Sunny Side Up

Take-Out Fake-Out Shrimp and Broccoli

Jessica — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:00:58 +0000

So sorry for the static on the blog for the past week. Things have been kind of crazy around here. I’ll get into more details in coming blog posts, but for now I just want to get right back to the FOOD!

This Shrimp and Broccoli is a great take-out fake-out. It comes together quickly and taste delicious. I do want to note that the evening I photographed this meal I completely spaced and forgot to add the onions. We still gobbled up dinner, but I think I prefer it with the onions. Obviously if you don’t like onions you can leave them out and the meal will still work. Also, you can adjust the heat to suit your tastes. If you like things extra spicy you can add extra chili-garlic sauce or red pepper flakes. If you don’t like spicy things you can cut it way back!

One last thing before I get to the recipe! The craziness in my own home was put in perspective after this weeks tragedies in Oklahoma. My heart goes out to the many families affected by the terrible storms, including the family of one of my good blogging friends, Kelsey. She wrote an incredibly touching post yesterday and has pledged her blogging profits from the month to the Salvation Army for their disaster relief efforts. Every visit to her site helps! Please stop by her blog and send her some love! You can also visit the Salvation Army site directly or text STORM to 80888 to make your donation

Take-Out Fake-Out Shrimp and Broccoli

Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp garlic-chili sauce*
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp canola oil, divided
1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup onion, vertically sliced (not pictured)
Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

In a glass measuring cup combine the chicken broth, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic-chili sauce.

In a large wok or skillet over medium-high, heat the canola oil, ginger, and garlic. Once the oil is hot (and before the garlic starts to turn brown!) add the shrimp. Season with salt and stir-fry until the shrimp is translucent and pink, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan.

Add one teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add broccoli and onions and stir-fry for about 3 or 4 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan and cook for 1 more minute.

Serve immediately with a side of rice and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Optionally, serve with Sriracha sauce on the side.

Adapted from Cooking Light via My Recipes

Here are some other delicious Asian-inspired flavors!

Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Asian Meatballs
Beef with Eggplant
Shanghai Stir-Fried Pork
Asian Style Braised Short Ribs

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Jessica — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:00:44 +0000

So many things are just so much better when you make them yourself at home. Ice cream is no exception. Every single time I make a batch I am reminded of just how much better it is. The flavor is richer, the ice cream is creamier. And you can control the amount and size of add-ins.

If there is one thing I hate it’s digging into big bowl of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream and finding just one or two chocolate cookies. I want a cookie in every bite. And I don’t want cookie crumbs either. I want big hunks of cookies. Making this ice cream at home means I get everything I want.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
15-18 Oreo Cookies, roughly chopped

Directions
In a sauce pan over medium-high, heat the milk and heavy cream. Once bubbles form along the edges remove from heat and set aside.

In a heat proof mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add spoonfuls of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly so you don’t make scrambled eggs. Once all of the milk is incorporated transfer back to the sauce pan. Heat over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Carefully pour the mixture through a mesh sieve (in case there are any cooked egg chunks) into a glass bowl*. Stir in the vanilla and refrigerate for several hours or until completely cool.

Once the mixture is completely cool, add to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers instructions. (I use the Kitchen Aid standing mixer attachment. I always store the bowl in my freezer but if you don’t, don’t forget to put it in the freezer at least 24 hours before making the ice cream). Once the ice cream is finished churning, fold in the chopped Oreos with a large spoon or spatula. Transfer to a container with an airtight lid, press a sheet of plastic wrap right into the top of the ice cream and freeze for several hours.

*To speed up the cooling down process I will sometimes place my glass bowl in an ice water bath and let it sit for about 10 minutes before refrigerating.
Source: Seeded at the Table originally from Culinary Cory

More Oreo goodness -

DIY Oreos
Cookies and Cream Cake
Frozen Raspberry Mousse Pie with Oreo Crumb Crust

Weekend Dish – 5/11

Jessica — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:46:08 +0000

Weekend Dish is a place for me to get a little more personal! If you just come to Sunny Side Up for the food, feel free to skip this post but be sure to check back next week for new food photos and recipes!

First, Happy Mother’s day! I wish I were in Ohio celebrating with my own mom, but I am so thankful for modern communication allowing us to to chat on the phone and text throughout the day. To the rest of the mom’s out there, hope you’ve had a great day so far. Thank you for all that you do as a mom!

Blog Recap -

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes – I made these for my good friend Krystal’s virtual baby shower. They are so, so delicious and rich.

Creamy Taco Mac – This is a dish I’ve been making for a long time and I was finally able to get a blog-worthy photo. It’s like a homemade Hamburger Helper. Easy, delicious, and not terribly bad for you.

Pregnancy Update -

I took this photo (another super bathroom self-pic) on Wednesday when I was officially 23 weeks. I don’t feel like I grew much this past week, but I do notice that I struggle to do weird things now. Getting off the couch or out of bed is just a little more difficult than it used to be!

I thought it might be fun to start using this space to answer some of those cheesy pregnancy journal questions.

How far along? 23 weeks

Baby’s size (in fruit)? Grapefruit

Cravings? Lemonade (a first trimester craving coming back full force) and cookie dough (I’m thinking about making an egg free batch tonight to finally indulge!)

Movement? Lots of flips and turns. She went through a phase where she really liked to kick my belly button.

Looking forward to? I’m really looking forward to traveling back to Ohio in a few weeks for my baby shower!

My week through Instagram -

I can’t go a week without sharing a photo of my sweet cats. The other day I walked in on them both passed out on the (unmade) bed. Cat life is tough, but someone’s got to do it.

Our sweet baby girl is already so lucky and loved. She got her first package in the mail! The start of what I am sure will be a nice little collection of pink. Thanks to my mother-in-law for the sweet package!

I’ve been pretty diligent about making a meal plan and sticking to it for the last several weeks, but for some reason Fridays are hard. This Friday I was having major Chinese food cravings. Specifically the green beans that I loved so much when we lived there. We went to a new restaurant and they had them on the menu! Unfortunately they were AS good as the real deal in China, but they were close enough!

Remember last week when I said when went to Sunset Cliffs? We really wanted to get down to the tide pools but we couldn’t find an easy way down. After talking to some coworkers, Jesse figured out where the stairs were so we went back again yesterday. It was amazing down there. My baby bump fit in perfectly amongst the round bumpy rocks.

Things I’m loving -

(This is an Amazon affiliate link)

Angelsounds Fetal Heart Doppler – Around week 12 I got really nervous one day and ordered a prenatal home doppler online. I try not to use it compulsively but it’s nice to be able to get a quick listen. It’s also awesome because you can hook it up to your computer and record the heartbeat. We listened and recorded last night and sent the audio to our moms this morning for mother’s day. It’s amazing.

Camelbak Waterbottles – Sometimes I struggle with keeping myself hydrated. I just don’t think about filling up a glass of water. With one of these water bottles it’s so much easier. It holds 32 ounces and I just do my best to finish one or two a day, on top of whatever I drink with meals. I like this particular water bottle because it’s easy to carry and has the retractable mouthpiece.

Game of Thrones – Do you watch this show?? I loooove it. It’s crazy and weird and dramatic and entertaining.

That’s a wrap! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading. Have a great weekend and be sure to check back later this week, I’ll be sharing the recipe for the first batch of ice cream I made this season. Yum!

Creamy Taco Mac

Jessica — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:47 +0000

If you browse food blogs at all then there is a good chance you’ve seen this (or a version of this) before. Why has it graced so many food blogs? In short, because it’s amazing. Not amazing in a fine dining kind of way, but in a homey, comforting kind of way. It’s the from-scratch cook’s answer to Hamburger Helper. You can easily throw this meal together on a busy weeknight, but more importantly you can feel good about serving this to your family.

Jesse, bless his heart, has actually been known to request Hamburger Helper from time to time. In order to do my best to indulge him, I’ve made several homemade versions. He says they are all good but this one is the clear winner.

Creamy Taco Mac

Ingredients
1.25 lbs. ground turkey
8 oz rotini pasta
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 -14 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos*, drained
4 Tbsp (or one packet) taco seasoning
4 oz cream cheese (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro and shredded cheese, for garnish (optional)

*If you can’t find diced tomatoes with jalapenos it’s also fine with plain diced tomatoes or diced tomatoes with green chiles

Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente, according to directions on package. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, start to brown the ground turkey. When the turkey is stating to brown and almost cooked through, add the onions. Once the turkey is done, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes and taco seasoning, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta, cream cheese, and sour cream, stirring until the cream cheese is melted and well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Simmer for 5 minutes, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.

Serve with fresh cilantro and shredded cheese.

Barely adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Delish

Looking for more easy, weeknight dinners? Check these out-

Shells and Cheese with Kielbasa and Peas
Mexican Lasagna
Sloppy Joes
Creamy Shrimp Pasta

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes for Krystal’s Virtual Shower

Jessica — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:00:13 +0000

Today I’m participating in another virtual baby shower! This one is for my sweet friend Krystal, of Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate! She is on her way to 2 under 2! Last year she had a sweet baby girl, Elena, and now she is expecting another little one. When she was pregnant with Elena she was Team Green and it was torture waiting to find out what she had. Not knowing what she was having she lovingly referred to baby as Cookie. This time around they decided to find out ahead of time and they are having a baby boy! Of course it only seemed appropriate for him to have a fun foodie nickname as well, so he is lovingly referred to as Cupcake.

To honor Krystal and her little Cupcake, Eva has graciously offered to host this virtual shower. The theme is… cupcakes! So each of the shower participants is contributing a different cupcake recipe. Originally I was thinking of a more delicate cherry vanilla cupcake. Then I thought, she’s having a boy! He needs a strong and powerful cupcake. Thus was born the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcake. Rich and chocolatey, sweet and salty, with a powerful presence.

Krystal, Elena, and me just a few weeks ago!

Krystal, I am so happy that we have become friends over these past few years. Your support and positive outlook has meant so much to me! I’m lucky to have a fellow SoCal blogging girl as a friend! Congratulations on your sweet baby boy. I can’t wait to meet him!!

Don’t forget to check out Eva’s blog to see the rest of the yummy cupcakes!

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes

Pretzel Crust

Ingredients
3 cups pretzel twists
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Place pretzel twists in the bowl of a food processor. Process in 15-20 second spurts until well broken up. Add the brown sugar and process for an additional 10 seconds to combine. Stream in the melted butter while processing

Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool completely.

As seen on Cupcake Project, originally from Allrecipes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp hot water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3.4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions
While the pretzel crusts are cooling, leave oven on heated to 350 degrees.

In a glass measuring cup, stir together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. Whisk constantly until butter is melted and combined with the sugar and the mixture looks smooth and shiny. Pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Next alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream in 2 additions (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the tins (mine were a little more than 2/3 full, I was a little worried they may spill over, but they rose perfectly and stayed in their liners). Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy cream
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions
Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until solid. Once solid, place in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until light and fluffy and a good texture for piping.

As posted previously on Sunny Side Up, originally from Savory Sweet Life

To assemble

Ingredients
Additional crushed pretzels
Chocolate covered pretzels

Directions
Pipe whipped ganache onto cupcakes. When you’re ready to serve cupcakes*, sprinkle with crushed pretzels and top with a chocolate covered pretzel.

*Pretzels will start to get a little soggy and less crunchy the longer they are on the cupcake, so it’s best to wait as long as possible before adding them.

Weekend Dish – 5/5

Jessica — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:39:31 +0000

Weekend Dish is place for me to get a little more personal! If you just come to Sunny Side Up for the food, feel free to skip this post but be sure to check back next week for new food photos and recipes!

First of all, I can not believe it is already May! This year is seriously flying by. I feel like it was January just yesterday! Second, an early birthday shout out to my dad. His birthday is tomorrow!

Blog Recap -

Barbeque Pork Tenderloin Wraps – More of a meal idea than a recipe, but still absolutely delicious and a summer time favorite of mine.

Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce – This is a dream sauce. A little spicy, a little tangy, super fresh, and delicious. I served mine over penne with chicken and a simple black bean and corn salad. But it would also be amazing over fish, shrimp or all on its own!

Pregnancy Update -

Jesse wanted to snap a belly pic of me this week and we realized I was wearing the same shirt as last month’s photo. It was funny to see the side by side comparison. I think it’s safe to say I popped this month! I’m 22 weeks now and I still can’t believe I’ve already passed the halfway point! Bake baby, bake!

Sadly one unfortunate pregnancy symptom has crept up on me this week. Heartburn!! And not from the things you would expect (like spicy food). Nope. I get heart burn from things like pretzels and bagels. And chocolate!! Good thing we have an extra large bottle of tums! Other than that, I’m doing really good. Happy to be growing this healthy little girl.

My week through Instagram -

Last Sunday I made pizza for dinner, look at the size of those mushrooms!!

We’ve been making an effort to get outside and explore San Diego more. Yesterday we went to an area called Sunset Cliffs and did some walking around and hiking (very careful and safe hiking)!

Another view of Sunset Cliffs. We really wanted to get down to those tide pools, but we couldn’t figure out a safe and easy way for my pregnant belly to get down.

That’s a wrap! Thanks for stopping by and reading. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a special celebration of my good friend Krystal and her soon-to-be-born baby boy!

Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce

Jessica — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:36:35 +0000

Earlier in the week I posted on Facebook about a dinner exceeding my expectations. This is that dinner. When I read the list of ingredients, poblano peppers, tomatillo, avocado, cilantro… OF COURSE I knew I would like the sauce. What’s not to love about all of those things? What I didn’t expect was standing over my food processor bowl with a spoon hoping that I could manage to leave enough sauce in it to actually serve for dinner. That’s how much I ~~liked~~ loved this stuff. (Notice in the photo I put sauce under AND over the chicken).

What makes this sauce even better is its versatility. I used it as a semi pasta sauce and served it with grilled chicken and a black bean and corn salad. Of course it could easily go over rice or just plain right on top of chicken. I also have plans in the near future to serve it over top of fish. I’m guessing it would also go perfectly grilled shrimp. The possibilities are endless. And I’m all about versatility in the kitchen.

Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce (served over penne pasta with chicken)

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 or 2 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and halved*
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
2 medium or 3 small tomatillos, husked, cored, and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4-1/3 cup half and half

*I only used 1 jalapeno and Jesse and I both agreed that we could have handled one more

Directions

Preheat your oven on the broiler setting. Place the onion, jalapeno, poblano pepper, tomatillos, and garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with canola oil. Place the baking sheet under the broiler, until the peppers start to char and the vegetables are softened. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the avocado, cilantro and lime juice. Process until it is almost smooth* then, with the processor still running, stream in 1/4 cup of the half and half. If you would like the sauce a little thinner, add a little more half and half.

Serve with grilled chicken, fish or shrimp over penne pasta or rice. Also goes great with a simple black bean and corn salad.

*I processed mine for a little longer than I needed too, as a result I lost some of the beautiful flecks of dark green cilantro. But it still tasted great!

Source: As seen on Elly Says Opa, originally from Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010, via Our Life in Food

Looking for more sauce recipes?

Tzatziki Sauce
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Jack Daniels Sauce
Southwest Marinade and Sauce

Barbeque Pork Tenderloin Wraps

Jessica — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:00:02 +0000

Years and years ago my family would go to an annual wine festival in Ohio. I was a little too young to sample the wine, but there were other fun festival type things to keep my occupied. And there was the food. Not your typical FRY EVERYTHING festival food, but good food!

One of the wine festival foods that really stuck with my family were the pork tenderloin wraps. Sweet goodness these are filling and fresh. Juicy tender pork with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese, barbeque sauce, and ranch dressing, all wrapped in a warm fresh tortilla. Yes, you read that right, barbeque sauce AND ranch dressing. Don’t be scared. It sounds weird, but it works.

My family loved these wraps so much that they became a regular at summertime family gatherings. In fact, these wraps were sort of a pork game changer for me. At one point in my life I didn’t think I liked pork. Then we started having these regularly and I couldn’t wait for my mom to say we were going to my aunt’s house for pork tenderloin wraps. I still love them and I hope you will too!

P.S. These tortillas were homemade, too! Recipe coming soon!

Barbeque Pork Tenderloin Wraps

Ingredients
1 lb pork tenderloin, dry rubbed, cooked, sliced on the diagonal (see recipe below)
Chopped lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Shredded cheddar cheese
Barbeque sauce
Ranch dressing
Flour tortillas, warmed

Directions
Fill tortillas with desired fixings. Top with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Barbeque Pork Tenderloin Rub

Ingredients
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry onion flakes

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine all ingredients in a small dish. Rub generously over pork tenderloin and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Place tenderloin on lightly greased baking sheet. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 145 degrees. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing on a diagonal. Alternatively, you could grill the pork tenderloin.

Here are a few of my other favorite pork recipes!

Island Pork Tenderloin
Garlic and Herb Crusted Pork Loin
Shanghai Stir-Fried Pork and Cabbage
Coffee Chipotle Pulled Pork

Weekend Dish – 4/28

Jessica — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:17:31 +0000

Once again there wasn’t a lot going on this week as far blogging goes. This was my final week of two BSN courses that were brutal. It’s not that the content was difficult, there were just a lot of assignments squeezed into the 5 week format (usually I only take 1 5-week class at a time). Thankfully I have 2 FULL WEEKS (!!) off before I start the summer session, so things should be picking up around here! Anyway, on to the weekly recaps!

Blog Recap -

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells - This meal was absolutely delicious! The perfect marriage between classic stuffed shells and spicy buffalo chicken. You should consider adding them to your weekly menu! Surprisingly I haven’t had any comments on the post yet, so if you try it let me know what you think!

Pregnancy Update -

Sorry! Another cheesy bathroom self pic. Wednesday I was officially 21 weeks along and things are pretty low key right now. My second trimester energy is still going strong. Thank goodness because I needed it to get through my school assignments this week. Baby girl is still kicking away and I’m still loving it.

I was struck by a case of pregnancy brain this week. I was flipping a turkey (because everyone cooks a turkey in April when it’s 75 degrees outside) and without thinking I let my wrist touch the handles. Ouch. I wish I could say that was the first time something like that has happened, but I’ve had a bad habit of grabbing hot handles over the last 21 weeks. Must remember to be more careful!!

In other pregnancy related news, I got my first, “Wow, you’re getting big. How far along are you? Still almost 20 weeks left??” I blame my short waist. She has no where to go but out…

My week through Instagram -

I did so much typing for school my K button popped right off the keyboard!

This little kitty made herself right at home at the table one night after dinner. Cats at the table are gross… I know. But look how cute she is!!

Friday night, after finishing the LAST assignment of the semester, I celebrated by making cookies! Kitchen Aid provides the best kind of therapy.

Saturday we went for a drive and stopped by to see the seals in La Jolla. There were a ton of them. It was little stinky, but still beautiful!

Things I’m loving –

New feature this week! Here I’ll share some things that I’ve been really loving lately! (photo credit to the corresponding companies)

Ocean Spray 100% cranberry juices have been a HUGE craving of mine lately. My favorite is Cranberry Raspberry, but I really like them all. The fact that they’re 100% juice and don’t have any added sugar makes me feel a little better about having a glass every.single.day. Baby girl might come out a cranberry…

Motherhood Maternity side rouched tank tops rock my socks. Seriously. I live in these thing. My every day outfit – tank top, cardigan, maternity jeans/skirt/yoga pants. In fact, it’s what I’m wearing in the pregnancy update photo.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub is my favorite face wash ever. The best part is the cool, tingly, feeling my face gets when I use it. Makes me feel so fresh and so clean!

That’s a wrap! Thanks for stopping by and have an awesome week!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

Jessica — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:32:03 +0000

Up until a few weeks into my second trimester I had a major aversion to chicken. Just the thought of it icked me out. The first time I noticed the aversion was when I was having lunch with a friend and I ordered a buffalo chicken wrap. I took one bite, looked at my friend, covered my mouth with a napkin and said, “Sorry”. I wound up picking out all of the chicken (and half of the lettuce). Next time we went for lunch I asked them to replace the chicken with beans (yeah, that’s right, I ordered a buffalo bean wrap, and it was delicious!).

I am finally over that crazy aversion and we’re back to having chicken several nights a week. Of course it’s easy for things to get repetitive when you eat chicken for dinner several times a week, so I’m always trying to think up new ways to use it. What better way to spice up chicken than to add buffalo sauce? To mix it up even more I decided to stuff the chicken in pasta shells. The result was fantastic! We absolutely loved this dinner, hope you do too!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

Ingredients
~20 large pasta shells
1 15 oz container part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp blue cheese crumbles
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 green onion, finely diced
1/2 oz (1/2 packet) Ranch seasoning packet
1/4 – 1/2 cup Buffalo sauce (You can try making your own or use something like Franks)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 small chicken breast, cooked and chopped/shredded*
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
Cheddar cheese, blue cheese crumbles, green onion, celery, and additional buffalo sauce for topping

*You can poach the chicken, bake the chicken, pick it off a store bought chicken or use left over shredded chicken. Whatever is easiest for you!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a casserole dish by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells just a minute shy of directions on box. (This makes them easier to handle when you’re stuffing them, they will finish cooking in the oven). Once their finished, drain them and rinse with cold water.

While the shells are boiling, combine the ricotta, blue cheese, celery, green onion, ranch seasoning packet, 1/4 cup of Buffalo in a large bowl. Taste the filling and add more Buffalo sauce if you would like it spicier. Once the filling suits your taste, mix in the egg. Add the cooked chopped chicken to the bowl and stir to combine.

Fill the shells with filling and place in the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with additional buffalo sauce and top with cheddar cheese and additional blue cheese crumbles. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 18 minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl combine the melted butter, Panko, parsley, garlic powder, and salt. After 18 minutes, remove shells from oven and sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the shells. Bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the bread crumbs start to turn golden brown. (If you’re careful and keep an eye on it you can turn the broiler on for a minute or two at the end).

Top with additional green onions and diced celery. Serve hot with extra Buffalo sauce, Ranch, and a salad on the side

Sunny Side Up original

Check out these other tasty Buffalo recipes, too!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Buffalo Chicken Bites
Homemade Spicy Garlic Buffalo Sauce
Buffalo Chicken Sliders