Chicken, Potato, and Leek Pie

I was surprised when I saw a recipe for a chicken pot pie in the August 2012 Cooking Light magazine! You usually don't think about comfort food in summer. The recipe is, however, only about 300 calories which is a lot less than regular chicken pot pie and it has a lighter taste to it. I've never used leeks in a recipe before so I was interested to see how they turned out! The only thing about Cooking Light recipes that I don't really like is that they always call for ingredients that aren't used a lot and you only end up needing a little of that ingredient (leeks...1 slice of bacon!) One thing that I would change about the way I made it is making sure that you use real bacon. Also, I used my ceramic baking dish that is about 4 inches deep...so maybe using a shallower baking dish would be better so that you have a little more even proportion of the crust on top (recommendation from my hubby :)). Overall, this dish was sooo yummy! The flavors all blended together nicely and no ingredient overpowered the other. I give this recipe an A! 
Anyways, here's what you need: 


1 slice smoked bacon, chopped (I used turkey bacon, but wished I used regular smoked bacon)
1 1/2 cup cubed red potato (about 8 oz)
1 cup chopped carrot
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
3 1/2 tbsp flour
3 cups sliced/chopped leeks (which is about 2 stalks)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups fat-free, lower sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth because I forgot chicken)
1/2 (14.1-oz) package refrigerated pie dough (I used Pillsbury pie crust...had to trim off some of the edges)
1 tbsp fat-free milk
1 egg white


In a large dutch oven (large pot) cook the bacon until just about crispy. Add potatoes and carrots to pot and saute for 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned. Stir in flour and ingredients through the pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Slowly add broth to pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour/spoon mixture into a 1 1/2 quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Top with pie crust, folding dough ends under, and pressing down against the sides of dish to seal. Combine milk and egg and brush mixture over the pie crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Enjoy! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

If you find yourself running out cookie dough before being able to bake it, then this the recipe for you! This dough is made to be eaten! I found this recipe on the Food Network but modified it a little myself. The original recipe called for 1 cup finely chopped pecans and 1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk. I, however, didn't add the nuts (figured it had enough calories already:)), used fat-free sweetened condensed milk (did't effect the consistency), and also used a little less than the recommended 14 oz can (use about 2/3 of the can). This gives you the "real" cookie dough look...thick and creamy, mmm :). 

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 (or 2/3rd can) 14 oz can (fat-free) sweetened condensed milk 

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 

1 bar chocolate candy coating

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Gradually add the flour and condensed milk, alternating between the two evenly. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. In the meantime, melt your chocolate. Roll dough into 1" balls, dip into chocolate, and let dry on a piece of parchment paper and enjoy! 

Southwest Crispy Chicken Sliders

Tonight for dinner we made a recipe out of my July 2012 Cooking Light magazine. My mom got me a subscription :). We used to make things from the magazine when I lived in Ohio (where I'm originally from). I really like Cooking Light because the food is pretty healthy and very creative! However, some of the ingredients are hard to find herbs and spices that our grocery stores out here don't usually carry..So I improvise! Here is what I did:


For the muffins:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
3/4 fat-free buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped 


Combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk, butter, and the egg. Add the buttermilk mixture to the cornmeal mixture until just combined. Then add the cheese and jalapeno to the batter. Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes until golden brown. Cut muffins in half when cooled. 


For the chicken:
2/3 cup panko (or any kind of breading you prefer...I made my own with crackers and cornmeal)
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut them in half through the center, length-wise, to make them thinner, and then cut them in half width-wise)
2 tbsp canola oil, divided


In a shallow bowl add panko or breadcrumbs. In another shallow bowl add milk and egg and whisk together. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Dip chicken into egg mixture then into breadcrumbs. Add chicken to skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat this with remaining chicken and oil. 

*This recipe also included a guacamole recipe to use as a condiment. I made a chipotle ranch mixture instead! But you could honestly use whatever you like. Add lettuce, tomato, or onion if you want. 

No-Bake Energy Bites

As I mentioned before I have a pretty controlling sweet tooth. So, when I find a recipe that is quick, easy, and seemingly "healthy" (c'mon, they have the word ENERGY in them!) I just have to try it! Ok, maybe they're not "healthy" if you eat like 5 of them but they are perfect little morsels to have around. I will probably have 1 or 2 before my run tomorrow and will report back on their "energy" component. :) I found this recipe from a friend on Facebook who pinned it on Pinterest, so I couldn't tell you the original source! Here is what you will need. 

1 cup quick oats (dry)

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, but so good with them or peanut butter, butterscotch, or other type of chip)

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all of the above ingredients together and refrigerate for about an hour. Then start rolling your bites. I made them fairly small (about 1" rounds), so I wouldn't feel guilty eating more than 1. You can really add anything you want to these, like nuts, and different types of butter (almond, peanut, etc.). Store these babies in the fridge and enjoy! 

Lemon Pesto Pasta Sauce

So this recipe is a little lame for my first post, but since it was so yummy and easy, I figure I'd share it! This sauce can easily be used on warm pasta or cold pasta dishes, but last night for dinner we used it on a warm pasta dish (bow-tie chicken pasta with asparagus to be exact). I found this recipe in my Women's Health magazine from July and modified it a little. Here ya go! 
3 tbsp pesto
2 tbsp lemon juice (I used a fresh lemon 'cause it just tastes better)
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (I used Bel Gioioso, finely shredded...but I'm sure grated would work, too)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt 
(The next 2 ingredients I didn't use because I forgot to pick up parsley at the store and my grocery didn't have any jarred peppers. Next time :)) 
1/2 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley 
1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers 


Combine all of the ingredients in a small-medium sized bowl and serve over pasta dish. 

*We used Lawry's seasoned pepper and garlic salt on the chicken and asparagus, and pan fried both. The garlic really complimented the flavors in the sauce and the pepper toned down the tangyness! It was the perfect, light, sauce to use on any white meat pasta dish with a salad and Italian baguette. Bravo! 

Hi! Welcome to my blog! I'm kinda new at this blogging thing, so we'll see how it goes. 
My name is Leslie and I live with my husband in a small town in South Dakota. near Sioux Falls. What's in South Dakota, you ask? Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Custer State Park, and tatanka...that means "buffalo" in the movie "Gone With the Wind", if you didn't know. I am originally from Dayton, Ohio and moved to SD after meeting my now husband, Eric. So, when I first found out that he lived here I needed some famous landmarks to familiarize myself with the area. :) It's actually a beautiful place. A bit windy but you get used to it. We are both in graduate school, so needless to say, we're on the broke college kid budget. But that hasn't stopped us from having fun and getting creative with food! Our only downfall (or not?)--We are hopelessly ADDICTED to sweets. So I hope that I can post a variety of recipes, and not just sinful treats, which of course we share with others. :)
Well, my goal for this blog is to share my experiences with food, mostly, and give my readers opinions on some of the recipes from others I have tried. I hope to become a more experienced cook and broaden my taste with some fun, new, recipes while every now and then, going to my family members for their advice on some famous family secrets :). Here goes nuth'n!