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Jam & Goat Cheese Phyllo Cups (Easy, Fancy Appetizer)

April 23, 2022

CHEESE AND JAM!  Y’all who have been around here long enough know that this is a marriage made in heaven for me.  And add crispy phyllo cups??  Yep, I’m on board.  What’s even better is that these jam and goat cheese phyllo cups are super fast and literally dummy-proof.

(I’m not calling you a dummy.  You’re great.  Just sayin’ that even dummies can do this)

Easy, Fancy Appetizer: Jam & Goat Cheese Phyllo Cups | This super easy phyllo cup appetizer is delicious and seems so fancy, yet only takes a few minutes to make. Easy appetizer ideas, what to make with phyllo dough, goat cheese & fig jam phyllo cups. Perfect for any dinner party or brunch...& they're unleavened! #appetizer #phyllo #goatcheese #figjam #unleavened

I was looking for something to bring to our Night to Be Much Observed dinner that would nicely complement what others were making.  I’d settled on some fancy phyllo cup appetizers, but it wasn’t until I found this goat cheese and jam version that I was totally on board.

I’d initially bought phyllo dough…then realized that phyllo cups were an actual thing and that made much more sense.  Literally zero effort. 

And while I was completely sold on the goat cheese and fig jam flavor combo, I couldn’t find the right kind of fig jam (Trader Joe’s is too dark and grainy).  So I pivoted to a chunky papaya lime jam that I bought in Jamaica last year.  Gives off a similar flavor profile (weirdly), and was perfect.  

This easy phyllo cup appetizer is perfect for any party

It took me maybe 5 minutes to assemble these goat cheese phyllo cups and pop them in the oven…and that was with running upstairs in the middle to help my sister figure out what to wear. 

Once they’re out of the oven 10 minutes later, just dollop your jam on them and put them on a pretty plate!  VOILA!!!  

Easy, Fancy Appetizer: Jam & Goat Cheese Phyllo Cups - and they're unleavened!READ THE POST

1 Comment CATEGORIES // Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks, Snacks

The Easiest, Juiciest Poached Chicken Breasts (& How to Shred Chicken in 10 Seconds)

April 8, 2022

This recipe is a two-in-one kitchen hack, and it actually blew my mind.  How did I not know this was a thing???  Because today I’ve got for you not only how to make the easiest, juiciest poached chicken breasts, but also a 10-second hack for how to shred chicken.

The Best, Juiciest Poached Chicken Breasts & How to Shred Chicken in 10 Seconds | These two super easy kitchen hacks show you how to make shredded chicken with almost no effort & super fast. Easy meal ideas, keep this pulled chicken on hand for a quick, healthy meal. Hands-off recipes, healthy recipe ideas. Low-carb recipes, high-protein. #shreddedchicken #kitchenhacks #poachedchicken #chickendinner

I am all about having some cooked chicken in the fridge to snack on, or to add to pasta, rice, or a salad for a super fast meal.  But I overdid it on grilled chicken for a few years and needed to mix it up a bit. 

This super moist shredded chicken made with poached chicken breasts was the perfect answer.  I keep a container of this at all times, and sometimes add it to recipes (like the loaded Thai chicken salad shown below), but often just put a bit of BBQ sauce on and eat it straight out of the container.

The Best, Juiciest Poached Chicken Breasts & How to Shred Chicken in 10 Seconds | These two super easy kitchen hacks show you how to make shredded chicken with almost no effort & super fast. Easy meal ideas, keep this pulled chicken on hand for a quick, healthy meal. Hands-off recipes, healthy recipe ideas. Low-carb recipes, high-protein. #shreddedchicken #kitchenhacks #poachedchicken #chickendinner

I made an Instagram Reel of the technique so you can see it in motion…this link will take you to the video on IG (and follow me @findingtimeforcooking) for recipe inspiration, videos, & more!).

These easy poached chicken breasts & how to shred chicken quickly makes an easy addition to many recipes

What temperature should chicken be cooked to?

More modern thinking says 145 F to be done and safe inside (previously was considered 165 F which can be quite tough & dry). For poaching, you’ll have trouble getting the chicken much higher than 145-150 due to the gentle cooking method in water. Make sure to insert your thermometer at the thickest portion of the breast.

READ THE POST

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Cooking for One, Gluten-Free Recipes, Go-To Recipes, How-Tos, Main Dishes, Snacks, Super Healthy

Spicy Unleavened Cheese Straws

April 1, 2022

So I don’t totally know what to call these, so have landed on unleavened cheese straws.  But as you can see, they’re not straws exactly.  Cheese…fingers doesn’t exactly sound as delicious.  And they ARE delicious! 

Every year I like to try out at least one new unleavened bread recipe for the Passover season, and I’m pretty excited about this one.

Spicy Unleavened Cheese Straws | These super easy cheese straws are a perfect snack during Passover & Days of Unleavened Bread, or appetizer any time of year. Delicious & versatile, and can be made ahead & frozen. #unleavened #passover #cheesestraws

My usual disclaimer:  I keep the Days of Unleavened Bread (the week following Passover) as laid out in the bible, so I avoid leavening (sometimes called a rising agent).  This can be things like yeast, baking powder, etc. (definition here).   My understanding is that some Jewish people (particularly Orthodox Jews) may keep these days differently and also avoid flour and certain grains.  I can’t speak to that in any way, and only you know how you keep the Days of Unleavened Bread.  So please don’t send me angry comments, you have been warned 🙂

Okay, back to our cheesy biscuits.  Now, the “spicy” part is up to you…the first time I had these, they really had a kick!  It had a bit more cayenne than my taste buds prefer, so when I make them I back off of that. 

I’ve also added some smoked paprika for depth and a bit of heat.  I feel like you could experiment with different spices or herbs in these cheese straws depending on your mood.

Spicy Unleavened Cheese Straws | These super easy cheese straws are a perfect snack during Passover & Days of Unleavened Bread, or appetizer any time of year. Delicious & versatile, and can be made ahead & frozen. #unleavened #passover #cheesestraws

You might also like:  The Kitchen Tools I Swear By

These do take a pretty crazy amount of cheese, and you want to go with a nice sharp cheddar for lots of flavor (and less moisture).  And here’s the key—if at all possible, grate it yourself rather than buying grated cheese at the store (which has stabilizers that mess with the texture).

If I were doing this on a box grater this would be so annoying (I’m WAY too lazy), but I used my cheese mill/grater, which has a turn handle and is so much easier.

Speaking of easy, you can freeze these cheese straws, either before baking or after…this is handy since it makes a ton.  To do it before, go ahead and cut the dough into pieces, lay on a baking tray (with parchment) and freeze for an hour or so, then you can transfer to a ziploc.  Bake for a few minutes longer from frozen.

Spicy Unleavened Cheese Straws | These super easy cheese straws are a perfect snack during Passover & Days of Unleavened Bread, or appetizer any time of year. Delicious & versatile, and can be made ahead & frozen. #unleavened #passover #cheesestrawsREAD THE POST

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks, Bread Recipes, Snacks

Grilled Sourdough Bread with Whipped Ricotta & Toppings

September 29, 2021

That picture might be true perfection.  Golden grilled sourdough bread, creamy whipped ricotta, tart berries, and a drizzle of honey??  Sign me up! 

Grilled Bread with Whipped Ricotta & Toppings | This delicious ricotta toast (or using whipped feta, burrata, etc) is really easy & versatile, whether for a meal, snack, or appetizer at a girls night or dinner party. Making grilled sourdough bread only takes a few minutes, & your can use whatever toppings you have on hand. Easy appetizer recipe, easy dinner for one, fancy avocado toast. #ricotta #grilledbread #sourdough #avocadotoast

Given that I’ve been almost entirely avoiding bread for the better part of nine months for some health reasons (issues with processing carbs) and the fact that I’m not really a bread person to begin with, I’m honestly not sure why this idea took hold in my brain so much.

But I started seeing different versions of ricotta toast, avocado toast, crostini, and more all over food blogs I follow and I was just like…YESSSSS.  So my sister snagged me a loaf of quite good, thinly-sliced sourdough bread from the store and I played around with it.

Grilled Bread with Whipped Ricotta & Toppings | This delicious ricotta toast (or using whipped feta, burrata, etc) is really easy & versatile, whether for a meal, snack, or appetizer at a girls night or dinner party.

So what I’m bringing you here today is less true recipe and more technique + toppings.  It’s so versatile, and can be customized to your whims…what’s in season, sweet or savory, what happens to be in your fridge at this very moment…you get the picture.

Grilled Bread with Whipped Ricotta & Toppings | This delicious ricotta toast (or using whipped feta, burrata, etc) is really easy & versatile, whether for a meal, snack, or appetizer at a girls night or dinner party. Making grilled sourdough bread only takes a few minutes, & your can use whatever toppings you have on hand. Easy appetizer recipe, easy dinner for one, fancy avocado toast. #ricotta #grilledbread #sourdough #avocadotoastREAD THE POST

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks, Cooking for One, Foods I'm Obsessed With, How-Tos, Main Dishes, Snacks

Shaken Iced Brown Sugar Cinnamon Vanilla Latte

September 12, 2021

When I first saw a post about a shaken iced brown sugar latte, I thought “COLOR ME INTRIGUED”.  I’m known to make my own iced lattes from time to time, but had never thought to shake the mixture.  And yet, it makes perfect sense and I knew I had to try it.

Delicious Shaken Iced Brown Sugar Latte | This is a copycat of Starbucks iced brown sugar oat milk latte, super easy homemade, healthier, and obviously cheaper. Using only a few ingredients including good espresso, shaking it makes the flavors come out more and chills without watering down. Try it today! #latte #homemadelatte #copycatstarbucks #icedcoffee

Why should you shake espresso or coffee?  There are a few answers to that, and it’s very similar to why you shake certain types of cocktails (but not others). 

First, it blends and emulsifies the ingredients so they are truly mixed and take on a kind of creamy mouthfeel even without any dairy.  The shaking also aerates the mixture, which releases flavor compounds (esters??) and really highlights the different flavor notes in the coffee. 

And it chills it quickly, preventing it from getting watered down—CLUTCH.

I believe without milk this would be called a “shakerato“…and it achieves a similar effect to using or “pressing” my Aeropress directly over ice cubes to make my favorite iced coffee ever (releasing flavor!).

Shaken Iced Brown Sugar Latte | This is a copycat of Starbucks iced brown sugar oat milk latte

And apparently this is a copycat recipe of Starbucks’ iced brown sugar oat milk latte (which I’ve never tried), but I feel confident that this homemade version is healthier, it’s definitely cheaper, and I’d personally hazard a guess to say it’s yummier too.

One key is to shake all the ingredients EXCEPT the milk.  I tried shaking it with the milk as well, but it deadens the strong flavors of the espresso and brown sugar syrup—I was not a fan.  Simply pour your shaken, foamy mixture into the milk and stir a bit instead.

Shaken Iced Brown Sugar Latte | This is a copycat of Starbucks iced brown sugar oat milk latteREAD THE POST

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Breakfast Goodies, Drinks: Cocktails & More, Foods I'm Obsessed With, Snacks

Sweet Corn Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze

September 3, 2021

Somehow I’ve gone all summer without making a recipe using fresh sweet corn.  And that is a travesty.  To be fair, it’s been a strange summer with foot surgery laying me up the last six weeks (and thereby no baking), but my corn-less summer can’t stand.  So when I got an email from Bill Clark about his sweet corn cake, I was intrigued.

Sweet Corn Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze | This olive oil cake with fresh sweet corn is a delicious, moist, easy treat, the perfect way to use up all that fresh corn during late summer. Subtle & lightly sweet, a great afternoon pick-me-up. #sweetcorn #freshcorn #corn #cake #snackcake

This recipe was from his A Piece of Cake newsletter #36, but Clark recommends—and in fact it’s the main reason for the recipe, I think—a Crisco and Country Time lemonade powder frosting.  I don’t keep Crisco on hand (or lemonade powder), and it didn’t feel up my alley as much.

I’m really not a frosting person in general, and “grease icing” doesn’t make me go MMMM!  But I liked the idea of some tart lemon (citric acid) to play a balancing role between the rich, moist, lightly sweet corn flavor, so whipped up a super easy lemon glaze.  

A fresh sweet corn cake perfect for snacking

I also made one other big change to the original recipe, subbing in oil for half of the butter.  I don’t tend to favor butter cakes as much, as they’re denser and drier, and in this case I was really craving a moist, lightly sweet cake that would be an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

While the recipe already called for a tiny bit of oil, I wanted to up that quite a bit, but still maintain some butter for flavor.  The result is a perfect balance of flavorful and moist, with the subtle sweetness of the fresh corn shining through.

I was tempted to add an herbal note to either the batter or a bit to the lemon glaze, such as a little basil, rosemary, thyme, or tarragon.  I ended up deciding not to mess with the recipe more in my first time making it, but would definitely play around with that in the glaze the next time.

Sweet Corn Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze | finding time for cookingREAD THE POST

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Desserts, Snacks

Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow with Sea Salt

December 20, 2015

In general, puppy chow is at the top of the list of “foods I’m never, ever allowed to have in my house”.  Because I will eat it ALL—I love it.  But I think this specific recipe may literally be my favorite food in the world.  It is that good.  Life-changing, even.

Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow with Sea Salt

When I first saw this recipe on Food 52, I was obsessed, and couldn’t wait to try it out. The dark chocolate twist was right up my alley (I’m definitely dark vs. milk), and I knew the sea salt would add a perfect balance to what can sometimes be an overly sweet snack. I also made a few changes based on my own preferences…I decreased the amount of powdered sugar and increased the peanut butter (and the chocolate chips, a little) to tailor it to my exact tastes.

Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow with Sea Salt done

And I done good. Now *this* is what I call a Sunday night…

Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow with Sea Salt finished

I took this into work (okay fine, what I hadn’t already eaten the night before) and we devoured it in no time flat. READ THE POST

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Foods I'm Obsessed With, Go-To Recipes, Recipe Experimentation, Snacks

Summer Staple: Corn & Black Bean Salsa

June 30, 2012

I originally got this corn & black bean salsa “recipe” (in quotes because the word implies consistency) from my awesome friend Casey, who brought it to a Mexican-themed summer get-together we had with friends. I was immediately smitten because it didn’t include 1) green bell pepper, 2) hot peppers, or 3) cilantro. I’m just not that fond of those ingredients, and finding a salsa without them is quite difficult.

However, that’s not to say this salsa CAN’T include them—its beauty is in its versatility. I’m pretty sure I’ve never made it the same way twice (let’s face it, mostly because I can never remember how).

corn & black bean salsa with red peppers, red onion, & avocado

So I’m just going to give you the guidelines and some other thoughts on how to adapt. You’ll have to play around with it to figure out how you like it best. People seriously scarf this, and rave about it every time I bring it somewhere.

READ THE POST

2 Comments CATEGORIES // Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks, Go-To Recipes, Snacks, Super Healthy

About Me

Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I created this blog for people who love cooking & baking but are challenged to find the time and energy to do it. Recipes run the gamut from super healthy to indulgent, but the focus is on using REAL food no matter what.

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This adult take on a cherry lemonade (with gin, my This adult take on a cherry lemonade (with gin, my true love) is so delicious and refreshing…and has a secret ingredient to get that intense cherry flavor! 

Get the recipe by tapping on the link in my IG bio and choosing this pic—> @findingtimeforcooking 
#cocktailrecipes #sanguemorlacco #cherrylemonade #gincocktails
I am OBSESSED with key lime pie, and never knew ho I am OBSESSED with key lime pie, and never knew how easy it is to make at home! This is the best key lime pie recipe around, a perfect balance of tart & sweet, the creamiest custardy filling, and a sweet, buttery graham cracker crust 😍 

Get the recipe yourself by tapping the link in my IG bio & choosing this photo —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#keylimepie #keylime #easydessert #classicdessert
Looking for a new healthy go-to dish?? This “loa Looking for a new healthy go-to dish?? This “loaded” Thai chicken salad only takes 15 minutes to whip up and is packed with veggies, texture, & flavor! What really makes the dish is the sweet-spicy-savory dressing… *chefs kiss* 

Tap the link in my IG bio & click on this photo to see the recipe!
#healthyrecipes #thaiflavors #healthydinner #cabbagerecipe
These super easy jam & goat cheese phyllo cups mad These super easy jam & goat cheese phyllo cups made the perfect fancy appetizer for Night To Be…and they’re ready in just 15-ish minutes! 

Tap the link in my bio & click this photo to see the recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#appetizers #phyllodough #goatcheese #easyrecipes
This crazy easy orange curd is the perfect balance This crazy easy orange curd is the perfect balance of sweet, tart, & just a hint of floral…and only takes 5-10 minutes to make! Perfect heaped on crepes, cakes, and more 💕

Tap the link in my bio & click on this photo to see the recipe —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#citrusfruit #orangecurd #glutenfree #cookingtips
Two kitchen hacks for the price of one!!! 🎉🐓 Two kitchen hacks for the price of one!!! 🎉🐓 How to make the easiest, juiciest (hands-off) poached chicken breasts, & then how to shred chicken in 10 seconds. YES, you read that right!! These two techniques combined have been a mainstay for me lately, critical in helping me have something healthy and fast around at all times. 

Check out my Reel in the feed as well, & click on the link in my bio then tap this pic to get the recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#kitchenhacks #cookinghealthy #cookinghacks #shreddedchicken
I’m ready for the amaretto sour to make a comeba I’m ready for the amaretto sour to make a comeback! And this recipe (including bourbon) is just the ticket…a little sweet, a little bitter, and a little boozy. 

Tap the link in my IG bio then tap this photo to see the (super easy) recipe —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#amaretto #easycocktails #amarettosour #homebartender
These delicious spicy unleavened cheese straws are These delicious spicy unleavened cheese straws are my favorite new recipe for the Days of Unleavened Bread! They’re super easy, can be frozen before or after baking (make ahead!) and honestly would make an awesome appetizer any time of year. 

Tap the link in my IG bio (@findingtimeforcooking) then click on this photo to see the recipe post!
#unleavenedbread #cheeselover #appetizerideas #bakingfromscratch
The ultimate “don’t judge a book by its cover” recipe…these dark chocolate sables are maybe the best chocolate cookie ever! Complex, rich without being too sweet, melt in your mouth…and perfect for a late afternoon snack 😍 Shoutout #smittenkitchen for the recipe and reco!

Tap the link in my bio & choose this photo to see the recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#bakingfromscratch #chocolatelovers #sablé #chocoholic
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