Dark Chocolate Pie

As a southern gal, I am a pie lover. But chocolate pie takes the cake.

......... Wait, What?

This chocolate pie is probably the easiest dessert I have ever made.

......and I have made a lot of desserts.

It's ridiculously easy, and so smooth and gooey and chocolaty. The pie crust is so perfect because it gives it that sweet and salty dimension.

I made it for a cookout I had at my house and everyone loved it. It's perfect for big groups!

.... or just for yourself :)

Are you ready for how easy this is?

First things first I have to confess that I am a total cheater.. because I bought my pie crust. I didn't make it from scratch. I was already crazed cooking a million other things so, I cheated.

And you know what? It was delicious.

I love this pie crust recipe if you are up for trying one!

I ended up buying the Pillsbury pie crust. I let it sit out at room temp for half an hour before using it. You will learn if you do not know already, working with pie crust can be a pain. But it is even MORE of a pain when it's solid and cold.. room temp softens it up a bit and makes it easier to work with.

Once you have your pie pan covered in your crust, take semisweet baking chocolate, and melt it with a stick of butter on the stove top. Once it's melted, add your sugar.

Tip: do this on LOW heat and stir the chocolate constantly. Chocolate burns very easily and it will ruin!

Beat two eggs with a whisk, until fluffy and bright. Let your chocolate mixture cool. This can be tricky, if you leave it too long it may solidify a bit, which you don't want. However, if it's still piping hot it will cook the egg, you don't want that either. Let it cool so that it's still warm, but not hot.

Cooking is like science. Science is hard.

Add the chocolate mixture to your beaten eggs.

Mix it all together and pour in your pie crust...

Bake for 30 minutes..

And then you have the best chocolate pie ever.

Just in time for the weekend! Let me know how you enjoy it!

XO

Full Recipe

1 4oz. bar semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 pie crust

1. Spray 8-inch pie plate with non stick cooking spray, spread pie crust evenly in baking dish. Press corners and edges to ensure it fits correctly.

2. Melt butter and chocolate on stove top over low heat, stirring consistently.

3. Stir in sugar, set aside to cool

4. Beat eggs with whisk in large bowl until bright and fluffy.

5. Add (slightly cooled) chocolate mixture to beaten eggs, mix until combined.

6. Pour chocolate and egg mixture evenly into prepared pie crust. 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

8. If you can resist, let it cool to room temp before eating. I topped mine with whipped cream! :)

Weekend Food: Grilled Veggie & Meat Kabobs

The weekend came and went so fast! As always. Saturday night I had friends over for a bonfire and to throw something delicious on the grill. We decided to go with kabobs, which turned out to be a really great choice!

I loved the variation, and that you can really make all different combinations of flavors and vegetables. 

I went with chicken and beef. Sirloin beef tips turned out to be the perfect beef choice. I had the butcher cube some for me into medium sized pieces, and I sliced chicken breast myself.

For the chicken breast I seasoned it really heavily and marinated it in lemon juice. And for the beef, I seasoned it heavily as well, and used red wine, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce!

I let them marinate in freezer bags for about 12 hours. There isn't really a rule on how long something has to marinate but honestly, the longer the better.

Before everyone came over I started assembling the kabobs. I used around 4 pieces of meat per kabob, and would alternate meat with a variety of veggies. For veggies I chose bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. 

Once they were assembled we threw them on the grill.

Sizzle sizzle.

I flipped them just enough times to get them nice and blackened on the outside. They turned out so good! 

Tip: If you like your veggies more cooked and caramelized, I would maybe saute them on low heat for a few minutes before assembling the kabobs. They were a little too under-cooked for my liking, but I did not want to overcook the meat.

I also made a chocolate pie for dessert that I can't wait to share! Standby, it is coming soon.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Thankfully, we are already halfway to another one!

XO

Full Recipe

For the beef:

1 lb sirloin beef tips

1/4 cup Worcestershire

1/2 cup red wine 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbs minced garlic

1 tbs black pepper

1 tbs coarse salt

Mix all ingredients into a freezer bag and marinate for 12 hours.

For the chicken:

1 lb chicken breast, cubed

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon coarse salt

Juice from 1 1/12 lemon

Mix all ingredients into a freezer bag and marinate for 12 hours.

For vegetables, I used white onion, red and green bell peppers, and halved mushrooms.

Preheat grill on medium-high heat. Assemble kabobs on skewers, alternating between sliced vegetables and marinated meat meat. Use 3-4 slices of meat per kabob. Place kabobs onto the hot grill, turning every 4 minutes. Grill 8-10 minutes, until desired texture of meat. is reached.

I served mine with grilled zucchini and oven roasted potatoes!

Meatball Stuffed Pepper Rings

So I REALLY want to call these "Stuffed Peppers"........ but technically that's not what they are..

I would say these are a variation of stuffed peppers.  Traditional Stuffed Peppers are one of my favorite things to make. They are a weekly staple at my house! But these... these may be even better.

I know I have raved and raved about how much I love meatballs.. I would eat them every day if acceptable. So meatball stuffed peppers??!

..........What dreams are made of.

These actually turned out even better than I thought they would.. if that's even possible? The meat is so rich, almost like a meatloaf consistency because of the breadcrumbs.. but the flavor of a meatball. You brown both sides in a hot skillet before baking them, so they get crusty and crunchy on the outside, but then bake them so that they're soft and moist in the middle. The meat is not dry, and has so much flavor. The peppers get soft and tender... and you top it all with diced tomato and mozzarella cheese...I am telling  you, this recipe is a home run.

You want to start off by making your meatball mixture. Combine all of the meat ignredients into a bowl. and stuff your sliced pepper rings. Once they're generously stuffed, brown them on each side in a medium-high, hot skillet.

Brown on each side for 3-4 minutes, your house will smell like Heaven.

Pop them in the oven with two tablespoons (or more) of diced tomatoes on top. (I am a cheater and used canned tomatoes.) Bake for half an hour... in the last minute or two, add tons of mozzarella cheese...

... and Voila!

I was so impressed at how amazing these turned out! A new weekly favorite for sure. I wanted to save some to bring for lunch but... all of them were gone!

Also, had to share a few funny outtakes. This guy is always lurking in the kitchen... I felt like I was being watched.....

So I creep, yeahhh.. just creepin' on the down low.. cept' nobody supposed to know.. 

....Sweetest fact in the world... but I am not biased at all ;)

Happy Friday!! XOXO

Full Recipe

4 lg bell peppers

2lbs ground beef

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1 Tbls garlic powder

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

Pinch of onion powder

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

2 Tbls Olive Oil

Mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare peppers by slicing top/stem off, remove core of pepper and all seeds. Slice peppers into 3 thick rings. Place on lined baking sheet.

2. Prepare your meat mixture by combining ground beef, break crumbs, spices, and egg, mix with hands until combined well.

3. Stuff Pepper rings with generous amount of meat filling. You want it to sort of dome over the top if possible. 

4. Heat Olive Oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown stuffed pepper rings  for 3-4 minutes on either side, browning sides. Spoon diced tomatoes on top.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, adding mozzarella cheese for the last minute.

5. Make extra so you can bring some for lunch the next day :)

Blue Ridge Mountain Photo Dump

We had the most beautiful visit with family in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

We shopped the local shops downtown...

Couldn't leave without a visit to Lake Blue Ridge..

and a weekend getaway is not complete without steaks on the grill..

.... and an unbeatable dinner view

 The sunset was magical..

... And the love from our sweet twin nieces made our hearts explode.

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! XO

White Chicken Enchiladas

I'm not sure you'll believe just how easy this recipe is. Enchiladas are so good, how can the recipe be so easy?? It is. And I make this recipe at least once a week.

Often times enchiladas are served the traditional way, which is with a red sauce. The red sauce is delicious but I am more of a white sauce gal myself. The white sauce is made from butter, cheese, and sour cream (only the three greatest ingredients of all time) with green chile peppers, until it gets all bubbly and rich. 

Trust me, this recipe will soon be on the weekly menu at your house too. They are so simple.

I threw three chicken breasts into the crock-pot with some taco seasoning. I cooked them on medium heat for a few hours until they were done. Shred the chicken breasts once they're cooked.

Combine the shredded chicken with a tablespoon of sour cream, (or however much you prefer..) and a handful of cheese, and wrap generous portions in your tortillas. A lot like making a soft taco. Once they are rolled, lay them in a greased baking dish. Set aside.(I lay mine in the baking dish with the 'open' side of the rolled tortilla down, so they do not reopen.)

For the sauce, first you want to add your butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's all melted, add your flour and whisk it until it is combined. 

Cook the flour mixture for one minute.. letting this cook down for a minute or two removes any flour taste.

Add your chicken broth and let it begin to bubble just slightly until you see tiny bubbles around the edges.

See? Tiny bubbles.

Remove this from the heat, and let it cool for a few minutes. You don't want it to be cold but you really don't want it to be hot, because your sour cream will curdle in the hot broth, and that will be no bueno.

Once it has cooled for a few minutes, add your green chiles and sour cream, and stir and watch it get creamy and beautiful.

Now dump your white sauce on the prepped enchiladas. Cover them generously! 

Tip: Add shredded cheese on top of your rolled tortillas before pouring the sauce, and add more shredded cheese on top of the sauce. Just, cheese, and more cheese. Did I mention, cheese?

Sauce here. sauce there, sauce everywhere.

Bake them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. I like to broil mine for another minute or two to get them brown on the top!

Tip: use rotisserie chicken to save prep time. I have used it for this recipe before and it works great.

Sometimes I pair mine with Mexican rice or guacamole. But usually, they are plenty good by themselves. See how easy? Minimal prep and ultimate cheesy goodness all around. 

ENJOY! 

XO

Full Recipe:

8-10 flour tortillas

Chicken, shredded

3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese

3 Tbl butter

3 Tbl flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 4oz can diced Green Chiles

1. Add handful of cheese, shredded chicken, and heaping tablespoon of sour cream to a bowl. Mix until combined.

2. Spoon generous portion of chicken mixture into flour tortillas. Role tortillas and place open side down in a greased baking dish.

3. Melt butter in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add flour to butter, whisk until combined, and let cook for 2 minutes (be careful not to burn the flour.)

4. Pull off heat and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Once mixture has cooled, add broth, sour cream, and green chiles. Mix until combined.

5. Pour white sauce mixture over rolled tortillas, cover generously. Top with additional shredded cheese.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

7. Eat until they are all gone.