Anniversary Dinner

After being married for 13 years, I'm beginning to take on my husband's practical mindset. :) Okay. Not all the time, but I have my moments. And today was one of them.

I decided that instead of spending the money on a babysitter & dinner out - it would be more practical & cost-effective to enjoy dinner in, especially on a school night. So I splurged some on the ingredients & tried out two new recipes. They both turned out delicious.



The first one I found in Taste of Home, and altered it just a bit. It made lots - enough for leftovers or lunches later on this week, which means another meal I won't have to make! ;) We lit candles, added a salad & sparkling cider to make our anniversary meal complete.

Greek Chicken Pasta

4 c. uncooked penne pasta (approx. 1 box)
1/4 c. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. rotisserie chicken, cubed (I just used leftover grilled chicken)
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 c. sliced pitted Greek olives (or can use black olives instead)
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Chop chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, & olives. Drain pasta & set aside. In the pot used for cooking pasta, melt butter. Take off heat & stir flour until blended. Add the chicken broth & return to heat. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 min. until thickened. Stir in pasta, chicken, artichoke, tomatoes, olives, cheese, & parsley. Serve warm.

I also made this Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Cake for dessert. One word: Yum.

(I think I ate too much.)

Sinfully delicious

With this being Sunday & all, I decided I shouldn't have to go to too much work for something yummy to eat. I found this recipe in a Kraft foods magazine & wanted to try it out. Bad idea. They are way too easy to make & sinfully delicious. And now that I have stumbled, I'm leading you down the wayward path of sugar & calories right along with me!

Crunch Bars

35 Saltine crackers (1 plastic pkg. - 1/4 box)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker's Semi-sweet Chocolate, chopped OR 1 1/2 c. semi-sweet choc. chips
1 c. chopped Walnuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place crackers in a single layer in a foil-lined 15x10" pan. Cook butter & sugar on medium-high heat until butter is melted & mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil; cook 3 min. without stirring. Spread onto crackers. Bake 5-7 min. until topping is golden brown. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand 5 min. or until chocolate is softened; spread over crackers. (OR I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave & spread them right away.) Sprinkle with nuts. Cool. Break into pieces. OR - Be impatient & just pick up a hot piece, burn your tongue, but decide it was totally worth the pain to taste the goodness!

Lemon Crumb Cake

2 c. buttermilk **

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 (15 3/4 oz.) can lemon pie filling

TOPPING:

1 c. flour

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. cold butter

1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, beat buttermilk, sugar, eggs, butter & vanilla until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda; slowly beat in until blended. Pour into greased 9x13" pan. Drop pie filling by teaspoonfuls over batter. In a small bowl, combine flour & sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min. Cool for 10 min. on wire rack. Serve warm.

** If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own. Pour 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar) into a 1 c. measuring cup & fill the rest of the way with milk. Let it set for a minute, then add to the recipe. **

I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. Though I'm not sure that it technically qualifies under the "healthy" category. But it sure was yummy! I am & will always be addicted to chocolate, but I am gradually falling more in love with other flavors.

Moist Caramel-Apple Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

1 c. water

4 eggs

1/3 c. oil

3 apples (Granny Smith)

caramel ice cream topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples; chop coarsely. Beat cake mix, pudding, water, eggs & oil on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed 2 min. Stir in apples. Pour into greased fluted tube pan. Bake 50 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake for 15 min. & invert onto cake plate. Drizzle ice cream topping over cake.

Abbie made this cake over the weekend. It was moist & delicious, despite the fact that I forgot to set the timer & it was plenty "crispy" around the edges! :) We substituted regular apples for the Granny Smith & it was just as yummy. Definitely a new Fall favorite!