" is mixed together before applying to chicken.
This is what it will look like once combined… it’s a bit thicker than a normal dressing or sauce.

The seasoning sauce is fairly thick before it is brushed onto chicken.

Prepare The Chicken Breasts For Stuffing

Carefully cut a “pocket” into each of the chicken breasts. Slice deep into each chicken breast (horizontally), but DO NOT cut all the way through the chicken breast! After cutting, they should be able to open almost all the way (like this, shown below).

Boneless chicken breasts are cut almost all the way through, forming a pocket.
Cover the chicken breasts inside and out with the Italian “dressing”. A pastry brush works well for this.

Sauce is brushed onto all sides of the chicken breasts.

Creating The Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuff one half of each chicken breast with thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed). I was lucky to be able to use the sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil that I grew in our garden, dehydrated, then packed in oil last Fall! You can find jars of sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed) in most grocery stores nowadays.

Sun dried tomatoes are placed on one side of the chicken breast.
Place the slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Mozzarella cheese slices are placed on top of sun dried tomatoes.
Top the mozzarella slices with a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves. Whoo Hoo… they’re almost done now!

Baby spinach leaves are added to the stuffed chicken breasts.

Seal Up Then Brown The Chicken

Now close the chicken breasts up, stuffing as much as you can into each piece. Secure the chicken breast, top to bottom, with several toothpicks to hold it all together. I used 3 toothpicks for each one, putting them in at a diagonal.

Heat olive oil in an OVENPROOF skillet until really hot. Carefully add the stuffed chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until each side is seared golden brown in color.

Secured with toothpicks, the stuffed chicken breasts are pan seared in hot oil.

Oven Time!

After browning both sides of the stuffed chicken breasts, place the skillet (and chicken) into a preheated 350 degree oven. Cook the chicken for 15-18 minutes for small and medium breasts.

Larger chicken breasts will need to cook a few minutes longer). This is what they will look like when you remove the skillet from the oven.  Lots of gooey cheese and juices!

After baking the stuffed chicken breasts are browned, and oozing with melted cheese.

Serve The Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Place the chicken onto individual serving plates, and for goodness sake… REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS!!! (Just sayin’ – no one wants to bite into a toothpick now, do they?) Spoon a bit of the sauce and/or melted cheese over the top of each chicken breast, and SERVE!  Doesn’t that look GOOD?

A serving of the stuffed chicken breast, on a plate.

I cut this one in half so you can see what the inside looks like! Pretty sure that you’re gonna like this chicken dish. It is really good!

Once cut, you can see the layers of stuffing in each piece of chicken.

I hope you will consider trying this wonderful chicken recipe… we really enjoyed it!  Have a blessed day, and thank you for stopping by. I hope you will come back again soon.

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find all of my chicken recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of them you will enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://www.recipetineats.com/sun-dried-tomato-spinach-cheese-stuffed-chicken-breast/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
33 mins
 

Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!

Category: Dinner, Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: stuffed chicken breasts
Servings: 2 servings
Calories Per Serving: 439 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For The Italian "Dressing":
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar (may substitute lemon juice, if desired)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For Chicken:
  • 2 small or medium boneless , skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed), drained and cut into thin strips
  • 4 slices mozzarella cheese (2 per chicken breast to cover)
  • Handful of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (for pan-searing)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180C).

  2. Mix Italian "dressing" ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

  3. Slice a pocket in each chicken breast. Cut far into each breast (horizontally), but do not slice all the way through. Cover the chicken breasts inside and out with the Italian "dressing". I used a pastry brush.

  4. Stuff one half of each piece of chicken with a layer of sun-dried (and drained) tomatoes. Cover tomatoes with mozzarella cheese slices, then cover cheese with baby spinach leaves. Try to get as much of the filling stuffed inside of the chicken as you can. Use toothpicks to hold each piece together. I used 3 toothpicks for each breast, and inserted them through at an angle.
  5. Heat oil on medium-high in an ovenproof skillet until very hot. Carefully place the chicken breasts into hot skillet. Sear them (without moving them) for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over and repeat with other side, until golden brown on both sides.
  6. Place skillet with chicken into preheated oven. Continue cooking for 15-18 minutes. Larger breasts may take a couple minutes longer (it may also take a bit longer if you are cooking more than 4 breasts at a time).
  7. Remove from oven. Place chicken onto individual serving plates. REMOVE TOOTHPICKS. Spoon up some of the juices, and melted mozzarella cheese; place on top of chicken. Serve & enjoy!
Recipe Notes

If you are using really large chicken breasts, you can cut them in half once done, and you will end up with 4 decent sized portions (budget stretcher 101)

Nutrition Facts
Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 439 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 117mg39%
Sodium 660mg29%
Potassium 1487mg42%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 41g82%
Vitamin A 2210IU44%
Vitamin C 16.3mg20%
Calcium 345mg35%
Iron 3.9mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!

 

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Jul
2016

Giant Sugar Cookies

categories: Cookies, Desserts
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Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!
Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!

Some days are like that, right? You just need a cookie as big as your head to make it all right again. Something like a Giant Sugar Cookie, perhaps?  I made these jumbo cookies recently as my husband and I were still reeling from the loss of our furry family member, Bailey (our beloved dog), who we lost to cancer two weeks ago. Getting in the kitchen and baking is therapy for me, to be honest! My heart was sad, and I really just wanted to bake something yummy! So I did.

This recipe for giant sugar cookies only makes 6 cookies, but they each come out about 6 inches wide, so trust me when I say, you will only need one.  My husband and I each ate one, then I gave the others away to our 2 sons, one of their girlfriends and one of our friends.

I like to bake, but I LOVE to give goodies to my friends and family even more (I hope you LOVE the giant size… every now and then someone you know might just need a GIANT cookie to help make it all better)!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Giant Sugar Cookies Are Easy To Make:

While your oven is preheating, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Once smooth, add egg and mix well, then add other dry ingredients until a soft dough is formed.

Making batter for giant sugar cookies is EASY.

Measure out 1/3 cup of the dough for each cookie (6 total), then roll each one in between your clean hands to form a ball.

Each giant sugar cookie uses 1/3 cup of dough, rolled into ball.

Place the dough balls on two separate cookie sheets (on parchment paper), leaving plenty of space between each one (remember these will end up about 6 inches in diameter, so trust me… leave lots of room in between the cookie dough balls).

Giant Sugar Cookie dough is placed onto parchment paper before baking.

Lightly press down each cookie to flatten them out a bit. Lightly sprinkle tops of cookies with coarse sugar.

Giant sugar cookies are pressed down, then sprinkled with sugar before baking.

Time To Bake!

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for about 14-15 minutes. They should be just lightly brown around the edges when done. The cookies will firm up more as they cool.

Sugar cookies are baked into giant sized treats.

See? Each cookie is about 6 inches in diameter. THAT is one GIANT sugar cookie!

Each giant sugar cookie measures about 6 inches across!

Sure hope you enjoy these jumbo-sized cookies! They are fun to give to others when they least expect a surprise gift from your kitchen! Enjoy these big ol’ bites of deliciousness!

Looking For More COOKIE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of yummy cookie recipes you might enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source:  http://www.centercutcook.com/jumbo-sugar-cookies/

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Giant Sugar Cookies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: giant sugar cookies, sugar cookies
Servings: 6 huge cookies
Calories Per Serving: 399 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Coarse sugar , for sprinkling on top of cookies (optional, but recommended)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Before beginning, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth; add egg and mix well.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch to the batter. Mix dough until it is thoroughly combined.
  4. Measure out 1/3 cup dough for each of the 6 cookies. Roll dough between your clean hands to form a ball. Place on cookie sheet (3 per sheet). Repeat with remaining dough. Remember to leave enough space between each dough ball as they will be approximately 6 inches in diameter when done. Lightly press down on each dough ball with your hands, to slightly flatten. Sprinkle tops of cookies with coarse sugar.
  5. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven. Let cookies cool on the parchment paper. They will firm up slightly as they cool. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Giant Sugar Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 huge cookie)
Calories 399 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 67mg22%
Sodium 614mg27%
Potassium 43mg1%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Sugar 33g37%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 510IU10%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!

 

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Jul
2016

Grilled “Elvis Special” Sandwich

categories: Lunch - Quick and Easy, Sandwiches
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A Grilled “Elvis Special” Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin’ love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!A Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!
Fact:  Elvis Presley loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I decided to morph that combo and make a Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich – a grilled banana, peanut butter AND chocolate sandwich.

If Elvis were still around he would probably say “Thank You…Thank You Very Much“.  Then he’d take a big bite, and swivel his hips (to work off the calories, no doubt).

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Experimenting With This Sandwich!

I wasn’t sure just HOW this sandwich would taste, but I was in an experimenting mood one day. Creamy peanut butter and “smashed” banana is something my grandma used to eat all the time. Trust me, she ate this all the time (especially when she took out her false teeth, ha ha).

I was thinking about that when it hit me (an idea, NOT the sandwich). My thought was “what if I GRILLED the sandwich AND added a few chocolate chips to really take it to the next level”?  I mean… chocolate goes good with bananas and chocolate goes good with peanut butter, so how could this NOT work?

Well, thankfully… it DID WORK. It actually was VERY GOOD! Who knew?  In the words of Elvis… “I’m All Shook Up”!  So that’s how this goofy good, Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich came to be. Truth. Amen. And now… you can make this sandwich, too!

How To Make A Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich

Start with a large ripe banana (this recipe makes TWO sandwiches). Cut the banana into chunks and put it into a bowl with the peanut butter. Use a fork to smash the banana and mix the two ingredients together.  The banana should be smashed until it is almost creamy, with little pieces.

Ripe banana and peanut butter are mashed together for this "Elvis Special" Sandwich.

Butter the slices of bread just like you’re going to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Butter one side of each piece of bread.

Bread is buttered on one side before grilling the "Elvis Special" sandwich.

Spread half of the peanut butter/banana mixture onto the UNBUTTERED side of a piece of bread.  Sprinkle with a small amount of chocolate chips (15-20).

Peanut butter banana mixture with chocolate chips on this "Elvis Special" sandwich before grilling.

Time For The Grill

Place the sandwich buttered side down into a hot skillet on medium low heat. Cover the sandwich with the other piece of bread (buttered side facing UP).

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is cooked in a small skillet.

Grill until the bottom side of the sandwich is golden brown. Carefully turn the sandwich over with a spatula. Cook the other side until it is golden brown, also.

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is cooked until golden brown on both sides.

Time to Eat The Grilled “Elvis Special” Sandwich!

Remove the grilled sandwich from skillet. Cut it in half diagonally… and serve! Grab a cup of milk to drink, and a paper napkin! This Elvis Special Sandwich might get messy – but it’s a GOOD messy! Enjoy!

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is sliced in half, and topped with sliced bananas to serve.

Looking For More SANDWICH Recipes?

I sincerely hope you enjoy this Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich! If you are interested in other sandwich recipes, I hope you will check out Grilled Patty Melts, BBQ Shredded Pork, and Mediterranean Chicken Sandwiches. You might also enjoy my Grilled Thai PB & J Sandwich, or a Fried Chicken Spicy Mayo & Slaw Sandwich.

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. Hope you have a wonderful day. I sincerely hope you find moments of peace and encouragement in your day. May you also seek to be a peacemaker, and encourager of others, as well.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

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Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
A Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!
Category: Sandwich
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Elvis special sandwich
Servings: 2 sandwiches
Calories Per Serving: 511 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 large banana (or two small)
  • 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter (generous Tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup Chocolate chips ( approx 15-20 per sandwich)
  • 4 slices good quality bread
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter , softened (to spread on one side of each piece of bread)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mash banana and peanut butter together, using a fork, until mixture is creamy with small pieces of banana.

  2. Spread one side of each of piece of bread with soft (room temp) butter. Place two pieces of bread, butter side down in a skillet (on medium heat).

  3. Spread the peanut butter/banana mixture onto bread in skillet. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of peanut butter/banana mixture. Place remaining piece of bread on top of each sandwich, butter side UP.
  4. Grill sandwich on medium heat until bottom of sandwich is golden brown. Carefully turn each sandwich over using a spatula, and continue cooking until other side is golden brown.

  5. Remove sandwich to serving plate. Cut diagonally, and serve! Can garnish sandwich with sliced bananas, if desired.

Nutrition Facts
Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich
Amount Per Serving (1 sandwich)
Calories 511 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 33mg11%
Sodium 479mg21%
Potassium 416mg12%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 440IU9%
Vitamin C 5.1mg6%
Calcium 110mg11%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!A Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!

 

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Jul
2016

JB’s Best Brownies

categories: Bar Cookies, Desserts
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JB’s Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic – with or without frosting!JB's Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic - with or without frosting!

About 25 years ago, I started making this recipe for brownies. I truthfully have no recollection of how or where I stumbled upon this recipe. But two things I DO know… my nickname is JB… and these are my very best brownies!  There you have it… JB’s Best Brownies!

Truly these are amazingly good brownies! I’ve published the recipe before in a couple of school cookbooks and have received several notes from people telling me that JB’s Best Brownies are their favorite brownies! They are so very easy to make. **NOTE: I WAS MAKING A DOUBLE BATCH WHEN I TOOK THESE PHOTOS). Recipe as written below, is for single batch.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make JB’s Best Brownies

Blend the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (no need for a mixer, just use a wooden spoon). Add eggs. Mix well by hand until all ingredients are fully combined.

Eggs, sugar, vanilla in bowl to begin making batter for brownies.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the batter.

Flour, cocoa, and other dry ingredients are added to the batter.

Add the chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), if using. Stir the batter well, to combine.

Chopped pecans (or walnuts) are added, and stirred into the batter.

 

A Helpful Tip For Making JB’s Best Brownies

Spread the batter for JB’s best brownies into a greased 9″ square pan (or if doubling recipe – use a 9×13 pan). It’s very helpful to line the baking pan with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper is extended over the edges of pan, and sprayed with non-stick spray. You can see this in the photo below.

Once brownies have cooled, you can lift out the entire tray of JB’s best brownies by using the parchment paper and lifting them out. They will be much easier to frost, cut and serve this way, but is not necessary. If you are NOT using parchment paper, you only need to spray your baking pan with non-stick spray, fill with batter, and bake.

The batter for JB's best brownies is added to a parchment paper lined baking pan.Time To Bake!

Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Start checking them around the 20 minute mark (times will vary depending on size of pan you are using). A toothpick inserted into middle of pan should come out clean when done. Once brownies are done, remove the pan from oven, to a wire rack, to cool.

Brownies are removed from oven after baking, to cool.

Make The Frosting

While JB’s best brownies are baking, you can make the creamy chocolate frosting. Cream together softened butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla. You can mix this easily with a spoon, because no mixer is needed.

Frosting ingredients for JB's best brownies in a small blue bowl.

A thick chocolate frosting for the brownies is mixed together easily.
Add the powdered sugar to the frosting mixture. Mix the frosting very well, to combine. Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk (and a little more, if needed), to make a thick, spreadable frosting for the brownies.

Powdered sugar is added to frosting for JB's best brownies, until smooth and creamy.

Frost The Brownies

Once JB’s best brownies have completely cooled, they are ready to frost. If you used parchment paper in the baking pan, gently and carefully lift the entire pan of brownies out of the pan by holding the edges of parchment paper and lifting.

Evenly spread the frosting over the cooled brownies, then let them rest for 10-15 minutes (if you can wait!). Cut JB’s best brownies into desired serving sizes, and serve!

JB's best brownies are frosted, sliced, and ready to eat!

Make Them Frosted Or Unfrosted!

I love frosted brownies, but my husband doesn’t like frosting on his. Soooo… I make a double batch, then only frost HALF the brownies, so we are BOTH happy! Here’s an “up close and personal” view of an un-frosted brownie. This is my husband’s preferred way of eating them.

JB's Best Brownies can also be made and eaten, WITHOUT frosting.

Shown below is an “up close and personal” view of one of the brownies with frosting.  YAY! I’m being serious about the frosted kind, because they are my absolute favorite! These delicious bar cookies are chewy, very chocolatey, and have bits of nuts in them.. Oh my goodness. They are so good!

Enjoy JB’s best brownies with a good cold glass of milk. Yum.  Good thing I don’t make them too often, because I could eat the whole pan! No… really!

JB's Best Brownies, with frosting, on a clear platter.

I am thankful you chose to visit my website today.  Hope you enjoy JB’s Best Brownies, and have a great day! If you enjoy brownies, you might also want to try Irish Cream Layered Brownies-they’re yummy, too! Thanks for stopping by, and please come back again soon.

Looking For Additional Bar Cookie Recipes?

You can find ALL of my bar cookie recipes in the Recipe Index at the top of the page. A few of my favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

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JB's Best Brownies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
JB's Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic - with or without frosting!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: JB's best brownies
Servings: 12 small brownies
Calories Per Serving: 273 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For brownies:
  • 1/2 cup butter , melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
For Frosting:
  • 3 Tablespoons room temperature butter (do not melt)
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 Tablespoons light corn syrup (or honey)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
To prepare brownies:
  1. Blend butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (no need for a mixer, just use a wooden spoon). Add eggs. Mix well by hand until all ingredients are fully combined.
  2. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the batter. Add chopped nuts, if using. Stir well, to combine.
  3. It's EASY to lift pan of brownies out of pan to frost and cut if you line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving edges of paper hanging over the side of pan. Spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray. If not using parchment paper, just spray baking pan. Spread batter into prepared 9" square pan (or if doubling recipe - use a 9x13 pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into middle of pan should come out clean when done.
Make frosting while brownies are cooking:
  1. Cream together softened butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla (Just use a spoon-no mixer needed).
  2. Add powdered sugar. Mix well to combine. Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk (and a little more, if needed), to make a thick, spreadable frosting.
To frost brownies:
  1. When finished baking, remove cooked brownies from oven to a wire rack. Once brownies have cooled completely, you can lift out the entire tray of brownies by holding the parchment paper and carefully lifting them out. They will be much easier to frost, cut and serve this way, but is not necessary.
  2. Once brownies have COMPLETELY cooled, you can frost them, let them sit for a bit, then slice and serve!
Recipe Notes

9x9 pan yields 12 small brownies or 9 medium sized brownies.
If recipe is doubled, a 13x9 pan yields 24 small or 12 large brownies (large ones are in my photos). I double the recipe a lot (we love brownies!). If you double recipe, it will fill a 9x13 pan with no trouble. Continue to check for "done-ness" beginning around the 20 minute mark.

Nutrition Facts
JB's Best Brownies
Amount Per Serving (1 brownie w/ frosting)
Calories 273 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 55mg18%
Sodium 154mg7%
Potassium 101mg3%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 365IU7%
Calcium 22mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!JB's Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic - with or without frosting!

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Jul
2016

Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Dressing

categories: Salads
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Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.

Our family really enjoyed this Southwestern flavored Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing at our Father’s Day BBQ this past weekend.  I served it as a side dish with grilled hamburgers, fresh fruit, and potato salad.

Recently I made a Southwest Steak Salad with Avocado & Cilantro Dressing, and still had some of the dressing left in our refrigerator. I decided to make a quick, healthy salad with some canned black beans and corn (and a few other ingredients).

The leftover avocado and cilantro dressing helps to bind it all together with great flavor! Boy, was it ever GOOD!  Surprisingly GOOD! Here’s how to make this delicious black bean corn tomato salad:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Avocado Cilantro Salad Dressing

The dressing is very quick and easy to prepare. Mix or process the ingredients together until creamy in a blender or food processor, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ingredients used to make avocado dressing for this salad.

The yummy avocado dressing looks like this once it is fully blended. NOTE: This is more than you will need for this recipe! If you double the salad ingredients (if making this for a LARGE group), it will be perfect!  If not, just use it on another great salad… or as a delicious topping for tacos or nachos!

Avocado cilantro salad dressing is ready to use.

Make The Black Bean Corn Tomato Salad

Place black beans, corn, tomato, red onion, and cilantro in a serving bowl. Add the avocado dressing, and stir well, to fully combine salad and the dressing.

Cover and refrigerate the salad until ready to serve… and that’s it! This black bean corn tomato salad is so easy to make! It only takes about 10 minutes to make, and it is incredibly flavorful and delicious!  This would be a great salad to take to a family gathering or potluck!

The black bean corn tomato salad is served in a colorful bowl, with a lime wedge on top.

Hope you will give this black bean corn tomato salad a try. You will be thrilled with its great taste, and how easy it is to make in hardly no time at all!  Have a great day.

Looking For More SALAD Recipes?

You can find all of my salad recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. These include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureSalad Dressing Source: http://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/southwestern-steak-salad-with-cilantro-avocado-dressing/

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Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Dressing
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.

Category: Salad
Cuisine: Southwestern
Keyword: black bean corn tomato salad
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 214 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Salad:
  • 1 can black beans , rinsed and drained
  • 1 can whole kernel corn , rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 medium tomato , seeded and chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
For Avocado Cilantro Dressing:
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • Salt and Pepper , to taste
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place black beans, corn, chopped red onion, tomato and 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro into serving bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
  2. Prepare salad dressing by placing all dressing ingredients (except salt and pepper) into a blender. Blend very well, until dressing is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (If it is too thick, you can thin it a bit by adding a tiny bit more olive oil and red wine vinegar).
  3. Gently mix about 3 Tablespoons of the dressing into the beans/corn mixture. Stir until combined. (Add additional dressing if desired. You will not use all the dressing, but it keeps well in refrigerator and can be used on other salads).

  4. Cover salad and refrigerate until ready to serve! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If you want to double the salad recipe to serve more people, go for it! There is no need to double the avocado & cilantro dressing ingredients. There will be plenty (as written).

Nutrition Facts
Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Dressing
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 214 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 279mg12%
Potassium 609mg17%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 610IU12%
Vitamin C 15.8mg19%
Calcium 35mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.

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Jul
2016

Happy 4th of July!

categories: Holidays!
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I really like this quote from celebrated author Erma Bombeck, which is really quite fitting for our July 4th celebration today…Happy 4th of July

May you enjoy this special day celebrating our FREEDOM!  I am truly GRATEFUL for the freedoms that are mine as a citizen of this great country, and for those who have made it possible throughout our history because of their hard fought determination and sacrifice.

May God continue to bless America.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Jul
2016

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (copycat)

categories: Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Treats
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A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream – with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream - with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!
Happy Fourth of July week! One of the ways we celebrate this holiday each year is by making homemade ice cream. One of our favorites is this copycat recipe for Chunky Monkey Ice Cream.

I am fortunate to have an indoor Cuisinart ice cream maker I was given for a birthday several years ago, and have loved trying LOTS of different recipes with my family. The first time I made this recipe (I was experimenting with flavors), we all crowded around the ol’ ice cream maker taking spoonfuls out when it was done.  Our reactions were priceless.

We were ALL amazed how delicious this chunky monkey ice cream was. This ice cream is ridiculously GOOD, and I’ve continued making it to this very day!

Scroll Down for A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Pge

How Do You Make Chunky Monkey Ice Cream?

The ice cream is frozen, then during the last few minutes the banana puree, toasted pecans and chocolate chunks are added to mixture.

Pecans and chocolate chips will be added to the ice cream during the last 5 minutes of freezing.

Here is what it looked like, right when the chunky monkey ice cream was done. All I needed was for someone to hand me a BIG spoon at this point, and I was in my happy place!

The ice cream is semi-soft when it is first done freezing.

Ice Cream Is Best When “Ripened” In The Freezer

I placed the rest of the ice cream into a covered container (you know… what we didn’t devour), and put it into our kitchen freezer for a couple hours.

This extra time in the freezer is recommended, because it helps to  “ripen” or firm up the chunky monkey ice cream even further. That will result is some good scoops later.

A carton of this ice cream has frozen firm, and is now ready to scoop!

Time For A Scoop Of Chunky Monkey Ice Cream!

So there you have it… a perfectly scoopable and an incredibly delicious “copycat” version of chunky monkey ice cream! Now… where’s my spoon and a bib? (I’m drooling!)

Two scoops of chunky monkey ice cream in a glass dish.

Have a wonderful 4th of July celebration, friends. Hope you enjoy this yummy chunky monkey ice cream! I am truly grateful and blessed to be a proud citizen of this great country.

Looking For More Homemade ICE CREAM Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few of my ice cream recipes include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From:  Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker Instruction And Recipe Booklet, published 2002 by Cuisinart.

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Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (copycat)
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream - with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!
Category: Ice Cream
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chunky monkey ice cream
Servings: 10 ½ cup servings
Calories Per Serving: 372 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup milk (NOT skim!)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional, but it does add a bit of color!)
  • 2 really ripe bananas
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (may substitute dark chocolate, if preferred), refrigerated
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans (or walnuts), chopped
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the whipping cream, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and yellow food coloring. Whisk this mixture for about a minute, until fully blended, and sugar has dissolved.
  2. Place this mixture into your cold ice cream maker canister; freeze ice cream according to manufacturer's directions.
  3. Refrigerate the chocolate chips while ice cream is freezing (this will help them from softening).
  4. Mash the bananas with lemon juice in a small bowl, until smooth. (I use a fork to mash).
  5. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is finished freezing, add the banana mixture, toasted pecans and chocolate chips to the ice cream. Continue freezing until done.
  6. Ice cream can be eaten right away (soft style), OR place it in a covered container in your freezer for a couple hours to let it "ripen" and firm up more. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (copycat)
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/2 cup serving))
Calories 372 Calories from Fat 243
% Daily Value*
Fat 27g42%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 30mg1%
Potassium 249mg7%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 760IU15%
Vitamin C 2.6mg3%
Calcium 72mg7%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream - with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!

 

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