From My Perspective

Monday, February 10, 2014

What's for Dinner: Pizza Pinwheels

This was a quick snack I put together this past Friday night... another spin on pizzas.

I took [rectangular] pizza dough [store bought or homemade] and topped it with marinara sauce. On top of that I added: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, oregana, shredded mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese.

Roll it into a log [as neatly as you possibly can]. And using a sharp knife, cut them into even pieces. Lay them on a baking tray.

I baked it in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes and it was delicious!

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Thursday, February 6, 2014

What's for Dinner: Shrimp Pasta

For dinner today, I made shrimp with pasta [in a marinara sauce]. Alongside, I made my cheddar bay biscuits.

For the pasta:

I seasoned my shrimp with cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, basil, parsley, and lemon juice. I prefer making my shrimp in the oven, so I baked mine in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Cook your pasta [as the box says]. I used capellini today because that's what I had at home. When the pasta is cooked, add in the marinara sauce and mix. It'll warm up from the heat of the pasta. Mix in some Parmesan cheese. Lastly, toss in the shrimp.

When serving, sprinkle some parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley on top... and dinner's ready!

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

What's for Dinner: Mini Chicken Pot Pie [Biscuits]

Yesterday was a cold and snowy day [the complete opposite of the day before] and I wanted something warm. I had this idea saved in my "must try sometime" pile for a long time, and decided to try it out yesterday.

I didn't want to make a pie dough, and didn't have a pre-made one on hand... so I used something I almost ALWAYS have in my fridge. Refrigerated biscuits. I use it in so many different ways, yet almost never just bake them as is for simple biscuits. You can find my biscuit recipe by clicking here.

For the "pot pie" filling, I used:

Boneless Chicken, cut into tiny pieces.
Pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Parsley, to taste
2 cup of chicken broth/stock
1 cup of 1% milk
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables [mine had peas, corn, carrots, and beans]

Next time, I'd cut the chicken broth and milk in half because I was left over with some "filling" after 16 biscuits.

What I did was:

Starting with the chicken: I seasoned mine with black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, thyme, and parsley. Spray your pan [so the chicken doesn't stick] with non-stick cooking spray. Cook over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile combineyour chicken broth/stock with milk over low heat. Season with black pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Combine about two tablespoons of cornstarch with a little water [just enough to dissolve the cornstarch]. Add this mixture to your milk/broth mixture and whisk over medium-high speed for a few minutes! This part helps gives that nice creamy milk color and texture we all love so much in chicken pot pie... without the fatness/heaviness of cream, half and half, etc. Tip: Make sure you continuously whisk to avoid lumps.
Once your sauce/filling has thickened, add in your frozen vegetables [they will soften in the sauce and even more so in the oven] and your cooked chicken. Mix everything together.

To put together the mini pot pies:

When I was almost ready to form the mini pot pies, I took the biscuits and rolled them each out so they were thinner and about twice the size they originally were.
Spray your muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray so they come easily once baked.
Line with one of the biscuit dough, pressing it in so it fits nicely and there is enough excess dough on top to "seal" them.
Fill the biscuits with your filling, and seal them with your fingers.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

You can see my Pot Pie recipe from last year's Pi day by clicking here. On that link, you will also find how I make my chicken broth.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Monday, February 3, 2014

What's for Dinner: Chocolate [Football] Cake

I wasn't planning on making anything for the Super Bowl party my brother's were having last night... but the night before I just couldn't help myself and started brainstorming ideas.

Since my brother's were ordering food, I narrowed it downto desserts and finally decided to make a cake. It had to be a football-related cake [it was the Super Bowl afterall] but I didn't have a football-shaped baking pan.

So what I ended up doing yesterday afternoon was: making the football shape on my own using my round spring-form baking pan.

I used my homemade vanilla cake recipe and added 1/4th cup of cocoa powder to the batter to make it a chocolate cake. I baked it in a preheated 350 degree oven for about thirty minutes. There was just enough batter left to make five cupcakes that I baked for about 15 minutes.

Tip: After letting the cake cool, what I did to make the football shape out a circle cake was: cut a two inch strip of the cake out down the center of the cake [cut less if you are using a smaller pan]. Move the two semi-circles to whatever you will use to serve the cake on. When you connect the two semi-circles, it is now in the shape of a football!

I used store-bought milk chocolate frosting to frost my homemade cake. I have vowed to never make homemade frosting until I can get a Kitchen-Aid stand-mixer.

Tip: whenever I frost cakes, I line the bottom of the cake with small pieces of parchment paper [easier to remove than one large sheet] so the bottom and edges look clean at the end and avoid a big mess.

After frosting it, all that is left is to decorate the top of the cake with the details of a football.

Another tip: I took coconut flakes and dyed them green to make "grass" to put around the football cake.