Strawberry Shortcake

A sign of spring....Strawberry shortcake!!!  Yumm!!!

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Ingredients
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/4 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus 8 teaspoons
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
2/3 cup half-and-half, plus 1/4 cup
Sweetened whipped cream
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium mixing bowl, toss the strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar together. Set aside until time to serve.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, baking powder, salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Then pulse in the cold butter cubes until a coarse meal is formed. Turn the flour mixture out into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in 2/3 cup half-and-half and gently mix it in with a rubber spatula or fork, be careful not to over mix the dough or the biscuits will be tough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a couple of times until it just holds together. Pat the dough out to 3/4-inch thickness and cut out 8 round 3-inch biscuits.
Transfer the biscuits to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the remaining half-and-half and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the biscuits have risen and are a light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Split each biscuit, spoon some strawberries on the bottom piece, then whipped cream and top with the other biscuit half. Garnish with fresh mint and more strawberries.

Blackened Chicken with Wild Rice

Yumm!!  And so easy.

Recipe was taken from http://www.sarcasticcooking.com/

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
½ Teaspoon of Paprika
¼ Teaspoon of Salt
¼ Teaspoon of Pepper
¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder
¼ Teaspoon of Cumin
1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
2 packages of wild rice
Juice and Zest from Two Limes
A Dash of Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped

Sauce over the top:
1 medium avocado
2 T greek yogurt

Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.

Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.

After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.

Prepare the wild rice according to the directions.  Once it is done, toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.

Make the sauce by putting the avocado and the yogurt into a food processor and mixing until smooth.

Serve the sliced chicken over the wild rice and top with the avocado cream sauce.

Sopapilla Cheesecake.....YUMMM!!!

I am so far behind....I have so many delicious recipes I need to get up, but for right now, I'll start with this morning's breakfast. 

Ingredients:
 -2 cans pillsbury butter crescent rolls (I'm cheap and used the Great Value brand)
 -2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened) (I used Neufchâtel--1/3 of the fat!)
 -1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup and it was plenty sweet for us)
 -1 teaspoon vanilla (I used 2 teaspoons)
 -1/4 cup butter (melted) (I used a little bit over 1/8 cup)
 -Cinnamon & sugar

 Instructions:
 Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Paired this morning with sausage links, bacon, and a variety of fresh fruit, and it was a breakfast that satisfied the adult trying to be careful what she eats and the two teenage boys who are food disposals!