Finlandia Review and Free Cheese! (Closed)

A while back I was contacted by the people at Finlandia cheese. They sent me a few good looking recipes for their cheese and said they'd like for me to blog about them, the only problem was I didn't have any of their cheese! So they sent me a couple coupons for Finlandia cheese and they sent a couple for you too! Continue reading the rest of this post to find out how you can win some Finlandia cheese.

Before I tell you about this recipe, I wanted to tell you about Finlandia. They did not ask me to make any specific recipe, nor did they ask me glorify their product. But I do find it necessary to tell you a bit about their product, because I believe it is unique from other cheese makers. Finlandia cheese is the #1 imported cheese in the country. And because they care what goes into the cheese you consume, Finlandia's line of cheeses are also natural, lactose-free and hormone free. Read more here and here. Can you say that about your cheese?

To compliment the Finlandia Gouda cheese, I made a spicy chipotle chicken breast and topped it off with smoky bacon and a slice of Gouda. I got inspiration for the chicken from Maranda of Jolts & Jollies, but I changed things up a bit. It was the tiniest bit sweet, but smoky, spicy and delicious. It paired perfectly with the Gouda, which tasted like a cross between Swiss and Cheddar and the slightest bit sharp. I baked the chicken, but if you'd prefer to grill it or pan fry it or use bone-in chicken, just make the marinade and prepare it the way you wish. To win some Finlandia cheese, scroll down!

 Chipotle BBQ Chicken w/ Bacon and Gouda from Monica H inspired by Jolts & Jollies
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• 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 small tomato, cut into quarters
• 1-2 Tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the blender or a food processor, combine the lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, tomato and chipotle peppers and pulse til uniformly blended.

In a bowl or ziploc bag, add chicken and half of the marinade, coating the chicken thoroughly. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Place marinated chicken in greased Pyrex pan; discarding used marinade.

Bake chicken at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, basting with fresh marinade every 10-15 minutes. Bake til internal temperature reads 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

The last 5 minutes of cooking, add cooked bacon slices and Finlandia Gouda or Cheddar cheese to the top of the chicken breasts. Bake til cheese is melted. Remove from oven.

Allow chicken to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

I have two coupons for free cheese from Finlandia. If you're interested in trying out their natural, lactose and hormone-free cheese, then please visit their website and then leave me a comment on this post telling me what cheese you'd like to try and what you'd make using their cheese!

Open to US residents only. I will pick two winners later in the week so be sure to leave me your contact info or you can't win!

Thanks Finlandia!

The New Chicken Soup

Before I talk a bit about this recipe, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and well wishes for my cousin. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and is staying with my aunt (his mother) while he fully recovers. But he is doing much better than expected and we think he'll make a full recovery. Thank you all so very much for your positivity!

I woke up with a sore throat on Friday and have been feeling like poo all weekend long. ugh! I've mentioned before that I'm a part time nanny and every time that the little man gets sick, so do I. It's so frustrating because I'll be with the sick kid all week long and by the weekend, I'm feeling miserable and doing nothing but sleeping, building up mountains of Kleenex and drugging myself up just to feel somewhat like a human. And doctors don't work the weekends, so what d'ya do?

I haven't been cooking much this weekend simply because I haven't had the energy. I did manage to whip out a pizza for dinner last night but that doesn't require much effort. Mr. H has been taking care of me and putting up with take out. He's even made breakfast a couple times and cleaned up- what a man! I was wanting something warm and comforting for dinner and thought of this meal that I made a couple weeks ago. I found it on Cassie Craves and I've made it a couple times now. It's loaded with bacon and garlicky goodness and gets even more flavor from the red wine and chicken broth that it's cooked in. The chicken gets really tender and falls apart and the veggies retain their texture. It's really simple and it's delicious and perfect for when you're feeling under the weather. I just wish I had someone to make it for me :-)

Crock Pot Coq Au Vin adapted from Cassie Craves

• 5 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed (or 1 medium onion, chopped)
• 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into halves
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat. Drain and crumble. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the following order: onions, bacon, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, pepper, chicken, wine and broth. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours.

Remove chicken and vegetables to a plate. Ladle 1/2 cup cooking liquid into small bowl; allow to cool slightly. Turn slow cooker to High; cover. Mix reserved liquid, tomato paste and flour until smooth. Return sauce mixture to slow cooker and stir. Add the chicken and veggies back to the sauce being sure that everything gets covered in sauce. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until thickened.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

NOTE: I left the carrots out of this recipe simply because I didn't have them. This is much better WITH the carrots.

Wontcha join me for a bowl?

Finger Lickin' Good

Yesterday was my first day back to work since Thanksgiving. The family I nanny for goes to visit familiy during the holidays every year so I had some time off. I was dreading going back to work but the boys have been great so far. Although we are only on day 2 :-) Yesterday, the older kiddo was napping and when I went to wake him he was wearing his birthday shirt and the first thing he said to me after 5 weeks of not seeing me was about his birthday cake! His mom said he talked about it to anyone and everyone that would listen. Today the first thing he said to me after waking him up was "You have cookies?" and I did! I was a hero for the day :-)

In fact after he woke up we went to the kitchen and opened up the box of Christmas cookies I had been saving for him. He went straight for the colorful ornament cookie covered in icing and the bacon and eggs. It took him almost an hour to eat in between putting puzzles together. Then it donned on me at almost 4 o' clock that I forgot to feed him lunch! He didn't seem to mind though that he got sweets instead of real food. Again- hero (or lousy nanny) for the day!

Speaking of hero, I had to pat myself on the back when I made this meal. It was so good! I wouldn't lie to you. Not everything I make it worthy of a pat on the back but Mr. H and I kept mmm-ing through our bites and finger licking. I made this and with my first bite all I kept asking myself was "Did I really make this?" followed by "I really made this!" Make this, you'll be a hero too. For those of you who appreciate my tasting notes, this chicken was wonderful. It was like a satisfying take out meal. The sauce was garlicky, and sweet, but tangy and only the slightest bit hot. The chicken was moist and sticky and a great compliment to white rice and mixed veggies. It was complex in flavor but oh so simple to make. Let the sauce puddle in the bottom of a bowl and stir it into the rice. oooh!

Garlic-Chile Chicken Legs from Everyday Food

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 chicken legs (2 1/2 pounds total), drumsticks and thighs separated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup sugar

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, red-pepper flakes, and sugar. Return chicken to pan, skin side up. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low; cook 15 minutes (liquid should be gently simmering; adjust heat if necessary). Uncover, raise heat to medium, and cook until sauce is reduced by half, 10 minutes.

Serves 4

NOTE: I cut the recipe in half and used only chicken legs instead of whicken quarters. Leftovers were not that great the next day so only make what you plan on eating that night.

The Big Dipper

I saw this quick and easy Buffalo Chicken Dip on Latest Addictions a couple months ago. It caught my eye because it was so unusual and simple. She served hers in a bread bowl which I thought was such a great idea. However I know my family and once the dip was done, they'd toss the soggy bread in the trash so I opted for a colorful bowl instead. I also used a different hot sauce because it's what I had on hand. I know that doesn't make it "buffalo" flavored, but it was still good.

This dip was quite tasty and quick! The reason I made it is because my mom invited us over to her house for dinner at the last minute. She asked if I could bring something so I brought my Key Lime Frozen Yogurt Sammies. Then she asked if I could also bring something that wasn't sweet and I only had an hour to figure something out. I ran to the grocery store with this recipe in mind but I knew I wouldn't have time to defrost, cook, cube and cool chicken so I picked up a package of precooked, cubed chicken from the deli.

My husband loved it because he likes the flavor of buffalo wings but he doesn't like to get his hands dirty and saucy. My only complaint was that it was hard to scoop up the chunks of chicken with the bread. Maybe a bread stick or cracker would work a little better. Next time I will use fresh chicken and homemade ranch dressing for a fresher flavor. Overall the dip was wonderful. Thanks Finsmom!

Buffalo Chicken Dip adapted from Latest Addictions

• 1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 regular sized bottle of ranch dressing
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 5 ribs of celery, cut into strips (for dipping)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped*
• Frank's Red Hot sauce, to taste**
• 1 large loaf French bread, cubed

Place cream cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl and mix well. Add hot sauce to taste. Stir in chicken and chopped celery.

Serve dip in bowl, with bread cubes and celery strips for dipping.

NOTE: *I used Cholula hot sauce instead of Frank's Red and **I used precooked and cubed deli chicken.

Happy Columbus Day!

I'm a breast and buns girl

As soon as I saw this recipe from Lissaloo at One Step At A Time, I knew I had to make it. It was far too simple not to make it, it only has 2 ingredients and it's made in a crockpot! It takes quite a bit of time to cook so you need to plan ahead, but it can be done over night and ready for lunch the next day.

It was delicious and made a ton! I made this with 4 chicken breasts because I wanted leftovers and we ended up eating it for a couple days afterwards. I would allot 1/2 a breast per person per meal next time. This was clearly enough for 8 people to have sandwiches! And that's the beauty of this recipe, it can feed a lot or a little without much effort.

We ate ours on homemade hamburger buns and when I ran out we ate them on toasted sesame seed buns, with potato salad and pickles. Yum!

Pulled BBQ Chicken from Lissaloo

• 4 frozen chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
• 1- 18 oz. bottle bbq sauce (or more if desired)

Put chicken in crockpot and cover with bbq sauce. Cook on low for several hours. I cooked mine about 10 hours, Lissaloo lets hers cook for 12, overnight. Just cook until tender and shreddable otherwise it will be dry. 8 hours should be enough, but I let mine go longer because my low setting doesn't work very well.

Take chicken out of pot and let cool just a bit before shredding. With two forks pull chicken apart and return back to crockpot to simmer for a couple more hours.

Sandwich between two pieces of bread or a bun and enjoy!

NOTE: Your chicken will only be as good as your sauce so use your favorite BBQ sauce. If you like it peppery add pepper or sweet, add a little honey. But be cautious when adding salt the sauce is ually loaded with it.

Lissaloo uses 1-2 bottles of sauce per 5 breasts. Adjust accordingly.

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A special thank you to Amber of When Amber Cooks, Roz of La Bella Vita and Amanda of Faith, Food and Family for this lovely award. I appreciate it so very much ladies.

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Also don't forget to enter your photos in the Best Foodie Foto Contest this week at Laura's blog. You can enter pictures from this week starting with Sunday through Saturday. But you have to email her your entries. Go to her blog for more details!

Something A Little Different

ETA: The pistachios I used for this were not infected. I had a few emails and comments about the recall of pistachios, but mine were not on the list. Besides that, I bought them 6 months ago and had them in the freezer, so they weren't even "current" produce. Click here to see the Pistachio Recall List.

I saw this the other day on Confections Of A Foodie Bride and knew instantly that it would be a part of my weekly meal planning. I still had shelled pistachios in the pantry from when I made Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti during the holidays. Which, coincidentally, is also a recipe from Foodie Bride.

I love pistachios and most nuts for that matter and the idea of coating succulent chicken breast in them made me happy. I've coated chicken tenders in pecans before and that was good, but I was looking for something different. And different it was. I asked my husband if he enjoyed dinner and he said "Yeah, it was different." I think he preferred the pecans over the pistachios :-)

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken Breasts adapted from Foodie Bride

• 3/4 cup pistachios, shelled
• Salt (if pistachios are unsalted)*
• Ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Dash of garlic powder
• 2 Chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness

Preheat oven to 425 F. Rough chop the pistachios until coarsely ground into small and medium-sized pieces or use your Slap Chop to make your life easier and less boring :-) Pour nuts onto a plate and season your chicken with salt, peppers and garlic powder.

Evenly coat chicken breasts by pressing them into the chopped nuts.Turn the breasts over and repeat. Carefully place breasts on a rack set in a baking sheet and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 16-20 minutes. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into.

*NOTE: Even after salting the nuts, and the chicken, I felt they still needed a little more seasoning. I think next time I'll add a bit more salt to the breasts before coating them and even try them with pecans.

I'll be MIA over the weekend. I'm taking a mini vacation and meeting a longtime blogging buddy for the first time. I can't wait!

See ya next week!

It's A Wrap!

Jenn from No Lemon Juice made Caesar Club Sandwiches several weeks ago. I craved them the moment I saw them, except I'm not a fan of ciabatta bread sandwiches. I think it's too much bread to sandwich filling ratio. Does that make sense?

So I decided to make the dressing and make Chicken Caesar wraps instead. And they were yummy. The hubby liked them so much he even asked to have them for leftovers the next day, which he rarely does.

Caesar Dressing from Ina Garten

• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste*
• 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or in a blender) and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing.

Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.

NOTE: *I couldn't find anchovy paste at my supermarket, so I got a small can of anchovy fillets and used that instead. I used about 4-5 fillets in place of the 1 1/2 tsp. of paste.

Chicken Caesar Wraps

• 2 Tortilla wraps
• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 Chicken breast, sliced
• Caesar dressing
• Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Fresh ground pepper

Place the wraps on a plate. In the center of the wrap, pile the romaine lettuce in the center. Top with sliced chicken breast. Spoon the desired amount of dressing over chicken and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper. Wrap up and enjoy!

Chicken & Dumplings For The Soul

This is one of my mother-in-laws famous recipes. It is famous for a reason. It is SO good. She never actually gave me the recipe, so this is my interpretation. In fact she hasn't made it in a while. The last time I remember her making this is when were on vacation in Santa Fe last Easter. This is also when I observed and took mental notes in order to replicate it.

I got the gist of it, but the measurements were all wrong. The first time, I used chicken breast which was good, but I knew the whole chicken would provide more flavor. The second time I used the whole chicken and it was better, but I added too much water and it was a little too soupy for me. During all this trial and error, the dumplings were being tested as well. I've asked my mother-in-law for the recipe a couple of times, and either she couldn't find it or just forgot about it. The first time I made the dumplings, they were okay I think, but they weren't anything memorable. The second time, I didn't add enough dried basil (according to my husband) and the third time, I added too much shortening as they were almost greasy- way too rich and not fluffy.

This time, I think I've done it. These proportions have proved to be the best combination thus far. In fact, I think I'm done tweaking it, there isn't anything I would change. And the two bowl fulls and a happy tummies are indications of it's goodness. My dog even licked the bowl, but when does she not. You can thank Jenn for this recipe, she asked for it a few weeks ago and it made me get in the kitchen and write the recipe down. Before it was all in my head and pieced together on post-its. Now it's all here-for you. This recipe truly comes from my heart, so I hope you enjoy it!

Nonie's Chicken and Dumplings

Stew:

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bunch celery, chopped
• 1 whole chicken fryer (about 4 lbs.)
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 6 cups chicken broth or water
• salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsps. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. dried basil (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. Crisco shortening
• 3/4 -1 cup buttermilk

In a large pot over high heat, saute onions, celery and bouillon cubes in butter til tender. Add whole chicken fryer to pot and cover with 6 cups water or chicken stock. Cook over medium heat til chicken is cooked through.

Once chicken is cooked through, pull out and place on a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, take off all the meat and shred into bite sided pieces. Add chicken back to pot and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Bring to boil.

While the chicken stew is coming to a boil, make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and dried basil. Mix dry ingredients and cut in shortening with a fork or a pastry cutter. Stir dough while adding buttermilk. Start with 3/4 cup and add more til completely moistened and biscuit like but not wet.

Drop by the spoon full onto the boiling stew. Do not stir dumplings. Reduce heat to low and cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Allow dumplings to steam for 15 minutes. Once dumplings are cooked through, stir dumplings into the stew and serve. The flour from the dumplings will thicken the stew.

NOTE: You can substitute chicken pieces with the bone in or 4 large chicken breasts instead of the whole chicken. Or you can use leftover turkey (about 4 cups) from Thanksgiving. You can also sub milk for the buttermilk.

My happy little hand model :-)