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Category Archives: Recipes

Barbecue Chicken Wrap Recipe by Leah

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

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Red Robin’s Whiskey River Barbecue Chicken Wrap© is wildly popular.  It’s certainly one of my favorite things to eat there and we long ago started making them at home.  They’re not complicated at all, which is exactly my kind of meal.  The only cooking required is the chicken, and if you happen to already have some chicken on hand, then you’re already set.  Remember my Everything Chicken?  Now is the perfect time to use it. My 10 year old always asks me if I’ll make extra so she’ll have a few to pack in her lunchbox.  You might want to make a few extra too 🙂

 

 

 

Barbecue Chicken Wrap

yield: 4 wraps

 

INGREDIENTS

4 spinach or flour tortillas

4 thighs of Everything Chicken (or grilled chicken), cut into strips

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup ranch dressing

tortilla strips

2 cups shredded lettuce

 

PREPARATION

  1. If you’re chicken is cold from the refrigerator warm it.  Then, place the chicken in a medium-size bowl and toss with the barbecue sauce.
  2. Lay out your tortillas.  Divide the chicken among the 4 tortillas and place in a row down the center of the tortilla.
  3. Do the same with the cheese, covering the chicken.  Add the ranch, tortilla strips, and finally the lettuce.
  4. Fold down the edges at the top and the bottom of the row.  Then roll the other edges to form your wrap.

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Everything Chicken Recipe by Leah

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

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If I was choosing recipes to share with you based on frequency of use this chicken would have been one of the first.  I make it all the time.  Most often I use it for lunchtime salads with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, and ranch dressing.  I serve it as is with some tasty sides like mashed potatoes; I use it in tacos, wraps, quesadillas, pastas, and more!  It is almost always in my fridge.  This chicken is basically my go to and it’s so simple it’s embarrassing.

We call it Everything Chicken because we put it on…EVERYTHING!  I know, I know.  It’s not that creative but it was named by accident when my husband was asking where the chicken was as he dug through the fridge.  I asked what chicken he was talking about and his response was “You know. That chicken we put on everything.”  Thus the name was born.

 

Everything Chicken

 

 

Everything Chicken 

 

INGREDIENTS

canola oil

boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Red Robin seasoning© (Yes, the seasoning from the restaurant.  You can buy it from the restaurant, order online, and even occasionally find it in your local grocery)

 

PREPARATION

  1. Heat a couple Tablepoons of oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Depending on how much chicken you’re making you may need to add more oil to the pot as you cook the chicken pieces.
  2. Lay your chicken out and sprinkle generously on both sides with Red Robin Seasoning©.
  3. Place the chicken gently into the pan to avoid splashing the hot oil.
  4. Allow the chicken to cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
  5. Remove the chicken and allow to rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

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Tuscan Vegetable Soup Recipe by Leah

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

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A simple and fantastic soup for a chilly day.  Tuscan Vegetable Soup is a pretty quick meal.  All you do is chop your vegetables and then you’re just throwing ingredients in the pot for a quick cook time.  This soup is definitely what you’d call heart-healthy and yet is flavorful enough that my entire family goes back for seconds.  It’s my go to when taking dinner to our shut-ins from church and is always well received.

 

 

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Tuscan Vegetable Soup

yield: approx. 4 quarts

 

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cups kale, chopped

2 cups celery, diced (about 4 stalks)

2 cups zucchini, chopped (about 2 medium)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 quarts chicken broth (fat free & low sodium)

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice

4 handfuls spinach (about 4 cups packed)

 

If you’re looking for some more protein add

2 (15 oz) cans low sodium canellini beans, drained, rinsed and smashed

3 cups shredded or diced chicken

 

 

PREPARATION

  1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, kale, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, salt, pepper.  Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add chicken broth and tomatoes (and chicken if adding) and bring to a boil.
  3. Add spinach leaves (and beans if adding) and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

 

 

Note: Many people I make this for can’t have Parmesan cheese but we think it’s excellent in the soup so I add fresh Parmesan to the individual bowls.

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Mexican Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker Recipe by Leah

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

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This Mexican twist on Chowder is creamy with just the right amount of kick to it.  It requires minimal effort – just chop your potatoes and dump everything in the slow cooker.  So easy!  We love it with cornbread or Cheesies.

 

Ak

 

Mexican Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

yield: approximately 8 servings

 

INGREDIENTS

3 cups frozen corn

1 lb red potatoes, diced in 1/2-inch cubes

2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/4 tsp black pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup salsa

1/4 cup cornmeal

4 cups chicken broth

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 oz cream cheese

1 red bell pepper

2-4 Tbsp fresh lime juice

shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

bacon bits, for garnish

 

PREPARATION

  1. In a 5-6 quart slow cooker add the corn, potatoes, diced green chiles, spices, black beans, salsa, cornmeal, chicken broth, and chicken.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW about 4 hours.  The potatoes should be tender and the chicken cooked through.
  3. Remove the chicken breasts and shred or cut into bite-size pieces.  Add the chicken back to the slow cooker.
  4. Cube the cream cheese and add to the slow cooker.  Let it melt and stir again until totally melted.
  5. Dice the red bell pepper and stir it into the slow cooker.  Add a couple Tablespoons lime juice.  Taste and adjust lime juice and seasonings to your preference.
  6. Scoop the chowder into serving bowls and top with shredded cheddar and bacon bits, if desired.

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Cheesies Recipe by Leah

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

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Have you ever read the Little House on the Prairie™ books?  I loved those books as a child.  I would read the first book in the series and continue until I’d read them all.  Then, I would start all over again.  I pictured myself as Laura every time!  Especially when she was “wicked” as a little girl.  Imagine my surprise when one day, while reading it, my granny told me that series was much like her life.  She had my complete attention.

She told me all about her parents and their very large family as they settled in Arizona.  She told me about her responsibilities, much like Laura’s, of helping however was needed on the ranch.  She told me about helping her mother and older sister cook for all the brothers and ranch hands.  They used to make a full washtub of bread dough every week!  Can you imagine?!  The food they prepared was always straightforward and simple.  A special treat was when they made Cheesies.  They would make flour tortillas and fry them one at a time in shallow oil.  You’d drop the tortilla in the oil, she’d tell me.  Then when it was beginning to get crispy you’d flip it and sprinkle bits of cheese on top so you’d have a crispy tortilla that would have melted cheese with bits of crispy cheese where it had cooked faster than the rest.

Granny went on to become a teacher (just like Laura!), marry, and then move away.  Most of the meals she learned as a girl she didn’t keep up but Cheesies were a special treat she continued to make and spoil her grandchildren with.  Granny died 5 years ago now at the age of 102 and she would be happy to know I keep making Cheesies.

Somewhere along the line I made a slight alteration though and I have to tell you that Granny would have been proud.  She loved to see people “improve” things and make them their own.  With a desire for more crispy cheese (after all, that’s where the flavor is) I decided to cut out the oil from the recipe.  Guess what?  It worked.

 

Aj

 

Cheesies

 

INGREDIENTS

flour tortillas

medium cheddar cheese, shredded

 

PREPARATION

Heat your skillet.  Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp cheese directly on the skillet and immediately lay your tortilla on top.  Let it cook until your cheese is beautifully crispy.  Flip the tortilla and cook the other side of the tortilla in the residual grease from the cheese until crispy.

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Peppermint Bark Recipe by Leah

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Peppermint Bark

 

I sent this Peppermint Bark with my husband to a leadership meeting and to say they were well received would be an understatement!  My husband came home laughing as he told me the reactions.  One gentleman, reaching for a second piece, declared that these are “proof that God loves us”.  Another took a bite and interrupted the meeting to ask who brought them.  The reactions were so good that those that initially declined the offer of a piece ended up eating some.

So rewarding for me.  The best part is that it’s not even complicated to make.  It can be a little pricey because high quality chocolate is a must but I stock up on Ghirardelli baking bars when they go on sale and they work perfectly in this recipe.

 

Peppermint Bark

 

INGREDIENTS

24 oz high quality white chocolate, broken in to pieces and divided

12 oz high quality semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces

3 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp peppermint extract, divided

8 regular sized candy canes

 

PREPARATION

  1. Remove the wrappers from your candy canes and crush.  My favorite method is placing them in a bag and hitting with my rolling pin as it allows me to control the size of the chunks.  Set aside.
  2. Line the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, making sure to smooth out wrinkles.  Set aside.
  3. In a double boiler or microwave* melt 12 oz of white chocolate with 1 tsp of vegetable oil.  Once melted stir in 1/2 tsp peppermint extract.  Pour melted chocolate into the prepared pan and spread into a thin smooth layer.  I find an offset spatula works best for this.  Place the pan in the freezer for about 8 minutes or in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes; or untl almost completely set.**
  4. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tsp vegetable oil.  Pour the semi-sweet chocolate over the white chocolate layer and spread until smooth.  Place back in the freezer for 8 minutes or the refrigerator for 10-15.
  5. Melt the remaining 12 oz of white chocolate and 1 tsp vegetable oil.  Once melted stir in 1/2 tsp peppermint extract.  Pour over the semi-sweet layer and spread until smooth.  Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and very lightly press into the bark.
  6. Freeze or refrigerate the bark until completely hardened.  Use the foil to lift the bark from the pan then peel the foil from the bark.  Allow the bark to sit at room temperature about 15 minutes and cut into squares.

 

*To melt your chocolate in the microwave use a small heatproof bowl and melt in 15 second increments.  Stir vigorously after each time, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

**If you allow the layer to set completely before adding the next layer of melted chocolate then the layers will separate upon cooling.

 

 

 

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Simple Honey Baked Chicken Recipe by Leah

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Simple Honey Baked Chicken

This chicken dish is the very first thing I cooked for my husband as a young bride.  We’d come home from our honeymoon in the beautiful coastal town of Pacific Grove, California.  My husband had to go to work and I remember kissing him goodbye and standing there in our very 1st apartment, not yet fully moved in, and wondering where to start.  “What would a wife do next?”, I thought to myself.  Very happy but a little uncertain I decided to unpack. I opened the first box and there on top was a cookbook, gifted from a family friend in Canada.  She was a member of the Eastern Star organization and her local group of women had collected their favorite recipes and turned it into a cookbook.  What a treasure!  Favorite recipes from experienced women and wives!  This is what a wife does!  I found this recipe, went to the grocery store and made my husband his first home cooked meal as a husband.  It all sounds so sweetly naive now and yet, the day was a precious one, filled with love for my husband and the life we wanted to create together.  There have been many meals since then: some fancy, some simple, some delivered or picked up, some eaten out.  Meals have been shared with friends and family, prepared together, prepared separately and all of these – every single one – have been a demonstration of love and an opportunity to connect as we sit and eat together.  Love is shared in the simple act of preparing a meal to nourish those you love.

This simple chicken dish will always hold a special place in my heart for the memories it brings.  By the way, it tastes good too. ☺

Simple Honey Baked Chicken

INGREDIENTS

2 broiler-fryers or 2 lbs of whatever chicken is on hand

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder

PREPARATION

  1. Place chicken pieces in shallow baking pan, skin side up.
  2. Combine butter, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder.  Mix and pour over chicken.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours (I find 45 minutes to be long enough) until chicken is tender and nicely browned.

We serve over rice and with whatever green happens to be in season.

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Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers Recipe by Leah

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

 

My husband had never had grilled onions on a burger before we met.  He didn’t even know it was an option.  There’s a lot my husband didn’t know about food when we met.  He didn’t even like steak and couldn’t understand why people would pay so much for one at a restaurant.  But that’s a story for another time.  Let’s just say that he came from a home very limited in flavors.

I love a burger with onions.  They’re not complete until they have some in my opinion.  In fact, I have been known to order both grilled and raw onions at the same time when I eat at In & Out.  When I first heard that there was such a thing as Fried Onion Burgers I knew I had to try them.  I really wanted to get a good picture of them for you but it was just too late and too dark and well, we had delicious hot burgers sitting there that needed to be eaten.  So, I suggest googling a picture of Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers so you can see just how beautiful a juicy burger sitting on top of fried onions can be.

 

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

 

Yield: 4 servings

 

INGREDIENTS

2 large onions (I used yellow), peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

salt and pepper

1 lb ground beef

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 sliced American cheese

mayo, mustard, and pickles for serving

4 hamburger buns, toasted

 

PREPARATION

  1. Combine the onion slices and 1 tsp of salt in a bowl and toss to combine.  Transfer the onions to a colander and let sit for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.  Transfer the onions to a clean dish towel, gather the edges together and squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the onions.  Do this over the sink or a large bowl since the onions will have quite a bit of liquid in them.
  2. Divide the onions into 4 separate mounds on a rimmed baking sheet.  Form the beef into 4 lightly packed balls.  Place the beef ballson top of the onions mounds and flatten the beef firmly with your palm so the onions adhere to the beef.  The patties should measure 4 inches in diameter.  Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Melt the butter and oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.  Using a large spatula, transfer the patties to the skillet, onion side down.  Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the onions turn a deep golden brown and begin to crisp around the edges.  Flip the burgers, then increase the heat to high and cook until well browned on the second side, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add a slice of cheese to each burger and allow to melt.  Add mayo, mustard and pickles to the top buns, then place each burger on the bottom buns.

 

 

 

 

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Cherry Apple Gorgonzola Salad Recipe by Leah

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Cherry Apple Gorgonzola Salad

 

Though I’ve only been posting recipes here a short time you probably can tell that we are salad lovers.  They are my go to lunch and my go to veggie side with a meal.  Obviously with a salad you need fresh and tasty greens but that’s only part of it.  The greens provide the most nutrients but they’re also just the base.  To make a salad truly delicious they need to be topped with all kinds of goodies: something savory, something sweet, something crunchy, and don’t forget the cheese!  This is a salad with a combination of all those things and a mild and sweet dressing to boot.

 

Cherry Apple Gorgonzola Salad

 

INGREDIENTS

salad

6 oz bag of spring mix salad

romaine head, chopped

4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup dried cherries

large granny smith apple, chopped

1/2 cup candied pecans

5 oz gorgonzola cheese crumbles

sweet balsamic vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

 

PREPARATION

sweet balsamic vinaigrette

Whisk or blend all dressing ingredients together until the oil and sugar are blended.

salad

In your serving bowl toss together spring mix, romaine, and some of the dressing.  Top with remaining ingredients and pass the dressing along with the salad.

 

 

 

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Homemade Salsa Recipe by Leah

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Salsa

 

Salsa and chips.  They make me happy.  Little bits of spicy tomato goodness scooped up on a fried and crunchy tortilla. This recipe for salsa is as quick and easy as it gets.  Don’t forget to allow time for it to chill.

 

Salsa

 

yield: 5 cups

 

INGREDIENTS
28 oz can whole tomatoes and juice

10 oz can Rotel, drained

1 lime, juiced

1 jalapeno, seeded

3 cloves garlic, smashed and halved

1/2 medium white onion

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cumin

handful cilantro, rinsed and dried

 

PREPARATION

Dump all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until no large chunks remain.  Chill 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

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