Peach Pie

These yummy peaches were a part of an amazing and quick dessert that I made last week. I had some peaches that were in the fridge. I wanted to make something with them; smoothie, cake, fresh fruit salad......but none of that seemed appealing at the time. I am a big fan of the blog How Sweet It Is. The writer is from Pittsburgh, PA. This amazing city has a special place in my heart. She made and amazing Ginger Peach Galette with Almond Crust. I wanted to recreate this with my own twist and ingredients. I didn't have time to make a fresh pie crust so I just used a frozen deep dish one. I took it out of the foil pan it came in, and rolled it out until it was 1/4 thick and kind of circular around. 

My yummy Peaches!! 

Ingredients:

1 deep dish pie crust

3 peaches peeled and sliced

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 egg + a few drops of water (egg wash) beaten together

1/4 c. of your favorite nut, chopped. I used walnuts

1 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine peaches and next 3 ingredients together. Mix well and set aside for at least 10-15 minutes. Roll out pie crust to 1/4 inch thick. It should be kind of circular around but there is not a particular shape that it needs to be in. Place dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put the peaches mixture in the center of the of the crust leaving at least a 1-2 inch border. Fold the crust over the top of the peaches leaving the middle exposed. Brush the crust with the beaten egg wash and layer with you favorite chopped or sliced nuts. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. of sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until crust is browned and cooked underneath. 

Shrimp Tacos

I made these shrimp tacos out of shear desperation for something quick and easy. It's hot here in Texas and I some days when the temperature is 100+ degrees, I don't feel like turning on the oven or slaving over the stove. These shrimp tacos are fresh and easy to do. I used a cast iron skillet to heat the tortillas. They taste much better than just putting them in the microwave or eating them straight out of the package. 

Ingredients:

Your favorite taco seasoning (I used Penzy's Fajita Seasoning)

1 lb. shrimp

3 tbsp. olive oil

8-10 yellow corn tortillas

2 c. shredded cabbage

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Salsa

Limes

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat shrimp in taco seasoning. I like it spicy so I add about 3 tbsp. of the Penzy's seasoning. Cook shrimp in skillet until pink and cooked through. In a black cast iron skillet, warm tortillas. Put 4-5 shrimp in one tortilla. Top with cabbage, salsa, and lime juice. Enjoy! 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Picture is kind of blurry, but trust me this is great! 

I really tried to get a better picture but the food feature on my camera was not cooperating that day. This was the best photo that I could get. 

I used the Gazebo Room Dressing again. This time I used the vinaigrette version to marinate the chicken and it did not disappoint. I marinated it the night before I was going to make this so that the flavors would be even more intense. 

Once the chicken was marinated I wrapped each chicken breast (you could use thighs too) in two pieces of bacon with then ends of the bacon tucked underneath the chicken so that it would stay put. I put the chicken on a foil lined sheet pan with sides. I cut up some potatoes, added carrots, and sprinkled everything with 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp. olive oil, dash of salt, and pepper. I baked it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes in the oven I used a metal spatula and flipped over the potatoes and carrots so that they would not burn. 

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

This yummy mixture is the chicken, pepper, onions, garlic, and rosemary. 

Be sure to chop up the broccoli so there are not a lot of huge pieces. 

I really wanted to make a casserole that was easy to make and that we could eat on for a few days. This casserole did not disappoint. I used fajita chicken that was already precooked. You can find it in any grocery store these days. 

1/2 lb. Chicken

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

2 c. frozen broccoli (defrosted)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c. bread crumbs (I smashed up some seasoned croutons)

2 c. cooked rice

1/2-1 c. heavy cream

1 tbsp. rosemary (I used fresh)

1/4 c. onion (I used a purple onion)

1/4 c. red, green, or orange pepper

1 tbsp. garlic (minced)

1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice. In large skillet saute peppers, onion, rosemary, and garlic. Add chicken and saute together until chicken is hot and cooked through. Chop up broccoli and add to skillet. Add can of mushroom and chicken. Stir to combine all ingredients. It will be a little thick. Add rice and stir together. Now you want to add the heavy cream. Stir the mixture together until it is all creamy and delicious looking. It should not be difficult to stir or clumpy. If it is add more heavy cream to thin it out. Add salt and pepper or any seasonings you would like. I added a little dash of Tabasco for some kick. Be sure to taste it before you do the next step. You want to make sure you added enough seasoning. Put mixture in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and bread crumbs have begun to brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before you dig in.  

Salsa Chicken

This chicken is so flavorful and there are only 2 ingredients, chicken and salsa! (and maybe a little olive oil) My friend P-diddy told me about this and I really wanted to try it. She said she only tried it using the Trader Joe's brand salsa, and since I love that salsa SOOOO MUCH I knew I needed to make this. 

I used 3 defrosted chicken breasts. Put in a pan with a little olive oil and saute on both sides for 3-4 minutes only to brown. Add 3/4 of the salsa jar to the pan, put on med-low heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked through. Once cooked, take chicken out and shred with a fork. Put the chicken back in the pan with all of the salsa juices and add the rest of the salsa from the jar to the pan. Mix completely and let simmer for 10 min. on low. That's it! 

This is so easy! Once the chicken was done I put it in a stand and stuff taco shell, added some cheese on top for the hubby, and baked in the oven for 8 minutes on 400 degrees. He devoured three of them. 

I am sure you could probably use another jar of your favorite salsa if you can't get a hold of the Trader Joe's brand. I haven't tried it with anything else but I am sure it would probably be good.