Haitian Chicken Pâté Puffs

Wait! Wait! Don't run off on me after seeing the word pâté! I promise it's not what you think. It definitely wasn't what I thought. I'm actually surprised that I even stopped to check out the ingredient list after seeing that word. Usually, the first thing one thinks of when pâté is mentioned, is some sort of paste made of liver (okay, maybe that's what I think of). And that is where I draw the line -- no offal for this kid. I just think some things are not meant to be eaten...

Anyhoo. This does NOT have any such things hidden in it. Just ground chicken, veggies, and some spices. That's it.

We'll do a walk through on the steps on this one as every once in a while pictures work a little better than words. :)

Haitian Chicken Pâté Puffs
Adapted From: Cooking Light, May 2010

1 habanero pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 pound ground chicken breast
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Cut habanero in half. Seed and mince both halves. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add minced habanero, onion, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until browned; stirring to crumble. Add carrot; cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lime juice and vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add green onions, parsley, thyme, black pepper, salt, cloves, and nutmeg; stir well. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Place cooled chicken mixture in a food processor. Process until almost smooth (will turn clumpy).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll each puff pastry into a 15x12-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Cut each pastry puff sheet into 10 squares (20 squares total).

Combine egg and water, stirring with a whisk. Brush egg mixture along edges of pastry squares.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon chicken mixture in center of each pastry square.

Fold each pastry square in thirds like a letter.

Press edges closed with tines of a fork.

Brush top with egg wash and arrange 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes of until puffed and golden brown.

Yields: 20 puffs

The process to make these is fairly similar to making Chicken Pillows, just with different ingredients.

These were originally designed as appetizers, although staying true to form, Adam and I just ate them as an entreé. We both enjoyed these, although if you aren't a fan of spicy things, I would recommend switching out the habanero for a jalapeno. This would definitely be something a little on the different side when hosting a party.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 27	Calories from fat 8
% Daily Value
Total Fat 0.9g	1%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 18mg	6%
Sodium 46mg	2%
Total Carbs 1.4g	0%
Protein 3.4g
Vitamin A 6%	Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 0%	Iron 1%

Bourbon Chicken

Ever go walking through the mall food court only to be bombarded by countless choices? Then you run across the cute little lady in front of the Chinese restaurant holding out her little tray of goodies. It's usually one of two things: orange chicken or bourbon chicken. Now, as tasty of these usually are, I'm just not a fan of your typical mall Chinese eatery. Way too much fatty things and dark chicken meat. Yes, I admit, I'm a white meat kind of kid. So when I ran across this recipe which contained all very identifiable ingredients (most already in my pantry) and chicken breast, I decided to give it a go.

Bourbon Chicken
Adapted From: Macaroni and Cheesecake
via You're Gonna Bake It After All

3 (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Cooking Spray (or 1 tbsp. olive oil)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespooon cornstarch/1 Tablespoon water (optional)
2 cups cooked white rice

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray or use the olive oil. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until lightly browned (chicken will not be cooked all the way through). Remove chicken from skillet.

Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved.
Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine 1 tbsp. water and 1 tbsp. cornstarch in a separate bowl and add a little at at time to reach desired consistency.

Serve over hot rice, if desired.

Serves: 4

As I don't really eat a whole lot of bourbon chicken from those kiosks in the mall, I can't really compare the two dishes, but whatever it is I made was delicious. A little sweet, but not overly so. Definitely serve this over rice as it so graciously sops up all the excess sauce.

And the best part about this meal... I did a nice very long run the following day and didn't get sick (which I can be prone to do). So plus for me!

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 575	Calories from fat 64
% Daily Value
Total Fat 7.1g	11%
Saturated Fat 1.9g	10%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 76mg	25%
Sodium 1363mg	57%
Total Carbs 91.5g	31%
Dietary Fiber 1.5g	6%
Sugars 15.6g
Protein 32.8g
Vitamin A 3%	Vitamin C 13%
Calcium 6%	Iron 31%

Chicken Nacho Bake

One of my favorite things at a Mexican restaurant is the free chips and salsa. Well, let me rephrase that -- the chips and salsa and I have a love-hate relationship. I love to eat them, but I usually eat so much that I forget to save room for my dinner. Actually, you know what's better than the chips and salsa? Chips and queso. Mmm delicious. And so terribly bad for you.

When flipping through my Kraft Foods magazine that came a while back, I hesitated on this recipe. Chips and salsa on a piece of chicken? But it looks so simple... The fact that it has only four ingredients (or 5 if you like sour cream) and only takes 20 minutes to make won me over. I'm so glad it did.

Chicken Nacho Bake
From: Kraft Foods

4 small (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup crushed baked tortilla chips
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup light sour cream (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line baking sheet with foil. Arrange chicken on top of foil. Cover each piece of chicken with about an 1/8 cup salsa. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven. Top each piece with an 1/8 cup crushed chips, and a 1/8 cup shredded cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Top chicken with 1 tablespoon of sour cream prior to serving if desired.

Serves: 4

Surprisingly, the chicken came out very moist, and the combination of chips and salsa on top of chicken wasn't so weird after all. And now that I think about it... chicken nachos do exist. Silly me. We actually liked this dish so much we had it the following week -- which is actually saying a lot.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 374	Calories from fat 153
% Daily Value
Total Fat 17.0g	26%
Saturated Fat 7.3g	37%
Cholesterol 122mg	41%
Sodium 401mg	17%
Total Carbs 15.5g	5%
Dietary Fiber 2.3g	9%
Sugars 1.3g
Protein 38.9g
Vitamin A 8%	Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 17%	Iron 11%

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

You know what I love? A good excuse to make delicious treats. Actually, it doesn't even have to be a good excuse -- just an excuse. Holidays seem like they fit into that category, even if I don't really celebrate them. Enter Cinco de Mayo. Why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated so heavily in the US still baffles me to this day (no, it is NOT Mexico's independence day). I guess I'm not the only person that likes excuses -- in this case it's an excuse to drink.

What a better way to enjoy a balmy spring day in May than sitting outside enjoying a nice margarita? Make mine frozen and strawberry. Now put it in a cupcake and it will be perfect. Done.

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes
Cupcakes from: Confections of a Foodie Bride

For the Lime Cupcakes:
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temp
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners or baking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar on a high until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one. Add lime zest and lime juice. Turn mixer to the low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated.

Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pans at the halfway point. Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the pans before removing.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

For the Strawberry Tequila Buttercream:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 lb or more powdered sugar
6 medium strawberries, hulled
1 tsp vanilla
Tequila to taste

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add in 1 pound powdered sugar slowly, one cup at a time until mixture is smooth. Mix in vanilla.

In a blender, puree strawberries. Add puree to buttercream in small amounts until the desired strawberry flavor is achieved (I ended up using all of it). Add in tequila to taste. If the buttercream is too runny, add in extra powdered sugar until it becomes more firm. Be careful that the buttercream does not become overly sweet. Frost cupcakes.

Sad but true, the buttercream and I had a nice long fight. I lost, and the buttercream remained on the slightly running side... a.k.a. no pretty looking cupcakes. Just cupcakes looking like they had funny little pink berets plopped down on their heads. It's just as well though, I wasn't here to ooo and ahhh over how cute these guys looked -- I was only interested in the fastest way to get their strawberry-lime goodness into my belly.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 353	Calories from fat 147
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16.4g	25%
Saturated Fat 10.0g	50%
Cholesterol 72mg	24%
Sodium 182mg	8%
Total Carbs 49.3g	16%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g	3%
Sugars 36.1g
Protein 3.1g
Vitamin A 10%	Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 5%	Iron 5%

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

Annnnnnd I'm back! Sorry for that little hiatus I took there, I had several large projects for school backing up and they kind of took over. Well, I am so very glad that this past semester is now behind me and I can breathe for a little bit. Or maybe just about a week before I get back into it.

I decided to try out this new pork tenderloin dish in the midst of working on all these projects -- not only because I love the other recipes I have tried, but also because they tend to be fairly quick and easy. This dish was definitely not any different.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin
From: Annie's Eats

For the spice rub:
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves: 8

I have to admit, after one of those "failure meals" in which I added too much rub to the meat, I was hesitant to use all of the rub in this recipe. So I didn't. And I wish I would have. The flavoring was definitely not as strong as what it is in other recipes, and doesn't really come through and shine at all. However, from the flavoring we DID get, it was pretty good. If I decide to give this recipe another shot, I would go all out and use the entire rub.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 297	Calories from fat 114
% Daily Value
Total Fat 12.7g	20%
Saturated Fat 3.8g	19%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol107mg	36%
Sodium 666mg	28%
Total Carbs 9.9g	3%
Sugars 8.8g
Protein 34.1g
Vitamin A 3%	Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 2%	Iron 11%

Spaghetti with Cheese and Black Pepper

I hate failures. They really annoy me. No, I'm not talking about people... but a failed meal. Not only is it frustrating to have spent the last half hour or so stirring and sauteing and mixing away, but now whatever it is I've been working on is not something I can eat. And most likely it is at least 8:30, if not 9:00 at night, and I.want.food.

See, I thought of this when I realized how many of my last few posts have been about pasta. Surely we haven't eaten pasta 50 bajillion times in the last month, right? Yes, don't worry, I have a nice little back log I've been slowly chipping away at, and in between all these pasta posts I've been making little failure meals. Which means those employees at Chick-Fil-A are starting to get to know us. Probably not really a great thing.

But this recipe is definitely not a failure. It IS pasta, but it's not a failure. Quite delicious in fact, despite being ridiculously simple and easy to put together.

Spaghetti with Cheese and Black Pepper
From: Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Salt (optional)

Cook spaghetti in well-salted water to al dente in a large, wide-bottomed pot. Drain spaghetti, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water.

Dry out the pot from the spaghetti, then heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking in the same pot. Add drained spaghetti and 1 cup of reserved pasta water. (Watch out, this is guaranteed to splatter.)

Add butter, 3 ounces cheese and ground pepper and toss together with tongs. Taste, adding more pasta water, cheese, pepper or salt to taste.

Serve immediately, sprinkling with reserved cheese and an extra grind or two of black pepper.

Serves: 6-8

While trying to be slightly more healthy, I used whole-wheat spaghetti to make this. However, I would not recommend the Giant Eagle brand or actually whole-wheat spaghetti at all. This dish really highlights whatever pasta you choose, so this might be the time to splurge a little for the better stuff... or even better, try your hand at making your own.

So simple yet definitely satisfying and tasty.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 304	Calories from fat 133
% Daily Value
Total Fat 14.8g	23%
Saturated Fat 5.4g	27%
Cholesterol 64mg	21%
Sodium 206mg	9%
Total Carbs 31.8g	11%
Protein 11.0g
Vitamin A 4%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 16%	Iron 12%

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations Trenna! You will soon be the proud new owner of a pasta maker! Be on the look out for an email!