One-Pan Chicken and Veggies with an Apple Gravy

I haven't had a "dinner post" in quite awhile and I made this one-pan meal the other night and it was truly delicious and needs to be shared! I recieve Rachael Ray emails and newsletters and in one of the latest ones I got it had a one-pan chicken dinner and it looked amazing. I had another recipe from here with chicken and an apple gravy with homemade rice pilaf that I have been wanting to make, or at least the apple gravy part, so I combined the one pot meal with the gravy and it was a nice hearty and satisfying meal with a nice hunk of grainy bread to mop up the yummy gravy.

One-Pan Chicken and Veggies with an Apple Gravy

4 pieces bone-in chicken (2 leg quarters and 2 breasts)
1 small acorn squash
1/2 pound small Yukon gold potatoes, cut in halves
2-3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
1 small onion, quartered
1 large, or 2 small heads garlic, cut in half
salt and pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425.

Place all cut up veggies in a roasting pan. Season with salt, pepper and the thyme, drizzle with olive oil and mix together with your hands. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Nestle the chicken into the roasting pan on top of the veggies and roast for 40-50 minutes until juices run clear. Let sit for 10 minutes to cool and to let meat rest.

In a small sauce pan melt 1 T butter. Add in 1 T flour and whisk into a roux. Whisk in the apple cider to avoid lumps. Whisk in chicken broth and bring to a bubble and allow to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and serve over chicken and veggies.

Recipe inspired by Rachael Ray


This dinner was so delicious and easy to make and prepare! I mean, you throw everything in a roasting pan and that's about it. The gravy takes no more than 5 minutes to make and its full of apple flavor and is great with the chicken and veggies and especially good just being dipped in with a piece of hearty bread. So yum! I really think anybody can make this and it would come out fantastic. And you can cater it to your tastes, use whatever hearty vegetables you like and you can make it your own by adding other spices or herbs that you like!

Please excuse my food photos...by the time dinner is ready it is dark outside therefor I have no light to do my photos by. Makes me a sad food blogger...oh well! Please enjoy anyway!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

-BellaRosa

2011: A New Year

We are 5 days into the new year and for me this New Year came in without a bang, but I really liked that. I feel more relaxed and more calm about this new year and I feel it's going to be a good one!

2010 was a very changing and interesting year. I don't know if I feel as though I, myself, have changed much, but things about my surroundings and other people close in my life have changed, and therefore affected me and brought new experiences to my life. Also over the past year I am grown much closer to some friends and further apart from others. Friendships come and go and you really get to learn who your friends are and who are gonna stick with you for the rest of your life as you grow and change as a person...and I think I really got to discover that over the year of 2010.

This past year I turned 25! That seems like one of those ages that really MEAN something, but overall I just feel like the same little girl. I still act like I am 17 and I am still dealing with real-life adult stuff and it all seems weird and foreign, yet right. I don't know. I think 25 is just one of those ages where you really realize you are an adult and not a kid anymore...


One of the biggest experiences for me was taking our first trip our to California from my brother, Jim's, wedding. It was mine and my husband's first time EVER flying and our first big trip to anywhere, and what a better excuse than to be there for my brother's wedding?! It was an amazing trip full of family, great food and some of the best memories I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I couldn't believe how as a family, we all came together and all flew out for Jim and Joan and how close it made me feel to my family. And now being older, I can really, truly appreciate the time I get to spend with my brothers and being able to go out with them and just hang out and have a good time. Like I said, memories I will cherish forever.

Whole Family together for the Wedding

And to experience all of that with my husband meant the world to me, I love that I was able to share the whole trip and adventure with him.

Hubsie and I at the Golden Gate Bridge!

Another big event was that of my husband's sister changing her entire life and getting divorced, remarried and moving to Germany with our nephew Griffin. It was something that while shocking, was almost, understandable. It was something she needed to do for herself and for her to be happy and live the life she wanted. Also, I got to do my first try at wedding photography so that was sometime new I got to do! I am not normally the one taking pictures of people so it was interesting and harder than it looks!

Rudy and Missy at their wedding

While we obviously miss her dearly, now that she is overseas, we support her and her new husband and all the good things coming to them is well deserved! They are expecting their first baby together which is very exciting, but kinda on the sad side because we won't be able to see them for much longer now because she can't travel while pregnant, and we won't see the baby in person other than over Skype. We try to Skype with her when we can and with the time difference its hard, but we still email and keep in contact with all that is going on.

Missy and Griffin at the airport on their way to Germany

Hubsie and I celebrated 1 year of marriage in 2010 which was crazy! That first year really flew by fast and I couldn't believe our anniversary was already happening! We had a wonderful day of going to the Art Museum and having lunch there and then going out to dinner later that night. It was an amazing day and I it was really truly magical and I just can't believe how fast that year went by!

September 26, 2009

I feel like, for me, 2010 was all about family and experiences. I got to truly realize and appreciate the time I get to spend with my family and I got to do and experience things I didn't think I would have. So all in all, 2010 was a great year and I feel like 2011 will be a good one as well!

Hope everyone had a wonderful 2010 and are looking forward to their 2011!

Bye, Bye 2010! Bring it on 2011!!!!

-BellaRosa

2010 Christmas Cookies

This year I made three new cookies for Christmas, two of which I think are total keepers and one that I don't like too much, but you can't win them all. I made some great Chocolate Mint and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cinnamon Spirals and Orange Cinnamon Biscotti dipped in Dark Chocolate. Yeah...delicious.

The Chocolate cookies are quite delicious. I made some last weekend to make them and get ideas, but I used regular milk chocolate chips, so this time I used Andes Creme de Menthe chips and dark chocolate chips (since I had some leftover from dipping the biscotti). They are mighty delicious and stay chewy when you store them in a plastic baggie rather than a plastic container, I found. And I love some chewy cookies! I found the main recipe here at Food.com and just changed the chips.

Chocolate Mint Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not a big crispy, hard cookie person, but I am intrigued by making biscotti cause they are pretty easy and kinda fun to make. For some reason when I think Christmas flavors I thought of orange and spice, so I went with an orange and cinnamon biscotti and then decided to doll them up and dip the sides of them in dark chocolate. The orange scent alone, even before taking a bite makes these biscotti delicious. Then you take a bite with the dark chocolate and the orange zest flavor and its a winner. I added some sliced almonds in the dough but I think I should have added more or used bigger pieces. These are really yummy cookies and great for Christmas with a mug of hot cocoa! I found the recipe here at Food.com

Orange Cinnamon Biscotti Dipped in Dark Chocolate

The last cookie I made....were a pain my butt! The dough is bland and crumbly and hard to roll out and then roll into spirals...I don't know. I was expecting a lot from these cookies I guess. A lot more flavor, a lot more easier and fun to make and they just made me a little sad and disappointed. I mean, they are alright but not my favorite. The dough is just butter, cream cheese, flour and salt...like I said. Bland. The only flavoring is in the cinnamon sugar filling, but I don't think it's enough. The cookies comes out almost like a shortbread but softer because of the cream cheese I think. They are ok. Try them if you like. They come out looking really cute though! I got the recipe from a friend on Facebook but you can find it here at Good Housekeeping also.

Cinnamon Spirals

So for this holiday season try out some new cookie recipes and you might be surprised what you can make and how delicious they can be!

Eat, Drink and Merry Christmas!

-BellaRosa

Cajun Chicken Smashed Sammies

My Hubsie worked from home today due to the nasty weather out, which is even more fun for me because then I get to make a fun lunch! I usually am just making interesting and fun dinners, but for lunch it's always just leftovers or a can of soup or something. So today I decided to make some chicken sandwiches and potato oven-fries. They were really delicious!!

Cajun Chicken Smashed Sammies

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
Cajun seasoning (I use Wild Tree Cajun Blend)
2 slices cheese, whatever you prefer
Mayo

Season the chicken with the cajun spice rub and let sit in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a skillet with olive oil over med-high heat. Add chicken top-side down and let brown on that side. Flip chicken over and let brown for a couple minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and let cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest.

Heat another pan over med heat. Cut your thick bread slices and spread butter on one side of each slice. Spread mayo on the other side of 2 pieces. Cut up the chicken into large cubes and place on the bottom piece of bread, butter side out. Add your cheese, I used pepper jack on one sammie and cheddar on the other, and top with bread spread with mayo.

Place sandwich in skillet and place another heavy pan on top to smash it down. Once browned and crispy, flip sandwich over and smash again with the other skillet. Remove sandwich once brown on second side and serve hot!

So...there is this place Melt near us and normally its a 2 hour wait just to be seated and then another hour and a half or so before you even get your food...I think I can totally rival them with my sammiches! I mean, no, they are not Melt, but just as good and made fresh and I think less greasy. And I could have added another slice of cheese and they would have been even better and gooey.

Also, please excuse my photos, the ONE place in my apartment I get the best light and take all my pictures currently has our Christmas tree, so my photos won't be very good for a little bit. But please enjoy the recipes and ideas!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

-BellaRosa

Harvest Biscotti

Ok, so I STILL had leftover canned pureed pumpkin...seriously. I shouldn't have bought the big can, but then again I couldn't have made all these extra pumpkin treats, so here it goes.

I've been thinking of making biscotti for a long time, since I am Italian and it is a classic Italian cookie, great with coffee or tea. Biscotti is a twice baked biscuit-like cookie that is baked as a log and then cut into the sliced cookies and baked again to make them nice and crisp. I was thinking, since it's my first year hosting Thanksgiving *panic* that it might be nice to have a little treat for my guest to take home after dinner. I wanted to test these out first to make sure they are good enough for company. So here goes nothing!

Harvest Biscotti

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup dried raisins and cranberries (Sun-Maid has these packaged together)
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and spices. Add the raisins and cranberries and mix to incorporate thoroughly.

In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give this a rough stir to generally combine ingredients, dough will be crumbly.

Flour our hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Form the dough into a large log, roughly 15-20 inches by 6-7 inches. The loaves should be relatively flat. Only about 1/2 inch high. Bake for 22-30 minutes at 350, until the center is firm to the touch. (you can also form 2 smaller logs, to make bite-size biscotti, change baking time to 18-25 minutes.)

Let the biscotti logs cool for 15 minutes, then using a serrated knife, cut into 1 inch thick pieces. Turn the oven to 300 and bake the biscotti pieces for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Biscotti may still be a tad moist and chewy, so if you prefer the crispier biscotti let sit uncovered overnight in a dry space. Serve and enjoy!

(recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)

I choose to do the two smaller logs to have smaller biscotti, but I think I might like to have the larger ones for my guests (my guests being my parents, in-laws, my eldest brother and my youngest brother's family.) These are pretty tasty, and I really like the soft texture of the raisins and cranberries in the crisp and crumbly biscuit cookie. I think even adding nuts for crunch and a salty taste would be great as well. These were really easy to make and I think that my guest will really enjoy them as a take-home treat!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!!

-BellaRosa

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Rolls

I had leftover pumpkin from when I made my pumpkin cream cheese muffins and I knew i had to use it up so it didn't go bad, but I hadn't been inspired by anything, and I didn't want to make muffins again. So I started peeking around online and found an amazing idea. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls! What could be better?! So here's the recipe I found and I hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Rolls
(find original recipe here.)

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 T granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Cooking Spray
3 T granulated sugar
3 T brown sugar
2 T flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Glaze:
3/4 cup powered sugar
1 T hot water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

To prepare the buns, dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour, pumpkin, and next 5 ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg); beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of the remaining 3/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake the rolls at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and vanilla extract in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over buns. Serve warm.

These cinnamon rolls came out great! They were quite easy to make. The longest process was letting the dough rise and then letting the rolls proof once in the pan, but besides that, I felt they were super simple to make. These don't have much of a pumpkin flavor as I expected but there is only 1/2 a cup of pumpkin in them, but they have a nice spice and flavor to them. The pumpkin gives these a lovely orangey color. They are really moist and the cinnamon sugar filling is really delicious. I think these are totally worth the effort and they are really, really good!!! Perfect for a nice fall morning, to go with your cup of coffee or tea.

Fresh out of the oven, waiting for the glaze

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

-BellaRosa

Recommended Reading: By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead

I haven't done one of these in a really long time, I guess I hadn't been reading anything that really struck a cord or that I thought you guys would enjoy as well. But this book really hit me, and I really, really love this book. Even though it's a pretty sad and depressing story, I really loved it...it makes you think.

This book tells the story of Daelyn and her stuggles with every day life, with her parents on 24/7 suicide watch over her after her 3 (or more) failed suicide attempts. This last one leaving her mute and having to wear a neck brace all the time. She is considered a "freak" at school and feels very alone and worthless. She has horrible things happen to her and you might feel the same after what this girl has went through. But then again maybe with a better support system from her parents she might not of felt the way she did...but who knows. Either she isn't communicating properly or her parents just don't know how to listen.

Daelyn finds a website dedicated to "completers", those who will finally off themselves...for the last time. No more failures. She finds comfort in knowing that no one is gonna talk her out of it on this site and its there to help these people tell their stories and vent frustrations.

There is a twist when this random boy comes up to her one day, while waiting for her mother to pick her up from school, and starts chatting with her. He's very persistent and is there everyday to meet her and talk with her...but does she have the ability to let someone in, even though her "date of determination" is only 23 days away?

This book kept me enticed all the way through. I was invested in the character. I wanted to yell at her, I wanted to hug her, I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to tell her everything was ok...

Emotional charged and pulling on heartstrings, this book is a winner.

And I don't know what my view is on the whole "bullying" situation, but I am glad this book is out there to show what it can do to someone's life...when the bullying is day in and day out, no matter where they may move or what new school they go to...it really makes you think.

-BellaRosa