where i've been....

You may or may not have noticed, but posts have been sparse this March here at biscuits & honey. The reason for this is that my dear husband has been on a business trip to Japan for the past two weeks, and decided to take our one camera with him! So, whatever little cooking I did do was never photographed. Just wanted to let you all know where I've been and to expect lots of new posts within the next week or so!

I can't wait to go pick my hubby up from the airport tonight... I am very excited and have a special meal and planned for him (and breakfast tomorrow morning, too!). Yesterday I even got a surprise from him in the mail - a beautiful Japanese tea set! He's the best!

I'll see you soon with lots of delicious recipes! Thanks for hangin' in there with me!

Easy Taco Soup

This soup is pretty much effortless and it's a definite crowd pleaser. I hardly know anyone who doesn't like a steaming bowl of taco soup. Serve it up with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings, and you're good to go! I made this for the worship team at my church and served it with mini corn muffins with finely chopped pickled jalapeno, bacon, and cheddar. No recipe for that as I just used my favorite Jiffy Corn Muffin mix (why mess with a good thing?) and added the "mix ins". It was a big hit!

Easy Taco Soup
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
  
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
• 2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
• 1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
• 1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
• 1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
• Corn chips, for serving
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Grated cheese, for garnish
• Chopped green onions, for garnish
• Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

A Small Victory

Yet another post without a photo, but I just had to write about this. Yesterday, I acheived a victory of monumental proportions, the likes of which I have never seen before.

What glorious event could have possibly happened to warrant such a photo-less post and such a joyful reaction?

Well, ladies and gentlemen here it is. A miracle.

I made my husband brussels sprouts for dinner, and I will never forget the next seven words that came out of his mouth.

"I would rather eat these than fries."

I couldn't believe my ears! This coming from my husband, who like many people, despises brussels sprouts, actually said he would rather eat this as a side dish than a delicious golden fried potato! I almost fainted right then and there. It is one of the biggest compliments I had ever received about my cooking.

How did I cook these infamous brussels sprouts, you ask. The amazing thing is, they were not my Brussels Sprouts Gratin, all drowned in heavy cream and dotted with proscuitto (as delicious as it is). They were just plain ole Roasted Brussels Sprouts. So simple and so delicious. I had to agree with him. They were so yummy I took what little leftovers we had to work for lunch today. I can honestly say these will probably make an appearance on my dinner table very, very often from now on.

Now, I understand why the Brussels Sprout has gotten a bad reputation. People have been preparing them wrong! Make them tonight following this very simple method, and I promise you will change your mind. There is a reason there is no photo.... they were gone way too fast.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 4oo degrees and prepare your brussels sprouts by cutting off the knobby, white end and slicing them in half.

2. Put the sprouts into a bowl, and toss them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour them onto a sheet pan.

3. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 15-30 minutes (depending on the size of your sprouts; mine were quite small so they roasted quickly). Shake the pan every 5 minutes or so, and keep an eye on them. You want them dark and carmelized, but not burnt.

4. Take them out of the oven, taste, and salt them again lightly if necessary. You want them salty, like french fries. Enjoy!

Almond Stuffed Chicken with Couscous and Green Beans with Bacon and Toasted Almonds

I love to cook, but I also work full time, so a lot of week nights when I come home, I don't really feel like spending hours in the kitchen. Crazy, I know. This is the perfect weeknight meal. Easy, quick to prepare, delicious, and healthy. Well, sort of. I did saute the green beans in the bacon fat after I cooked the bacon......but you could drain the pan and just use a teaspoon or two of olive oil if you are watching your diet. This meal also uses relatively few ingredients. You might already have these in your kitchen now!

Almond Stuffed Chicken

adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Garlic and Herbs cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1/8 cup slivered almonds
• salt and pepper
  

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the filling by combining the cheese, parsley, and almonds in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Next, prepare your chicken. If your chicken breasts are thick, you can butterfly them (cut them in half horizontally, but not all the way through) and stuff them that way. If they are thin cut like mine, you can make roll ups by spreading the filling on top of the chicken breast and fold it over. Either way, lay each chicken breast out on a cutting board.

3. Stuff the chicken by spreading it over the top of the chicken (if using thin chicken breasts) or stuffing it in the middle (if using butterflied chicken breasts). Fold the chicken over and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet. Cover the chicken with foil (to prevent the toothpicks from burning) and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through.


Meanwhile, prepare:

Green Beans with Bacon & Toasted Almonds

• 1 lb fresh or frozen steam in the bag green beans
• 2 slices center cut bacon
• 1/8 cup slivered almonds
  

1. Cook the green beans in the microwave according to the package directions, but make sure you cook them at the minimum time given since you will later saute them.

2. Next, cook the bacon in a large pan until crispy. Remove to a plate covered in paper towels to cool and drain. Do not drain the pan. If there is a lot of fat in your pan, remove some but leave a tablespoon or two for sauteeing the green beans.

3. Lower the heat to medium low and add the almonds, and toast them for a couple of minutes. Once they are toasted, add in the green beans and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.




As for the couscous, just use your favorite brand and prepare according to package directions. I used Marrakesh Express chicken and vegetable flavor.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burgers

As you can tell, there is no photo for this recipe, unfortunately. I made these burgers yesterday as an easy dinner, and before I knew it, they were all gobbled up with no time for a photo! But let me tell you, this recipe from Ellie Krieger is a keeper...I just HAD to post about them, even sans photo! Since they're made with ground turkey, they're even good for you, and since they're so delicious, moist, and succulent, you wouldn't even know. Even if you don't like peppers (I'm not a huge fan), I am sure you'll still love these. I enjoyed mine with just a few spinach leaves and a little ketchup, but any way you dress them up, these burgers are simply delicious! They make a perfect lunch. I think I may cook up another batch to keep in the fridge for lunches this week. Yum!!

Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Recipe Courtesy Ellie Krieger, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lb. lean ground turkey (I only had a 1lb package, which worked fine. I used a little less filling and my burgers were a little smaller)
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Seperate the ground turkey into four equal portions. Then, half each of the four portions, making eight patties.
2. Top four of the patties with some of the roasted red pepper and mozzarella.
3. Place the empty patties on top of the ones stuffed with the pepper and cheese; make sure to seal the edges. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill (or brown in a pan) for 5 minutes per side or until done. If needed, finish in the oven for 5 minutes. The burgers may appear a little pink around the edges... this may be due to the roasted red pepper.
5. Serve on buns with the toppings of your choice.