Parmesan chicken and kale...

If you're looking for a delicious, go-to meal, try this one on for size. I have to give a shout-out to my neighbor Cory, who introduced me to this chicken recipe. It's gotten rave reviews in my house and it's really simple. 

PARMESAN CHICKEN 

3 Chicken breasts

1 cup of mayo

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese 

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees.

MIX mayo, breadcrumbs and cheese. 

SEASON the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.

COAT one side of the chicken with the mayo/cheese mixture. 

BAKE for 25-35 minutes. 

KALE

1/4 onion

1 clove of garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Kale

In a pan, sweat out the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they become translucent. Add in the kale and sauté. Remove from heat and let cool for a bit. Toss with balsamic vinegar. 

When choosing your cheese for the mixture, I used the shredded, bagged parmesan, not the powdery, grated cheese in the canister. I think it gives it a better texture and it gets nice and crispy towards the end of cooking. I even toss it under the broiler for a few minutes to make it even crispier. It's really easy to make and so flavorful for so few ingredients. We're trying to have less carbs with our dinner so the meat and vegetables need to have flavor, and this recipe hits a home run. 

What are your go-to recipes? I'd love to hear what your family enjoys. 

Big Ed's white chicken chili....

It's no secret that I love a good slow cooker recipe, especially in the winter. Sundays are usually our crockpot days. This past weekend, when my husband requested white chicken chili, I knew just who to call... my dad. He has a "world famous" recipe that's quite a hit around the neighborhood. And now I'm sharing it with you. 

BIG ED'S WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 cup dried Great Northern beans, rinsed
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp of salt
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups of chicken stock or water
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp hot sauce
1 can diced green chiles

Combine all of the ingredients except cumin, hot sauce and chiles in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is cooked thoroughly. One hour before serving, shred the chicken in the crockpot with two forks and then add in the cumin, hot sauce and can of chiles. Continue cooking. Serve with cheese, sour cream and oyster crackers.

It was met with rave reviews and will now become a strong player in the slow cooker recipe rotation.

Hope you enjoy it too!

what's your flava?: homemade infused olive oil...

A little while ago, I was trying to come up with a unique housewarming gift for a friend. While perusing the aisles of HomeGoods, I found some glass bottles and got an idea... infused olive oil. The gift turned out to a be a hit so I decided to try a few different flavors to use at home. 

I decided to make rosemary olive oil and citrus olive oil. Making the rosemary oil was simple. I just clipped some rosemary from my garden, rinsed it off, put it in the bottle and then poured olive oil over it. For the citrus blend oil, I zested half an orange and half a lemon then combined the zest with the olive oil. 

It's such a simple idea for a gift or for use at home if you want to add a new kick to your cooking. Any herb or spice will work, it all depends on your taste. I'm looking forward to using the citrus blend with fish and the rosemary on a pork loin I have in the freezer. And both would be delicious for dipping. 

making the most of leftovers: mexican stuffed peppers...

I love coming up with new recipes by shopping my pantry. We've been grilling a lot this summer, and my husband's specialty is grilled chicken. The other day, we had three pieces left in the fridge and I was tired of just heating it up and eating it with rice or salad. So after a little bit of exploring the fridge and pantry, I came up with Mexican stuffed peppers.

I cubed up the chicken and in a bowl combined it with parsley from my garden, grape tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers and lime juice. I then covered it and let it marinate in the fridge for a bit. Next I took two green peppers, cut them in half length-wise, cored them and put them in a greased baking dish. I filled the peppers with the mixture, topped it with some low-fat cheddar cheese, covered the whole dish with foil and baked it for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees. 

For a side, I made my most favorite Mexican dish ever. It's super complicated. Are you ready? Take a can of refried beans, spread it out in a baking dish, cover with cheese and bake until cheese starts to brown. Did you get all that? 

In all seriousness though, a couple years ago my mom made this and I haven't been the same since. I could eat it every day. Sometimes I add in jalapenos just to kick it up a notch. And I always top it with a dollop of sour cream. 

So there you have it. A simple and delicious dish I made at home without making a trip to the grocery store -- Mexican stuffed peppers. You can't beat that! Ole! 

what's cookin': spicing up your almonds...

I'm a snacker. Admittedly, a not very healthy snacker. I can put down a sleeve of Fig Newtons before you can bat an eye. I've tried all the "healthy" snacks but none really get my taste buds going. But I'm getting older, my metabolism is slowing down and I need to start making healthier decisions. I'm always hearing that a "handful of almonds really satisfies." A handful of plain almonds makes be feel like I'm chewing on wood chips. And the flavored ones have so may artificial ingredients. So I took a stab at jazzing up my own.

The name says it all. Take bag of almonds, squeeze the juice of one lime into the bag, add some chili power and shake, shake, shake it up until the almonds are completely coated. 

I topped mine with a couple shakes of nutmeg and BOOM! a tasty, healthy snack that tastes significantly less wood-chippy. Enjoy! 

I never promised you an herb garden...

Ever since I started getting into cooking and we moved in this house, I have wanted to have an herb garden. There is nothing like the taste of fresh herbs. I attempted one inside, but didn't realize they need constant sunshine. Whoops! So this summer cultivating an outdoor herb garden was at the top of my to-do list. After a few weeks of collecting all of the materials, I'm happy to say, it's now crossed off my list!

I mentioned before that I had a bunch of outdoor projects that I forgot to take before pictures of, this is one of them. I found all three of those planter at a garage sale for $6 total. They were gold and, judging by all of the chipped paint,  looked like they were pink before that.  

But a couple coats of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and they match our deck furniture perfectly. I lugged them around to a few stores before I found a pot that would fit. These three are from Meijer.

Next step was deciding which herbs I wanted to plant. I chose four that I thought I would use most:

I didn't want to go hog-wild on my first second attempt at growing herbs, so I stuck with four and doubled up the parsley and rosemary in the same pot. They seemed like they'd get along.

They've been out there about a week now and I couldn't be happier with their progress. I placed them right outside the kitchen door so they are easy to get to for watering and harvesting. Tonight is my mom's birthday and I plan on using all of them for different items on the menu. I'll let you know how they taste!

And for those of you who didn't get the post title pun, do yourself a favor and watch this little gem. I defy you to get this song out of your head.

it's a pizza party! a french bread pizza party!

So yesterday was this guy's birthday...

Handsome devil, isn't he? 

He's also a huge pizza lover. I mean, HUGE. He could eat it every day. So when it comes to special occasions, pizza is always on the menu. The thing that always challenges me is, "how do I do it differently?" On a recent trip to the grocery store I was in the bakery section and then --BAM!-- it hit me... make your own French Bread pizzas! 

First, the spread: 

It included: 

Bread (duh) 

Vodka sauce

BBQ sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Chicken

Colby Jack cheese

Banana peppers

Turkey peppers

Feta cheese

Bacon bits

I put out two sauces in case someone didn't want a traditional pizza and would prefer a BBQ chicken pizza. First things first, I must confess, it wasn't actually French bread, it was Italian bread. The French bread was just too skinny to hold any toppings. I began by cutting a loaf in half and then split those halves down the middle to make 4 pizzas per loaf. I drizzled them with olive oil and salt and pepper and then put them under the broiler on high until the edges were golden brown. (Full disclosure: I burned three of them because I forgot to set the timer - whoops!)

Once they were prepared, everyone (my parents came over for dinner) topped their own and then we put them all under the broiler again until the cheese was melted. It was fun, interactive and delicious!

what's cookin'?: homemade hummus...

A little while back I took a cooking class and one of the dishes used garbanzo beans. I always thought I didn't like them, but I loved this fresh salad, so I bought some cans of beans thinking I'd recreate the recipe. I never did.

Then today I was craving some hummus and the tub we had was expired – gross! Then I remember the can of beans. With just a few more ingredients that I already had on hand, I whipped up some homemade hummus in a matter of minutes. So good and good for you!

HOMEMADE JALAPENO HUMMUS

• 1 can of garbanzo beans drained
• Juice of a lemon
• Half of a small can of diced jalapenos (if you're using fresh, I would say 3-4 medium sized jalapenos, seeded)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil

Combine those all in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and you've got yourself some homemade hummus.  Enjoy!

what's cookin': Pineapple tomatillo tacos...

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I'm sharing one of my new Mexican creations. If you follow me on Instagram (@jenlifebydesign), you know I posted a pic of our delicious dinner the other night -- pineapple tomatillo tacos. They were yummy and, best of all, easy.

First, the ingredients. 

Fresh or canned pineapple (chunked, crushed, it doesn't matter)

Chipotle pineapple salsa

1 jar of roasted tomatillo salsa

3-4 large chicken breasts

Mozzarella cheese

Corn tortillas

Rice and beans for side dishes

In a slow cooker put your chicken and jar of tomatillo sauce. That's it. Cook on high for one hour then turn down to low for 4-5 hours. The longer they cook the more they absorb the tomatillo sauce. About an hour or so before it's done, shred the chicken and cook for the remainder of the time. Just before you're ready to serve, warm the tortillas in the oven for a few minutes. 

Then layer shredded chicken, chipotle pineapple salsa and cheese, and top with a pineapple chunk. Pop those into the oven, or on a low broil, just to melt the cheese. Serve with a side of rice and beans. It was plenty for the two of us. We had left overs for two days. So easy and so good. Enjoy! 

still cookin': teriyaki chicken and rice noodles...

I've been trying to "shop my pantry" lately to come up with some new recipes. 

Tonight I created Teriyaki Chicken Thighs over Rice Noodles. 

The recipe was very simple and only requires a few ingredients -- now, that's my kind of recipe!
You will need:

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs 
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2-3 Tbsp. of brown sugar
• Package of rice noodles
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lime cut in half
• 1 lime, wedged
• Handful of spicy peanuts
• Shredded carrots

In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic. Add the chicken thighs to a crock pot and pour the soy sauce mix over the top. Squeeze the line halves over the chicken and leave the limes in the pot for flavor. Cook on high for two hours and then reduce to low heat for 3-4 more hours, occasionally turning the chicken to coat.

When your chicken is almost done, prepare the rice noodles as the package directs. Remove chicken from the pot. The remaining liquid will be the sauce for your noodles. Then top your chicken and noodles with shredded carrots, spicy peanuts and lime juice.

It was yummy if I do say so myself. Tasty and easy is the name of the game for recipes in my house! 

we're cookin' now: chicken noodle casserole...

We have a few meal staples in our house: tacos (beef and chicken), chili, spaghetti and meatballs, and chicken over eggs noodles with mushroom sauce. I make at least one of them once a week. I try to throw in new recipes to keep things interesting, but sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to whip up something totally original, so I re-imagine a staple dish. And that is how Chicken Noodle Casserole was born.

The staple dish, Chicken Over Egg Noodles with Mushroom Sauce, consists of baked chicken served over a bed of egg noodles and covered in a sauce that is a combination of cream of mushroom soup and  light alfredo pasta sauce.

To re-imagine the dish, I boiled 4 chicken tenderloin strips until cooked through, removed those, set them aside and then added about 3/4 of a big bag of egg noodles to the chicken water. While those were cooking I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then I cubed up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

In a separate bowl, I whisked together two cans of cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of sour cream and added salt and pepper to taste. Once the noodles were done, I combined everything into a casserole dish until it was well coated. Then I melted a half stick of light butter and tossed it together with 1-2 cups of planko breadcrumbs and topped the casserole.

Then I cooked it for 30 minutes or until the top was golden brown.

I have to admit, I kind of like this better than the original. I think baking it all together let's the flavors blend much better. This re-imagined dish might just become a new staple!

JENNA'S QUICK TIP: When boiling chicken, in addition to salt, I add onion powder to my cooking water. It marinates into the chicken and gives it a little added flavor!

All a twitter over chicken and artichokes...

I believe I've mentioned on here a time or two that I love the show The Chew. 

I've loved Clinton Kelly since the very beginning of What Not to Wear and I just adore the chemistry between the five hosts. Since I've been working from home, I've been cooking a lot more because I can prepare things throughout the day. So I've taken to trying recipes from the show since it's on when I take my lunch break.

Last week, Clinton featured a recipe called Chicken an Artichoke Tagine. It looked so delicious, I had to try it. It required cooking with chicken thighs, something I've never done, and had quite a few more steps than my usual recipes. But all-in-all it turned out really tasty!

I was so excited with how it turned out that I tweeted about it and low-and-behold, Clinton tweeted me back! I almost died!

@jenlifebydesign @thechew Gorgeous! So glad you liked it!
— clinton kelly (@clinton_kelly) March 25, 2013

This means we're basically BFFs doesn't it?

It was a delicious recipe and I urge you to try it yourself. GO HERE FOR THE RECIPE. I skipped using fresh artichokes and used canned ones instead, adding them during the final simmer stage.

Let me know how you like it. But don't you dare try to come between me and my new best friend, Clinton, ya hear?!

easy roasted potatoes: building blocks of a side dish...

If you're working on building your recipe repertoire, the best way is to start with the basics and build upon them. My dad has been making this roasted potatoes recipe for years. The first time he made it for us was the first time my now-husband (last name: O'Brien) came to visit my parents, thus O'Brien Potatoes were born. They have only a few ingredients, take no time to make and can be easily modified for more jazzed up side dishes. 

The basic recipe includes:

• Potatoes (1 for each person you're serving)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Butter
• Salt 
• Pepper
• Garlic salt
• Onion powder

Next cut up the potatoes into small cubes. O'Brien Potatoes are made with the skin on, but you can certainly make them without the skin.

Put them in a bowl and cover with a couple tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper to your taste, 2 shakes of garlic salt and 3 shakes of onion power. Toss a with a spoon, put the lid on and....

shake, shake, shake until the potatoes are completely coated. 

Then put them in the fridge and let them rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. 

Remove from the fridge and pour them on a baking sheet and put them in a 375 degree preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Flip after 15 minutes so they cook evenly. The cooking time will depend on the size of your potatoes and how crispy you want them. Just keep an eye on them. 

And that, my friends, is how you make basic roasted "O'Brien Potatoes"– a surefire hit for any meal.  But why stop there? The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adapted a number of ways based on the flavors you like best. 

The night I made this recipe, I actually added paprika for a little kick. 

A few other options you might enjoy are:

Rosemary and thyme 

Parmesan

Oregano and lemon

Roasted red pepper flakes

A couple Tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce

Sweet potatoes with nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon and brown sugar

All you do is add your chosen flavor in when you're "shake, shake, shaking" your ingredients together. If you feel it needs some more, just add a few shakes over the top before you put them in the oven. 

Another way to jazz them up is to cut your potatoes into interesting shapes: crinkle cut, spheres, whatever strikes your fancy. Have fun with it! 

Now that you have the basics, try out different variations. They are potatoes, they taste good with everything, so you can mess them up. Let me know what interesting combinations you come up with! 

slow cooker chicken tortilla soup...

I love a good chicken tortilla soup. If it's on the menu, I order it. So I thought I'd try to make my own at home. Now I'm not the kind of gal who can sit and watch a soup on the stove all day -- I've got things to do. So I pulled out my trusty crockpot and went to work!

I gathered my ingredients, all things I like in my soup and none of the stuff I don't.

In a slow cooker, I added:
3 chicken breasts
1 box of Chicken Broth
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 bottle of salsa of your choice
1 small can of diced jalapenos

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6 or more. The longer the better. Shred the chicken in the pot after 4 hours and let cook for the remaining time. Top with tortilla strips, cheese and sour cream. Or any toppings of your choice. Easy peasy.

It turned out better than I could have hoped. This is definitely going to become a staple of the O'Brien household. Enjoy! 

brussels sprout salad...

I have been stuck in a side dish rut. I make the same things over and over which are usually potatoes and then a canned or frozen vegetable. snoozapalooza.  In an effort to eat healthier and cut out unnecessary starches, I perused the interwebs for some inspiration. That's when I stumbled upon a recipe for a warm brussels sprout salad from The Fit Cook.  It sounded healthy and delicious but also comforting for the cold winter months. I tweaked it a bit and honestly can say I've eaten this as a lunch three times since Christmas. I am obsessed. And I know you will be too. Here goes:

What you'll need for this recipe is:
A bundled of brussels sprouts
Half an orange
Bacon bits (about 1/2 cup)
Feta cheese
2 Tbs of EVOO

First cut the stem off of the brussels sprouts, then cut them in half, remove the leaves and place them in a bowl. You will not used the core of the sprouts for this recipe, but you can certainly save them and use them in another fashion.

In a skillet over medium high heat, add the EVOO and the bacon bits. Let these warm for a few minutes. Then add in your sprout leaves and cook until the leaves start to brown and wilt. Tossing every so often.

Once these are cooked, transfer them to a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with feta cheese and squeeze the juice of 1/2 an orange over the top. Toss together and salt and pepper to taste. 

It's great as a side dish or a healthy dinner salad. Like I said, I have eaten it for lunch three different times since Christmas and I can't wait to have it again. Yum! 

It's low in fat and very satisfying. I hope you enjoy it too! 

Send me your healthy recipes, I'm always looking for new ones to try. 

pinned it then did it: chicken bake

if you're like me, you can spend hours pinning things to Pinterest, but never go back and look at your pins. I find so many great things on Pinterest – outfits, organization ideas, recipes, decor inspiration – I figured it's time to start utilizing some of my pins. So I'm introducing a new series on My Life By Design called "Pinned It Then Did It" to showcase Pinterest finds that I tried in real life.

First up is my take on a Chicken and Dumplings recipe from Real Simple.  YUM! Doesn't it look good?

Real Simple recipe

As you can see in the link, the original recipe called for a 3-4 lb rotisserie chicken, shredded. I'm not a big fan of rotisserie chicken, so I boiled up 3 large chicken breasts then shredded the meat. Once the meat was about ready, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.

Next I mixed together: one 12-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables and two 10.75-oz cans of cream of mushroom condensed soup in a large mixing bowl. I also added some diced onion for added flavor.  

I then added the shredded chicken and salt and pepper to taste, mixed it up and transferred it to a casserole dish, covered it with foil and let it bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, I removed the foil, opened a tube of ready made biscuit dough and placed 10 biscuits on top of the mixture. I then put it back in the oven uncovered and let it cook for another 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. 

After 15 minutes, remove from oven and serve. 

Somebody was excited with the outcome! 

It looked and tasted delicious. Next time I might cut back on the amount of chicken (crazy I know) because it made it really dense, I would like it to be a little soupier next time. I also want to get an oval-shaped casserole dish just because I think it makes for a better presentation (and isn't that half the battle?). But the flavors mixed with the biscuits were amazing. A great meal for a chilly fall night. 

You can find the original recipe I pinned here. My modified recipe is as follows: 

Jenna's Chicken Bake

3 large chicken breasts, boiled then shredded

2 10.75-oz cans of cream of mushroom condensed soup

1 12-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1/4 onion, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 10-count tube of refrigerated biscuits.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix chicken, soup, vegetables and onion in large mixing bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with biscuits, cook for another 15 minutes or until biscuits are a golden brown. Enjoy!