Slow-Cooked Lemon Chicken Orzo

You know me: I like lemon. However, I have to say the zest is another thing altogether. I would definitely leave the zest out of this one. Maybe even the lemon pepper. It made it inedible to me, but Doug didn't mind it. So zest at your own peril. 

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp Greek seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1/3 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
• 1/4 cup julienned soft sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup crumbled garlic and herb feta cheese
• 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 Tbsp snipped fresh dill
• 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, optional

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches. Transfer to a 4-qt slow cooker. Add stock, Greek seasoning, and garlic powder to skillet, scraping up any brown bits from pan; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.

Stir orzo, olives, and tomatoes into the slow cooker; making sure orzo is submerged in liquid. Cover and cook on high until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Add fresh spinach, feta cheese, lemon juice and zest, dill, and if desired, lemon pepper to slow cooker. Stir until spinach is wilted.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Recipe from Taste of Home

Baked Eggs with Avocado and Feta

This would be a fancy-looking breakfast dish for some, however it was a little bland to me. I think I would switch it up with something like everything bagel seasoning, or at the very least, some garlic or onion powder. I wouldn't be opposed to making it again with those modifications. 

• 4 eggs
• 1 avocado
• olive oil or non-stick spray for gratin dishes
• 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Break eggs into individual ramekins and let the eggs and avocado come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the gratin dishes on a baking sheet and heat them in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

After the eggs and avocado have come to room temperature, peel the avocado and cut each half into 6 slices. Remove gratin dishes from the oven and spray with olive oil or non-stick spray. Arrange the sliced avocados in each dish and very carefully tip two eggs into each dish.

Sprinkle with crumbled feta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the whites are set and the egg yolks are done to your liking. Serve hot.

Serves 2

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe from kalynskitchen.com

Goat Cheese & Fig Pinwheels

These were fairly simple to make, don't take a lot of time, and don't need weird ingredients. It's also a nice vegetarian recipe. They work great for appetizers or a little party treat.

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup fig jam or preserves
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 egg, beaten

Thaw puff pastry in the refrigerator for several hours or at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until pliable but still cool. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to remove creases and thin it slightly. Aim for a rectangle approximately 10x12 inches.

Using a spatula, spread an even layer of goat cheese over the puff pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch border on the long sides. Go all the way to the edges on the short sides. Spread the fig jam evenly over the goat cheese layer. Drizzle honey over fig layer and sprinkle thyme leaves. Add chopped nuts.

Roll the puff pastry tightly from one long side to the other, forming a log. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into approximately 20 evenly sized pinwheels.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the pinwheels on the prepared baking sheet and brush each with the beaten egg for a golden finish. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and flaky. All pinwheels to cool slightly before serving. 

Serves 10

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe from ourbalancedbowl.com

Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Roasted Bell Peppers

I think steak and I think juicy, flavorful and fancy. Yeah, not this. It had zero flavor at all. We will not be making this one again. In fact, we fed the leftovers to Mal (one of our dogs). 

• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 2 medium yellow bell peppers
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tbsp fresh juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
• 1 (10-oz) rib eye steaks, about 1-inch thick

Preheat grill to high (450-500 degrees). Coat bell peppers with 1 Tbsp of oil. Place peppers on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, turning occasionally, until charred all over, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; set aside and let steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together oregano, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/3 cup oil in a medium bowl.

Uncover bell peppers; remove and discard stems, seeds, and charred skins. Slice into 1-inch strips, and toss with oregano mixture until coated. Set aside, and let marinate while preparing steaks.

Place wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Pat steaks dry with paper towels; sprinkle both sides with remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Place steaks on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers between 130-135 degrees (medium-rare), about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to baking sheet; let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak against the grain, and serve with bell peppers and remaining oregano sauce.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes 

Recipe from People magazine

Copycat Steak Gorgonzola

This is Doug's favorite dish at Olive Garden. We don't go very often, less so since they got rid of the steak gorgonzola on their menu a while back. Doug lamented about it so I found this copycat recipe...and then Olive Garden brought it back! Doug said this was a pretty good homemade version though and he was very happy.

For those of you unfamiliar with gorgonzola cheese, it's in the bleu cheese family. So if you don't like bleu cheese, you won't like the topping. However, I ate this without the gorgonzola and it was pretty good just plain.

• 1 lb steak medallions
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lb fettuccine
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 6 oz gorgonzola crumbles, divided
• 4 Tbsp balsamic glaze
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper both sides of the steak. Place the steaks in a zip top bag and add the balsamic vinegar. Seal and let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the steak medallions. Cook until you reach your desired doneness. The time this takes will vary with how thick the steak pieces are. They will continue to cook as they are resting so stop just shy of how done you'd like them. Place steak on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest as you cook the remaining elements.

Start the water for the fettuccine pasta. Cook as per package directions until just shy of al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid in case the sauce is too thick.

While pasta is cooking, combine the butter and cream in a large saucepan or wide skillet with tall edges. Heat over medium until the butter is melted into the cream. Turn the heat to medium low. Add the nutmeg and spinach to the cream and butter mixture. Cook until the spinach is wilted, approximately 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes to combine the flavors. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce. If too thin, let it cook a little longer.

Take the pasta off the heat. Add 4 oz gorgonzola cheese and toss to combine. Separate the pasta into bowls or plates. Top each with the steak medallions, balsamic glaze, sun-dried tomatoes, and additional gorgonzola for garnish.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe from www.threeolivesbranch.com

Savory French Toast

A friend of mine posted about trying a savory French toast at a restaurant and it looked really good. Doug and I attempted to recreate it as best we could without a recipe. Not sure we were super successful as it was a lot of work that didn't taste super amazing. Suggestions definitely welcome because this is something I would love to refine and try again. Maybe garlic powder in the batter along with some melted butter?

• 4 slices thick bread, such as Texas toast
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• hollandaise sauce mix, or from scratch
• parsley for garnish

Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and Parmesan in a shallow dish. Heat a skillet until water dripped on it immediately balls up and dissipates. Dip the bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides.

Cook the bread in the skillet until it is heated through and lightly browned on both sides. Remove to a plate, drizzle with hollandaise and garnish with parsley. Serve warm with bacon. 

Serves 2

Total Time: 10 minutes

Easy Two-Ingredient Banana Muffins with Cake Mix

I mean, the name says it all. This was super easy and doesn't call for much. The key is that you have very ripe bananas, that will make it sweeter. You can always customize this and add some nuts or chocolate chips if you wanted to. 

• 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl and stir in cake mix until well-blended.

Grease a muffin tin or use muffin liners and scoop batter equally into 12 cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool and then remove from muffin tray.

Serves 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Recipe from www.meatloafandmelodrama.com