Kathryn's Cafe Roka Chicken Salad

Ok, so I have been on a diet kick lately. So far so good, but let's face it, diet food is.....boring....to say the least. So when I came across a recipe calculator online that will calculate calories and fat (and a ton of other information) for your home made recipes, I thought "It's time to experiment!"

I thought of this test recipe a few days ago and decided to give it a go tonight. The results are amazing! Hope someone else out there enjoys this.

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp green onions fine diced

4 tbsp peeled cucumber fine diced

2 tbsp fat free plainyogurt

2 tbsp roka blue cheese dressing (not low fat or diet)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground peppercorns

4 whole wheat flat breads or slices of whole wheat toast

Directions

Wrap each chicken breast in foil seasoned with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from foil and dice into bite size pieces. Add chopped onion and cucumber.

In a separate bowl combine yogurt, roka blue cheese dressing, lemon juice and cracked pepper. Mix well and add to the chicken and vegetable mixture and mix to coat well.

This can be served on a whole wheat flat bread, in a whole wheat pita, on a whole wheat piece of bread or toast or could be served in a whole wheat tortilla shell with baby spinach. Any of these options would not change the nutritional value by much. Another tip that I learned from this test recipe is that when you are using a creamy dressing like blue cheese or ranch and you don't prefer the "low fat" or "no fat" variety (also known as the "no flavor" variety), you can mix an equal part of dressing and low fat plain yogurt and make twice the volume of dressing without sacrificing much flavor at all. Adding a splash of lemon juice really dials up the flavor, too, without adding any extra calories or fat!

Hope someone out there enjoys :)

4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		207.7
Total Fat		6.7 g

Pork Chops with White Wine and Garlic Sauce

This is my second complete original recipe on here. Drew's Birthday Chicken & Noodles was my first. Most of these other recipes I either found and loved found and modified until I loved them!

These pork chops are always a hit. Full of flavor, slow cooked and tender enough to cut with a butter knife.....now that's my kind of pork chop. I am making this tonight for a birthday dinner party and thought I would share it here. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
5 to 6 1" thick bone in Iowa Chops
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns
1 pinch paprika
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons dry white wine
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons chicken stock
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons or 1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil

*A quick note on the breading for this recipe, you can use a pre packaged seasoned flour instead of making the seasoning yourself*


Directions
Combine flour, garlic salt, ground pepper & paprika into a shallow dish. Heat olive oil in large pan. Dredge pork chops in flour and shake off. Sear for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown - two at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan with pork chops. As the chops are finished searing, transfer them to a large baking pan, like a 13 X 9 pan.

After all chops are seared, lower the heat in the pan. Add 4 tbsp butter. Add 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour and whisk until a medium brown ruex forms. Add white wine, chicken stock and garlic. Whisk until smooth. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to the consistency that you like. Pour sauce over seared chops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Remove chops from the oven and remove foil. Loosely recover pan with foil and allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving. This may be the most critical part of this recipe as this step is what really ensures that the chops are juicy.

Enjoy! This dish pairs well with my cheesy potatoes because they bake for the same length of time and temperature. I will post that recipe next :)

Homemade Beef Stew

I love comfort all year round, but winter time seems to be when it is most comforting. There is nothing better than a big pot of warm comfort food on a cold winter evening. Beef stew is a comfort food that I don't make often and I am not really sure why! It's easy, versatile and delicious. I like to add pasta to mine to give it an extra layer of heartiness, too.

Here is how I make mine, but you can swap out veggies however you like and omit pasta as well. Hope everyone enjoys!

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds cubed beef

1 medium yellow onion

1 can whole kernel corn or two ears fresh whole kernel corn

4 Carrots

1 Large Can Whole Tomatoes

3 to 4 potatoes

3 tablespoons beef bouillon

1 chicken bouillon cube

Kosher Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons white wine

Directions

In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until brown on each side. Remove meat from pot and set aside. Add diced onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes until onions become translucent. Add two peeled and smashed garlic cloves. Add white wine and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Add can of whole tomatoes. Break up tomatoes with spoon or knife. Break each into about four pieces. Add beef and chicken bouillon. Add browned stew meat back into pot.

Let simmer on low heat covered while you peel and dice 4 medium potatoes. Transfer soup into crock pot and add potatoes. Stir and cook for about 4 hours on low. Add drained corn and about 1 1/2 cups macaroni. Cook an additional 30 minutes or until noodles are as soft as you like. Serve & enjoy!

Braided Bread

I have really begun to enjoy making bread from scratch and this lovely braid is quickly becoming my tried and true favorite for any meal. It goes well with anything from a Saturday night meal to an elegant spread for holidays or diner parties.

It is a versatile loaf since you can garnish with almost anything you like. I like poppy seed or sesame seed, but you can flavor it any way you like with garnish.

This loaf makes a great presentation on the table and I hope everyone enjoys!

Ingredients

1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1 cup warm 2% milk (110 to 115 degrees)

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) softened

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg yolk (reserve egg white for egg wash)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg white

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, egg yolk, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a firm dough.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 608 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough into thirds. Shape each into a 20 inch rope. Make sure the ropes are consistent from one end to the other in girth. Place ropes on a large greased baking sheet and braid. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Combine egg white with 2 teaspoons water and brush dough. Garnish with whatever you like. Some suggestions are kosher salt, minced onion, poppy or sesame seeds.

Bake at 375 for 22-28 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Ice Box Cake

There is a saying that goes something like "all the best ideas have already been done". This recipe could well justify that saying! Ice Box Cakes were invented in American kitchens by thrifty homemakers.

Since the dawn of the ice box cake, people have come up with countless ways to improve the cake as a dessert. However, when I decided to go back to basics and make this cake, I realized that it needed no improvement at all.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this cake was and how great it tastes. I also love that it is intended to be made ahead, which makes it great for company, holidays & diner parties. Layers of chocolate cookies and mocha whip cream are the perfect combination. Another thing I love about this recipe is that it is so versatile. You could really play with the flavor of the homemade whip cream.

Hope everyone enjoys!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 12 ounces cream cheese cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 packages Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
• Shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), combine the heavy cream, cream cheese, sugar, coffee liqueur, cocoa powder, espresso powder or instant coffee granules, and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed, until it forms firm peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible. (I break some cookies to fill in the spaces.) Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top, lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream. Continue layering cookies and cream until there are 5 layers of each, ending with a layer of cream. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

To Serve

Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges, and serve cold.

Thanksgiving 1.1 - Mystery Pecan Pie

Aaahhh, pecan pie. A staple at almost every Thanksgiving diner table. And who doesn't love it? The only problem is that it is so rich and sweet that you can barely eat more than one bite. That is why when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. This is a cross between a cheesecake and a pecan pie all nestled in a deep dish pie crust. It doesn't have the overwhelmingly sweetness of traditional pecan pie and it also has a more firm texture.

Now, I have made this pie several times over the last few days and I have tips to share.

• Do not beat the filling with your beaters. Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature and use one beater on low speed just until the mixture is smooth.
• DO NOT mix the topping with beaters! Karo syrup is very easy to whip air into and your pie will be an absolute mess! Most experienced pecan pie makers would already know to avoid this, but in case you are a first-timer, I wanted to include this tip.
• When your pie is finished baking do not remove it from the oven. Simply turn the oven off and open the door about half way. Leave it this way until it's completely cooled. This will prevent the center of the pie from sinking in when it cools.
• Don't eat this until the next day. It is much better and not meant to be eaten warm.

Mystery Pecan Pie

Topping

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

1 8oz package cream cheese room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell (9 inch)

1 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350

Combine topping ingredients & set aside

Mix cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla & egg

Pour into pie shell (spread evenly)

Top with even layer of pecans

Pour topping over pecans

Bake 45 minutes

Hope you enjoy!

Thanksgiving 1.0

Well, Thanksgiving is almost upon us. The mother of all cooking holidays. Guess starting that diet and workout plan a week ago may not have been the best timing....but I digress.

I am hosting for the first time this year and I am absolutely nothing short of obsessed at this point. From decorations to recipe cards to the menu.....it's all on my mind 24/7! I will be blogging and sharing recipes and my decorating ideas here and there as the days pass.

The first thing I will share is my plate/charger decorations. This was an obsession for at least a week before I found a solution. I had it in my mind that I wanted seasonal paper doilies between my chargers and glass plates. Now, we have a Ben Franklin Crafts, Hobby Lobby & JoAnn's, so finding some seasonal doilies should be a snap, right? Not so much. Apparently the only style doily that makes it's way to Quincy, IL is round white wedding style.

With pretty much no luck online either, I had to come up with something. I mean, can I really expect people to just eat off a glass plate with no seasonal decoration staring back at them!?! Let's not be absurd.....

After combing through Hobby Lobby, I did finally find some very inexpensive scrapbooking paper that was festive and seasonal. I decided to grab a few sheets and cut some leaves out myself to go under my plates. I very quickly found some templates online, printed them off, traced and cut them out. I have cut several extras to lay around on my coffee table and end tables for a little added decoration around the finger foods and snacks that will be sitting around.

Love these and will be doing this over and over for the holidays!