Just Keeps Gettin’ Better!

Boy, I’m tellin’ ya, today’s eats just keep getting better and BETTER!  Not only do I have a delicious dinner recipe to share with you, but I ALSO took advantage of my free time today to do some baking. 😛  More on that in a minute though, but here’s a little preview to keep you on your toes. 😉

Ok, now let’s get to dinner!

I came across a recipe last night on Eating Well, which is, by the way, one of my favorite online recipe websites.  When I saw the unique combo of ingredients, I knew I had to give it a try.

Chicken & Blueberry Pasta Salad

This recipe was just as much unique as it was delicious.  The flavor of lime was very potent, but getting the bites of blueberries, feta, and chicken helped give the entire dish a taste that was like nothing I’ve ever tried.  I couldn’t get over how yummy it was!  And I must give Jay props for trying (and liking) it, since his initial reaction was “umm, fruit does not belong in my pasta”. 😉  I added some spinach & romaine to the bottoms of our bowls just to amp up the veggies.

I also had another slice of my Hearty Oat Loaf with dinner.  It’s “mmm, mmm, GOOD” 😀

Chicken & Blueberry Pasta Salad

(adapted from Eating Well)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
• 8 oz. whole-wheat rotini
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp freshly grated lime zest
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a skillet and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until cooked through and no longer pink, 10-12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board to cool.  Cut into bite-size chunks.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, about 9 mins. Drain. Place in a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, place oil and shallot in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 2-5 minutes.  Add broth, feta, and lime juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the feta starts to melt, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to the pasta bowl. Add the dressing, blueberries, thyme, lime zest, and salt and toss until combined. Enjoy!!

OK, so you’ve waited…are you ready to see today’s baking session?? 😀

Thanks to my browsing on the mouth-watering site Picky Palate, I became immediately inspired to recreate Jenny’s Stuffed Smore’s Brownies recipe!

Not only was I super-excited by the combo of ingredients, but the recipe itself is SO EASY!

Start off with a box of brownie mix and mix according to package directions.  Pour 1/2 of your batter into a foil-lined 8×8 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Layer on your graham crackers (I used almost 4)…

Then your Hershey’s chocolate (I used 4 bars)…

And you can’t forget the ‘mallows (16, to be exact!)

Pour the rest of your batter over the layers…

Then pop ’em in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, and if you’re lucky, they end up coming out like this!

Check out those layers!! 😀

These are definitely NOT going to be able to stay in my house without me eating them all!  I think they may have to go into work with the hubby tomorrow…these things = TROUBLE for my sweet tooth! 😛  I tried a little bite of Jay’s, and…HOLY SMORE’S!!  All I needed was a campfire, and I was good to go!

I’m off to go be a good wifey and watch Jay play in his softball game! 🙂

What’s your favorite way to eat brownies?

I’m also a HUGE fan of adding raspberry extract to my brownies, to give them just a little hint of raspberry.  Hershey’s used to make these fabulous raspberry chips, but I’m pretty sure they discontinued them, because I haven’t been able to find them in years!