Cheddar French Toast with Sizzzled Tomatoes

Yum! This recipe comes from Real Simple. Just tried it tonight for the first time and it was delicious. I'll definitely be making this again. This is a savory french toast, a great version for those who aren't fans of breakfast. It's also pretty easy to make, and a nice departure from the usual recipes I tend to rotate.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
1 tsp dried thyme
8 thick slices of country-style bread or Italian bread
4 tbsp butter
2 red or green tomatoes, thickly sliced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and 1/2 tsp of salt in a large flat dish. Add the Cheddar and thyme. Soak 2 of the bread slices in the batter for 1 or 2 minutes, turning them once.



Melt 1 tbsp of the butter on a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. With a spatula, lift the bread from the bowl, allowing any excess batter to drip off, and transfer it to the skillet. Use a fork to transfer some of the cheese from the batter to the bread.



Cook the bread until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter, bread, and batter.

Season the tomatoes with the remaining salt and the pepper. Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Heat the oil. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes per side. Serve along side the french toast.



*I also served a side of asparagus, cleaned, trimmed, and seasoned with olive oil, salt and lemon pepper, broiled in the toaster oven.

Burrito bake!

This is a recipe that comes from Bisquick. My mother in law introduced me to this right after Sam was born. She made a big batch and left it for us so we wouldn't starve when we were home for the first week we were alone with Sam. Tripp loves it and we took it to a potluck party last night and it was a huge hit. It's really easy to make and a great comfort food.

Ingredients:
1 cup of Bisquick
1/4 cup of water
1 can of refried beans (I like to use the Goya Rancheros version, which adds a little bit of spiciness)
1 lb. ground turkey, browned and drained
1 cup of salsa
1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded/grated

Heat the oven to 375. Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish. Mix the Bisquick, water, and refried beans. Spread the bean mixture into the prepared dish. Add the browned turkey on top of the layer of bean mixture, then add the salsa, and finally the cheese. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream if you like.

*I also sautee about 1/2 cup of chopped onion and 1 chopped clove of garlic to the browning turkey for some extra flavor.

Modestine's peachy chicken

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Sylvia's Family Soul Food Cookbook (with some modifications). It's got an interesting mix of sweet and savory. It complemented the smoked turkey collard greens recipe really well. It's also really easy to put together, which is always great for weeknight meals.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
One 16 oz. can sliced cling peaches in light syrup, undrained
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tbsp. soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breasts in a 9x13x1 1/2 inch baking dish. In a small bowl combine the lemon pepper, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the lemon pepper mixture, let stand for 20 minutes. Drain the syrup from the peaches into a small bowl, stir the lemon juice and soy sauce into the syrup. Pour over the chicken pieces. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered, turning once. Add the peach slices and cook for 15 minutes more, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with yummy collards!

Collard greens with smoked turkey

OK, so you can probably tell that I didn't use all of that first bunch of collards I bought. But this recipe, which was a combination of three recipes I have, was DELICIOUS. I mean, I've never had collard greens in any southern restaurant that tasted this good. If you've got some collard greens lying around, you should definitely give this a try. You can eat these as a side to any meat, poultry or fish. I served this with the Peachy chicken recipe.

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. olive oil
6 slices of turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 cup of onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 a bunch of collards (about 1/2-3/4 a lb.), washed and chopped
1/4 cup of water

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon and onion, stirring occasionally, until onions are transluscent. Once the bacon and onion are cooked, remove from the skillet, set aside. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet, add, salt, pepper, sugar, and pepper flakes to the oil. Add the chopped collards to the pan, pour the water over the collards. Cook the collards, stirring frequently, for about 5-10 minutes. Then, add bacon and onion to the collards, cover, turn heat to low, and allow to simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the stems are tender and easily pierced by a fork. Serve!

Fried sweet potatoes, apples and onions

I'm a huge fan of sweet potatoes and Fuji apples so this is my new favorite recipe. Lots of vitamin A and fiber. It has a great combination of sweet and savory, which I love. This recipe works really well with poultry, I served it with sauteed chicken cutlets. It would probably pair well with some juicy pork chops too. My husband and I ate all of this, yes, all 4-6 servings worth, in one sitting. So, I guess you could say that we thought it tasted pretty good.

Fried sweet potatoes, apples, and onions:
Makes 4-6 servings

3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4" thick
1/4 cup water
2 medium red apples, peeled and sliced (I tried this with Fuji apples)
1 cup sweet onion, sliced
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp. butter (I made it with SmartBalance)

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a small bowl, set aside. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the sweet potatoes and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the sweet potatoes and let brown another 2 minutes or so. Add the sliced onion, and simmer a minute or two until the onions are translucent. Add the water, sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes and onions. Add the apple slices, stir making sure that the sugar mixture is spread evenly. Dot with the butter. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

When it's done the sweet potatoes, apples, and onions should be soft and simmering in a sweet and spicy carmelized sauce.

Grits pie and collard greens

My husband is a Southern' Boy and so I've had the pleasure of trying lots of yummy Southern staples, including grits and collard greens. I'd had them both before I met my husband but now I've had them many, many times in lots of variations. There seems to be an endless number of ways you can cook grits, this is an old staple that can be added to, subtracted from, and modified to suit anyone's tastes. It's a great way to make an inexpensive meal that goes a long way and tastes even better as leftovers. The recipe is pretty basic, I included potential add-ins afterward.

First the grits - you can cook the collards while the grits are in the oven.

Grits pie:
Makes 4-6 servings

12 ounces of breakfast sausage or bacon (I use turkey or chicken for both)
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 ounces of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. of salt
4 large eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups of cooked grits

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie dish. Cook the sausage or bacon in a large skillet until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. I usually cook the onion with the sausage or bacon, and sautee until just cooked and translucent, you don't really want to brown them.


Remove the sausage/bacon and onion from heat. Mix the cheddar cheese, salt, and egg into the cooked grits until cheese is melted. Mix sausage/bacon and onion into the cooked grits. Pour the entire mixture into the pie dish.



Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the top is puffy and browned on the edges.





Possible add-ins: shrimp, chopped jalapeno, chopped red and green bell peppers, green beans, chopped frozen okra, there are lots of options.

Collard greens:
Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 lb. of collards with stems that aren't too thick, washed and roughly chopped
1 14.5 oz. can of chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups of water
3 tsp. of sugar
1 tsp. of salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Bring the broth and water to boil, add the collards, sugar and salt, cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes.



Once the stems are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, drain the collards and move to a serving bowl. Toss with salt and pepper to taste, and red wine vinegar.

You can also toss with apple cider vinegar which I think is more common in Southern dishes.

Crock Pot Spanish Chicken

This is Nicole's friend Claudia... Nicole and Tripp got me a crock pot as a housewarming gift and I love it, I want to cook everything in it. I just tried this for the first time and it was delicious. It got the seal of approval from my boyfriend, probably the world's pickiest eater.

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper (I used a little more)
1 lb turkey sausages, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used spicy turkey sausage - we like things spicy)
1 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, quartered, drained**
1 can (4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (black olives)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 packet of Sazon (the original recipe did not call for it, but I like it)

1. Mix all ingredients except artichoke and olives in slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until chicken is cooked and tender. Stir in artichoke hearts and olives; heat through. I put the olives in for the last thirty minutes of cooking time, so that some of their flavor could be incorporated into the sauce. Serve over white rice.

**I am not a fan of artichokes, so I replaced them with green pimento (spanish olives) about 20 olives sliced into thirds.

Enjoy!

Pasta and asparagus with alfredo sauce

This recipe has a few more steps than I typically like to deal with on a week night after many hours at the office, BUT, it's delicious and well worth the effort. I'm a huge fan of alfredo sauce, so I make mine "lite" by using a butter substitute and skim milk. That way I can eat two bowls full instead of just one.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. of pasta of your choice (about half a box)
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, washed and ends removed
2 tbsp. butter (I use SmartBalance)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk (I use skim)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the pasta. While the water is heating, steam the asparagus over low heat, just until bright green so the asparagus still has a bit of snap to it. Chop the asparagus into about 1" pieces. In a large, deep pan over low heat gently melt the butter, once the butter has completely melted add the onion and garlic. The onion should just become translucent, you don't want them to brown, so you may want to push them to the edge of the pan. In a small bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Pour the Parmesan into the egg mixture and mix. Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the butter. Allow the sauce to warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, use the cooking water from the pasta to thin the sauce. Once the pasta is finished cooking, toss gently with the sauce and asparagus. Serve!

*I recommend tasting the sauce before adding any salt, depending on the Parmesan you use, the sauce may not need any additional salt.

Pumpkin pancakes!

I love pumpkin. A lot. And I love pancakes. So this is one of my favorite breakfast recipes. It's a nice way to add some very nutritious Vitamin A to your family's diet and add some variety to you breakfast routine. Num nums!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
a dash of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. vinegar

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In a medium bowl mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until there are no large lumps.

Heal oil or butter on a griddle over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Let the pancakes cook until small bubbles form, the flip and cook until browned. Serve with sliced pear or apple and maple syrup.

Spicy turkey burgers

This is a favorite quicky recipe of mine. It's health food meets fast food - fast and delicious, yet not nearly as heart attack inducing as a Big Mac. Yay!

Yields about 6 servings.

1 lb. lean ground turkey meat
1 egg
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced ginger, or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
A dash of salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl by hand. Once the ingredients are thoroughly combined, form about 6 medium sized patties. I usually cook these on the George Forman grill but you can pan fry or grill them just as easily. Top with lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Serve up with some carrot sticks, Tripp's favorite veggie and nature's french fry.

Insanely delicious chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are by far, the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten in my life. The original recipe was posted on allrecipes.com. I tweaked it a bit, as usual, till I found my favorite version. They are perfectly chewy in the center with just a touch of crispiness on the outside. I'm willing to put on a good 5 lbs. in order to eat an entire batch of these. 

My slightly different version uses 3/4 cup of peanut butter and 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening. I think this gives them that extra bit of creamy and crispiness. 

Chicken with creamy spinach and shallots

This is a recipe that is really easy to make but looks and tastes impressive. I made this for the first time with my friend Emma and between Emma, my husband and I, there weren't any leftovers. Not even a spinach stem. Try this if you've got guests coming for dinner. And have a bottle of white wine (or beer) handy.

Makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (2 breasts)

Kosher salt and pepper

4 shallots, thinly slices

1/2 cup light beer or pale colored ale (I usually use Bud Light since that's what's in our fridge)

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

2 bunches of spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, 6-10 minutes per side. Once cooked set aside. Turn the heat down to medium, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the beer and sour cream. Add the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, tossing gently, until the spinach begins to wilt. Serve the spinach and shallots with the chicken, spooning some of the sauce over the chicken breasts.

If you find that the liquid gets low as you're cooking the spinach add more beer and sour cream in equal parts.

Banana oatmeal bread

When I find a food I can't live without I usually try a few different versions and pull from each of them till I find the perfect recipe. Banana bread has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. My mom wasn't a Betty Crocker so she used to make me banana bread from the box mix and I loved it. Once I tried banana bread made from scratch...that was a life altering experience. I can't say no to a good piece of this stuff. This recipe is one of the many, many versions I've tried, and it's my absolute favorite. Talk about comfort food. This is also delicious toasted for breakfast with a little butter or peanut butter.

Ingredients:

1/4 shortening

1/4 butter

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease one 9x5" loaf pan and set aside. Cream together the shortening, butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Sift together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix dry ingredients alternately with the bananas and milk.

Mix until blended. Fold in pecans, if using them, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Be sure to allow this to cook fully. The top browns quickly, and I've learned from experience, that despite looking done, this definitely needs the full time before the center is cooked.

Tortellini with Eggplant and Peppers

This recipe is originally from Realsimple.com and is supposed to make about 4 servings. So I was quite surprised when I had to transfer the contents of my frying pan to a large pot. If you follow the ingredients list you'll wind up with more like 6-8 servings. I ended up using about 3/4 of an eggplant, 1/2 a yellow and 1/2 a green pepper, and still wound up with 6 or so servings. If you want to make 4 servings I suggest using half an eggplant and only 1 pepper. I opted for 1/2 a pound of spinach tortellini and 1/2 a pound of whole wheat which was a nice combination.

Since this recipe happens to be delicious, I don't mind having a bunch of leftovers in the refrigerator. Another great thing about this recipe is that it happens to be healthy, sort of a "comfort food lite" dish, so you can eat a little more than maybe you should. It's also vegetarian and looks good on the plate - a win win all-round. The only downside, fresh tortellini can be expensive. The husband definitely approved.

Welcome!

Welcome to Licentious Cooking! This is where I record all of my favorite recipes from the most heinously delicious cookies I've ever tasted to my more subtle, deceptively savory dishes like turkey pumpkin chili.

Now I have to make one thing very clear - there are no recipes on this site that you couldn't have thought of yourself, so there are probably many, many variations out there on any given recipe you'll find on this site. The recipes I'm posting are the ones I've used over and over again at home and "perfected" as far as my family's personal tastes. I'm hoping that some of these recipes will inspire other food enthusiasts to create their own variations and spin-offs that are equally satisfying.

If you try any of these recipes , please share your experiences. I want all the feedback, the good, the bad, the ugly and the scrumptious. And if you have any recipes of your own that should be shared with the world, or at least my small following of 3, post those too!

Spicy sweet potato stew

Seeing as it's the dead of Winter, I thought I'd kick things off with a hearty slow cooker recipe. Pretty much the only thing I like about Winter is that I can use my slow cooker ALL the time. And I do. You can also make this in a large pot on your stove top if you don't have a slow cooker on hand.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed

1 orange bell pepper, seeded & cubed

1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

2 cups water

1 tsp. each of salt, cumin, oregano, and cocoa powder

2 tbsp. chili powder (or less if you aren't a big fan)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. water

1 cup frozen corn

1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans

(*If you are cooking on a stove top, instead of using a slow cooker, follow all of the directions using a large pot over medium heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender. Once potatoes are tender stir in the corn and kidney beans and cook until thoroughly heated.)

In a small frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic for about 2 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. In a large slow cooker add the sweet potato, pepper, tomatoes, and 2 cups of water. Season with salt, cumin, oregano, cocoa, chili powder, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Add the onion and garlic from the frying pan. In a small bowl dissolve the flour in 2 tablespoons of water, and stir mixture into the stew. Add the corn and kidney beans. Cook on a low temperature setting for about 6-8 hours, or on high about 3-4 hours.

Yields about 4 to 6 servings.

Note: This recipe originally called for 1 lb. of cooked chicken breast, cubed. If you would like to include chicken breast add it to the stew when adding the sweet potatoes, pepper, and tomatoes. I found the chicken to be dry on my first time using this recipe so have opted to make the dish vegetarian since then, but it's worth experimenting with both versions and discovering your own preference.