So Yummy Pizzeria Pasta

I have been working my booty off trying to lose this extra weight I've gained. Eating healthy, 6-7 miles on my treadmill daily, & living with 2 high-metabolismed  soldiers...its NOT "easy"! Oh & not to mention my jealousy of not possessing the same metabolism genes that they do...("Skinny as rails" as my Granma used to say!) They can devour a whole coconut cake & not gain a pound, me on the other-hand, I can just look at it & gain 5lbs. Haha! So, a lot of the things I post that look all scrumptiously delicious, most of that is cooked for the boys & I grill me something healthy on my handy-dandy George Foreman Grill. <--That man gets MAJOR praise from me for that invention! (: As usual, I've managed to ramble a bit, so to the point of the following recipe...I LOVVVVVE pizza! Give me a huge overloaded slice of cheesy greasy goodness please!!! I can't have it as much as I would like because no matter what you try to change on a piece of pizza, its still unhealthy. So to appease my craving, I decided to make a pizzeria pasta recipe I found out of an old Cook Healthy cookbook. It is healthier than pizza with only: 168 cals, 4.2 grams fat, & 24.9 carbs! It's a definite winner in my book & it sure is yummy!  The boys love it too & it would be great for the kiddo's also, & best part is, its EASY!(:

Pizzeria Pasta

(this is a double recipe)

2 (9oz) pk. fresh cheese tortellini

Cooking spray

1 medium chopped green pepper

1 medium chopped onion

1 c. fresh sliced mushrooms

2 (8oz) cans no-salt added tomato sauce

1 pk. sliced pepperoni

1 can sliced black olives

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. garlic powder or salt

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

• Cook tortellini according to package, omitting salt.
• While pasta is cooking, coat a medium non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat until hot; add peppers, onions, mushrooms & saute until tender.  Stir in seasonings, olives, pepperoni, & tomato sauce. Cooking until heated through.
• Drain pasta & place in serving bowl; add sauce mixture & cheese to the pasta & toss gently.

Spring Means Cupcakes with Buttercream!

I have to admit, I've always been interested in & love baking. I can remember my little sister & I when we were little, we would play restaurant in the kitchen, experimenting (Ma' called it "MESSING" haha!)  with baking & cooking... pretending like we were chef's while cooking & adding to the recipe, whatever pleased our taste buds..and then dinner guests after the food was finished, talking about how hard our day at 'work' was & about how our 'husbands' (this makes me laugh out loud LITERALLY because they were always crushes like: Jonathon Taylor Thomas, Justin Timberlake, the kid from that old movie The Rookie, & that kid Charlie from The Santa Clause! BAHAHA!!!), were doing! We lived in a nice semi-medium country home out in the country, we had help building it from voluntary church groups from different states all over due to the big tornado back in '94 tearing our old one to pieces, everything was fresh & new. My mother had these swinging french style doors that she put up for decoration...my sister will prob kill me for speaking of it, but she used to crack me up...while waiting for our food to cool, she'd pretend like she was driving on the couch & then she would make noises of dings & roaring at those doors like she were on an elevator, before entering the kitchen, haha, I will never in my life forget that!  I loved the simplicity out there. I find myself missing home & all the memories there sometimes. I can't even tell you how silly we used to be but hey, we were kids! And I know I didnt 'stay in the kitchen with momma' like most girls do to watch & learn how to cook, but I sure looked through her cook books & as I grew older I copied down recipes from her & them, & this butter cream is one I adore because it yummy & simple. I bake ALOT & my cupcakes with this buttercream recipe are ALWAYS a hit!

Quick & Simple Buttercream Frosting

I decided on a spring time color, just lovely! (:

3 c. confectioners' sugar

1 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp. whipping cream

• In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar & butter. Mix on low speed until well blended & then increase speed to medium & beat for another 3minutes.

• Add vanilla & cream (NOW is when I add in my icing coloring gel) & continue to beat on medium speed for 1minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.  

French Onion-Pork Chop Skillet

While my hubbie was fielding for 2weeks, I decided that it was the perfect time for me to make a trip back home & spend some quality time with my family. My aunt, thats pretty much my 2nd Mom, kept all of my Granma's old cookbooks so I decided to take a look-see for something new & fresh to add to our dinner menu. I found some really awesome recipes & I cant wait to give them a try! I am NOT a huge fan of pork, however, my husband on the other hand, well he eats just about anything! I made this for the 1st time tonight & he loved it, of course...& I can actually say that I liked it a lot too!(:

 French Onion-Pork Chop Skillet  

6 boneless chops

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. worcestershire or soy sauce

1 pack chicken stovetop

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 c. hot water

• Heat non-stick sprayed pan on med-high heat. Add chops & onions, cook 10minutes or until done, turning at 5minutes. Remove chops & stir onions until golden.

• Stir in worcestershire sauce, return chops to skillet; top with onion mix.

• Mix stuffing with water; spoon over chops. Top with cheese, cover. Cook 5minutes until cheese is melted.  

ONE skillet + My kinda cooking= Simple & Easy(:

My Easy Semi-Homemade Italian-o Chicken Parmigiana

My Easy Semi-Homemade Italian-o Chicken Parmigiana

I am a pasta-holic...I love pretty much EVERYTHING italian...what can I say, italian is in my genes & I cook ALOT of pasta dishes when my asian side isnt in full throttle cooking something rice. haha! So I have been meaning to post since my last one, but I've been a little sick, then with traveling to see my family down south, I've had very little time to do much of anything! This is a pretty easy, tasty, semi-homemade italian dish that I find myself fixing as a wonderful throw-back comfort food. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this as much as I & everyone I cook this for seems to. An empty plate makes for a VERY happy & full tummy! 

1/4 c. EVOO, plus 3 Tbsp.

  1 medium onion, chopped.

2 garlic cloves, minced.

2 bay leaves.

1/2 c. black olives, sliced.

2 (28oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained & hand-crushed.

Pinch sugar.

Salt & Pepper.

4 boneless chicken breasts(thinly sliced).

1/2 c. all-purpose flour.

2 eggs, lightly beaten.

1 Tbsp. water.

1 c. dried breadcrumbs.

1 (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese.

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese.

1 lb. wheat spaghetti pasta, cooked al-dente.

1/2 c. fresh basil (I used dry italian seasoning).

Note: I bought some cubed-chicken steak breats from walmart & the chicken was pounded thin & very tender...also, I marinated it in a bowl with dry italian seasoning, garlic pepper salt, some EVOO, & a little bit of lemon juice. Also i added a 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce to the cooked spaghetti noodles to make the dish saucier.

-Coat saute pan with EVOO & place over medium heat. When oil gets hazy, add onions, garlic, bay leaves; cook & stir for 5minutes, until fragrant & soft. Add the olives & some hand-torn basil. Carefully add tomatoes, cook & stir until liquid is cooked down & sauce is thick, about 15minutes; season with salt, pepper, & sugar. Lower heat, cover, & keep warm.

-Preheat oven to 450'F.

-Make a little assembly line...Put flour in platter & season with fair amount of salt & pepper; mix with fork. In bowl, combine the eggs & water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on the plate, season with salt & pepper.

-Heat 3 Tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat in over medium-high heat in oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour & then dip them in egg mix to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumbs. When the oil is hot, add the cutlets & fry for 4minutes on each side, until golden & crusty, turning once.

-Spoon the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken & sprinkle with mozzarella & parmesan cheese, & basil. Bake for 15minutes or until cheese is bubbly. 

Serve over spaghetti.