Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs!

Here are my favorite recipes this week. 

White Russian
c/o Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) vodka
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) coffee liqueur (such as kahlua or tia maria)
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) half-and-half or 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) milk plus 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) heavy cream

Directions

Fill a short — or rocks — glass with ice. Add vodka and coffee liqueur. Finish with the cream. For the layered effect, pour the cream in a very slow drizzle off the back of a spoon held over — but not touching — the surface of the drink. To swirl it prettily, insert a stirrer along the inner wall of the glass only as a deep as the cream and move it around in a slow circle.

Chicken Fajita Pasta

c/o Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope (3 tablespoons) taco or fajita seasoning
1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 onion)
2 cups diced bell peppers (2-3 bell peppers)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 (10-oz) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles
8 oz (about 3 cups) pasta
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with half of taco seasoning. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. 

2- When the oil is very hot, carefully add the chicken in a single layer and cook without stirring until one side is seared and browned, about 1-2 minutes. Flip the chicken to the other side and cook until browned. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

3- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet with the heat still on high. When the oil is very hot again, add the onions, bell peppers, and remaining taco seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are slightly blackened. 

4- Turn heat to low, add minced garlic, and stir until fragrant and well combined, about 30 seconds. Remove the veggies to the plate with the chicken.

5- In the same skillet, add the broth, cream, diced tomatoes, uncooked pasta, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes until pasta is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed. 

6-Add the chicken and veggies back into the skillet and stir to combine until heated through, about 2 minutes. 

Chocolate Frosted Blondies

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

For the blondies:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• pinch of salt

For the frosting:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more as needed*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment.
2. Add the butter and brown sugar to a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. Stir in the egg and vanilla.
4. Stir in the flour and salt until well combined.
5. Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely.
6. To make the frosting, put a small saucepan over medium heat.
7. Stir in the butter, milk, and sugar until melted and bring to a full boil.
8. Let boil for exactly 60 seconds and remove from the heat.
9. Stir in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips until melted. Mixture should be pourable, but not super runny. The frosting will thicken up as it cools. If it seems too runny, add an extra tablespoon or two of chocolate chips and stir well until melted into the mixture. Return to heat briefly if needed to melt.
10. Pour the hot frosting over the cooled blondies and allow to set until hardened, about 1 hour.
11. Slice and serve!