Recipe Swap: Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets

Okay.  I need to GET ON THE BALL.  This pregnancy brain thing really sucks.  It's about 10:50PM on Thursday and this post is supposed to be going live at 7AM on Friday.  And I have had an ENTIRE MONTH to make and schedule it.  In all fairness, I did actually make my swap recipe a couple weeks ago.  It was the whole blog posting part that I've been putting off.  Sometimes, it just seems like so much work...but enough whining for now.  I'm just being a cranky 38 week pregnant lady :P.

Anyway, this is the What's Cooking recipe swap hosted by Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking.  The theme is Grilled Foods and I received a recipe from Jenna at Jenna's Cooking Journey.  You may recognize her as the guest blogger that brought you these yummy Oatmeal Carmelitas awhile back.

As for this recipe, I've actually made it before but it didn't make it onto the blog.  The reason for that was that unlike the similar Foil Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn recipe which I adore, this one just lacked flavor to me.  I only share recipes which I and/or my husband enjoy.  But as it was a swap recipe, I dutifully made it again.  And unfortunately, it fell flat for me, again.  I love pineapples and jalapeno peppers and shrimp.  It really should be a winner in theory but you can't win them all.  I don't know what's wrong with me...it seems to get such rave reviews by other bloggers!  Thanks anyway Jenna for having me give it another shot.  And dear readers, since so many others like it, you should probably give it a try for yourself  even if I didn't care for it :).

One Year Ago: Pasta with Grilled Plum Tomato Sauce and Magic in the Middles (peanut butter stuffed chocolate sugar cookies!)
Two Years Ago: Bob's Mexican Stuffed Chicken

Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets

Ingredients

• 8 oz raw, medium sized shrimp (peeled, deveined) 
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 cup pineapple, finely chopped 
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped 
• 1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, minced (depending on the amount of spice you want) 
• 2 tablespoons pineapple juice, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided 
• pinch of salt 
• freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 
• 1/2 avocado, diced

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium. 
2. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine the black beans, pineapple, red onion, and jalapeno. Stir in 1 tablespoon pineapple juice, coriander, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin. 
4. Spray two large pieces of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Spoon half of the black bean mixture into the center of each and top with half of the shrimp. Pour the remaining pineapple juice over the shrimp. Bring the edges of the foil together and fold down, sealing well. 
5. Place the foil packets on the grill, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes, until shrimp are opaque. Carefully open the foil packets and stir the contents. Top with the diced avocado and sprinkle with cilantro. 

Source: Jenna's Cooking Journey as modified from PreventionRD

PS: It's now going on 11:10PM.  See, these posts don't just write themselves, ya know!  Ah this blog is a labor of love :P.

Recipe Swap: Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Today's What's Cooking Recipe Swap recipe comes from Coleen at The Redhead Baker.  While I'm familiar with her blog, I'm not sure that I've actually made anything from it before because I make far more savory recipes than sweet.  But, as you'd expect from her blog title, there were more sweet treats than not and so that's where I started with my Blogger's Choice assignment.

Even though it has peanut butter in it, for once IT WASN'T MY HUSBAND THAT PICKED THIS RECIPE!  I did.  What drew me to this particular recipe was the use of pudding in the cookie.  Many many years ago when I was in Girl Scoots (Troop #2180 represent!) I remember one of the mom's brought in a chocolate chip cookie that was the absolute softest and puffiest that I ever had.  She shared that the secret ingredient was pudding but I no longer have this recipe.  Another draw for me was the Reese's Pieces.  Friendly's clown ice cream sundaes, anyone?  And unlike Coleen, I peanut M&Ms are one of my favorites so back into the recipe they went.

The name does not do this recipe justice.  It really should be called something like Peanut Butter Candy Explosion Pudding Cookies or something because every bite is chock full of goodies.  My co-worker asked if I was trying to clear the pantry and I told her nope, just an excuse to BUY all sorts of candy ;).

It was a hit in my house but the peanut butter loving husband said that flavor was not prominent enough.  I suggested to him that next time I could use peanut butter pudding mix instead to help boost that flavor profile.  I brought some to my birthing class and it has the stamp of approval of pregnant mommies and daddies to be.  Everyone loved these so thank you Coleen (and Kate)!

Thank you also to Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting.  Check out the blog hop to see what everyone else chose as their assignment!

Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Yields: About 3 dozen cookies (I got closer to 4 when using my 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop)

Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter, softened 
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter 
• ½ cup sugar 
• ½ cup light brown sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp honey 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• ½ tsp salt 
• 1 small box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding 
• 1 cup chocolate chips 
• 1 cup Peanut M&Ms 
• 1 cup Reese’s Pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two sheet pans with parchment paper (I like to use these reusable silicone baking mats). 
2. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add in the eggs, honey and vanilla extract and beat again until incorporated. 
3. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and pudding mix. Gradually add to the cookie dough, mixing on low speed just until incorporated. 
4. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut M&Ms, and Reese’s Pieces. 
5. Drop by the tablespoonful two inches apart onto the sheet pans. (Make your life easier and cookies more uniform by investing in one of these medium sized Oxo cookie scoops!) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pans for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: Kate's Recipe Box as seen on The Redhead Baker

Recipe Swap: Open-Faced Chicken Feta Gyros

There have been a few things that I've been craving during pregnancy: spicy tuna rolls (and sushi in general), reubens, frozen Greek yogurt, and gyros.  So when I received A Seasoned Greeting's blog for the swap, I was super excited to find these gyros.  Even better was that it used only 1/2 a pita since I'm trying to limit my carb intake right now in the event that I have gestational diabetes.

Because it's still (literally) freezing out, I was excited to use my new grill pan that my husband got me for Christmas.  It worked like a charm and created these gorgeous grill lines on the chicken.  The only thing I'm not so sure about is how to clean it.  I really should have oiled the pan first because I got some nice charred bits stuck to my now not-so-new and now extra-seasoned grill pan.

Now, it wasn't until I was sitting down to blog about this recipe that I made a *really* similar one many years ago. No matter, it didn't make this version any less delicious and it certainly fulfilled one of my cravings so thank you, Catherine!

Thank you to Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking for being our awesome What's Cooking swap hostess and be sure to check out the rest of the group's collection in the blog hop, below.  You never know what great recipes you'll find!

Two Years Ago: Swedish Meatballs

Open-Faced Chicken Feta Gyros

Ingredients

For the Tzatziki sauce

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

For the Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into slices
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

For Assembling

• Whole wheat pita bread
• Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
• Red onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (I like the cracked pepper variety!)

Directions

1. Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. For best flavor, allow the flavors to meld overnight.
2. In a gallon sized zipper bag, mix together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, Greek seasoning, oregano, salt and pepper.  Add chicken slices and set aside.  For best flavor, marinate overnight.
3. Cut the chicken breast into slices and cook in a grill or fry pan over medium heat until cooked through.
4. To assemble, place 1/2 of the whole wheat pita bread on the plate. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, diced tomatoes and sliced onions.

Source: Slightly modified from A Seasoned Greeting

Recipe Swap: Almond Mocha Cake

If you have a sweet tooth, you'll love today's recipe swap theme which is dessert!  This recipe comes from Nicole of Cookies on Friday and I submitted the super addicting Macadamia Lemon Bars.

When I read the ingredients list, I was concerned by the use of amaretto, an almond liquor.  Now, I know that it's not much and alcohol supposedly "cooks off" but in my experience, you can usually still taste it pretty prominently in baked goods and so I wasn't convinced that it would be the best thing for my baby.  Thankfully, Nicole confirmed it would be okay to substitute almond extract and so that's what I did.

This cake is EXTREMELY tender.  The crumb is very delicate and I found that it fell apart as I tried to enjoy its deliciousness.  The prominent flavor is the chocolate, which is enhanced by the coffee and studded with almond flavoring and pieces.  My husband was completely delighted to see it sitting on our kitchen counter after he came home from the gym.  He approved :).

Thanks to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for running the swap and make sure you check out the rest of the recipes in the link hop below!

Two Years Ago: Handheld Breakfast Two Ways (French Toast Cups with Sausage and Apples; Savory Breakfast Muffins)
Three Years Ago: Stuffed Shells and Grasshopper Cookie Bars (an easy St. Patrick's day treat!)

Almond Mocha Cake

Ingredients

• ½ cup sliced almonds 
• 1-1/4 cups strong coffee 
• ½ cup butter 
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
• 1 cup sugar 
• ¼ cup amaretto (I used 1 Tablespoon almond extract)
• 2 cups flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 eggs 
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12 cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle the almonds into the pan and gently press to the bottom of the pan. 
2. Warm your coffee in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the butter and chocolate chips and stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixer bowl. Add the sugar and amaretto, stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool 5 minutes. 
3. With the mixer at low speed, gradually blend in the flour and baking soda into the chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and eggs and mix on medium speed about 30 minutes, or until well blended. Carefully pour into prepared pan. Be careful not to disturb the nuts too much by pouring quickly. 
4. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Cool in the pan about 25 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Source: Recipe from Debbie Russell, 33rd Pillsbury BakeOff, Pillsbury Best of the BakeOff Cookbook as seen on Cookies on Friday

Recipe Swap: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Any Chick-Fil-A fans in the house?  I for one am a huge fan of their chicken, especially the spicy versions!  I have seen many copycat recipes floating around the internet but have always been intimidated by them because 1) how close could they really taste? and 2) frying things and I...we don't get along.

Often times for recipe swaps I will find something to challenge me and so when I found this at Melissa's blog I was Born to Cook, I knew it was time to surrender and beat my fears.

Looking at the ingredient list there were some items that weren't surprising and then others that made me go "huh?".  Take the pickle juice marinade for example.  I don't even like pickles and well...that's an awful lot of juice!  The powdered sugar was another interesting one...I was skeptical.

So how did it turn out?  Surprisingly, it tasted eerily similar to the real Chick-Fil-A sandwiches!  It didn't taste too pickle-y.  Instead, it gave that great tang and saltiness that is characteristic of their chicken.  The sugar also added just enough sweetness to offset it.  Since I like the spicy sandwiches I added Tobasco to the pickle juice and cayenne to the spice blend.  I think I would actually add more in the future because it wasn't quite to the spiciness of the real version.  But overall, yep, it was good!

My only lament is I still can't fry things to save my life.  Mine ended up a little more toasty than I would have desired.  Still have to work on that one...

Thank you Melissa for the recipe and Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for organizing the swap!

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts 
• 1 cup pickle juice 
• 1-2 tsp Tobasco sauce (optional to create the spicy version)
• 3 eggs 
• 2/3 cup milk 
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar 
• 2 teaspoons paprika 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional to create the spicy version)
• vegetable oil for frying (peanut oil is supposedly better, but I didn’t have any) 
• 4 buns, buttered and toasted 
• pickle slices

Directions

1. Pound out chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Marinate in pickle juice and Tobasco (if using) for 1 hour. 
2. Beat egg and milk together in a bowl. Combine flour, sugar and spices in another bowl. Dip chicken on both sides in egg first, then flour mixture. 
3. Heat oil in a deep skillet. Fry each piece for a few minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Place on paper towel lined plate and blot top side. 
4. Serve on buns with pickles 

Source: Slightly modified from I Was Born to Cook

Recipe Swap: BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf with Caramelized Onions

Anytime the Blogger's Choice Swap comes along I jump at the chance to participate.  It's always fun to explore someone's blog and pick the perfect recipe to make from a collection of hundreds.  I spend far too many hours drooling over the blog and debating what to cook!

This week, I received The Jey of Cooking.  There were many recipes which I considered including this simple yet delicious looking Pasta with Tomato Marscapone Sauce and Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.  What always stands out on a blog though is an original recipe so that's what I ultimately went with.

It was super tasty...borderline addictive maybe.  It was a nice combination of sweet and salty with bursts of caramelized flavor from the onion and barbecue sauce.  I used ground turkey because that's what I had on hand and it was good but I'm sure it would be phenomenal with beef.  My husband especially liked the crunchy french fried onions on top.  And, I'll admit I picked them off the top of the leftover meatloaf because no sense in wasting the crunchiness which would inevitably turn to mush with microwave reheating :).

Thank you Jey for sharing and Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting.  Check out the blog hop below to see what everyone else made!

Two Years Ago: Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Hoagies and Chinese Scallion Pancakes with Asian Beef
Three Years Ago: Grandma B's Chicken a la King and Cream Biscuits

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef (I used ground turkey instead)
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
• 3/4 Cup Uncooked Oatmeal
• 1 Egg, Beaten
• 1 Cup Barbeque Sauce, divided
• 1/4 Cup French Fried Onions (from a can)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  When hot, Add the onions and let cook until golden and soft, about 35 minutes, stirring just a few times.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Meanwhile, add the ground beef, half of the cheddar cheese, oatmeal, egg and half of the BBQ sauce to a large bowl and, using your hands, mix until combined.  When onions are finished, add to the bowl and, with a wooden spoon, fold in until well mixed.Add meat mixture into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray and form into a loaf shape.  Top with the remaining BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, add french fried onions and return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: The Jey of Cooking

Recipe Swap: Double Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Patty Surprise

It's time for my favorite theme of WC Recipe Swap...Blogger's Choice!

I was very tempted to make Char Siu off of Kate's Recipe Box since it's something I felt every good Asian person should try to make at home sometime.  But, in the end the Holiday Bug took over and I decided I'd rather do something more seasonably festive.

These cookies look quite plain on the outside but inside a peppermint patty surprise is hiding and waiting to be unwrapped and discovered.  When you go to mold the cookie, do make sure to seal it well or the surprise will be revealed and melted out.  Kate left her cookies completely naked but I thought they could use a little holiday sparkle so I rolled them in sugar before baking.  It wasn't until later that I realized the original recipe from Rachael Ray actually called for a white chocolate drizzle and crushed candy canes.  The photos I saw from other blogs were SUPER CUTE and FESTIVE!  Another difference in Kate's recipe is that the peppermint patties and molded cookies weren't chilled.  I'd recommend doing this so the cookies stay thick and don't spread so much.

I brought some into work and they were a crowd pleaser.  It reminded me of a thin mint but soft and with a creamier interior.  By the end of the day I had THREE co-workers asking me for the recipe and telling me they were stalking my blog for it to be posted.  Definitely add this to your Christmas cookie plate!

Thank you Kate for sharing and Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting.

One Year Ago: Tex-Mex Meatloaf with Chipotle-Tomato Glaze and Emily's guest post for General Tso's Chicken
Three Years Ago: It was clearly Thanksgiving time because I shared tons of different posts!  Sweet Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin, Baked Mac and Cheese (from Pioneer Woman), Pumpkin Fluff Dip, and Broccoli Salad

Double Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Patty Surprise

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) unsalted butter, slightly softened 
• 1 egg 
• 24 miniature (about 1 1/2-inch) peppermint patties, such as York, unwrapped and chilled 

Optional for decorating:

• Granulated sugar
• 6 ounces white chocolate (not chips), chopped 
• Peppermint candy canes or candies, crushed or finely chopped

Directions

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the flour, cocoa powder, sugars, salt and baking soda on low speed. Beat in butter, then the egg.   It will be crumbly but don't worry, it all works out when the heat of your hands makes the dough soft and pliable during molding.  Turn the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and flatted into a disk; seal. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. 
2.  Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Like 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time (highly recommend the medium sized Oxo Cookie Scoop to make this task a breeze!) , evenly encase each peppermint patty with dough. If desired, roll each cookie with granulated sugar.  For a cookie that doesn't spread as much, chill in the refrigerator.  Bake until just firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan (until anything that oozed out sets and is firm enough so it won't explode when you move it!). Transfer the cookies on the parchment to a rack to cool completely. 
3. If decorating with white chocolate and candy canes: Meanwhile, in a double broiler or small, heatproof bowl, set over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt half of the white chocolate, stirring until melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining white chocolate until smooth.  Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies.  Immediately sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.  Let set completely before serving or storing.

Source: Every Day with Rachael Ray, December 2011 as seen on Kate's Recipe Box

Recipe Swap: Taco Dip

Football season is upon us. Sadly, the only sport I actually enjoy watching is hockey and they are still on lockout (BOO). And to be honest, when it comes to watching sporting events, my favorite event is the epic eating fest of foods that are just far too bad for you. When else is it considered acceptable to park yourself in front of a tv and eat tons of greasy chips, dips, and other unhealthy yet awesome foods?

This recipe swap theme was Game Day and I submitted the Outback copycat Blooming Onion with Dipping Sauce recipe. I received a traditional Taco Dip from Nicole at Cookies on Friday. It's a recipe of unknown origins that has been handed down through the family.

Though I've eaten taco dips many times before, I've never made one.  Since there was no game for me to watch, after having a few generously dipped chips and staying true to the recipe, I ended up turning this into a taco salad dinner. Somehow this made me feel like it was an acceptable meal but I still ate far to much of it. It's like crack. So creamy and addicting even with fat-free and low-fat substitutions!  It's also amazingly simple to put together.  Yum.

Checkout the rest of the swap submissions in the blog hop below and thanks as usual to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting!

One Year Ago: Cheesy Chili Mac
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Taco Dip

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey 
• 1 package taco seasoning (I used a low-sodium version)
• 15 ounce can refried beans (I used a fat-free version)
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream (I used a low-fat version)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese 
• Toppings: Sliced olives, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, red onions, jalapeno peppers
• Tortilla Chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a large pie plate ready.
2. In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef over medium high heat. Drain the meat and add the taco seasoning as the package directs. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Spread the refried beans in the pie plate. Top with the ground beef. Top with a layer of sour cream and then with the cheese.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are heated through. Top with desired toppings before serving. 

Source: Submitted by Nicole at Cookies on Friday

Recipe Swap: Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

Who likes pumpkin?  I'm pretty sure it's everyone's favorite Fall treat!  And though Spring is my personal favorite season, there's something very charming about Fall as well.  Pumpkin, Apples, Spices, and Cider are just a few of my favorite flavors from this season.

For this edition of Blogger's Choice What's Cooking Recipe Swap, I received the blog So Tasty, So Yummy again!  Last time I got Katie's blog, I made Oven Baked Sriracha Chicken.  This time, I went seasonal and sweet...but still quite healthy!

I've only used my doughnut pan a few times and I'm realizing just now that this is actually the first baked doughnut that has made it to my blog.  Baked doughnuts rock because they're a real treat without much real guilt.  Sure they're not *exactly* the same as their fried counterpart but flavor for your calories is a nice balance.  These doughnuts were quite moist (love how pumpkin has that effect on baked goods!) and deliciously spiced.  While I enjoy cinnamon sugar dusted doughnuts, I hate the mess they make.  I always find myself eating them while standing over a sink or trash can to catch my mess!  Anyone else do this??  After I made them, I thought how wonderful they'd also be with something like a maple icing glaze or frosting.  Oh my!

One Year Ago: Coconut Basil Curry with Basil and Pecans
Three Years Ago: Christine's Fried Rice

Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

Yields: 2 dozen mini- or 1 dozen full-sized doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts

• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 6 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup fresh or canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour

For Finishing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease two mini doughnut pans or two regular sized doughnut pans using cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, milk, pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, brown sugar (sift if clumpy), and melted butter.  Sift in the dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and flours).  Mix until just combined.
3. Spoon batter into a plastic bag and snip off the corner then pipe into the wells of the prepared doughnut pan.  Alternatively, spoon batter directly into the pan, about half full.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they gently spring back when touched.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully using a butter knife to remove doughnuts from the pan.
5. Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon in a ziplock bag.  Seal and toss to coat.  
6. Transfer several cooled doughnuts at a time into the bag with the cinnamon sugar and shake until thoroughly coated.  Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

Source: So Tasty, So Yummy

Recipe Swap: Breakfast Skillet

I don't know if you've been following me on facebook and/or twitter or not lately but if you have, you'll notice that I'm border-line obsessed with my "new" (ie: hand-me-down inheritance) iPhone4 from my husband and posting instagram photos of my food.  Seriously I'm amazed at how this tiny little phone can take such fancy looking pictures!  I'll have to do a before and after on here sometime so you can see what I mean.

Today's post is a What's Cooking Recipe Swap and the theme is breakfast.  Long time followers of my blog would know that this is a favorite theme of mine.  In fact, "brinner" aka breakfast for dinner was one of my chosen Dinner Club themes in the past.  For this swap, I submitted the super decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls.  So, it was fitting that I received something equally sweet to start my day from Lynsey of Lynsey Lou's.

The recipe is called a "breakfast skillet" but really, it's like dessert for breakfast.  My husband smelled it cooking and said "Mmm that smells good!  It smells sweet!  Are you making dessert for dinner?!".  Truth be told it could have passed for dessert but was in fact our dinner.  We convinced ourselves that the sprinkling of apples and craisins (very Fall!) in the dish made it healthy and justified getting seconds...and thirds.  HA!  It was like cinnamon rolls with a fraction of the effort + FRUIT for added nutrition.  Win.

I should also probably call mine a Breakfast Dutch Oven because that's what I ended up making mine in.  I don't actually own a cast iron skillet so this was the closest cooking vessel that I had.  It worked out fine but a cast iron skillet is now on the wishlist.  I just love how nice they look in food photos :).

Thank you Lynsey for sharing this winning recipe with us!

One Year Ago: Spaghetti Pie

Breakfast Skillet

Ingredients

For the streusel topping

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

For the skillet cake

• 12 oz can of buttermilk biscuits
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup fruit of your choice, fresh, dried, or frozen (I used craisins)
• 1 small apple, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, prepare the streusel topping by combining 4 tablespoons butter, sugar, and cinnamon by mashing together with a fork until well mixed.
3. Place skillet over low-medium heat.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and brown sugar and stir until butter is melted and sugar is combined.  Remove skillet from heat.
4. Line the bottom of the skillet with 1/4 of the apple slices.  Next, place the biscuits in a single layer on the pan.  Layer on 3/4 of the remaining apple slices and sprinkle 3/4 of your selected fruit over top of the biscuits.  Sprinkle the streusel topping over the fruit and biscuits.  Layer the remaining fruit over the streusel topping.
5. Place prepared skillet into the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, until the biscuits are cooked through and lightly browned and the streusel topping has melted.

 Source: As seen on and adapted by Lynsey Lou's from Paula Deen

Recipe Swap: Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Time for another What's Cooking Recipe Swap and with it comes a pretty new badge (Thanks Coleen at Does Not Cook Well with Others for creating it!) and linky hop party (setup by our hostess Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking) for instant theme browsing satisfaction!  How cool is that??

The theme for the week was desserts and given that my schedule has been crazy lately, I requested something simple.  Enter these cookies from Joanna at Newly Wed and Newly Cooking.  She's fairly new to cooking and blogging as her blog name would suggest.  In her notes accompanying the recipe, Joanna said it is an old family recipe that her mother or grandmother had found a number of years back.

I'm glad that she chose to share these with me because not only do they form a beautiful, delicate lacy pattern, but they're just plain addicting to eat.  This is a cookie like none other that I have tried!  Very unique!  They are extremely thin and crunchy...almost like a sugar candy.  The flavor is rich and buttery with a hint of chewiness and added nutty flavor from the oatmeal.  You could almost pop them in your mouth one after another as if they were potato chips...but don't do that unless you want to weight 10000 pounds!

I found that I preferred mine cooked only 5 minutes.  By the time they cooled enough on the pan to hold their shape, they got more toasty and caramelized than I'd like.  Some people might like this but I prefer a lighter colored cookie for the aesthetic value and still plenty of crunch.  Last but not least, this made A LOT of cookies...I think about 6 dozen.  So, to balk at temptation, feel free to halve the recipe.

I submitted the Macademia Lemon Bars and hope whoever received them enjoyed them as much as our guests and I did.  I'm pretty much drooling thinking about the buttery, tart goodness of that dessert...

One Year Ago: Swiss Chard Lasagna Florentine
Two Years Ago: Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Three Years Ago: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c oats (not instant)
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix together until well blended.
3. Using a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon, drop heaping spoonfuls about 4 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned.  (As stated above, I preferred 5 minutes)
5. Let cool a few minutes before removing from baking sheets.

Source: Unknown as submitted by Newly Wed and Newly Cooking

Recipe Swap: Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

Are you feeling too hot to cook?  If so, this edition of A Taste of Home Cooking Recipe Swap will be perfect for you.  I submitted the Korean Style Short Ribs which create melt-in-your-mouth amazingness in the crockpot without heating up the kitchen.

This month, I had the hostess herself, Sarah of A Taste of Home Cooking.  If I didn't know better I'd say that there was a recent obsession with Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches in the blogging world.  I found it a little ironic that a recent June Recipe Swap recipe was very similar and yet each had their own distinct tastes to them.  It's as if we were to take the famous Shakespeare quote and say "What's in a name?  That which we call a Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich.  By any other name would taste just as delicious." :)

Bloggers LOVE this recipe.  And I can see why.  It's ridiculously simple and utilizes ingredients that you probably have on hand.  Oddly, I realized this is the first chicken "patty" sandwich that we'd ever made and I can assure you it won't be our last.  It really is a nice departure from beef/turkey burgers all summer.  I wasn't sure from the directions which way to halve my chicken.  I ended up cutting it horizontally so that my chicken was really skinny.  I hate trying to wrap my mouth around gigantic sandwiches so this worked to our advantage lol.  We omitted the cheese and mayo to save on calories and added some rings of grilled onion to amp up the flavor.

But which of the Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches did I like better, you ask?  The Pulled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich from last time or this Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich?  Well, as I'm a sucker for saucy things, I'd say the Pulled version for its flavor but this one wins for ease.  You can't go wrong with either one!

Don't forget to enter my Beer Flats giveaway and check back later this week for the two-part dessert finale of Emily and my Seasonal Summer Fruit and Veggie Extravaganza!

One Year Ago: Baked Squash and Baked Green Bean Fries

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

Yields: 4 Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large can pineapple rings (8 rings)
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 slices provolone cheese (optional)
• Red onion rings (optional)
• 4 hamburger buns or kaiser rolls
• Smear of mayonnaise (optional)

Directions

1. Pound out the chicken breasts until they are a uniform thickness.  Slice each into two pieces (It wasn't clear which way to cut but I did mine horizontally so that the chicken was nice and thin).
2. Combine the juice from the pineapple can, soy sauce, brown sugar, and mustard.  Marinate the chicken overnight in the juice mixture.
3. Prepare your grill.  Grill the chicken for about 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through.  If desired, add the cheese with 3 minutes left.  While the chicken is grilling, add the pineapple rings and onions, turning once.  If desired, smear some mayonnaise on the buns then top with a piece of chicken and two pineapple rings each.

Source: Originally from So Tasty, So Yummy as seen on and submitted by A Taste of Home Cooking

Recipe Swap: Magic in the Middles

This week's recipe swap was Blogger's Choice.  See the roundup at A Taste of Home Cooking.  I was assigned the blog Cookies on Friday.  I bet it comes as no surprise to you that Nicole, the voice behind this blog, primarily posts cookie recipes.  But, she doesn't just make or post them on Fridays :).  In fact, I was impressed that she has OVER 500 different types of cookies on her blog.  I didn't even know where to begin!  Somehow I narrowed it down to Peanut Butter Nutella Sandwich Cookies, Momofuku's Compost Cookies (my cousin Laura's favorite!), and Magic in the Middles before letting my husband, the resident sweets connoisseur  make the final decision.  He believed in magic.

This cookie is basically a soft chocolate sugar cookie with a surprise peanut butter center.  Think of it as cookie stuffed with a buckeye candy filling.  Oh and as you can imagine, it is extra MAGICAL when you eat them warm from the oven or zapped in the microwave for a few seconds so that the filling gets nice and gooey.  *Drool*.  I'm embarrassed to say that I ate two of them straight from the pan.  I just couldn't help myself!  And this is exactly why we decided that sadly, the cookies had to go for the sake of our health and off to work they went.

To say my co-workers LOVED these cookies would be an understatement.  One had one for breakfast (yes cookies are the breakfasts of champions don't ya know?) and then subsequently came back throughout the day for two more, another messaged me and said they were "awesome!!!" (yep, it warranted 3 exclamation points), and one stopped by my desk after their cube neighbor "came back drooling" over the cookies.

Looks like my husband picked a winning recipe.  Thank you so much Nicole for sharing and can't wait to go back and try more cookies from your blog!

Magic in the Middles

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cookie Dough

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg

For the Filling

• ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• Additional sugar for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
2. To make the filling, combine the peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Shape the mixture into 26 level teaspoon-sized balls.  Put shaped peanut butter balls in refrigerator while you make and shape the chocolate dough.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat together sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.   Mixture should not be dry/crumbly.  If it is, add a small amount of milk to smooth it out (it will continue to dry as it sits).
4. Shape the chocolate cookie dough into 26  level Tablespoon-sized balls. Make an indentation in the dough and press one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. Mold the chocolate cookie dough around the peanut butter ball, sealing completely and rolling the dough back into a ball shape.  Do not worry if some peanut butter is showing...unless you're a perfectionist then by all means take the extra time and labor to make sure the peanut butter is totally secretive!  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
5. Roll the dough balls in sugar and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Using a drinking glass, flatten the cookies to about ½ inch thick. Bake for 7-9 minutes, until they are set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Source: King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion as seen on Cookies on Friday

Recipe Swap: Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellas

The theme for this Recipe Swap was Vegetarian.  I submitted my favorite veggie meal - Sauceless Garden Lasagna and received this recipe from Jenna's Cooking Journey.  See the full round-up at Taste of Home Cooking.

I love mushrooms and I love spinach artichoke dip so I thought this recipe would be a no-brainer home run for me.  But I have to admit that it fell a little bit flat in terms of flavor.  I'm not sure where it went wrong since most others that have made it had raved about it.  Maybe I didn't put enough salt?  Or maybe it was my substitution of Greek yogurt for the mayo?  Whatever the reason, something just seemed to be missing from this recipe for me and I probably won't be making it again as written.  Possibly I'd consider trying the concept with my favorite Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip, though.  At least I got my veggies in for the day!

One Year Ago: Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries - So good!
Three Years Ago: Jamie's Minestrone - Still one of my absolute favorite soups to date!

Remember, last chance to enter my Daelia's Biscuits with Cheese Giveaway.  It ends at midnight and your chances of winning are pretty good!

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellas

Ingredients 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 4-5 medium-large portabello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used Greek yogurt)
• 1½ teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup coarse Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.
2. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with two thirds of the minced garlic. 
3. Scrape the gills from the inside of the mushroom caps.  Set the mushroom caps on a baking pan, gill side up, and brush lightly with the garlic-oil mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the filling.  Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, remaining garlic, ½ teaspoon of the Italian Seasoning, and the spinach in a medium bowl.  Stir together until evenly blended.  Gently stir in the artichokes.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the filling mixture over the roasted mushroom caps.
5. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Asiago and remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning.  Stir with a fork to blend.  Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filling mixture on each mushroom.  Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and warmed through.  Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted and submitted by Jenna's Cooking Journey from Annie's Eats

Recipe Swap: Pulled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

I'm on a roll, folks!  This week's recipe swap theme was Burgers/Sandwiches.  As usual, visit A Taste of Home Cooking for the full round-up!

I submitted Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro-Jalapeno Slaw and received these awesome Pulled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches from one of my favorite bloggers, Nicole at Prevention RD.  Seriously, if you haven't already checked out her site yet, you should.  It's one of my go-to blogs for when I want something a bit healthier and I LOVE that she calculates all the nutrition stats for you.  Oh, and I should also mention that Nicole deemed my (Sugary Sweet) Chili entry the champion of her 2nd Annual Chili Contest which I am completely honored by :).

As for this recipe, it totally met and exceeded my husband and my expectations.  At first I grumbled a bit at the fact that it used grilled chicken (I, like Nicole, assumed the pulled chicken would be a la crockpot like all other pulled meat recipes) and considered slow cooking it instead.  But don't do it.  The grilling adds a wonderful char-grilled smokey flavor that makes this sandwich unique and it's worth the extra effort.  It made a lot so we had the leftovers for lunch in wraps.  This would be a perfect addition to your 4th of July or other summer BBQ.  Classic enough for a traditional BBQ but different enough to surprise and delight.  Great stuff!

Heads up to my readers - by the end of next week, look for my first official product review and a sponsored BLOG GIVEAWAY!  If you're not already, follow me on Facebook or Twitter for an early hint of what it could be ;).

One Year Ago: Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Firecracker Shrimp (mmm...Sriracha!!)

Pulled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Heinz 57 sauce
• 1 20-ounce can pineapple rings in natural juices
• 2 Tbsp agave nectar or honey
• Tabasco sauce, to taste (I used my favorite Asian condiment, Sriracha!)
• 4 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• non-stick cooking spray
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 whole wheat buns or sandwich rolls

Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium heat. Place one ring of pineapple into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add the Heinz 57, honey, and a couple of dashes of 
hot sauce to the blender/food processor and combine. Remove 3 tablespoons of sauce to use for basting and reserve the rest for serving.
2. Spray the pineapple rings with non-stick spray and place on the grill. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, until the sugars start to caramelize and nice grill marks have developed.
3. Pound chicken breasts lightly to reach an even thickness. Brush the Hawaiian sauce on one side of the chicken breast. Place on the grill sauce side down and cook until internal temperature reaches 170F (about 6-8 minutes), flipping halfway through. Before flipping the chicken, baste with the remaining Hawaiian sauce.
4. Remove chicken and pineapple rings from the grill when done. Let chicken stand for 5-10 minutes before shredding with two forks. Add the chicken to a bowl and toss with the remaining Hawaiian sauce. Divide the pineapple rings and Hawaiian chicken between the 5 buns/sandwich rolls and serve warm.

Source: Originally from Confections of a Foodie Bride as submitted by Prevention RD

Recipe Swap: Oven Baked Sriracha Chicken

I'm back at the biweekly recipe swap thing!  I couldn't be happier to re-join for the very popular Blogger's Choice theme.  I was excited to receive the blog So Tasty, So Yummy for this swap.  A lot of the recipes she blogs are things that usually end up on my Google Reader, anyway so this was a win.

I chose this particular recipe because it includes some of my favorite condiments - Hoisin sauce (the equivalent of barbecue sauce in the Asian world and famously used to accompany Peking Duck) and Sriracha (the ever popular Thai hot sauce with a rooster on the bottle).  If you don't have these sauces, don't fret.  They're easily found in the Asian section of your grocery store since they're staples of every good Asian kitchen :).

Overall I was pleased with the flavor that this gave to the chicken and the nice carmelized look that the skin had coming out of the oven.  But, even after I chose to add an overnight marination step, I desired a more intense flavor to the meat itself.  Don't get grossed out but I actually sucked on the chicken skin to savor the flavors more deeply lol.  In the future, I would probably just do boneless, skinless chicken breast (or better yet, kebabs on the grill!) to better suit my husband's and my tastes.  Maybe even serve some extra sauce on the side for dipping.  Yum!

Checkout the roundup at A Taste of Home Cooking to see what everyone else cooked up this week!

Oven Baked Sriracha Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced greens and minced whites
• ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce 
• 4 chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the minced whites of the green onions, Hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, lime juice, oils, and the Sriracha. Toss each thigh in the sauce, coating thoroughly.  If desired, marinate in the mixture overnight.  Before baking, spoon the remaining sauce underneath the chicken skin.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Serve topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

Source: Slightly modified from So Tasty, So Yummy

Recipe Swap: Cranberry White Chocolate Almond Cookies

I brought these cookies to my family Thanksgiving and all but 3 lonely cookies were devoured despite having some fierce competition from pumpkin pie, oreo ice cream cake, thumbprint cookies, pumpkin rolls, and more.  I had not one person, but three different aunts/uncles that asked me for the recipe.  And now, I'm sharing them with you :).  These cookies burst with goodies...in fact, I might actually decrease the amount of chips in the future out of personal preference for a higher cookie to stuff ratio but left the directions as is for now.

Thanks again for A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting the swap (this edition was Thanksgiving Desserts)!  I'm not sure yet who got my post and I gave them two options so I'll come back and update this post later once I know.  I didn't tell you but I'm secretly floating somewhere in the Caribbean Sea as you're reading this right now.  Ahhh, sand between my toes and sun on my face :D.

Cranberry White Chocolate Almond Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 whole large Eggs
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla
• 1 cup dried Cranberries
• 1 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 3/4 cup chopped Almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add vanilla and mix.  Add dry ingredients until just blended.  Add cranberries, chocolate and almonds and incorporate into dough.
3. Drop by the heaping Tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet leaving 1 - 1.5 inches between each drop.
4. Bake at 350F degrees for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Source: As swapped by Jenna's Cooking Journey and slightly modified from Through the Bugs on my Windshield

Recipe Swap: Cheesy Chili Mac

Recipe swap time again!  This time I received a recipe that I had bookmarked earlier and was wanting to make anyway so was very excited to see this One Pot meal show up in my inbox.

This is very rich and very cheesy as the name promises!  I decided to leave out the extra cup of shredded cheese in the pasta sauce because I was concerned it'd be too much (crazy considering how much I LOVE cheese) and it was still plenty cheesy.  This is essentially homemade Hamburger Helper.  Yum!

This week I submitted a recipe that I received in a previous swap: Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake.  The Cookaholic Wife had made a very similar version previously and her husband liked the recipe even more WITH my addition of the veggies!  See the full round-up at Taste of Home Cooking.


By the way, I think I'm officially going to try to make Fridays a series of posts: Fast Fridays.  Meals that you can make in 30 minutes or less.  What do you think?  And, any great recipes to share so I can build my repertoire?

Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp Chili powder
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 cups Water
• 1 15 oz can Tomato sauce
• 2 cups Pasta (I used about 3 cups Penne since noodles are bigger and so they don't pack as well)
• 1 15 oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained (used diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers)
• 4 oz Cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups Shredded mexican cheese blend (I used a sprinkling of sharp cheddar)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Heat a 12" skillet over medium heat and add oil.  Heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the pan.  Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and brown sugar and cook an additional 1 minute.  Add the ground beef and cook through.
2. Stir in the water and tomato sauce then add the pasta and stir again.  Cover and increase heat to medium-high.  Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomatoes and black beans, then the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is incorporated.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and for extra cheesiness, add 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Stir until combined.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover.  Let stand for 2 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Top with cilantro and garnish with sour cream, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Jey of Cooking