Bruschetta Chicken + Balsamic Glaze

Inspiration struck the other day. I looked into the fridge, trying to decide what to make with the ingredients in front of me. I spied chicken, cheese, garlic, tomatoes and basil. What else would I make but chicken bruschetta? Never having made chicken bruschetta - let alone bruschetta, period - I used what I had and went loosely off the method for stuffing and cooking chicken in this post.

The result was so, so good! It oozed freshness, and I quite literally gobbled mine down. It was altogether quite simple to make, too. I would definitely recommend this for new cooks, as its simple yet looks pretty darn fancy! The balsamic glaze really added something special to the dish, and it saves well, so don't skip out on it.

Side note: balsamic glaze is merely a fancy way of saying you boiled and simmer balsamic vinegar for 20-30 minutes. Pretty sweet.

Bruschetta Chicken
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp
Serves 2; can be easily multiplied

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Those of you who faithfully follow my blog may know that my girlfriends and I love to get together for monthly dinner parties. Well, it had been quite some time since we last got together - a baby, an engagement, wedding to plan and big move, to name a few - have certainly kept us busy!

Jourdan remedied this by having us over last Saturday, and we were able to catch up, enjoy her fabulous cooking and play with sweet baby Reese! Jourdan made two pizzas, and both were to die for. I could not stop thinking about the chicken Alfredo pizza she made, and I vowed to recreate it at home. Enter this delicious dish and perfect weekend meal. A huge thanks to Jourdan for the inspiration (and perfect girls night!).

Note: I might make two of these. John devoured half of it Sunday night, and had finished the remaining piece by noon the next day. Needless to say it was a huge hit here - and worth the indulgence! :)

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Recipe inspired by Jourdan Leigh in the kitchen, Alfredo sauce by The Pioneer Woman
Yields 1 pizza

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Happy March! I don't know about you, but I definitely expect spring-like weather when we hit the month of March. John always reminds me that it's still winter, but a girl can hope, right? In spite of that, here is a great recipe for this interim weather. While the original calls for red bell peppers, the green peppers were cheaper so that made my decision quite easy!

I've made a few changes, but overall this recipe is pretty true to the original. It's light, low calories, and packed with flavors. We ate the leftovers within 12 hours, so that should speak volumes to this great dish. I'm off to type up and upload at least four more new recipes for the blog, so stay tuned for some good ones! :)

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Serves 3-6, depending on portions

Quinoa Cakes w/ Spicy Marinara Sauce

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a very restful and enjoyable last weekend of July. We had a wonderful time at John's lake house this weekend, and we were able to spend so much time with his extended family. We only see each other once a year for our lake reunion, so it really is a lovely time.

Now that we're home? I can't believe I go back to school in two weeks! It's crunch time, and I am busy, busy making sure everything is ready for the start of the new year. Today's agenda includes some strength training at the gym, grocery shopping, a target run, and...reorganizing our closets. We'll see how far I get on that...

I stumbled across this recipe one night while jumping from blog to blog, looking for something to stand out. I bookmarked it, and it was perfect for when we got back from vacation because I had all the ingredients on hand. Much like this recipe.

Anyhoo, this is packed with awesome flavor! John went on and on about these, even saying they tasted like breadsticks with the dipping sauce. I was crazy about a filling and tasty meatless meal. Plus, it's a pretty cheap meal, too. Let me know what you think!

Quinoa Cakes with Spicy Marinara Dipping Sauce
Recipe for Quinoa Cakes adapted from Let's Dish, via Kitchen Trial and Error
Recipe for Spicy Marinara Dipping Sauce by Call Me Mrs. Rapp 
Yields about 8 cakes

Veggie, Bacon & Cheddar Frittata

Hi friends! Boy, do I have a super delicious recipe for you. I realized we had a crazy amount of eggs in the fridge, plus tons of veggies, and I got to thinking of a frittata for some reason. I've never made one, but I figured I could do it while using up all those eggs and veggies. After lots of internet researching I finally gave up on finding a recipe, and I decided to just go with it.

The result? John walked past the kitchen while it was cooking and went, "Whoa! Come smell this! It smells gooooood!" I agreed with him, but when he "mmmm'd" about 5 times in a row while eating his first few bites, I knew I had a winner. I was quickly told I needed to make this again "very soon," and I'm looking forward to all the variations I can play with. You can make this as healthy or indulgent as you like, but it's super easy and a great way to sneak protein and veggies into your diet. Try it! And tell me if you come up with a good variation, please!

Veggie, Bacon & Cheddar Frittata
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp
Serves 3-6, depending on portions*
*add more eggs for more servings - up to 18 eggs total - plus more veggies/additions

Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Alfredo

I saw this on Pinterest the other day, and knew that I had to make. As in, that night. Fortunately for me, I had all the ingredients on hand. Turns out? This was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever made. Now, truth be told, I don't cook pasta all that often. I come up with the occasional dish, but usually I try to stick to proteins with dinner dishes.

I adapted this a bit, based on our taste preferences. I didn't have the highest expectations, but it was so unbelievably tasty and packed with flavor. Not to mention, it really didn't take long to make. As in, less than 30 minutes. Top this with your protein of choice (salmon, do it!!) and you have a nicely balanced meal. I'm thinking next time I'll try to sneak in some veggies. Maybe asparagus or cauliflower? Let me know if you have any ideas!

Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Alfredo
Recipe adapted from Lauren's Latest
Yields 2 very large servings (we had leftovers)

Ingredients:
*1 jar roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 small onion, diced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 cup fat free half & half
*2 oz. goat cheese
*2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
*1/4 cup grated fontina cheese
*1/3 lb. whole wheat whole grain linguine
*salt & pepper, to taste
*2 good pinches crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation:
*Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta until al dente.

*In the mean time, saute onions in olive oil 7 minutes or until tender, adding garlic and crushed red pepper in the last minute or so. Pour in half & half, goat cheese, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.

*Chop peppers into large pieces and place into sauce along with parmesan and fontina cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat.

*Use a hand blender to puree sauce in the pan (option 1); or pour sauce into a blender or food processor to puree, then return to pan (option 2). Taste and adjust seasonings. Combine with pasta and serve immediately.

Note: I served this with some broiled salmon on top, and it totally took it to another level. Delicious! Plus, the added protein makes the pasta more sustaining. 

Onion, garlic, red pepper flakes | nonfat 1/2 and 1/2 | fontina + parmesan + roasted red peppers
mixing it all up | blended and ready!

Dinner...pictures don't do the taste justice.

5-Ingredient Chicken Sausage Skillet

Hi friends! I have been totally absent for the past few days, but with good reason - I was sick! Plus a busy weekend, which I will catch you up on this week with make-up posts.

Anyhoo, this is an awesomely tasty and equally awesomely easy dish to make. I mean, when something has five ingredients, how can it really be that hard? It can't! So this is what you want to make when you have no time, and want a filling, yet light meal.

I love this meal because it is all veggies and protein. That combination fills me up and always makes my body feel good. It also makes me feel good because it requires no work. Did I mention that? Oh I did? Well, then what are you waiting for? Go make this!

5-Ingredient Chicken Sausage Skillet
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp
Serves 3, depending on portions

Ingredients:
*4 sweet Italian style chicken sausages, sliced into bite-seize pieces
*3 bell peppers (I used red, yellow, orange, chopped into chunks)
*1/2 onion, chopped into chunks
*1/2 tsp garlic powder
*salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
*Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Throw all the veggies into the pan and stir occasionally, allowing them to cook up. Sprinkle garlic powder and salt and pepper on top.

*In a separate skillet (smaller), heat a small amount of olive oil. Place chicken sausages in and cook for a few minutes, until lightly browned and both sides.

*Combine in a bowl or plate and serve immediately!

For some extra color and flavor, heat up some frozen peas in the microwave and toss them into the skillet combo!

Chopped and cooking veggies...plus the chicken sausage I used - so tasty!

Skillet both without and with peas (the peas were added for lunch the next day)

Cinque Formaggio Pizza

The title means five cheese pizza in Italian! I figured I should make that clear right away. I was going to call this "Quattro Formaggio" pizza, as its inspired by Bazbeaux's "Pizza all Quattro Formaggio." However that means four cheese pizza, and this has five cheeses. And I would never lie to you. And not just because I have the worst poker face ever. (I blame the big eyes.)

Anyhoo, as I said, this is inspired by one of my favorite pizzas from our favorite pizza place - Bazbeaux! I mentioned it in this post, when I told you all it was the site of our first official date (awww!).

This is not the healthiest of meals (it has whole wheat crust though!), but it was a nice splurge after our weekend. John was mugged 3 blocks from our apartment, and has a nice black eye and bruised ribs to show for it (don't get me started or I'll write a whole post about how hysterical I was and now how upset I am that none of the 15 people around him said or did anything until after the guy ran off...).

Insert deep breath...

Anyhoo..this pizza is yummmmmy! (It deserved those extra "m"s). It has five cheeses (thus the title Cinque Formaggio, which is Italian for 5-Cheese), though you could easily make it with less if you are not like me and have at least six different cheeses in your fridge at any given time...I've told you before that I love cheese so no judgments. In addition to the cheeses? My favorite bacon EVER, which I've also mentioned here and here. With Trader Joe's premade pizza crust and sauce, this meal was a breeze. Perfect for tonight!

Cinque Formaggio Pizza
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp, inspired by Bazbeaux
Serves 2-4, depending on portions
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Ingredients:
*whole wheat pizza crust
*4 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly or shredded
*1/2 cup fontina cheese, shredded
*1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
*1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
*3 tablespoons fat free ricotta cheese
*3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
*1/3-1/2 pizza sauce

Preparation:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees, or according to package directions.

*Roll out pizza dough, being sure to flour rolling pin and surface. Once rolled out, move to pizza stone (or whatever you're cooking your pizza on).

*Spread pizza sauce over dough. Sprinkle or cover with 3/4 mozzarella cheese. Drop 1/2 tablespoons of ricotta onto pizza. Sprinkle Fontina on top, then sprinkle with bacon crumbles. Cover with parmesan and cheddar, plus remaining mozzarella.

*Bake for about 15 minutes, or according to your package directions. Let sit for a couple minutes before slicing, then enjoy!

sauce, mozzarella, ricotta

plus fontina and bacon

plus cheddar and parmesan

all done!

close up

dinner is served!

Eggplant Lasagna

So I kind of did something...something that I do from time to time while cooking...Completely misread and/or accidentally omit something important from a recipe. Last time, it was with Stovetop Lasagna, which, wasn't even supposed to be stovetop lasagna. It was supposed to be lasagna soup. However, I may or may not have misread the amount of chicken broth to use, and, errr, umm...yeah...I ended up with something completely different, yet totally delicious.

This is one of those times. Those happy accidents, where, even if you completely did not follow the recipe properly, you end up coming up with something even better (or just as good, as the very least). While I'm still a little resentful that John helped me by taking pictures as I was slicing eggplant - only to tell me they were too thin after I finished slicing it all - I'm glad this recipe ended up being so tasty! While I still want to figure out a lighter way to cook the eggplant, I know this will be made again. :)

Click for more lasagna recipes on Call Me Mrs. Rapp: White Chicken Lasagna, Meat and Cheese Lasagna, Stovetop Lasagna, Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Lasagna

I adapted this from that wonderful cookbook John's mom got me: The Illustrated Kitchen Bible. However, as I mentioned above, this recipe as a happy accident and you will not find it in its entirety in the book. Below is my recipe. 

Eggplant Lasagna
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp; Adapted from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible
Yields 1 lasagna 
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Ingredients:
*2 large eggplants, cut length-wise into slices (aim for 12-14 slices total)
*1/2 cup whole wheat flour
*3 large eggs, beaten
*2 tbsp. olive oil (or more as desired/needed)
*2 2/3 cups tomato sauce (store-bought or click here for my simple tomato sauce recipe)
*8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and sliced and divided in thirds
*1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
*1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
*salt and pepper

Preparation:
*Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 

*Create a dipping station for flour and eggs: put flour on plate and eggs in a bowl, seasoned with salt and pepper.

*One at a time, dredge each eggplant slice through flour, then egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl (or, like me, use your fingers to slosh off the extra).

*Heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, fry the eggplant for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Drain well on paper towels. (*With each batch, add 1/2 tbsp. olive oil to skillet before eggplant - - I needed 4 batches.)

*Once eggplant is done, layer the following in a casserole or lasagna dish: 2/3 cup tomato sauce, 4 eggplant slices, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and basil. Repeat 2 times, for a total of 3 layers. After the third layer, add 2/3 cup sauce, plus remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

*Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

my thinly-sliced eggplant

please note the huge mess around me as I cut the eggplant...when I cook it is not pretty

all the eggplant slices

dredging through whole wheat flour

golden and slightly crisped on the outside

Ready for the oven!

out and ready for serving...yum!

close-up of John's big serving

and now mine! great with a side salad with simple vinaigrette

view from the side

one more shot!

Toasted Prosciutto and Mozzarella

So this recipe is one of my favorites. Even though it's so simple, it's one of those really special dishes because it carries sentimental value for me.

The night John proposed, he spent hours preparing a meal for a picnic on the beach...or so I thought. Turns out, he spent all those hours sizzling every last clove of garlic, so that I would think he was making dinner. He was giving me all this time to get ready, and I thought, we're going on a picnic 2 blocks away on Lake Michigan, why do I need to get dolled up or bring my camera?? (Ahem, John!)

Anyhoo, when we got there he had everything! Citronella candles, plastic wine flutes (and wine!), fresh cherries and pears, sweet treats, and prosciutto and mozzarella over sliced baguette. Now I kept pushing for that meal he had made, but suddenly he admitted it was to throw me off so we could wait for the fireworks. Too bad I got cold, took his jacket, and felt the ring in his pocket and foiled his plans!

Ahh, oh well. It was still one of the best nights of my life, and this meal will always have a warm place in my heart because of it. :)

Oh and PS: While this is an awesome appetizer I often eat it as my whole meal...Four (or five...) of these bad boys and I'm good to go. Yummm. 


Ingredients:
*1 french loaf baguette
*sliced prosciutto
*fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
*olive oil
*salt and pepper

Preparation:
*Turn your broiler on (mine is automatically set to turn on 500 for broil).

*Slice the french loaf on a slight diagonal. The slices will be just a bit bigger this way

Option 1: (Crispier bread with room-temperature prosciutto and cheese)
*Brush bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Place in the oven for about 3 minutes until crisp and golden.

*Pull apart a few slices of prosciutto, using about half as slice (or more) for each piece of bread. Place a mozzarella slice on top.

*Serve with olive oil to dip.

Option 2: (Softer bread with warmed prosciutto and cheese)
*Brush the bread slices lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with half a slice (or more) or prosciutto. Place a mozzarella slice on top.

*Place in the oven for about 3 minutes, until cheese is softened and almost melted.

*Serve with olive oil to dip.

I did a combination of my two options - some warmed some just over toasted bread. Both delicious just different. When warmed the prosciutto has a stronger taste than when room temperature.

Out of the oven!

Look at that cheese!

White Chicken Lasagna

So after that amazing Simple Fettuccine Alfredo I was craving another white pasta dish. I'm sensing a dangerous trend here, so this will be my last white pasta dish for awhile. Jeans season is upon us and I'd like to continue to fit in mine.

Anyhoo, I stumbled across a great-looking White Chicken Lasagna recipe by One Ordinary Day on pinterest (shocker, right?). I made some modifications to make a little healthier (whole wheat whole grain noodles, nonfat cheeses, low sodium broth, etc.). I also omitted a layer because I was concerned I'd need to be rolled out of bed if I had even one slice of a four plus layer white lasagna.

Let me tell you, this did not need those extra layers of noodles and cheese. It was absolutely delicious without it, and it didn't feel as heavy as I expected. In fact, I added so much spinach and chicken, and so little actual cheese, it was pretty balanced! (Or as balanced as a white pasta dish can be!) This is a great meal and so yummy, especially as the weather starts getting colder. 

Ingredients:
*9 whole wheat whole grain lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
*1/2 c. butter
*1 onion, minced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 c. flour
*1/2 tsp. salt
*ground black pepper, to taste
*2 c. low sodium chicken broth
*2 c. nonfat milk 
*3 c. skim mozzarella cheese, divided 
*1/2 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
*1 tsp. basil
*1 tsp. oregano
*1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
*1 1/2 c. cooked and shredded chicken (I cooked 2 breasts - 1-1.5 would be enough - in the slow cooker on low for 4 hours, covered halfway in low-sodium chicken broth)
*1 1/2-2 c. spinach (I used frozen, thawed in microwave with excess liquid drained)

Directions:
*Melt butter in a large saucepot.  Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent.  Add flour, salt, and pepper.  Cook flour mixture 1-2 minutes.

*Add chicken broth and milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute.  Turn off heat and add 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.  Stir in dried spices.

*Lightly spray a lasagna pan or 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Ladle some cheese sauce onto the bottom to thinly cover.

*Add a layer of lasagna noodles.  Layer with more cheese sauce, the chicken, and the ricotta cheese.

*Add another layer of pasta.  Top with cheese sauce and spinach.

*Add another layer of pasta.  Top with cheese sauce. Add remaining 1 c. mozzarella cheese and 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese.

*Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

*Remove foil and continue to cook until bubbly.  If cheese doesn’t brown on top, turn on the broiler for the last couple minutes. (I cooked mine another 10 minutes after removing the foil. Then I turned the broiler up to 405 degrees for about 3-4 minutes until the cheese was completely melted and golden.)

*Allow lasagna to sit about 15 minutes before serving for easier slicing.

Onions, garlic, and butter

Cheese sauce

Layer one

Chicken layer

Chicken and ricotta

Cheese sauce and spinach

Final layer

All brown and bubbly

Creamy goodness

Steamed up my phone a bit! (All my pictures are taken on my phone)