Top Fives- Learn More About Me

Happy Friday friends! I'm so happy it's the weekend that I wanted to do something fun and different tonight- a survey. Yay! With some of my recent Top Fives.

Last Five Books I Read:

1. The Secret Circle: The Power
2. The Secret Circle: The Captive
3. The Secret Circle: The Initiation
4. Thirteen Reasons Why
5. Sarah's Key

I re-read The Secret Circle series hurriedly in preparation for the new Tv show on the CW. I really liked the series, although there were some things I wasn't too keen about: the dialogue, the cheesy one-liners. It was funny reading it now as an adult (I read it back in the 6th grade), seeing all that has changed- style, character names, lack of cell phones, etc (the books were written in the early 90s).

Five Books I Want to Read:

1.  The Kitchen Daughter
2. The Hunger Games- what's all the fuss!
3. The Soldier's Wife
4. Blood Magic
5. ?

I need some new book recommendations! Have you read anything new lately?

Last Things I Cooked/Baked:

1. Spaghetti and Meatballs
2. Baked Salmon with Brown Rice and Roasted Asparagus

3. Biscoff Stuffed White Chocolate Cookies
4. Chicken and Rice Bake
5. Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Five Things Making Me Happy Right Now:

1. Anything pumpkin!
2. My new apple crumble candles from B&BW
3. Comfy sweaters
4. Biscoff spread
5. My hubby having Saturday off!

Pick your top fives and tell me about it!

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ever have one of those weeks where you feel so behind no matter how much you try to catch up? Yeah, I'm having one of those weeks. I feel behind with my blogging, with my TV shows (you all know I'm a TV junkie), with reading (I haven't read a new book since school started), with my family, and with my hubby. It doesn't help that he has a new crazy schedule- working every day all day, with only one day off, if he's lucky. The life of a medical student. Sucks.

Moving on!

It's all good. Really. As long as I keep eating pasta, things will come together on their own. Right? Right. I thought so.

If there's one thing you can count on on my blog, it's pasta. I hope you never get sick of it. If you do, go check out these cookies, I guarantee you won't get sick of those. I can't get enough of them.

I found this pasta dish on another fellow blog. Her pictures were fabulous so I knew I had to make it. I'll be honest though; I wasn't all that impressed- at first. It was good, pretty tasty (it is pasta with lots of cheese, duh), but I wasn't blown away until I had the leftovers for lunch the next day. I don't know what happened in my fridge overnight but it was so good. Make it, save it, and devour it. I heard it freezes well too, so make extra for a night when you don't feel like cooking!

Source: adapted from Short Stop
Servings: 3-4

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 box of penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt
pepper
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup whole milk
5 ounces baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup white wine (more to taste)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 13X9 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Turn off heat, gradually stir in Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Stir in white wine. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with leftover Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Are you a TV junkie? What are you watching?

Biscoff Stuffed White Chocolate Cookies

I'd like you to meet my new best friend.

Biscoff. Biscoff spread. Have you heard about this stuff? The food blog world was going bananas over this stuff a while back. I didn't know what all the fuss was about; I had never seen it before. Until Sunday. I'm cruising down the aisles of my grocery store with no menu plan (I felt so lost), no list, nada, grabbing and throwing things into my cart so I could get the heck out of there. I wasn't in the mood to shop. What's wrong with me?

Anywho.

Due to the fact that I had no list and was driving down the aisles all willy nilly, I found myself in the peanut butter aisle. A jar with a red lid caught my eye. Biscoff spread?! I said (not out loud, but you know). Ooo yes, I'ma buy you real quick.

Ladies and gentlemen, best purchase ever. You all weren't kidding. This stuff is the shiz niz. I'm obsessed. Obsessed! How did they make this stuff? It tastes like a million cookies that were crumbled together and blended into this perfect spreadable edible spread...

I'm out of words. Just buy this stuff. And make these cookies.

Source: Picky Palate
Servings: 24 large cookies
Note: I halved this recipe. Stupid mistake. This is the original. 

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
2 cups Biscoff Spread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla beating until well combined.

Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with white chips until just combined.

With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. With your thumb, press into each cookie making a little well for the Biscoff. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop about 1 tablespoon Biscoff into each pressed cookie. Place another scoop of cookie dough on top and press edges gently. Biscoff will not be completly enclosed and will be visible around edges. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are just golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Weekend Bites

This weekend was filled with friends, driving, a wedding, and cookies.

I found biscoff spread!

These cookies are out of this world.

I only cooked once- Sunday night. Mexican Chicken Rice Bake. It was really good!

Bear with me until I am able to return to regularly scheduled programming. Hope you had a great weekend!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Muffins

I've got a lot of pumpkin recipes coming your way.

What can I say? The temperatures have cooled off in Michigan, right after Labor Day. I tried to wait. I really did. But I had three cans of pumpkin hanging out in the back of my pantry, just waiting to be used. I haven't looked to see if the stores in my area are carrying canned pumpkin yet- I hope they are, I'm down to one can!

I didn't hop on the pumpkin bandwagon until moving to Michigan. It's kinda silly getting excited for fall in Miami when the temperature is exactly the same as it was in July. I didn't decorate for fall (but I did for Halloween!) and I didn't go out to buy pumpkin lattes or hoard cans of pumpkin in my pantry for the next year (my Mom actually mailed me cans of pumpkin last fall when we had the shortage!).

But now...I understand the obsession. I crave it. Pumpkin is my new favorite ingredient and I don't think I'll be getting sick of it any time soon. I'll do my best to mix it up though, so hopefully you won't leave me hanging. :)

I loved these muffins. They're super moist, have an excellent amount of spice and sweet kick from the white chocolate chips. Fast and easy to make, can be stored in an air-tight container for two days and then freeze really well. I snacked on them and hubby took them to work. Win!

Source: Sugared Whisk
Servings: 12 muffins

1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
6 oz white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, mix together the eggs, pumpkin, and unsalted butter. Add in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.

Scoop batter into greased or paper cup lined muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed and springy to the touch. Cool then remove from cups.

Are you crazy for pumpkin yet?