Sugar & Spice by Celeste

This chicken recipe reminds me of something I'd be served in a high-end restaurant.  It's packed with rich flavors - hello pecans, brown sugar and bourbon! - and is actually really easy to make.  It's equally as great as a quick weeknight meal or an anniversary dinner. Chicken breasts are dredged in a quick mixture of pecans, bread crumbs and salt, and then seared for about 5 minutes to add a beautiful, brown color.  While the chicken finishes cooking in the oven, a delicious sauce made of brown sugar, Dijon, bourbon, and soy sauce is whisked up and is poured over the chicken before serving. Enjoy! Bourbon Pecan Chicken Adapted from: Allrecipes.com Ingredients : ½ cup finely chopped pecans ½ cup dry bread crumbs ¼ tsp salt 1 egg 3 Tbsp milk 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp packed, dark brown sugar 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 4 tsp bourbon 1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes 1/4 cup sliced green onio...

You know what they say - When life gives you left-over buttermilk biscuits, make croutons! Wait a minute, I think I got that a little bit wrong.  ;) But seriously, where have buttermilk biscuit croutons BEEN all my life?!?  They are insanely delicious right out of the oven, and equally amazing after they've cooled and hardened a bit.  I came across the idea in the May 2014 issue of Southern Living magazine, and wondered, "Why haven't I thought of this before?" This is a wonderfully fresh take on the classic buttermilk biscuit and is the perfect way to use up extra biscuits that you might have on-hand.  Because we all know, it would simply be a crying shame to waste something as mouth-watering as a homemade biscuit! I paired these croutons with a flavor-packed salad that will be one of your favorites this summer.  It's filled with fresh strawberries, blueberries, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, red onion, chicken, biscuit croutons, and sunflower ke...

Cornbread is so under-rated, don't you think?  There are so many fun things you can do with it.  For example, this recipe incorporates buffalo chicken, cheddar cheese, blue cheese and freshly chopped cilantro right in the batter.  Um, yum!  And if that deliciousness isn't quite enough for you, a flavorful salad is served right on top of a generous wedge of the cornbread, making this an excellent addition to your weeknight repertoire.  Before eating this, I had never seen a salad served on TOP of cornbread, which I thought was pretty creative and made for a great pairing. Upon first bite, Brad was hooked.  He loved this cornbread, and I'm usually the only bread fanatic around here.  In fact, this dish is so fantastic, that it actually won first place in the Martha White-Lodge Cast Iron National Cornbread Cook-Off in 2009!  I mean, come on...You can't go wrong here. I was also hooked the first time I had this dish.  It was at the ...

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Can you believe 2014 is already here?  Last year seemed to go by so quickly, and I hope it was a fantastic year for you.  Personally, I'm super excited about 2014 and can't wait to see what it has in store.  The recipe I'm bringing you today is a hearty, warm salad that will be an easy, flavorful addition to your weeknight repertoire.  The ingredients are common and making use of a rotisserie chicken takes this dish up even one more notch on the simplicity scale.  Plus, anytime I can incorporate a little healthy quinoa into a meal, I'm in. First, a quick dressing is whipped up using red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Half of this dressing is drizzled over the mushrooms, and then they are broiled until tender.  Delish.  After that, all that's left is cooking the quinoa and then mixing together all the ingredients in a big ole' bowl - baby spinach, chicken, quinoa, mushrooms and the remaining ...

  Oh, how I love this dish.  First of all, Brad and I adore Mexican food.  We make it a point to fit it into our schedules at least once a week, if not more.  Secondly, this dish is so easy and flavorful, that I made it three times within the same week.  See, we had extra ingredients on hand after the first night, and I didn't want them to go to waste.  The solution?  Enjoy it multiple times, of course! Making use of a rotisserie chicken makes this meal even easier.  If you can't get your hands on a rotisserie chicken, simply poach some chicken breasts ahead of time and shred the meat.  In fact, that's what the original recipe called for. The tortillas are covered with shredded cheese and then baked to crispy, cheesy perfection.  Then, they are topped with a mixture of tender chicken, salsa verde, fresh cilantro and ground cumin.  This all bakes in the oven until piping hot, and then it's served with a mountain of shredded le...

I love a good, tasty salad, and pretty much any salad that incorporates roasted walnuts, pecans or almonds is at the top of my list.   This one caught my eye while scanning the pages of my latest Food Network Magazine.  While glancing at the ingredients list, I noticed something that I had never cooked with before - hearts of palm.  I had heard of this unfamiliar ingredient before but never used it.  I was intrigued, so I dog-eared the page. Fast forward about a week, and this salad graced our dinner table.  If you're a fan of salad dressings made with greek yogurt, then you'll love this.  It's such a healthy alternative to others.  The blue cheese knocks the dressing down a few notches on the healthy scale, but it adds a great creaminess and flavor to the dressing, which complements the roasted walnuts wonderfully. To be honest, Brad was not a huge fan of this salad, for two reasons:   #1:  He doesn't really like greek yog...

  Can I just start out by saying how much I loved this meal?  It's such a flavor-packed combination that's filled with healthy goodness like red quinoa, corn and kale.  But, this isn't one of those puny, healthy meals that leaves you hungry.  No sir...This is one of those dinners that will make you realize that eating healthy can be delicious! Plus, it's such a pretty meal, that you'll want to dig right in.  The chicken is super simple to make.  Chicken breasts are flavored with fresh rosemary, salt & pepper, and then sauteed until done.  Next, the quinoa is flavored with onions, garlic, fresh basil, mint and lemon juice. Mmm. My mouth is seriously watering right now. Be sure and use fresh rosemary, basil and mint if possible.  Fresh herbs make a big difference with this recipe.   Bon Appetit, my friends! Rosemary Chicken with Corn Quinoa Adapted from:  Southern Living magazine September 2013 Ingredients: 4 ...

Here in Birmingham, AL, the leaves are JUST starting to change color, and there's been a wonderful nip in the air at night.  Last evening while out and about with the hubs, I wished I had a light coat for the first time all season.  Autumn is upon us, which is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year.   This recipe for Baked Gnocchi with Chicken is absolutely perfect for these cooler nights.  It is a hearty dish that will warm your tummy and leave you happy.  The word "comforting" comes to mind when trying to describe this dinner. I've been slightly obsessed with gnocchi lately.  I don't know what it is.  I've been purchasing store-bought gnocchi, but I'd love to learn to make it from scratch.  Oh, one of these days!  There's no better time than the present, I reckon.  I need to add that to my culinary "To-Do" list.  Who has a homemade gnocchi recipe they'd be willing to share? I loved this dish because it's packed w...

I've been searching for the perfect balsamic vinaigrette that's easy to make at home and tastes delectable.  I'm thrilled to say that I've finally perfected said recipe and am eager to share it with you all! This salad was inspired by a trip to our local farmers market a few weeks ago.  I purchased some gorgeous arugula, red & yellow tomatoes, and a dozen cute-as-a-button quail eggs.  That's the thing I adore about farmers markets...I always find something new and exciting that I usually don't cook or bake with.   When I stumbled upon these quail eggs, I knew that I had to try some.  This is the first time I've cooked with them, and it was a success.  They taste just like a regular egg (surprise!), with a mild flavor.  Just be careful not to overcook them, and you'll be good to go. A fantastic salad is one of my favorite things to eat during the summer.  The flavor combinations are endless and change with what's in season....

I've had a sick hubby on my hands over the past few days.  He better start feeling better soon, though, because there's a lot of good eatin' to be done tomorrow on Thanksgiving!  Something tells me that after that first bite of the cornbread & sausage dressing that he looks forward to for 364 days a year, he'll be much better!  ( Speaking of Thanksgiving, this dish would be a perfect way to use leftover turkey! ) Last night, he was feeling extra sick and pitiful...sore throat, headache, etc, etc...It's just that time of year, I reckon.  I had some leftover chicken already cooked from the previous night, so Chicken Noodle Soup sounded perfect...easy, yet comforting. There's just something about chicken noodle soup when you're sick, don't you agree?  In fact, when Brad and I were just dating, he had to work one night and wasn't feeling well.  I surprised him by showing up at work with some yummy Chicken Noodle Soup, and it put the biggest ...