Recipes – Page 46 – The Pajama Chef

Italian Tortilla Rollups, and a Bridal Shower

May 23, 2014May 18, 2014 Sarah

Did I tell you guys that I catered a bridal shower about a month ago? Well, I did. 🙂 And it was super fun. The shower was for the niece of one of my coworkers, and I was SO honored to be asked to cater!!

The bride is a healthy foodie like me so we decided to have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies at this shower! It was quite the colorful shower. 🙂 I made three tried and true recipes, and three new ones that I am thrilled to share with y’all! So, what did I make?

Here’s the menu, with amounts for 20-25 guests:

Honey-Lime Fruit Salad: made with strawberries, navel oranges, kiwifruit, and cantaloupe. I made the dressing with my immersion blender so that the mint leaves were chopped VERY fine…and it turned out perfectly! I tripled the recipe.

Asian Peanut Veggie Dip, served in little cups with red, yellow, and green bell peppers, baby carrots, and celery. I tripled the recipe but should have made even more. I purchased 8 bell peppers, 3 pounds of baby carrots, and 2 bunches of celery.

Deviled Eggs: I didn’t take great photos, so I wasn’t going to share the recipe separately. However, I make the filling for my deviled eggs with the following measurements for every six hard boiled eggs: 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1.5 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard, 1.5 teaspoons yellow mustard, 1.5 teaspoons white vinegar, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Obviously mix those ingredients with the mashed yolks! I put the filling into a ziploc bag, cut the tip off, and pipe it into the whites. I topped half with paprika as usual and the other half with chopped bacon crumbles and scallions. I made two dozen eggs [48 deviled egg halves].

Kale Quinoa Salad: will be sharing the recipe soon!

Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons: will be sharing the recipe soon!

Italian Tortilla Rollups: last, but certainly not least… and the recipe of the day! I made one batch as reflected below.

I chose to share this recipe first because I heard it was the star of the shower… especially with the kiddos. And I tried one that fell apart and let me tell you, the flavors were AWESOME! Pesto and sun-dried tomatoes are meant to be BFFs, and when paired with cream cheese in a tortilla you have a super addictive ‘lil snack bite.

Since the bride is a healthy foodie, I decided to try the Greek yogurt cream cheese and was pleasantly surprised to find that the cost was the same as for regular cream cheese. Score! I couldn’t tell a difference in flavor between the two, but the Greek yogurt cream cheese was definitely healthier and just as creamy as the original stuff is. So use that if you can, but no worries if you decide to use normal cream cheese. These little bites had so much flavor, but really. Can you go wrong with cheese, basil, and tomatoes? I think not. I’ll definitely be bringing these bites parties in the future and hope you will too.

And while we’re on the subject of weddings… I just wanted to make a shoutout to Ben. We’ve been married for FIVE YEARS today! We’re going to spend the day celebrating [so glad I could get the day off work]. I’m so thankful for Ben and love him more now than the day we got married. I wouldn’t have wanted to move to Nashville with anyone else. 🙂 Excited to see what the future holds. I love you!

one year ago: Taco Pizza
two years ago: Triple Chip Coconut Cookies

Italian Tortilla Rollups
click to print

Ingredients:

8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped [I used the ones that are just dried, but oil/water packed works too–just drain and pat dry]
8 ounces prepared pesto
fresh chopped basil, optional
chopped olives, optional
Parmesan cheese, optional
8 ounces whipped cream cheese [I used the Greek yogurt kind]
freshly ground black pepper
10 burrito-size tortillas

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and any of the optional toppings and set aside.

Microwave tortilla for a minute to soften, then spread a tortilla evenly with cream cheese, leaving an inch border around the edges, and top with a spoonful of the sun-dried tomato mixture. Top with a little bit of black pepper, then roll tightly. Cut in half, then cut off tortilla ends [where there’s no filling]. Cut each half into thirds [making six pieces total, not including the ends that were cut off]. Place seam side down on a plate or baking dish.

Repeat with remaining ingredients, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours before serving.

Time: 30 minutes active + refrigeration time.
Yield: 60 slices.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Tropical Cake Mix Cookies

May 21, 2014May 6, 2015 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. During fall 2012, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

from August 23, 2012

I’m all in favor of cooking and baking from scratch, but sometimes using the dreaded processed product or two isn’t so bad. In fact, sometimes using a little something out of the ordinary is not only fun and tasty, but helpful too. Like when you’re baking for 80 for a church event… mhmm, helpful is always good in those circumstances. In those cases, I like to rely on a little thing called cake mix. Not for making a cake, mind you–cake for 80 isn’t really my thing–but for cookies. Normally, cake mix cookies are made out of Funfetti and are pretty much just sprinklicious sugar bombs. Not these cookies. Well, the Funfetti part at least. [No guarantees about the sugar bomb thing… can’t most cookies be described that way?]

Tropical Cake Mix Cookies are made with fluffy yellow cake mix, tropical trail mix, white chocolate chips, and loads of coconut for a taste of vacation even at the start of a busy school year. These two-bite cookies are incredibly addicting, so make sure you have a plan for them when you make them… Otherwise you might wind up eating them one after another without even realizing it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! The soft cookie combined with crunchy nuts and tantalizing tropical dried fruit like papaya and pineapple will get you every time! If you have nut allergies, just sub out the trail mix for a tropical dried fruit blend. Enjoy!

one year ago: Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese
two years ago: OTT: Pork Chops with Balsamic Blackberry Salad + Orzo

Tropical Cake Mix Cookies

Servings: about 4 dozen cookies
Time: 75 minutes
Print

from Averie Cooks

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract [or coconut or almond for a little extra goodness!]
1 – 15 ounce box of yellow cake mix
6-12 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
1 cup tropical trail mix, finely diced [mine was from Walmart and had pineapple, papaya, raisins, cranberries, almonds, cashews, etc. in it]
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined–mixture does not have to be creamed.

With mixer running on low, slowly add in cake mix until cookie dough is smooth. Add flour tablespoon by tablespoon to solidify cookie dough. The more flour used, the more cake-like the cookies will be. I used about 3-4 tablespoons.

Next, fold in coconut flakes, trail mix, and white chocolate chips. Dough will be very sticky.

Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. At the end of that time, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat, or spraying lightly with cooking spray.

After dough has chilled, it will still be sticky but much easier to work with and will not spread so much during baking. Scoop dough out in generous 1 tablespoon balls, rolling between greased hands before placing 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned and tops just barely look done. Let cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes, or until cookies are stable enough to be moved. This allows the cookies to firm up a bit as well as cook a little more on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all dough is used up, returning mixing bowl to refrigerator in between batches.

Store on the counter in a covered container for a week [if they last that long!] or in the freezer up to three months.

Breakfast, French Toast, Recipes

Blueberry Multigrain French Toast Bake + Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas

May 10, 2014May 10, 2014 Sarah

from May 10, 2012…

This Sunday, May 12th is Mother’s Day, in case you were unaware. I’m guessing most of you are not, but just in case I thought I’d remind you. 🙂 I hope and pray that this Mother’s Day is special for all of you, as you celebrate moms, families, and special women in your lives. One way that we like to celebrate is with food! So what better way to celebrate than with an arsenal of tried and true brunch ideas?

If you’re looking for some new pastries and muffins, be sure to consider these:

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Royal Berry Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Carrot Muffins

Sunrise Muffins

Perhaps you need a side…

Brown Sugar Bacon Twists

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Or do you need a main dish?

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole

Blueberry Multigrain French Toast Bake | thepajamachef.com

Although I would love to dine on any of those tried and true dishes that are straight from my kitchen, I must share with you one last gem: Blueberry Multigrain French Toast Bake! I made this breakfast bake when we had family in town last week and it was a huge hit.

I love French Toast Bakes because they’re all the great taste of the classic breakfast dish, but with a small fraction of the work [not that you moms should be working in the kitchen on Sunday anyway though!]. My version has some healthy ingredients like hearty multigrain bread and plump blueberries, and is flavored with fragarent cinnamon for that authentic French Toast taste. Plus, as an added benefit, you make it the night before so it takes next to no work when brunch time rolls around! Hope you enjoy, and Happy Mother’s Day!

Blueberry Multigrain French Toast Bake [adapted from Ours to Yours]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 pound day-old multigrain French bread, cubed
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:

Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, then spread bread cubes in pan.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs then stir in milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, and cinnamon until mixture is smooth. Add half of the blueberries then pour mixture evenly over bread.

Top with remaining blueberries.

Cover and refrigerate overnight [or at least 1 hour, but no more than 24].

When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator, uncover, and place in cold oven. Then turn oven to 400 and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving with additional berries, syrup, or powdered sugar as desired.

Time: 15 minutes active + 35 minutes baking + time to refrigerate

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Notes: If oven is preheated, just let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking.

Breakfast, Oatmeal

SRC: Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

May 4, 2014August 28, 2014 Sarah

Hi friends! It’s another SRC day. Every month I am always SHOCKED at how quickly it’s SRC time again. It means time is passing quickly… both for blog stuff and real life stuff. My first full semester working as a librarian has already come to an end, and we’ve been living in Nashville over 7 months now! Crazy stuff. But you know what isn’t crazy? How wonderful my Secret Recipe Club assignment for May was. [Betcha didn’t see that transition coming, now did ya? :)]

This month I was assigned to Food Ramblings, written by the lovely Elizabeth. She has tons of recipes on her blog, ranging from the indulgent to the uber healthy. My kinda girl! That’s exactly how I cook, so I had SUCH a hard time deciding what to make. As I was browsing through her archives basically everything sounded good to me. Maybe I was just hungry. 🙂 First, I really wanted to make this polenta with roasted tomatoes and spinach, I decided to wait until the summer for that–I’m sure it’ll be unbelievably delicious with fresh farmer’s market tomatoes. Then, I thought about making cheese and broccoli quinoa casserole, and finally landed on Chocolate Baked Oatmeal. It was only when I was writing this post that I realized it fell on Cinco de Mayo and I should have made something Mexican. Oh well, it was delicious. Though the baked oatmeal tasted rich and fudgy, it’s actually a pretty healthy breakfast. Well, as far as having chocolate for breakfast can be considered healthy. 🙂

Elizabeth’s original recipe called for making this baked oatmeal in muffin cups, which is SUCH a good idea. So why didn’t I do that? Ben. I asked his opinion and he thought it would be easier to just make a big pan of it. So that’s what I did. I also was nearly out of regular size muffin liners, and I never have luck greasing my muffin tin. She also used strawberries and peanut butter chips in her baked oatmeal, neither of which I had. So I used bananas and cinnamon chips and OH MY GOODNESS was that an awesome combination. I usually am not a banana oatmeal kinda girl but you can’t even taste it in this, especially if you mash up the banana really well. The cinnamon chips just add SO much flavor and little bursts of sweet cinnamon goodness. Later in the summer you can bet I’ll try that chocolate, strawberry, and peanut butter combination though… it sounds incredible, like a jacked up peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Before this, I was a newbie to chocolate baked oatmeal–usually I just make this plain version from my summer camp counselor days, and add my own toppings, but from now on I will be tempted to make this delightful chocolate version. Hope you enjoy as much as we did, and be sure to check out Elizabeth’s blog for more yummy recipes!

one year ago: Club Soda Waffles
two years ago: Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
three years ago: Salsas for Cinco de Mayo

Chocolate Baked Oatmeal [adapted from Food Ramblings]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk [I used skim]
1 large egg
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup cinnamon chips, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray, or line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, bananas, and maple syrup. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in half of the cinnamon chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan and top with remaining cinnamon chips.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. [If baking in a muffin tin, bake for 20-25 minutes]. Serve warm, adding milk or yogurt if desired.

Time: 45 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings.

Please check out all the other fabulous recipes from my SRC pals here:

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Appetizers, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Chili Lime Popcorn

April 29, 2014April 28, 2014 Sarah

I can’t believe it’s time for another Mystery Dish post! This month, Jen from Yummy Healthy Easy is our host, and she gave us the following ingredients to work with: garbanzo beans, eggs, flaxseed, cilantro, potatoes, bread, quinoa, lime, popcorn, dark chocolate, ground turkey, and asparagus. So many yummy things in that list! And healthy things. And easy ingredients. Hmmm, appropriate ingredients. 🙂

I had a really hard time deciding what to make, because I’m a huge fan of everything on this list. I seriously considered making brownies with garbanzo beans, kind of like a baked version of this cookie dough dip, but then I had to go with the classic cilantro lime combination. Instead of cilantro lime rice or quinoa, I wondered what those flavors would be like on popcorn. After this coconut curry popcorn, I’ve been daydreaming about other popcorn flavors. I may not need to daydream anymore… this Chili Lime Popcorn is superb!

I decided to flavor this popcorn with a chili lime butter to avoid the soggy popcorn you get when you flavor popcorn with any sort of liquid. I made the butter with a bit of garlic powder, chili powder, and onion powder, along with lime juice… and I could have just as easily eaten this butter on a baked potato or some hearty bread instead of popcorn. But when this slightly spicy, tangy butter is melted on crunchy popcorn it is awesome. Of course I had to add some cilantro to complete the flavor combo I was going for… and I also tossed in some lime zest for an extra zing. This fancy popcorn is addictive and wonderful, and totally worth the extra few minutes of work. I hope you give it a try… it is SO good.

Oh, I almost forgot! When I make popcorn, I use a Whirly Pop. It’s so cool. Usually, I pop my kernels with a bit of canola oil, but I recently read that using coconut oil is more movie theatre authentic so I gave it a shot. So, what’s the verdict? Well, it was definitely different. I’m not sure it was authentic. There was no chemical taste, which is good. 🙂 It’s yummy though! Btw… be sure to check out what else my Mystery Dish pals came up with for this month. All the recipes are bound to be excellent!

one year ago: Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
two years ago: Royal Berry Coffee Cake

Chili Lime Popcorn
click to print

Ingredients:

2/3 cup unpopped popcorn to make 4 quarts plain popcorn [pop in coconut oil if possible]
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lime
zest of one lime
1/2 cup minced cilantro, loosely packed
salt

Directions:

Pop popcorn according to preferred method, using coconut oil if possible. In a small bowl, stir together butter, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, and a little freshly ground black pepper. Add lime juice and stir as well as possible [not all liquid will be incorporated].

Melt butter in microwave and then pour over popped popcorn. Toss in lime zest and cilantro, and mix well. Add salt to taste. Enjoy immediately.

TIme: 10 minutes.
Yield: 4 quarts popcorn.