One Pan Baked Ziti Recipe

June 1, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

I found a new obsession… my new cast iron skillet pan!

On Mother’s Day, my mom and I took the girls shopping at Marshal’s and Home Goods. I was searching for a good cast iron pan but wasn’t a fan of what they had so we went to Walmart and I found a basic 12″ pan which is what I wanted. I won’t lie…. I have been intimidated to actually use the pan but this is my second dish and wow is it easy and delish! (The first dish is my signature Chicken Paprikash which was amazing too!)

This Baked Ziti dish is so easy and yummy that I had to share it with all of you!

One Pan Baked Ziti

Servings: 4-6
Time: 2hr
Difficulty: easy
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A Great One Pan dinner for the family to enjoy.

Credit: kaella.net

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 teaspoon oil
2 cloves garlic; sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can/jar tomato sauce
1 16 oz box of pasta (ziti/penne/rigatoni)
3 cups of water
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Move the oven rack to the middle and Set oven to 450 degrees. Heat cast iron or another oven safe pan with your oil.
Brown your ground meat.
Once the meat is browned, add the garlic, basil and oregano and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Lower the heat to low/medium and simmer for 10 minutes; occasionally stir.
Add the water and pasta. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and leave at a low boil for 15 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Stir in the heavy cream, 1/2 the cheese, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the rest of cheese over the noodles.
Place the pan in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is browned.Be cautious that pan is hot when serving the meal to your loved ones.
Enjoy a dinner with the people you love.

Easy Foil Lemon Fish Packets

May 17, 2018May 18, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

This is one of my favorite fish meals to make because it is easy, yummy and it can go in my oven or on the grill in the summer. Personally, I love white fish like tilapia because it is a mild fish. Though, when it comes to my sushi, I pretty much eat any fish.

You can either get fresh fish fillets from your local fish place or grocery store’s fish section. I prefer to get the frozen fillets that are individually packaged because I can just take out how many I want at a time and not end up with leftovers that won’t be eaten. Let’s be honest, fish the next day is just not something you want to eat.

This pairs great with rice or fresh veggies or salad in the summer. I love tilapia with grilled asparagus in the summer. Plus, I use fresh herbs from my herb garden to enhance the taste of my fish. Win-Win!

Now, I can’t get Danyella, aka the sassy tween, to eat fish but she tried this and loved it. This is a huge accomplishment in my mom life!

Foil Lemon Fish Packets

Servings: 2-4
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
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A fresh, light, easy fish recipe.

Credit: kaella.net

Ingredients

2-4 fish fillets
2 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lemon sliced
1/2 lemon for juicing
olive oil for foil
a piece of tin foil for each fillet large enough to create a packet
salt and pepper; to taste

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees or fire up your grill. Fold the sides of each piece of tin foil to create walls. Drizzle oil in each.
Place a fillet on each piece. Sprinkle each piece with garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.
Squeeze lemon and place lemon slices on each fillet.
Fold each packet around the fish. Set the fish in a glass or tin baking dish or place directly on your grill.
Cook for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the fillets. The last 5 minutes I like to open the packets and let the lemons bake into the fish a little more.
Serve with a yummy side and enjoy a nice dinner with your family.

Brown Sugar Breaded Baked Pork Chops

May 11, 2018May 11, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

If you can’t tell, my family has been on a pork chop kick lately since “Christina” gave us a bunch of chops and ham steaks from when they purchased a pig last year. The challenge has been to find different ways to make the pork so that I am not feeding my family the same recipe over and over.

One thing I love to make and eat is breaded chicken but I have never done this with pork before. Hey, it should taste just as good right? Oh it did taste so good! The combination of the bread crumbs, brown sugar and a little bit lemon juice makes this a savory with a touch of sweet pork chops. It pairs well with potatoes, egg noodles or rice really nicely.

Brown Sugar Breaded Baked Pork Chops

Servings: 4-6
Time: 2hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Credit: kaella.net

Ingredients

4-6 pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil or non stick spray
3 cloves garlic sliced or chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons onion flakes
salt/pepper
2 eggs
2 teaspoons lemon juice or 1/2 fresh lemon

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray or coat a deep baking dish with oil. Set 2 bowls aside
In one bowl, whisk the 2 eggs. In the other bowl, mix garlic, onion flakes, bread crumbs, brown sugar, salt and pepper together.
Dip the chops in the egg wash then into the breading mixture. Place the chops in the dish.
Drizzle the lemon juice over each chop.
Bake on the bottom rack for 30 minutes. Switch to the top rack for 15 minutes to crisp the breading up. If your pork chops are thicker please allow for longer cooking times.
Pair with your favorite sides and enjoy a nice meal with your family!

Thankful That I Enjoy Cooking Now

May 10, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

For most of my life I was intimidated by cooking because it seemed so complicated to make a meal worth eating and tasted good. So many pots and pans and other kitchen gadgets to use and I didn’t know what I was doing. Which pot was the correct one? Which utensil was correct? How did you use this gadget or that? Plus, it seemed to take me FOREVER to cook a single dinner.

For years, I have had a couple of key meals that I knew how to make and they tasted great like my chicken paprikash. Pasta was a weekly, sometimes more than once a week, staple meal in my house because it was easy and you really can’t fail at it. Add that to my breakfast for dinner like pancakes or eggs with a side meat. That was 2 simple meals that were fast and edible. The rest of the time we would eat out… we have kept our local pizza and chinese places busy for many years now.

Since I barely ate through my pregnancy with Evie because of my hyperemesis gravidarum, I wanted to eat everything in sight after I gave birth. The thing was, I no longer wanted to eat the quick meals that I was used to cooking everday. I wanted foods with more flavor. I wanted the meals that they cook on my favorite cooking show… The Chew!

All of the cooking shows that Danyella and I watch make cooking look soooo easy! So, I decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone and start cooking real meals. I have come up with some really delicious chicken and pork meals like my Mushroom Pork Chops and Baked Lemon Chicken Printable Recipe .

My Instant Pot has made it so easy to make delicious meals without getting completely overwhelmed. I love to experiment with different veggies and flavors. I can’t wait until my herb garden grows so I can start adding fresh herbs rather than dried herbs to my dishes. Plus, once we have our veggies grow over the Summer, I can incorporate even more fresh veggies into our meals.

Not only have we been able to put the take out menus away (ok we eat out about once every 2 weeks because somedays its just easier to let someone else cook!) but we have saved money because it costs us less to eat in then out. I try to cook at least 5 times a week with one night for leftovers (I hate wasting the food) and one free night where I don’t cook (aka find a box of cereal and be happy!). I hope that I can continue to enjoy cooking and learn new skills to make delicious meals for my friends and family.

Drop a link to your favorite recipes for me to try in the comments below!

Baked Lemon Chicken Printable Recipe

April 13, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes, Uncategorized

This Baked Lemon Chicken has become a must have for Danyella who is my super-duper picky eater! This is a simple recipe which is great for a quick prep dinner. Danyella loves this chicken paired with baked or mashed potatoes and a veggie side (always my vegetarian!).

I used chicken quarters because it was on sale but using other chicken, such as boneless, will adjust the cooking time to a shorter time frame. Please just watch and check your chicken temperature while cooking this recipe. Check the chart below to get an idea on cooking times for different chicken cuts.

Difficulty: easy
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A fast prep chicken dish with delicious flavor.

Credit: kaella.net

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken (cut of your choice)
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 garlic cloves (pressed, chopped or sliced)
seasoning salt (to taste)
1 lemon, sliced

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees. In a pan, melt butter and brown each side of the chicken piece (3-4 minutes per side).
In a bowl, add the broth, honey, garlic and salt together. Whisk to get the ingredients to mix well.
Add the chicken to a rimmed pan, pour the broth mixture over the chicken and set the lemon slices on top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for the recommended temperature: Breast, Bone In: 30 minutes, Boneless: 20 minutes, Quarter: 45 minutes, thigh 30 minutes, wings 30 minutes. Please use your good judgement in checking your chicken to be sure it is done and ready to serve.
Serve and enjoy your Baked Lemon Chicken with your delicious sides!

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Muffin Tin Cups with Printable Recipe

April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

Lately, I have been on carb OVERLOAD… the more breads, pasta and sweets fed/fueled my emotions the better I thought I would feel. Well we all know that is far, far from the truth! The carb hangover has been horrible and just fed with more carbs. Let’s just say the weight I have lost from breastfeeding the baby has come back with every delicious carb I eat.

If I am going to change my mindset and emotions, then I need to change my eating habits as well. I need more proteins to keep my energy level up with being on the go, raising an infant and running a business. In the mornings, I just don’t have time to make breakfast so my go to is/was toast with peanut butter or an english muffin but that’s more carbs and I need to stop my carb addiction!

This egg muffin recipe is one that I loved in the past because I would freeze them, heat them in the morning and run out the door. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add anything you want… sausage, bacon, ham, spinach, peppers, onions, really the possibilities are endless and easy!

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Muffin Cups

Servings: 6-8
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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An easy breakfast recipe you can make ahead for your busy week.

Credit: kaella.net

Ingredients

12 eggs
6-7 slices of bacon, cooled and chopped
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
salt and pepper, to liking

Directions

Set over to 350 degrees. Generously spray the muffin tin with spray oil so that the cups come out of the tin easily.
Place one egg in each cup and whisk with a fork, if easier you can do this in a separate bowl and divide among the cups evenly.
Sprinkle the bacon in a cup.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes on bottom rack.
Top each cup with cheese, return to the oven. Bake for another 8-10 minutes.
Allow to cool before taking them out of the tin.
Serve for breakfast, place in the fridge for easy on the go breakfast for the week (heat for 45 seconds in the microwave) or place in a freezer bag, place in the freezer and eat in the future (heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

Instant Pot Chili Recipe with printable

February 2, 2018February 2, 2018 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

With the Super Bowl only a few days away and my beloved Eagles playing for their first win, chili is a must to eat while we watch them play. Add my must have chili with my new Instant Pot with all its cool features and I had to try out a new function to make my recipe. With this recipe, I used the sauté and slow cooker functions!

Notes on the recipe: I prefer using ground turkey but any other ground meat will work. Also, I typically add diced peppers to my chili but you will notice in my photos that I omitted the peppers because my husband doesn’t like peppers and I had to feed him.

Instant Pot Chili Recipe

Servings: 4-6
Time: 4hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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A delicious winter meal to share with friends.

Credit: mogulmomartisan.com

Ingredients

2 pounds ground meat
1/2 diced onion
1 diced pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove diced garlic or 1 tablespoon diced garlic from jar
1 (14.5) ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 (14.5) ounce can of tomato sauce
1 bag of kidney beans soaked and cleaned or 2 cans of beans
3 tablespoons of chili powder
garnish of your choice (I like cheese and sour cream)

Directions

On saute setting, add the oil and brown the ground meat with the onions, peppers and garlic. Drain if preferred.

Photo Jan 31, 3 46 48 PM

Add the tomatoes, sauce, beans and chili powder.

Photo Jan 31, 3 47 34 PM

Change the Instant Pot setting to slow cooker (4 hours) and stir when needed (this setting doesn’t seal the pot closed).
Enjoy with the garnishes of your choice!

Hungarian Walnut Kiffle Cookie Recipe with Printable #feedmefriday

November 17, 2017 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

I grew up eating these delicious cookies that my Austrian grandfather would bring home from a German bakery near his shop. It was always a special treat to eat these cookies around the holidays. Since that bakery closed down many years ago, I have never found another bakery that made them until today. Today, I was just browsing the bakery section at ShopRite and found them. Problem was…. they wanted $10 a pound for them which amounted to about 5 cookies. That is not acceptable for our budget at all. So I did some research and created my own Kiffle recipe to share with all of you.

I grew up eating the walnut filled cookies but you can use other fillings such as jams and jellies.

Hungarian Kiffle Cookies

Time: 1 hour prep and 25 minutes baking
Difficulty: intermediate
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A light, fluffy cookie with delicious filling inside.

Credit: mogulmomartisan.com

Ingredients

4 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature
4 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

Starting with the filling: combine sugar, milk and walnuts together in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until the sugar is melted. Set aside until cookies are ready to be filled.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix the sugar and butter together until creamed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
Add dry ingredients to the first bowl, a little at a time, mixing until combined. The mixture will be dry.
In a new bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla and sour cream together.
In the other bowl, create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add a little of the egg mix. Mix together with a spoon or spatula. Continue to do this a little at a time until the dough becomes mixed. The dough will be sticky.
On a large surface, dust with flour and have flour ready to dust on the dough and rolling-pin. I roll out little sections at a time. Place a damp towel over the bowl of the dough you are not working with. Roll out dough to a square piece. With a pizza or pastry roller, cut the dough into 3″ squares.
Using a flour-dipped spatula, take the squares and turn them on an angle. Spread the walnut mixture in the middle. Dab a little water on the 2 opposite corners and pinch the corners together. Repeat with each square until done.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
Sprinkle with powered sugar and enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Crockpot Recipe with Printable #feedmefriday

November 10, 2017November 10, 2017 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

This is one of the easiest crockpot recipes you will come across because all you do is put all the ingredients in the crockpot and go! We prefer to pair it with pair but egg noodles is a nice alternative as well. The only thing that we do different then the recipe is our cream of chicken soup is actually cream of chicken and mushroom soup because we like mushrooms.

Creamy Chicken and Brocoli Crockpot Recipe

Servings: 4-6
Time: 3hr
Difficulty: easy
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Super Easy Crockpot meal for families on the Go.

Ingredients

1-2 pounds of boneless chicken tenderloin or breasts
8 ounce can of Cream of Chicken Soup
14 ounce can of Chicken Broth
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of sour cream
1 bag of frozen broccoli
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pre-Heat the crockpot on high then add the soups. Whisk until the soup and broth are mixed. Add the chicken, onion and garlic. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
About a half hour before serving, add the cheese and sour cream and mix well to blend it in. Then add the broccoli.
Make your rice or noodles.
Serve your delicious, easy dinner!

Cinnamon Apple Pull Apart Bread with Printable Recipe #feedmefriday

October 20, 2017October 20, 2017 by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes, Uncategorized

*This post is not sponsored in any way just my recipe that I enjoy using a product that makes life easier to cook and bake

Cinnamon Apple Pull Apart Bread Recipe

This is a yummy recipe for easy breakfast mornings, especially in the fall and winter because it fills your home with the smell of delicious apples. Feeds 4-5 People

Ingredients:

-1 can of Pillsbury biscuits (we use regular Flaky biscuits or the Honey biscuits)

-2 apples

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Baking dish of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Note on my recipe: I use my ceramic bread baking dish which measures 9″x5″. You can increase the recipe by doubling the ingredients and using a larger baking dish or a bundt pan. Also, I use a covered bowl to more evenly coat the pieces with less mess.