Good Cook Build Your Kitchen Drawer Event + Reader Giveaway

June 7, 2014 by 24 Comments

disclosure samples1397850_10152115345533848_6466920262314496354_o

Have you entered the Good Cook Kitchen Drawer Event yet?  If not, what are you waiting for??  Entering is fun and easy. Here are the details:

What is the Build Your Kitchen Drawer Sweepstakes?
Build your ideal Kitchen Drawer filled with great Good Cook tools and gadgets. Visit goodcook.com and choose up to 15 items from selected Good Cook products to create your ideal kitchen drawer then enter to win everything you selected. If you can’t decide what you want, let the Good Cook Kitchen Experts help – simply choose one of thefeatured Kitchen Expert Blogger drawers and enter it for a chance to win.

PicMonkey Collage

Here are three great choices you could add to your kitchen drawer:

Black Nylon Basting Spoon, 12 1/2″ 

Black Nylon Slotted Spoon, 12 1/2″

Nylon Square Turner, Black 12 1/2″

Reader Giveaway:  Guess what?  We also have these same three items  to give away to one lucky Thrifty Recipes reader!   This is a flash giveaway that only lasts 48 hours! You must enter by Monday, June 9, 2014 at 4:00PM, PST. Just complete the entry for below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Garlic Parmesan Pull A Part Bread With Spinach Artichoke Dip

April 11, 2014 by 12 Comments

 

SAMSUNG CSC

Garlic Parmesan Pull A Part Bread With Spinach Artichoke Dip

A creative way to make traditional artichoke dip, this recipe adds garlic Parmesan pull -a- part bread instead of baking it in a dish by itself.  It looks great, tastes great and well, is something different so why not?   The best part is how easy this is to make. A recipe doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious or sophisticated.   Some of my best dishes have been semi-homemade, contain few ingredients and take about 30 minutes start to finish.  

This recipe uses pizza dough instead of making a homemade bread and dealing with yeast. Pizza dough can be pretty versatile if treated the right way.  I use it for a lot of different things.  

Perfect for parties, pot lucks or even a light dinner! 

What you need: 

  • 1/2 can of Artichokes- chopped
  • 1  Cup of chopped spinach 
  • 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise 
  • 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese 
  • 1/4 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
  • Pinch of salt & pepper 
  • Olive Oil
  • One pizza dough ( frozen or make your own from those handy “just ad water” 50¢ packages Walmart sells)
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic – either fresh (minced) , powder or chopped (dried)  
  • Oven safe skillet or dish 

Garlic Parmesan Pull A Part Bread With Spinach Artichoke Dip

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl combine the spinach, artichoke, mayonnaise, Parmesan, mozzarella, salt & pepper.  Set aside.

SAMSUNG CSC

Separate your pizza dough into 3 even pieces. Roll each piece into a long “rope” just as your kiddo would with play doh.. rolling from the middle stretching outward until about 1 inch thick.  

Garlic Parmesan Pull A Part Bread With Spinach Artichoke Dip

 

Lay the pieces side by side, carefully pinch the ends together and literally braid the pieces. Do not press together, just lay them one over the other.  If you don’t know how to braid you can twist them! 

SAMSUNG CSC

 

Grease an oven safe skillet or dish with Olive Oil.  Place the braid around the edge in a circle.  Fill with the spinach artichoke mixture.  Pile it right up.  The dip will cook down and the dough will rise.

Garlic Parmesan Pull A Part Bread With Spinach Artichoke Dip

Brush the dough with Olive Oil, sprinkle with sea salt and the garlic. Bake on 425°  for about 20 minutes or until bread is golden brown. 

Serve warm, pull apart the bread and scoop up the dip!  

Garlic Parmesan Pull A Part Bread With Spinach Artichoke Dip

 

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread with Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

Filed Under: Appetizers, Lunch, Main Dishes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hearty Avocado & Turkey Salad With Greek Dressing

April 9, 2014 by 10 Comments

Hearty Avocado & Turkey Salad With Greek Dressing

Hearty Avocado & Turkey Salad With Greek Dressing

Salads are easy, anyone can make them.  But they can also be boring and leave you craving something more hearty.  Not this salad!  This avocado and turkey salad skips the lettuce and gives you a protein filled meal that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. 

What you need:

  • Your favorite glass or bowl
  • 1/2 avocado, diced
  • 1/2 Cup turkey , diced (if you do not have fresh turkey head over to the deli and ask for a thick slice or your favorite kind)
  • small handful of fresh baby spinach
  • 1 Can of whole beets, drained and diced
  • A few green or red grapes, halved 

For the Greek dressing:

  • 1 Cup of plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp each dried basil & oregano
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

What to do: 

With your ingredients diced into bite sized pieces, simply layer them into your dish, glass or bowl.  Starting with the beets.  Add any additional ingredients you desire. 

For the dressing-  whisk  all the ingredients into the yogurt. Pour desired amount over salad. 

For added flavor and flare- 

Try sauteing the turkey in a little olive oil to give it a nice, warm smokey flavor! 

Hearty Avocado & Turkey Salad with Greek Dressing Recipe

Filed Under: Lunch, Salads, Side Dishes Tagged With: , , ,

63 Simple Smoothie Recipes- Categorized For Easy Browsing

April 8, 2014 by 13 Comments

63 SIMPLE SMOOTHIE RECIPES- CATEGORIZED FOR EASY BROWSING

63 Simple Smoothie Recipes

Categorized For Easy Browsing

Though a recipe may contain both, I have separated these into predominantly fruit or veggie to make it a bit easier for you to browse. There is also chocolate & peanut butter.  

These smoothie recipe are not only easy, but they are healthy and great for any time of the day. Usually thought of for breakfast, or after the gym a smoothie can also be great as a mid day “pick me up”.  I like my coffee and a small breakfast in the morning, so I make a smoothie for lunch. I add chia seeds to all of mine no matter what kind I make.

Give them a try and let us know which one was your favorite!

63 Simple Smoothie Recipes- Categorized For Easy Browsing

FRUIT

63 Simple Smoothie Recipes- Categorized For Easy Browsing

 

VEGGIE

63 Simple Smoothie Recipes- Categorized For Easy Browsing

 

CHOCOLATE  

MISC 

PEANUT BUTTER

Filed Under: Smoothies Tagged With: , , , , ,

Flourless Chocolate Cakes With Walnuts Recipe

April 6, 2014 by 2 Comments

Flourless Chocolate Cakes With Walnuts Recipe

Flourless Chocolate Cakes With Walnuts Recipe

One of our Facebook Group members shared this recipe!  Thanks Denise.  I have been curious about flourless chocolate cake for a long time.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

What you need: 

MAKES 6 SERVINGS.

  • 3 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 12 tbs coconut oil
  • 2 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbs hot water
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 2 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 cups berries
  • walnuts (optional)

What to do:

Heat oven to 325º

Microwave 2& 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and oil until melted.

Add coffee and yolks

Beat all egg whites and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form

Add sugar, beat until stiff peaks form, fold into chocolate.  Add walnuts (optional)

Spoon into greased springform pan.

Bake 25 min. or until done. Cool. Chill 4 hours, unmold. Cut & Serve 

Optional Serving Suggestion: 

With 3″ cutter, cut 6 rounds, chill.

Place rounds on baking sheet. MELT remaining chocolate chips.

Cut six 10 x 1& 3/4″ strips of wax paper, spread 1& 1/2 tbs chocolate on each.

Let sit until chocolate is firm. Wrap strips around cakes. Chill 20 min. Peel away paper.

Fill with berries. SERVE & ENJOY…

[yumprint-recipe id=’13’] 

 

 

Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: , ,

Easy Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls & Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

April 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Easy Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls & Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

Easy Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls & Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

 Spring rolls are my favorite Chinese food menu item. Since I have vowed to skip the take out menu and cook at home more I had to find a way to still enjoy these crunchy little bundles of heaven.  I also wanted to try to create a healthier version. I don’t care to fry food in the house (for some reason I can not handle the smell) so I generally bake instead. Cooking on a higher temperature and drizzling with oil will help achieve the crunch of frying. 

What you need: 

  • 1 cup finely shredded cabbage, carrot and green onion
  • 1 red pepper thinly sliced (I left this out)
  • 4 mushrooms sliced thin (optional)
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • A pinch of salt & pepper
  • 8 spring roll wrappers
  • cooking oil (I used vegetable, use what you wish)

What to do: 

Preheat the oven to 425º

Combine the vegetables in a bowl with the salt & pepper

Place a spring roll wrappers on a flat surface with the corner (pointed edge) towards you. 

Put about 1/8 of the filling in the bottom third of the wrapper, bring the pointed edge over the filling, fold in the sides tightly. Dab the top pointed edge with water and roll tightly. 

Bake on 425º for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy 

Cut in half and serve with sauce. 

For the dipping sauce: 

My favorite recipe for the ginger soy dipping sauce 

Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

[yumprint-recipe id=’23’]

Filed Under: Appetizers, Lunch Tagged With: , , ,

Stuffed Chicken Breast With Homemade Gravy in 30 Minutes

April 5, 2014 by 2 Comments

 Stuffed Chicken Breast With Homemade Gravy in 30 Minutes

Stuffed Chicken Breast With Homemade Gravy in 30 Minutes

Craving a hearty, warm you up kind of meal on a cool , drab day? This is the perfect recipe.  Add some mashed potato and you will be on your way to a comfort food coma! 

What you need: 

What to do:

Using the technique shown in the video below, butterfly each chicken breast.  

 

 

Fill with prepared stuffing, be careful not to over stuff you want the chicken to fold closed easily.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle seasonings (optional) like garlic powder, salt & pepper, Italian blend 

Bake on 350º for about 30 minutes , cook times will vary, make sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly, stuffed meat tends to take longer. 

Cut in half diagonally, serve with gravy! 

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Homemade Gravy in Under 30 Minutes

For the gravy: 

Packet method- Well, the quickest and easiest way to make your gravy may not be considered homemade, but at least it doesn’t come from a can-   mix one chicken gravy packet into 1 cup of water, whisk well and microwave on High for 2 minutes. This will bring the liquid to a boil.  Mix, then let sit.  Will thicken upon standing. 

Bouillon cube-  This is quick also, but I think it can be too salty. Usually I make my own gravy from pan drippings, this recipe just doesn’t create enough to do that.   Dissolve the cube into 1 cup of water, heat on High in the microwave for about 2 minutes.  Mix the flour into 1 tablespoon of water to create a slurry then add it to the chicken bouillon.  Mix well, heat on high for 1 minute, mix, then let sit.  Will thicken upon standing. 

Stuffed Chicken Breast With Homemade Gravy in 30 Minutes

Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: , , , ,

Easy Restaurant Style Italian Chicken Meatballs

April 4, 2014 by 14 Comments

Easy Restaurant Style Italian Chicken Meatballs

Easy Restaurant Style Italian Chicken Meatballs

We recently went to eat at Olive Garden and tried their new chicken meatballs. I was impressed, I usually don’t care for chicken meatballs or sausage, I like my ground beef. I was surprised at the flavor AND the price…2 for $5.  Craziness. My first thought, of course, was I can make these just as good and at a fraction of the cost per serving. So the next day I grabbed some ground chicken ($3.58lb) a few other ingredients and made my own chicken meatballs. These came out amazing. I knew they would. Here is why…

Chicken has a really low fat content, so if you do not cook it just right it will turn out dry. To compensate for this I used mayonnaise in the recipe. It is commonly used to keep chicken moist. Win.win.  Even if you are a die hard fan of beef meatballs, give these a try. You will be surprised, I was!

What you need:

  • 1lb ground chicken
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • 1/4 teaspoon of fresh, minced garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Italian blend seasoning (or a pinch of each basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary)
  • pinch salt & pepper

Note* If you do not have all of the seasonings above, it is ok the seasoned bread crumbs make up for it. 

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350º

Whisk the egg and mayonnaise together

SAMSUNG CSC

 

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well ,  use a fork or your hands

SAMSUNG CSC

 

Drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil, roll mixture into 2-3 inch meatballs.

Place on the cookie sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Easy Restaurant Style Italian Chicken Meatballs

 

You want to make sure to cook these all the way through since it is chicken. Do not be afraid to cut one right in half to check if you don’t have a meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

SAMSUNG CSC

EASY RESTAURANT STYLE ITALIAN CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: , , ,

Subway Copycat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

April 2, 2014 by 17 Comments

Subway Copycat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’re a fan of Subway, like I am, then you are probably also a fan of their cookies!! They actually have several varieties that are all yummy, but I think the Subway Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fan favorite!

If you have been wanting to duplicate that same deliciousness at home, this Subway Copycat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe should let you do just that!

One of the secret ingredients in this recipe is to use Hershey’s SPECIAL DARK baking cocoa. It gives it a much more rich, chocolatey taste than using just regular baking cocoa.

HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK CocoaHERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK CocoaNestle TOLL HOUSE Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate MorselsNestle TOLL HOUSE Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate MorselsGhirardelli Premium Baking Chips, Classic White ChocolateGhirardelli Premium Baking Chips, Classic White ChocolateMcCormick Pure Vanilla ExtractMcCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

 

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

Subway Copycat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 2 large room temperature eggs
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup Hershey’s SPECIAL DARK baking cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • 6 ounces white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°

  1. Cream butter & sugar in a bowl with hand mixer
  2. Add vanilla and one egg at a time, beat
  3. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Combine flour mix slowly into butter and beat until well blended.
  5. Add the chocolate chips, fold in with a spoon
  6. Drop about 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet
  7. Bake for about 10-12 minutes – times may vary.

Subway Copycat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe on Pintrest

[yumprint-recipe id=’24’]

Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

March 30, 2014 by 5 Comments

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

This is the quickest and easiest yeast roll I have ever made. No more thinking ahead the day before or hours prior to rise dough.  You can enjoy fresh, soft, fluffy dinner rolls in just an hour following this recipe. Using rapid rise yeast helps, but also this style roll does not require a long rise time.  I made them buttered, you can try experimenting with different herb toppings or add a touch more sugar and a little honey to turn them into Hawaiian rolls!

What you need:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Envelope of Rapid Rise Yeast
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
¾ teaspoons salt
1 cup water
6 Tablespoons Butter, divided into 2 Tablespoons each
Sea Salt and garlic Seasoning for the top if you wish

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 400º, reduce to 375º when you put them in the oven.

Mix the yeast, sugar and salt and 1 cup of flour in a large bowl.

Warm the oil, water and 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave on 1 minute. Liquid should be warm , not hot to the touch. Add  to the flour mixture. Mix by hand for about until well combined.

Add ½ cup flour and continue to mix.  Flour your counter top, dump the dough onto the counter, add more flour until dough is no longer sticky, but a workable soft dough.

Knead for about 5-8 minutes.

SAMSUNG CSC

Grease a glass pie plate or pan of your choice, separate into equal parts, roll into a ball and set them spaced about 2 inches. Let rise an additional 20 minutes. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, bake on 375º for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Brush with remaining butter. Salt or garlic if desired.

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »