Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

You will soon realize that I love Paula Dean's southern cookin'.  I have made this recipe with reduced fat milk, cream cheese, and whip cream and it turned out very well, but know when you use the fatty ingredients it turns out that much better.  We definitely finished this tasty dessert within a couple days.

XOXO,
Esra

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

• 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
• 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
2. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.
3. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.
4. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
6. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies.
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Super Bowl Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen - bless her heart!

I tested this app recipe on the guys last year for our Super Bowl party.  Not sure which was better...these delicious bites or the Steelers win?!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
• 1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Christmas Party Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

a tip of the hat to Ina Garten!

I've been making her delicious lasagna for the past few years and it's quickly becoming a family fave.

The rosemary sprigs are simply garnish and aren't in the recipe

bon appetit y'all!
Alison

Ingredients nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
• 4 cups whole milk
• 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie

I found this recipe on the Rachael Ray website and had to give it a try. It was extremely easy to make and many of the ingredients I already had in my kitchen.

The one thing you will notice when I post recipes is that in parenthesis I will write if I strayed from the original recipe at all. I tend to make my recipes a little more figure friendly to help eliminate the hours afterwards that I need to spend on the treadmill.

XOXO,
Esra

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie
SERVES 6

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
3 stalks celery, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, grated
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
4 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (i used fat free and only used 1 can)
1/4 cup hot sauce (or more for more kick!) (I used Frank's hot sauce)
17 ounces boxed cornbread mix (like 2 boxes of Jiffy mix)
2/3 cup milk (I used skim)
2 eggs
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used reduced fat)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.Heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chicken chunks and sauté them on both sides until golden brown. Remove chicken chunks from skillet and reserve on a plate.
3.Add another 2 tablespoons of EVOO, the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 5-6 minutes.
4.While the veggies are cooking start the sauce: In a medium-size sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat then stir in the flour and cook until light brown, about 1 minute. Whisk the chicken stock and hot sauce into the butter/flour mixture and bring it to a boil. Simmer the gravy until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
5.Return the reserved chicken chunks to the skillet with the cooked vegetables and add the gravy, stirring to combine. Transfer everything to a 9x11" casserole dish and set aside while you prepare the topping.
6.In a medium-size mixing bowl, prepare the cornbread according to package directions. Stir the blue cheese crumbles into the cornbread mixture and drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the top of the casserole, covering it completely.
7.Bake the pot pie until the cornbread is baked through and the filling is hot, 20-30 minutes.

Quick and Easy Black Bean Chili

This is a quick and easy version of making Black Bean Chili for those snowy winter days. I will have to take a better picture to post with this recipe. My camera phone action did not turn out too well. I have made this recipe with beef tips for those meat eaters in your life.

XOXO,
Esra

Black Bean ChiliMakes 8 servings

3 (15 oz) cans black beans
1.5 lbs chicken, cut into small pieces
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
2 tbsp minced garlic (opt)
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes with jalapenos

Toppings:
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, lime wedges, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, corn chips

1. Rinse and drain 2 cans black beans (do not drain 3rd can)
2. Sauté chopped onion and chicken over medium heat 6 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 3 ingredients; sauté 1 minute.
3. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.


**** If using a crock-pot, put all the ingredients in the crock-pot and cook for 6 hours. (Don’t have to cook onion before hand) At the last hour, add COOKED chicken pieces. When I made it the other night, I just doubled the recipe.

About 3 Gals and a Kitchen

3 Gals and a Kitchen started as 3 friends were constantly sending recipes back and forth. The memory on their cell phones would fill up with all of the photos they had taken of the meals created each evening. After many dinner parties and recipe exchanges, they decided to start a blog where those recipes can be shared with friends, family, and the blogging community.


My name is Esra and I am a 27 year old Sales & Marketing Representative in Richmond, VA. Food and entertaining has always been a passion of mine. My love of food started at a young age when I would watch my mother cook all of these amazing Turkish recipes for our family and friends. After sitting in the kitchen waiting for her to pass little samples of what she was cooking she allowed me to help with various meals. I am still amazed how she does not have any recipes written down, but instead they are all in her head. When I ask her for a recipe it usually consists of me watching what she is doing and writing down all of the ingredients she is adding to her latest creation. Throughout college the Food Network become a must watch after classes and before going to work. Many of my recipes are inspired by Rachael Ray, Paula Dean, Barefoot Contessa, Giada, Sandra Lee (for the nights when I am in a rush), Emeril, Ellie Krieger (for all the healthy options), and of course the Food Network competitions. These recipes are a great way to start and then adding your own personal touch to each recipe to make it your own. After college the 3 of us lived within walking distance of each other and would constantly call each other to taste test our latest and greatest recipes. My favorite part of cooking is when I can invite my friends over for a dinner party and get the opportunity to decorate the table.

A little bit about me, I am first generation stateside, born and raised in Richmond, VA. When I am not cooking I am spending time with my wonderful boyfriend and our cute little German Shepherd, Dallas, and our friends/family. I love photography and will almost always carry a camera with me. Playing sports and being outdoors is always relaxing after a long days work.

About Alison...to come

About Allison...to come

XOXO,
Pink Ladies