Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

2 cups  flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-by-8 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In an electric mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until combined. Beat in sour cream and vanilla  until combined.

3. Gradually add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Once combined, pour half of batter into prepared pan.

4. In small bowl, combine topping ingredients (sugars and cinnamon). Sprinkle batter with 1/2 of topping and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Cover with remaining batter. Top with sugar mixture and chocolate chips.

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Chicken Orzo Casserole

1 tsp. olive oil
1 lb chicken tenders, diced into bite-size pieces
1 tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
Salt & pepper
1 cup orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9-by-9 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Cook chicken in olive oil over medium heat in skillet until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.

3. Add butter and onions to skillet. Saute for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add milk, chicken brother and flour. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Reduce heat to low, add Mexican cheese and stir until melted and combined. Stir in chicken and cooked orzo.

5. Pour into baking dish. Top with bread crumbs, paprika, and parsley.

6. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Lemon Cream-Cheese Bars

These scrumptious bars have become one of my most-requested potluck favorites. So tasty and yet, so simple!

1 box lemon cake mix 

1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 T lemon juice

powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix cake mix with 1 egg and 1/3 cup oil until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup of the crumb mix and pat the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and remaining egg with an electric mixer until creamy. Spread over the baked crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top and bake for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool completely, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.

*Recipe from Sweet Treats and More

Pineapple Orange Smoothie

Cool down this summer with this delicious fruit smoothie!

1/2 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup diced pineapple
2 clementines, peeled and separated
1 container vanilla Greek yogurt (5 oz)

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Enjoy!

Tuna Artichoke Casserole

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 can tuna, drained 
1 can artichoke hearts, diced
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
2 1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells
salt & pepper, to taste

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. In medium saucepan, saute onions until tender. Add in mushrooms and saute until almost tender. In small bowl, combine chicken broth and flour. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken broth mixture to onions. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low.

4.. Add in tuna, artichoke hearts and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Transfer into baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Beer-Battered Haddock

Living on the East Coast now, I’ve made it my goal to become an expert at preparing seafood. What better way to start than classic, New England fish and chips?

4 cups vegetable oil 

1-1   ½ lbs boneless haddock fillets, cut into large chunks

2  cups flour

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 (12-oz) bottle of beer

Preheat oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer or large pot.  

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups of flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and beer. Pat fish dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper; coat with beer batter. Dredge the fish pieces in the remaining ½ cup of flour and then place gently into the hot oil. (Tip: Check to see if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small spoonful of batter into the pot. If it begins to fry quickly, your oil is ready.) Fry fish, turning frequently, until the batter is deep golden and the fish is cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel. Serve with French fries.

*Adapted from Paula Dean