So Tasty, So Yummy

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2012-01-27T06:19:00.006-06:00

I am always looking for healthy treats to pack in Miss F's lunchbox. I saw these cookies on Pinterest and I knew they would be perfect, even though I was wary that there was no sugar in them at all. And no eggs. And no flour. But yet they were called "cookies." Thanks to Lick the Bowl Good for this fantastic and kid friendly recipe. I always have bananas on hand, once they get past the point of being enjoyed on their own, I toss them straight into the freezer to be used in baked goods later.

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/3 cup butter, softened
¼ cup milk
2 cups oats
½ cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes allowing the oats to soak up all the milk. Drop by tablespoon full onto a cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool. Makes 2-3 dozen.

Warm Asian Noodle Salad

2012-01-25T06:36:00.004-06:00

I love any type of Asian noodles, cold or hot, spicy or sweet, full of meat or packed with veggies. I love it all. This recipe is from Gourmet Day to Day. I made a lot of changes to suit what I had on hand. Whatever leftover vegetables are in your refrigerator would work great in this dish. I happened to have broccoli slaw, carrots and a bell pepper, so I went with that. Next time I will increase the Sriracha by even more. I doused my bowl pretty liberally while I was eating it and it still wasn't spicy enough. Miss F loved the shrimp and the noodles, but wasn't as sold on the vegetables. Shocker! I much prefer using rice stick or other Asian noodle rather than using a traditional pasta. I need to try rice noodles in Peanut Chicken Pasta and see how that works.

Warm Asian Noodle Salad

¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons Sriracha
½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ pound rice sticks
1 tablespoon oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ pound of shrimp
½ cup shredded carrot
½ cup shredded broccoli
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

To prepare sauce, combine first 8 ingredients (peanut butter through Sriracha) in a small bowl; whisk well to combine. Soak the rice sticks in hot water for 5 minutes. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp, carrots, broccoli and bell pepper. Sauté until shrimp are cooked through and vegetables are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add the noodles to the pan, pour the sauce over top and toss well to combine. Add ¼ to ½ cup of the soaking water to the pan to thin the sauce to taste.

Corn Chowder with Avocado and Lime

2012-01-23T07:01:00.000-06:00

I saw a recipe for Corn Chowder with Cilantro, Avocado and Lime on Pinterest. The recipe was interesting, but I used it more as an inspiration instead of following it. And I am glad I went with my instincts. This soup was amazing, rich in flavor accented by the bright lime juice and hot sauce. C despises cilantro and I am not a huge fan, but feel free to add it if you enjoy it. I used a blend of frozen yellow and white corn, but I know this would be even more amazing with fresh corn in the summer.

Corn Chowder with Avocado and Lime

1 tablespoon butter
½ yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon dry masa
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
4 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 pound frozen corn or the kernels from 5 ears of fresh corn
Lime wedges, avocado slices and hot sauce for garnish

In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the masa, flour and water. Add the masa mixture, potatoes, chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring heat to medium high, bringing the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and simmer for 10 minutes more. Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes more. Serve topped with avocado, hot sauce and a squeeze of lime.

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

2012-01-20T05:14:00.000-06:00

I love Chicken Marsala, it is one of my most favorite meals. This recipe has been on my "to do" list since Joelen posted the recipe nearly a year ago. I finally got around to making it and I am kicking myself for waiting so long. This pasta dish is amazing. The sweet Marsala wine works well in the creamy sauce. Miss F was a huge fan of the chicken and pasta, the mushrooms weren't really her thing, but at least she tried them. C asked why there was cilantro on top of the pasta. He ate every last bite, "cilantro" and all. Amazingly enough, he didn't even complain about the smell when I was sauteing the garlic. A miracle!

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup Marsala wine
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 pound penne pasta
½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Boil water and cook pasta according to the directions.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet until foaming. Cook chicken, mushrooms and onions until lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine, then add the chicken broth and cream and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened.

Drain pasta and reserve ½ cup cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the Parmesan cheese and cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 1 minute, adding the reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Herbes de Provence Potatoes

2012-01-18T05:25:00.001-06:00

Miss F is a weird child. She loves meat and fruit, but isn't a big fan of potatoes or most starches. She isn't even a huge French fry fan. How is that possible, is she related to me? I adore potatoes, especially when roasted. Katie's Cucina had a recipe for Herbes de Provence Potatoes. I didn't have the packaged potatoes she used available at my grocery, but I did have a nice variety of potatoes to add to the recipe. Purple, red and Yukon golds worked beautifully. And I was happy to eat Miss F's portion, I couldn't convince her that the purple potato was to her liking. I also changed up the preparation a bit because I prefer a crisper roast potato. These potatoes were beyond delicious.

Herbes de Provence Potatoes

4 Yukon gold potatoes
4 small red potatoes
4 small purple potatoes
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dry potatoes. Cut potatoes into eighths. Place potatoes in a large zip lock baggy and toss with Herbes de Provence, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Seal bag and mix until all the flavors are incorporated. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and turn the potatoes, bake for 20 minutes more.

Tortilla Soup, Take Two

2012-01-16T06:23:00.003-06:00

I have a recipe I love for Tortilla Soup. Any soup I can add avocado to, I am a happy camper. The recipe for Tortilla Soup on Kokocooks intriqued me. My usual lime spiked tortilla soup is great for a summer night, this recipe is hearty and rich, perfect for a cool winter night. We always have corn tortillas on hand. When I first moved to Texas, you wouldn't catch me eating a corn tortilla when there were soft, pillowy flour tortillas to be had. But after 15 years, I have learned to appreciate boths tortillas, so we always have a pile in the refrigerator. This soup is perfect for using leftover tortillas, it works well with stale tortillas. It makes a huge batch, we had half for dinner and the other half went straight into the freezer. A neat tip for shredding chicken is to use your KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment. It is so much faster than shredding chicken with two forks. Thanks to Stick a Fork in It for the great idea.

Tortilla Soup

½ cup vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
½ white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
4 cups chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chiles
1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
1 12 ounce package frozen corn kernels
6 corn tortillas, cut into pieces

Chopped avocado
Shredded Monterey jack cheese

In a small sauté pan, heat ½ cup vegetable oil. Add the tortilla strips in small batches, frying until golden brown. Scoop out the strips with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat with the remaining strips. Set aside.

In a stock pot or large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, white onion and garlic, sauté until onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add black pepper, taco chili powder and cumin. Stir to combine and sauté another 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, diced Rotel tomatoes and tomato sauce. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Carefully slide chicken breast in, meat side down, making sure it is completely submerged. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from the pot and set on a cutting board. Add corn and tortillas to the soup, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. The tortillas will break down and thicken the soup. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bone and shred. Discard bones. Return chicken to the soup. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with avocado, cheese and tortilla strips.

Recipe Swap: Shrimp Tacos

2012-01-13T06:52:00.002-06:00

The theme of this week's swap was a "secret," meaning we were assigned a fellow blogger and we could choose any recipe from their blog. I was given Carrie's Sweet Life, so I thought I should choose a dessert from her extensive collection. I attempted her Vanilla Fudge Marble Cake, but half of the cake stayed in the bundt pan...whoops. Miss F loves shrimp, so I searched for a recipe that had shrimp and would make an easy lunch for the two of us....Shrimp Tacos fit the bill. These tacos are originally from the swap's hostess, A Taste of Home Cooking. The tacos were full of flavor and totally delicious! I added some avocado to the sauce because I cannot have tacos without avocado.

Shrimp Tacos

1pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Juice of half a lime
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup sour cream
½ avocado
corn tortillas
diced tomatoes
your favorite hot sauce

Combine shrimp, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and cayenne in a bowl. Marinate shrimp for up to 30 minutes. Broil or grill the shrimp until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine jalapeno with ranch dressing, sour cream and avocado in a food processor and blend until smooth. Warm the tortillas while the shrimp are cooking.

To assemble: smear some sauce on a tortilla, then top with shrimp and tomatoes. Drizzle with extra sauce and a few drops of hot sauce

Roasted Shellfish Platter

2012-01-11T06:13:00.001-06:00

My parents came into town for Christmas and while C was away at work we feasted on shellfish. He won't touch the stuff, but Miss F loves shrimp. I heavily adapted this recipe from Epicurious. I thought this huge platter would leave loads of leftovers with only three adults and a kid eating it...I was wrong. We were left with about 10 shrimp, one set of crab legs and half a lobster. Roasting seafood is so easy, but your guests need to be ready to get a little messy. But who minds mess when you are having seafood dunked in butter? I do need to invest in some crackers for crablegs. I have had them a couple times now and they really do make things much easier with snow crab legs.

Roasted Shellfish Platter

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
2 large cooked lobsters, cut lengthwise in half
1 pound jumbo shrimp
2 pounds cooked snow crab legs, cut lengthwise in half
3 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Brush 2 large roasting pans with 1 tablespoon olive oil each. Mix shallots, minced parsley, and lemon peel in small bowl. Arrange lobster tails, cut side up, in 1 roasting pan; brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then 2 tablespoons shallot mixture. Meanwhile, combine shrimp, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons shallot mixture in medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat. Arrange in single layer in second prepared roasting pan. Roast alongside lobster until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer lobster to large platter; cover with foil. Arrange crab legs in lobster roasting pan; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with remaining shallot mixture, then drizzle with 3 tablespoons water. Roast just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Arrange shrimp and crab legs on platter with lobster. Pour any pan drippings over shellfish. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs. Serve with lemon butter for dipping.

Father's Day Pork Chops

2012-01-09T06:23:00.002-06:00

This was another recipe from the October issue of Bon Appetit. It instantly reminded me of my childhood favorite, Pork Things. One thing I know for sure, next time I make Pork Things, I am going to try the vinegar marinade again. I think it would be fantastic with balsamic vinegar. So fantastic, that they might not even need ketchup. The Panko got nice and crisp. I used dried herbs instead of fresh because it was what I had on hand. Only my basil plant is still living out on our front porch. Fresh lemon zest is key and it adds a nice brightness. Needless to say, these chops did not need a drop of ketchup, they were juicy and delicious on their own. Miss F called them "pork nuggets" and wanted more "crispy pieces."

Father’s Day Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds total), pounded to 1/2" thickness (I used boneless chops)
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 cups Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Zest from half a lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
6 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Arrange pork in a single layer in a large baking dish and cover with vinegar. Let sit 1 hour at room temperature. Set up your dredging stations: one small baking dish with flour; one with eggs; and one with Panko, zest, thyme, and oregano. Heat a large cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season each chop generously with salt and pepper. Dredge each chop first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the Panko mixture; make sure they coat the sides as well as the tops and bottoms, as every inch of crust is crucial. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Fry the pork chops until crispy and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Potatoes Romanoff

2012-01-06T06:16:00.002-06:00

One of C's favorite restaurants is Strip House. When I saw this recipe in the side dish recipe swap on Christine's Kitchen Chronicles, I knew I had to try it. These would be great for a dinner party or holiday because you bake the potatoes the night before. I found the shallot flavor to be a bit intense, so I might reduce that next time I make it. Grating the cooled potatoes was way easier than expected, but most of the skin did not grate along with the potato flesh. Folding in the sour cream was a bit of a challenge, slow and steady is key. I had sharp cheddar on hand, so that is what I used and I was very happy with it. I bet it would be equally delicious with white cheddar as it originally called for.

Potatoes Romanoff

2 large russet potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
1/3 cup minced shallots (may reduce to 1/4 cup)
1 ½ cups grated white cheddar cheese (I used regular cheddar)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup sour cream

Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and pierce several times with a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Place the potatoes on a plate, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes, including the skins. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle the shallots, 1 cup of the cheese, the salt and white pepper on top. Using your hands, gently toss the mixture together to combine, then fold in the sour cream in 2 additions. Transfer the potato mixture to a 1 quart gratin dish; do not compress. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheese on top. Bake until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

2012-01-04T06:08:00.003-06:00

I am obsessed with short ribs. I have had this recipe bookmarked on Pinterest since I received October's issue of Bon Appetit magazine. I signed up for three free months of the magazine awhile back and I am still getting issues, so that is a very good thing. C says I have a problem with free magazines. And he is right, I have piles of magazines stashed all over the house. And he keeps finding my hiding spots. Another plus of Pinterest is that I can trash the magazine once I bookmark any interesting recipes I find Any recipe that takes an entire bottle of wine must be good. These short ribs were amazingly tender and the sauce was so flavorful. Reducing it before braising the short ribs in the oven really made for a rich, brown sauce. I used boneless short ribs, increased the amount of carrots and omitted the celery.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2" pieces (I used ~2.75 pounds boneless short ribs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon)
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
4 cups low-salt beef stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until short ribs are tender, 2–2 ½ hours. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls over mashed potatoes with sauce spooned over.

Florentine Cookies

2012-01-02T05:50:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe it is already 2012...time sure does fly. These cookies were C's favorite that i brought home from the annual cookie exchange I attend. I got the recipe from a fellow attendee since C wanted additional made to eat with all the other holiday cookies. These cookies are excellent. The ones from the cookie exchange used milk chocolate chips, but I used semi-sweet and liked them just as well. These cookies come together quickly and adding the chocolate filling is a lot easier than I expected. They have a crunchy chewiness that is really unique. I think they could also be fantastic with a peanut butter filling. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

Florentine Cookies

2/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with Silpats. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir together the oats, flour, salt and sugar; mix into the melted butter until well blended. Stir in the corn syrup, milk and vanilla. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, until medium brown. Cool completely before removing from the cookie sheets. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Spread chocolate onto the bottoms of cookies and sandwich them together.

Latin Style Chicken and Rice

2011-12-30T05:50:00.002-06:00

There were so many recipes I wanted to try from the One Pot Meal Recipe Swap. I love only dirtying one dish and having an entire meal in one. the Latin Style Chicken and Rice one pot meal spoke to me, I adore saffron and peas, so I knew it would be a hit. Miss F was not a fan, she only like the peas. C ate his, which shocked me considering he has not been a big fan of saffron in the past. I really loved this dish, it comes together quickly and I usually have all the ingredients on hand, which is perfect for a weeknight meal.

Latin Style Chicken and Rice

2 chicken breasts, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup medium or long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
¼ tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas,

Heat butter and oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until foam subsides. Add chicken, cook approximately 4-5 min per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Cook onion and garlic with ¼ tsp each salt and pepper over medium heat until golden, about 6 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth, bay leaf, and saffron; bring to a full boil. Return chicken to the pot, nestling it in the rice, keeping as much rice around, not under, the chicken. Also add any juices from the plate. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, the rice is tender, and most of the liquid has absorbed; about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Cover pot with a kitchen towel, and then the lid, and let stand until all of the liquid has absorbed, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Gruyere

2011-12-28T07:06:00.000-06:00

I made Gruyere popovers for Thanksgiving and I had some Gruyere leftover. When I saw this recipe on A Taste of Home Cooking, I knew I wanted to try it. This recipe is very simple, but it does take some time to cook. I really enjoyed the gratin, but C was not a fan. He said he would like it better with normal potatoes. I may try a mix of russets and sweet potatoes next time, similar to Potatoes Dauphinois. This recipe would be perfect for Thanksgiving since I much prefer a savory dish of sweet potatoes to the usual marshmallow mess.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Gruyere

2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
¾ cup shredded gruyere

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place baking dish on baking sheet.

Stir together heavy cream and salt in large bowl. Thinly slice sweet potatoes using either a mandoline or a sharp knife. Add to bowl with the heavy cream and salt.

Layer 1/3 of yams in baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat with another 1/3 of yams and the remainder of cheese. Top with remaining yams. Pour any remaining yam-cream mixture over top.

Bake uncovered on center rack of oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and press a spatula, carefully, against the top layer to allow liquid to flow over the "crust." Replace pan in oven and bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove pan, press top layer and replace pan in oven. Bake for another 40-45 minutes or until yams are tender. Remove from oven, let rest 15 minutes, then serve.

Chipotle Pork Tacos

2011-12-26T05:53:00.002-06:00

Tacos made in the crockpot are about my favorite thing to eat out of a crockpot. Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos were on one of my most favorite blogs, Prevention RD, last week. I made some changes, mainly omitting the chorizo because I am not a huge fan of it. The fire roasted tomatoes and chipotles gave the tacos an intense smoky flavor. The meat was so tender at the end of cooking, I went ahead and shredded it before it totally fell apart on its own. These tacos were delicious. They make me want to try Chipotle Short Rib Tacos in the crockpot, it makes for such an easy weeknight dinner. I served these on corn tortillas, which was perfect.

Chipotle Pork Tacos

½ pound red skin potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 ½ pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 chipotles in adobo, diced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ medium white onion, sliced ¼ -inch thick
½ teaspoon salt

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow cooker and top with the pork.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes with the chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion, and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes.

Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, cheese, avocados, and salsa for making soft tacos.

Crockpot Beef Stew with Cognac

2011-12-23T06:22:00.002-06:00

Whenever Ina Garten says "cognac" it always makes me chuckle. She is so dramatic with her pronunciation. Just one ingredient turns an ordinary crockpot beef stew into something much much better. And with a much fancier name. The cognac adds a richness to the stew and I really enjoy the flavor. That being said, I still like to trash up the leftover stew with a hit or two of ketchup, which is my mom's secret ingredient to beef stew. I grew up with it and it is very comforting to me, as beef stew should be.

Crockpot Beef Stew with Cognac

1 ½ to 2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1” cubes
3 tablespoons flour
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic , minced
5 carrots, cut into 1” pieces
2 russet potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
½ cup cognac
2 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf

Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper generously. Layer the onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes in the crockpot. Top with the flour coated beef. Pour the cognac, wine, broth and tomatoes over top of the beef and vegetables. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Ginger Pork with Oyster Sauce

2011-12-21T06:11:00.002-06:00

This stir fry was originally supposed to be Ginger Lime Shrimp. But C got sick with a nasty stomach bug and had to cancel his dinner out. Which meant no cooking of "stinky shrimp" (his words) at home. I love stir fry, especially one with a rich brown sauce. There was a debate at the dinner table of whether it was pork or beef...for the record Miss F was right and C was wrong. This stir fry would also be great with beef or even chicken. I hope to make a lighter ginger lime shrimp stir fry someday soon when C is out for F and I. Thank goodness she loves shrimp as much as I do.

Ginger Pork with Oyster Sauce

2 thick cut pork chops, cut into bite sized pieces

Marinade for pork:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 cup snow peas
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
¼ onion, chopped
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 slices ginger, shredded
1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Transfer pork to a mixing bowl. Add marinade ingredients and toss to coat thoroughly. Let stand for 30 minutes or longer. In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch, water, soy sauce and oyster sauce in a small bowl.
In a wok heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat, add vegetables. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Wipe wok with paper towels. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in the wok. When hot, add ginger and garlic; after a few seconds, add pork mixture. Stir-fry for 2 to 4 minutes. Pour in the sauce. Stir until thickened. Return vegetables to the wok. Serve over rice.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-19T07:00:00.001-06:00

My friend hosted another fantastic cookie exchange this year, complete with an amazing Proseco punch. Last year I made Cayenne Chocolate Cookies for the exchange, but this year I needed something quick and easy, there was no time for ribbons and labels. We came home from a week in Disney World the day before the exchange, so I wanted to make something with ingredients I had on hand. I thumbed through my BHG cookbook and came across a recipe for a traditional peanut butter cookie, you know the one with the fork marks on it. I decided to add chocolate chips and hope for the best. The result was awesome. They weren't overwhelmingly peanut-y and the chocolate chips really added to the cookie. And the highest compliment was that Confections of a Foodie Bride enjoyed them with her daughter.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from BHG

½ cup peanut butter
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe Swap: Spoon Cookies

2011-12-16T05:47:00.016-06:00

It's time for another recipe swap! The theme of this week's swap is holiday desserts and cookies. I submitted my mom's Blackbottoms for the swap since they are my favorite treat during the holidays. I received Spoon Cookies from Does Not Cook Well With Others. I filled the spoon cookies with apricot preserves and I didn't bother straining them, which worked fine. These cookies are a totally new way to prepare cookies and they don't contain eggs, which is great for people who are allergic. The teaspoon method resulted in adorable bite sized cookies. Thanks to A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting the swap.

Spoon Cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
1/3 cup fruit preserves (your choice)

Fill kitchen sink with about 2 inches of cold water. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a rich caramel brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Butter will initially foam, then dissipate. A thicker foam will appear and cover the surface just before butter begins to brown; stir more frequently toward end of cooking.) Place pan in sink to stop cooking, then cool, stirring frequently, until butter starts to look opaque, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from sink and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and stir into butter mixture until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let stand at cool room temperature 1 to 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop).

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Press a piece of dough into bowl of teaspoon, flattening top, then slide out and place, flat side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. (Dough will feel crumbly, but will become cohesive when pressed.) Continue forming cookies and arranging on sheet. Bake cookies until just pale golden, 8 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

While cookies cool, heat preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until just runny, then pour through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids, and cool completely.

Spread the flat side of a cookie with a thin layer of preserves. Sandwich with flat side of another cookie. Continue with remaining cookies and preserves, then let stand until set, about 45 minutes. Transfer cookies to an airtight container and wait 2 days before eating.

Cranberry Barbecue Sauce

2011-12-14T05:42:00.010-06:00

This sauce is the perfect thing for turkey leftovers. I personally don't like cranberry sauce, but I love it in this barbecue sauce. It has a nice vinegary kick that works perfectly with the sweetness and tartness of the cranberries. I served these sandwiches on brioche buns, which are by far my most favorite sandwich roll ever. I also added sliced pickles on my sandwich, which worked great. I had intended to try and make sweet potato tots instead of spicy sweet potato wedges with it, but processing the sweet potatoes was a bit challenging....so I gave up. I think I need to attempt them with regular potatoes first.

Cranberry Barbecue Sauce

1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup cranberry sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon salt

Whisk together all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes to thicken. Serve with leftover turkey on brioche buns.

Skillet Corn

2011-12-12T06:23:00.002-06:00

I love corn, especially fresh corn on the cob in the summertime. I saw a recipe for Skillet Scalloped Corn on Gourmet Day to Day. While I wasn't very interested in adding Ritz crackers or cheese to corn, I was into the idea of having corn as a side dish other than corn on the cob. So I changed up the recipe to better suit my tastes, which worked great. The flavor profile really reminded me of Summer Sweet Corn Pasta, which is a favorite pasta around here. Since we are in the middle of winter, I used frozen corn, but this side would be exceptional with fresh when it is in season.

Skillet Corn

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package frozen corn, 12 ounces
½ cup half and half
3 green onions, sliced

In a sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the bell pepper and sauté until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 second more. Add the corn, reduce the heat to medium and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the half and half, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve with green onions on top.

Apple Cider Pancakes

2011-12-09T06:05:00.007-06:00

Every Thanksgiving, I serve warm apple cider. I keep it in the crockpot, simmering all day long with cinnamon sticks and apple slices. Whether it is cold outside or not, I always have a cup or two. The morning after Thanksgiving I was faced with a lot of leftover cider and a hungry crew. I did some googling and came across this recipe for Apple Cider Pancakes. I changed it up a bit, omitting the apples and substituting applesauce for oil. The batter is runnier that what I am used to cooking with, so my first batch looked less than perfect. Once I got the hang of it, they turned out beautifully. The apple flavor is not overwhelming, but it adds a nice sweetness.

Apple Cider Pancakes

1 ½ cups flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup milk
1 cup apple cider
Shortening for greasing the pan

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce and milk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and then add in cider. Stir until just incorporated and a few lumps remain. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brush with shortening. Pour batter onto skillet by 1/4 cupfuls into circles. Cook pancakes until large bubbles begin to appear on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip carefully and cook until bottom side is golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan with shortening as needed.

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Pork Chops

2011-12-07T06:16:00.000-06:00

I saw this recipe on Pinterest from the C+C Marriage Factory. I was very interested in the flavors, but I wasn't set on making a pork roast in the crockpot. I am not a big fan of pork roast in the crockpot, unless it is for pulled pork, Dr. Pepper pulled pork to be specific. I adapted their recipe to work with oven baked pork chops for an easy weeknight meal. I used thick cut boneless pork chops, but it could easily be made on the stovetop with thinner cuts, bone in or not.

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Pork Chops

4 thick cut pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons corn starch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub the pork chops with the oil and salt and pepper liberally, place in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. While the pork chops are baking, bring the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, water and soy sauce to a boil in a small sauce pan. Glaze the pork chops with the vinegar mixture and return to the oven for 20 minutes more, or until cooked through.

Sesame Peas and Carrots

2011-12-05T06:44:00.000-06:00

I love anything with Panko bread crumbs. I have been making Pork Tonkatsu often because it reminds me so much of my beloved Pork Things. I have made this recipe with green beans in the past, but it was nothing special, I wanted something new. C is a huge fan of snow peas, Miss F likes them too, but she always tries to squeeze the 'peas' from them. I had carrots leftover from C's birthday carrot cake, so this recipe was born. It would work with any vegetable that can be stir fried quickly. I also like to add Sriracha at the end to ensure Miss F will eat her veggies.

Sesame Peas and Carrots

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup snow peas
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil (I used spicy sesame oil)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

In a wok or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the snow peas and carrots, saute, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until vegetables become crisp tender. Pour the soy sauce over top and saute for a minute more. Toss the peas and carrots with the sesame oil and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Serve alone or over rice.

Apricot Baked Brie

2011-12-02T06:09:00.000-06:00

I got this recipe from one of my mom's neighbors years ago. She also makes the same thing with honeycup mustard instead of apricot preserves for something more savory than sweet. This is one of my easy go to appetizers for a party. It has just a few ingredients and has very little to prep. I could eat the whole thing myself, easily. I adore brie, how can you not? And since you are eating it with fruit, it is a little healthy, right? At least that is what I tell myself.

Apricot Baked Brie

1 wheel of Brie
¼ cup apricot preserves
1 sheet of puff pastry
Apple and pear slices, grapes, crackers

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a glass baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Top the wheel of brie with apricot preserves and wrap with the puff pastry. Place the brie with the puff pastry seam down in the baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until pastry is browned. Serve with apples, pears, grapes and crackers.

Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

2011-11-30T06:40:00.000-06:00

Ah the doughnut pan, it is both a blessing and a curse. Miss F asks for doughnuts nearly every day for breakfast. So on the days when we have no where to be...no school, no gymnastics, no dance class and no swim lessons...I break out the doughnut pan and we make doughnuts. She insists on eating them whole, but uses a fork to stab the doughnut and eat her way around. I adapted the recipe from the chocolate iced doughnuts since they are Miss F' favorite to make a chocolatey doughnut with a simple powdered sugar glaze. The doughnuts themselves are not overly sweet, but the glaze more than makes up for it.

Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts
makes 12 doughnuts

1 tablespoon butter, melted
¾ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups cake flour, sifted
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt

½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425. Spray your doughnut pan with non-stick spray.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, and beaten eggs. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.

Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pan about 2/3 full. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the tops of the doughnuts spring back when lightly touched.

While the doughnuts are baking, prepare the glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together in a shallow bowl.

Allow to cool in the pan for a couple minutes. Remove the doughnuts onto a rack to finish cooling and dip the doughnuts into the prepared glaze.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

2011-11-28T06:21:00.003-06:00

There is just something about pineapple rings that is nostalgic. I picture them laying on top of cottage cheese that is set on a lettuce leaf, with a maraschino cherry in the center of course. No matter how you 'slice' it, they look dated (or nostalgic if you are trying to be nice.) Nonetheless, pineapple slices work perfectly in this recipe. I adpated the recipe from Stephanie Cooks, adding soy sauce to make it more savory than sweet. This is an easy meal, just steam some broccoli on the side and you are set for dinner. Add a maraschino cherry to the center of each pineapple ring and you are dining in the 1970s.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices, juice reserved
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice from one lemon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Place chicken in slow cooker sprayed with non-stick spray. Place pineapple slices over chicken. In a small bowl, combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger and cornstarch and stir until combined. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Serve over rice.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2011-11-25T06:06:00.008-06:00

At Miss F's school, they celebrate birthdays with a small party at the end of the school day, Miss F request chocolate chip cupcakes. She loves to snack on a chocolate chip or ten while I am baking. Interestingly enough, her grandad always requested white cake with chocolate chips in it for his birthday. So I decided to recreate it in cupcake form. The issue with grandad's cake was that the chocolate chips always sunk to the bottom. I got mini chocolate chips in order to address the sinking issue. It wasn't 100% effective, but they worked much better than the regular size chocolate chips. The white cake recipe is adapted from The Joy of Baking and the chocolate frosting recipe is my mom's. All the kids seemed to favor the frosting and one of the kids in her class pretended the cupcake was a phone. Thank goodness he had eaten most of the frosting off the top of the cupcake first.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2 large eggs, separated
1 ¾ cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
½ cup milk
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Prepare 24 cupcake pans with paper or foil liners.

While eggs are still cold separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

In a mixing bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add ¾ cup of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined. Do not over mix the batter or it will deflate.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Frost with chocolate buttercream when cooled.

Chocolate Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 to 6 tablespoons milk

Cream together butter, 1 cup of the sugar, cocoa, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Slowly add the remaining milk and sugar, alternating. Makes 2 cups.

Duchess Potatoes

2011-11-23T06:40:00.000-06:00

I got this recipe from Pinterest, it was originally published here. I didn't pipe the potatoes, so the presentation isn't as pretty, but I was just making these for a weeknight dinner, so presentation wasn't so important. And I am not good at piping. And piping something hot sort of scares me. These potatoes remind me very much of my favorite potatoes, truffled potatoes. These would be great for a dinner party because you could prepare the ramekins beforehand and just bake them when you are ready to serve.

Duchess Potatoes

2 pounds potatoes
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons salted butter
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon water

Peel potatoes, add to pot, cover and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, add salt to taste. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mash potatoes while hot and ensure that there are no lumps. Add butter, white pepper and cheese to potatoes while it is still hot. Mix thoroughly and taste for seasoning (salt and pepper). Mix in beaten egg ensuring that it is fully incorporated into the mixture. Snip one bottom-end of the plastic zip bag about ¾-inch across. Add the potato mixture to the bag and squeeze the top in order to force the mixture through the hole in the bag. Pipe the potatoes into the ramekins going in a circular motion until the ramekin is filled about 1 above the rim. Repeat until all the bowls are filled. Transfer the bowls onto baking sheet/tray. In the small bowl, add the paprika and ½ teaspoon water and make into a paste. Using the pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown.

Eat to the Beat: "Me In Honey" Loukoumades

2011-11-21T05:20:00.000-06:00

One of my most favorite bloggers, Elly of Elly Says Opa, is celebrating her fifth blogging anniversary with a blogging event called "Eat to the Beat." The idea behind it is to blog a recipe that somehow relates to a favorite song. I lucked on this, since I have been wanting to make Elly's own recipe for Loukoumades, the Greek honey doughnut balls that we love eating at the Greek Festival. And honey ties in perfectly with one of my favorite songs from high school, Me in Honey by REM. The whole album of Out of Time reminds me of my days in high school, I listened to that CD over and over again. I always liked Me in Honey because it featured Kate Pierson of the B-52s, she has the coolest voice. Happy fifth anniversary to Elly Says Opa!

Loukoumades

2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
1 cup warm (100-110 degrees) water
½ cup milk (brought to room temperature)
2 ¼ cups flour (maybe more)
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup water
½ cup honey
½ cup sugar

Vegetable/neutral oil for frying
Powdered sugar for topping

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Add that, along with the milk, to the yeast. Add more flour if necessary to achieve a thick pancake batter like consistency. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees) for about 2 hours.

When the batter has risen (it will be about 3 times its original size) heat your oil to about 365 degrees (if you have a candy thermometer) Coat a metal soup with oil and use it to drop the batter by the teaspoon full into the hot oil. Fry until just golden brown and then put them on a cooling rack placed over a pan (to catch the oil).

To make the syrup, bring the honey, sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for a couple minutes to thicken slightly and then skim the foam off the top. Pour the mixture over the fritters. Top with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Recipe Swap: Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs

2011-11-18T05:04:00.000-06:00

The theme of this week's recipe swap was One Pot Meals. I received Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs from The Cookaholic Wife. I am not a big fan of meat sauces on my pasta, so meatballs are perfect for my family since both C and Miss F love meat. I adapted the recipe a bit because I didn't want to use jarred sauce. This recipe is a keeper. The meatballs were a huge hit with Miss F and surprisingly, I really enjoyed them as well. The house smelled amazing all day as the sauce simmered away. The meatballs held together beautifully and were perfectly cooked. Thanks so much to A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting another fantastic swap.

Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs

½ pound ground beef
½ pound Italian sausage
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 - 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
½ cup red wine
½ onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound dried spaghetti

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, sausage, eggs, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Form the meat mixture into 16-20 meatballs. In the crock pot, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, onion, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add the meatballs into the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 15 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in the spaghetti noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and serve meatballs and sauce over noodles.

Truffle Butter Turkey

2011-11-16T06:43:00.002-06:00

My friend Courtney raved about this turkey recipe. It wasn't so much a recipe, as it was an idea of adding truffle butter to the turkey. I love turkey, I love truffles, I certainly love butter. This was a no brainer. Truffle butter turkey was happening. I always buy an extra turkey around the holidays to store in the freezer to have a Sunday in the winter. The gravy was amazing, the truffle flavor was present, but not overpowering. I always stuff my turkey, no matter what Alton Brown says, I think it is the only way to go. Stuffing from the bird is a thing of beauty. And it is all the more beautiful flavored with truffles. This recipe is a combination of my family recipe for drunken turkey, with the addition of truffle butter and some Martha Stewart gravy thrown in for good measure.

Truffle Butter Turkey

Turkey:
1 whole fresh turkey
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups dry white wine
4 bay leaves
1 3 ounce container truffle butter
1 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Gravy:
Pan drippings
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup flour
4 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 tablespoons butter
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Let turkey stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Combine butter, wine and whole bay leaves in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 425 with rack in the lowest position. Rinse inside and outside of turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck wings under turkey. Season cavity with salt and pepper and fill cavity with stuffing. Using your fingers to gently pull the skin from the turkey, spread the truffle butter between the turkey skin and the meat. Pour stock in the bottom roasting pan.

Place turkey, legs first, into oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then baste with wine butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 and roast, basting with wine butter mixture every 30 minutes for 2 ½ hours. Add more stock to pan if necessary to prevent pan drippings from burning. Roast until skin is golden brown and thickest part of thigh registers 165 on a meat thermometer. Transfer turkey to a rimmed baking sheet, reserving pan juices and roasting pan, let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Pour reserved pan juices into a gravy separator and let stand 10 minutes. Pour or spoon off fat.
Place reserved roasting pan on 2 burners over medium heat. Add wine and bring to a gentle simmer, scraping brown bits with a wooden spoon. Whisk flour and stock in a large bowl until combined. Add defatted pan juices, whisking to combine, then pour into roasting pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter. Strain through a sieve and discard solids. Season with salt and pepper.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

2011-11-14T06:58:00.002-06:00

I made these adorable cupcake sized cheesecakes for our girls' weekend to Galveston. They are simple to make and you get to take some aggression out when you crush the cookies for the batter. These were even easier for me because Miss F helped get the cupcake liners ready, she'll do anything for an Oreo cookie reward. The Oreo cookies make a perfect "crust" for the individual cheesecakes, so cute!

Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes Recipe
makes 30

42 Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Beef Tenderloin with Herb Butter

2011-11-11T06:33:00.002-06:00

One of the best things about our local Asian grocer besides the fact that there is a BYOB crawfish restaurant inside the store, is that you can get beef tenderloin there for $4.99 a pound. There is no point in cooking with a cheaper cut of beef, because nothing is really cheaper than that. And nothing tastes better than tenderloin. This is my friend Courtney's recipe. She is a fantastic cook. Her recipes never disappoint (fat bread and Jambalaya-Mary-laya.) And she shares my love of the Asian grocer tenderloin. We had fajitas made with it at her birthday party a few weeks back. Beef tenderloin fajitas...yum.

Beef Tenderloin with Herb Butter

1 (3-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin roast
Cracked black pepper
Tony Chacheres Cajun spice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Set oven temperature to 475°F. Pat tenderloin dry. Rub oil over tenderloin, then sprinkle with Tony’s and black pepper liberally, rubbing. Put tenderloin on rack in roasting pan and roast 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 425°F and cook until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 125°F, 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare with instant read thermometer. Let beef stand on rack in pan 10 minutes before serving covered in foil. Cut beef into ¼ to ½ inch-thick slices and serve with a dot of rosemary butter on top.

Herb Butter

1 stick salted butter
2 teaspoons rosemary sprigs, finely chopped (can also use thyme or any other favorite herb)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

Cream the butter and blend in the rosemary. Mix in the pepper, lemon juice, garlic and mustard. Spoon the mixed butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log shape. Place in the freezer to chill for half an hour, then remove to keep in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Thai Chicken and Broccoli

2011-11-09T05:34:00.010-06:00

This was not a fun dinner. Miss F was not a fan of the "mell", she thought something smelled bad. C was suspicious and then refused to eat the dish since he suspected it contained fish sauce. This made Miss F refuse to eat it, which is a shame because I know she would have liked it, since the flavors are similar to Drunken Noodles. C cooked chicken nuggets for her and said "no more fish sauce." Sigh. I thoroughly enjoyed this stir fry adapted from "300 Best Stir-Fry Recipes" by Nancie McDermott. Ah well, more leftovers for me.

Thai Chicken and Broccoli

1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon black soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
½ cup chicken broth
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups of bite size broccoli florets
½ teaspoon chili paste
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon garlic

Combine in a small bowl start with the oyster sauce, black soy sauce, fish sauce, and broth. Set aside.

Heat pan on medium high until hot then add oil, swirl the pan to coat the bottom, then add the chicken. Stir fry the chicken until just cooked through, add the broccoli and stir fry for 3 minutes more. Make a well in the center and add chili paste, garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 30 seconds, toss to combine.

Whisk sauce then add cornstarch and whisk again. Add the sauce to the chicken and broccoli. Stir to combine remove from heat. Serve immediately over rice.

Chocolate Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

2011-11-07T06:29:00.002-06:00

I first saw these cookies on Pinterest, but it was for a "skinny" version. If I am eating a cookie, I am eating a cookie. So I found the original recipe from Martha Stewart and realized that it was much more my style than the "skinny" version. These were a big hit with Miss F. She snuck a couple before I had a chance to add the chocolate and after I added the chocolate...well...let's just say she ate a lot. These are more like spheres and not so much like cookies, but chocolate glazed pumpkin balls just doesn't sound right. I think next time I bake these I am going to use an actual piping bag and tip. I am not so talented with the Ziplock bag method.

Chocolate Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour mixture in two parts and pumpkin puree in one, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix). Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto two baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets once during baking. Immediately transfer cookies to wire racks, and cool completely.

When cookies have cooled, set them (still on rack) over a baking sheet or waxed paper. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water; stir until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted. Pour chocolate into a resealable plastic bag. Snip off a corner with scissors or a knife to make an 1/8-inch hole; pipe chocolate over cookies. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies

2011-11-04T05:27:00.003-05:00

I have had these cookies pinned on Pinterest for weeks. Once we returned from our vacation in Nevis, I knew it was time to make them since I was wanting to bake and I needed dessert for Miss F's lunch box. Usually, Finley is a big fan of helping me bake. But not with these cookies, she was in a miserable mood after her nap and stirring was not on her agenda. Turns out it was a good thing since the cookie batter needs to chill for three hours, that way I was able to bake them once she went to bed and I didn't have to feel bad about not giving her a cookie after her melt down. These cookies are soft and delicious, thanks to Creative Nirvana for the wonderful recipe.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, combine the butter and cocoa powder. Mix well. Add the sugar, vanilla, buttermilk and eggs while stirring. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Stir using a spatula at first to gently combine the ingredients, and then mix with an electric mixer to make sure the dough is well combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F and line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Make 1 inch cookie dough balls, and place them on the cookie sheet (I used a cookie scoop). Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies smell done. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.

Pork Shawarma

2011-11-02T05:44:00.001-05:00

When I saw a recipe for Chicken Shawrma on Budget Bytes, I was curious. I am normally not a huge fan of "sweeter" spices in meat marinades, but I was trying her recipe for Naan, so I decided to give it a go. But I didn't have any chicken and wasn't in the mood to endure Costco to get some. So I made it with pork instead. And that turned out to be a genius decision. Miss F adored the pork almost as much as she liked the Naan. I loved it to, it was so moist. We don't have a grill, so I used a grill pan and it worked great. The pork was so tender and full of flavor, but not overpoweringly "sweet" like I worried it might be. This would be equally fantastic on either homemade Naan or Pita breads.

Pork Shawarma

2 thick cut pork chops
½ cup Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from ½ a lemon
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from ½ a lemon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cucumber, seeded and chopped

1 tomato, chopped
½ cucumber, chopped
Naan or Pita bread

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade (yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cinnamon, oregano, salt, nutmeg, and clove). Add pork to the marinade, coat well, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. Grill the pork until cooked through, let rest for 5 minutes and slice into strips

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and cucumber for the yogurt sauce. Place the pork, tomato, cucumber and sauce on Naan or flatbread, wrap and serve.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2011-10-31T06:34:00.000-05:00

I have made Cajun Chicken Pasta before. And I really enjoyed it and thought it would be fantastic with the addition of bell peppers. When I caught an episode of The Pioneer Woman on The Food Network, this was once of the featured recipes. I knew I had to try it, with some adaptations. I think the next time I make it, I will include the tomato paste since the Roma tomatoes disentegrated and didn't really add any good tomato flavor, just tomato skins to get stuck in your teeth. Miss F slurped this recipe up, even sampling the bell peppers. For the record, she prefers orange to green. Must be because it is Halloween~ I hope everyone has a spooky Halloween!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 teaspoons Tony Chacheres or Cajun spice blend
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
½ onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
½ cups white wine
1 cup cream
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 pound cooked fettuccine

Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun spice over the chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Stir fry the chicken until cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon to a clean plate. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over medium high heat until peppers and onions are tender. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan and add to the plate with the chicken.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium low and pour in cream, whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add chicken and vegetables to the sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Spicy Apricot Pork Tenderloin

2011-10-28T06:25:00.009-05:00

My most favorite pork tenderloin recipe is my mom's Soy Lime Pork Tenderloin. This recipe may be my second most favorite. The inspiration for this recipe comes from the fantastic Oishii Food. Miss F devoured it, spicy and meat are her favorite tastes. The pork is full of flavor, with a touch of spicy and sweet. Pork tenderloin is such a great weeknight meal because it cooks up so quickly. The best part of this recipe is that it doesn't need to be marinaded in advance.

Spicy Apricot Pork Tenderloin

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons apricot preserves
Juice of half of a lemon
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 pork tenderloin

Whisk together the oil, preserves, lemon juice and Sriracha in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the pork, tossing to coat. If grilling, grill 6 minutes per side, basting with the apricot mixture every turn, until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. If using a broiler, broil about 4 inches away from the heat source, turning and basting every 5 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Tent the pork with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Chipotle Short Rib Tacos

2011-10-26T06:20:00.001-05:00

I had originally intended to make this recipe just as it read in Epicurious, but the more I thought on it, the more I wanted them as tacos. I absolutely adore the recipe for Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce, I never thought shredded meat could taste so delicious. I merged the shredding technique with the original recipe. The result was one of the best tacos I have ever eaten. The spice of the Chipotle, the tang of the lime juice and the sweetness of the tomatoes made for the perfect taco. These are definitely going to be in regular rotation at our house. I ate three of these tacos for dinner, with the justification that corn tortillas are small.

Chipotle Short Rib Tacos

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 boneless short ribs

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
Juice of one lime
1 ½ tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies

1 avocado
2 tablespoons sour cream
Juice of ½ lime

Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl; sprinkle all over short ribs. Place ribs on plate; cover and chill 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the short ribs until browned on all sides. Remove the ribs to a plate. Add the onions and sauté for 4 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Add broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add tomatoes, lime juice, and chipotle chilies. Return ribs to pot, in a single layer. Bring to boil; cover and cook in oven until ribs are just tender, about 1 ½ hours. Remove pot from oven. Tilt pot; spoon off fat. Remove the ribs from the pot and shred with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the pan and stir, salt and pepper to taste.

In a mini-chop food processor, puree the avocado, sour cream and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Serve the meat on warm corn tortillas with the avocado sauce and lime wedges.

Crab and Corn Chowder

2011-10-24T06:15:00.007-05:00

Our Share of the Harvest is lucky enough to live in my home state of Maryland. And I am positive her soup with Maryland corn trumps whatever soup I made with Texas corn. I miss Maryland corn. When I first read her recipe, I knew I wanted to add crabmeat to it and change the jalapeno to Old Bay. To make it "more Maryland" and "less Texas." And it totally worked. And if you are a true Marylander like me, sprinkle more Old Bay on top before serving. The chowder was so rich and the crabmeat put it over the top. I wish I could transport myself to Maryland in August and make it there with all local ingredients. I cannot imagine how good the soup would be then.

Crab and Corn Chowder

6 bacon slices
1 medium-size green bell pepper, diced
½ medium onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Old Bay
3 cups fresh corn kernels (6 ears)
½ pound lump crabmeat, picked free of shells
1 cup half and half
¼ teaspoon pepper

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in Dutch oven. Crumble bacon and set aside. Sauté bell pepper and onions in hot drippings 5 to 6 minutes or until tender. Whisk together broth, flour and Old Bay until smooth. Add broth mixture to the pot. Stir in corn. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Stir in next 3 ingredients; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve warm with crumbled bacon.

Recipe Swap: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

2011-10-21T06:49:00.002-05:00

Notice the title of this post? B-R-O-C-C-O-L-I. Apparently, I didn't see it on my shopping list. It was on there, along with cheddar cheese, but I just decided to ignore it. We have ample time to complete our recipes for the recipe swap (thanks to A Taste of Home Cooking), but I only had a few days because we were leaving for our vacation to Nevis. And I didn't have time to run back to the store, nor did I have time to cook it another night. So DeLish's Broccoli Cheddar Soup morphed into Cheddar and Potato Soup. Thank goodness I always have bacon in our fridge, it is for emergencies just like this one. The soup was amazing, it tasted so rich and creamy without any cream at all. I greatly reduced the amount of cheese from the original recipe, but other than that (and omitting the BROCCOLI), I followed it. Miss F kept searching out more pieces of bacon out of her soup.

Cheddar and Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
2 slices of cooked bacon

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in the onion; cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until it is golden colored. Add in the broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Add the potato, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potato is fork tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Take the soup off the heat and puree with an immersion blender. Whisk in the shredded cheese, stirring until melted. Top the soup with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.

Ratatouille

2011-10-19T05:54:00.000-05:00

I had never considered making Ratatouille before. It was just never on my radar, other than the kids' movie. One weekend, both Anne Burrell and Melissa d'Arabian both featured it on their shows. I was curious to try it. This recipe is a mix of both of their very different recipes. Apparently, Kroger didn't support my plans, seeing as how they were out of Eggplant. Normally, I convince them to sell me the organic at the regular price, but they didn't have any organic either. I gave the recipe a go without it. C turned up his nose initially, he thought it was all tomatoes. The tomatoes had melted into an amazing sauce. I guess his vinegar aversion wasn't in effect when we ate this, because he ate a ton. He kept sneaking more bites from the serving bowl.

Ratatouille

¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small eggplant, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 or 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Splash balsamic vinegar

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or Dutch oven. Cook the vegetables one at a time (separately) for 5 to 7 minutes, adding a little more oil as needed and seasoning with salt, in the following order: eggplant, zucchini, pepper, onion, and tomatoes. Combine all of the cooked vegetables together in the pan, add the garlic, red pepper, and basil and let simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and then turn off the heat. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

Crockpot Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

2011-10-17T06:41:00.000-05:00

Making pulled pork (standard, Dr. Pepper or Asian) is one of my favorite uses of the crockpot. I have been wanting to try a beef sandwich in the crockpot for awhile and when I saw this one on Cooking with Christen, I knew I had to try it. I had never bought Pepperoncini before, you can find them with the pickles, for future reference. I think my only knowledge of them is that they come with Papa Johns pizza (do they still do that?) or served on a salad at The Olive Garden (blech!) The beef was melt in your mouth tender and the flavor was amazing. Feel free to top the sandwich with cheese, but I didn't think they needed it. Of course C topped his with cheese.

Crockpot Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

1 two pound beef chuck roast
1 jar whole pepperoncini peppers (16 ounces)
½ pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ cup red wine

Spray a crockpot bowl with nonstick spray. Place half of the onions on the bottom of the crockpot. Place the chuck roast on top of the onions and empty the jar of pepperoncini peppers on top. Place the sliced mushrooms and the rest of the onions on top. In a small bowl, mix the onion powder with the wine. Cook on low for 8 hours. When cooked, shred with two forks. Serve on buns.

Roast Chicken with Vegetables

2011-10-14T06:36:00.000-05:00

I learned all I know about roasting a whole chicken from Ina Garten. She is truly the master of it. I have made her Perfect Roast Chicken time and time again. I love to roast a whole chicken, I especially like the crunchy skin. It is the quest for even more crunchy skin which prompted me to create this recipe. The chicken is flipped over halfway through cooking to double the amount of crispy skin. I first cooked a turkey breast side down years ago for Thanksgiving, the results were mixed, but it was an interesting way to roast poultry. I love adding zucchini and mushrooms to the traditional potatoes and carrots that accompany a roast chicken. This is a great way to clean out the fridge of whatever vegetables you have hand. From the picture, you can tell I really need to learn how to truss a chicken.

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

1 whole chicken, 3 to 5 pounds
1 zucchini, chopped
4 yukon gold potatoes, chopped
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
½ pound baby bella mushrooms, halved
½ onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons thyme, divided
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 bulb of garlic, halved
1 lemon, quartered

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature while the oven is preheating. Toss the zucchini, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and onions with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper in a roasting pan. Rub the butter all over the skin of the chicken, sprinkle with remaining thyme, salt and pepper. Insert the halved garlic bulb and lemon quarters into the chicken’s cavity. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, breast side down. Roast the chicken at 425 degrees, flipping over halfway through cooking. This should take 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the juices run clear. Remove the chicken and tent with foil, return the vegetables to the oven and roast for 15 minutes more. Carve the chicken after resting for 15 minutes and serve with the vegetables.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2011-10-12T05:31:00.000-05:00

I love chocolate chip cookies. I especially love this recipe, Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. These bars are based on that recipe and make for one giant, chewy bar of deliciousness. The only downside is you have to bake all the dough at once, so there is no dough to stash in the refrigerator for snacking. I think next time I make these, I will use a 9x9 pan and still save myself a bit of dough. I cut the bars as needed...for an afternoon snack, a treat for Miss F's lunch box or breakfast. That way, they were really fresh tasting even when they were a couple days past baking.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan with no-stick spray. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread out with your hands. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool and slice into squares.

Drunken Noodles

2011-10-10T06:08:00.001-05:00

I am so lucky to live in such an amazing and diverse city, Houston. I am able to go to my regular grocer and find black soy sauce, Golden Mountain sauce and a wide range of flat rice noodles to choose from. And we have even better Asian grocers where I always overwhelmed with choices. C didn't enjoy this very much, I think he wasn't a fan of the fish sauce. Miss F and I were obsessed. She loved it so much, I sent leftovers with her to school the next day. And all those were gone as well. And all the rest was saved for me...yum! Thanks to Elly Says Opa for the awesome recipe, this is a huge winner in my eyes. Now does anyone have any recipes with black soy sauce? Cause I have a massive bottle.

Drunken Noodles

8-10 ounces flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
½ pound chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons black soy sauce
2 tablespoons Golden Mountain sauce or light soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons Sriracha
½ tablespoon sugar
1 large plum tomato, cut into 8 wedges
¼ cup Thai basil leaves

Cook noodles in large pot of boiling water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently. Drain. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for a minute, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds more. Add bell pepper and chicken and sauté until chicken is about halfway cooked, about 2 minutes. Whisk the fish sauce, black soy sauce, Golden Mountain seasoning, and chili paste together in a small bowl. Add to the chicken mixture and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add noodles, tomatoes, and Thai basil; toss to coat.

Celebrity Follower: Susie Jimenez

2011-10-09T18:10:00.000-05:00

One of C's co-workers has a house in Aspen and this weekend star of the Food Network's "The Next Food Network Star" cooked for his family. While there C's co-worker did a little promotion for my blog with Susie Jimenez. I am so honored to count such a talented chef as a reader. The only sad part is that C and I weren't in Aspen to taste her amazing cooking.

Recipe Swap: Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

2011-10-07T05:50:00.006-05:00

Confession: I have never had a drink from Starbucks. I don't drink coffee. I have had snacks from Starbucks because they were free at our hotel in San Diego this past June. The lemon poppyseed bread was delicious. So I did have an idea of what to expect of this bread. And I was not disappointed. I took this bread to my girls' weekend in Galveston to snack on for breakfast (along with Banana Applesauce Oat Muffins.) The Starbucks Pumpkin Bread was part of the apple and pumpkin recipe swap organized by A Taste of Home Cooking. This recipe was submitted by Mrs. Regueiro's Plate. I submitted my Caramel Apple Tart in the swap. I hope whoever got it likes it!

Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugars, and vanilla on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients and mix. Add pumpkin and oil, mix to combine. Pour batter into a 9x5 greased loaf pan.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the top of the bread begins to brown.

When the bread is cool, slice into approximately 1 inch slices.

Roasted Garlic Clove Chicken

2011-10-05T05:48:00.001-05:00

It is rare when I watch a cooking show that I want to make all the recipes featured, but the recent airing Chic Chicken Dinner of $10 Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian was different. Everything looked amazing. After the chicken was done, I noticed there was a lot of fat in the pan from the chicken. So I spooned some of and proceeded with her sauce recipe. What a bad idea that was, there was still too much fat and it was too fargone to save it. So I ditched the sauce and decided to serve the chicken plain. Which wasn't a bad idea at all. The chicken was so moist and full of flavor, no chicken fat sauce was needed. C ate two pieces! He did avoid the roasted garlic, his loss...I smushed mine all over the chicken.

Roasted Garlic Clove Chicken

4 chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 cloves of garlic, skin removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Salt and pepper liberally and allow to temper on a cutting board while you prepare the garlic. In a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat, cook the whole garlic cloves in olive oil and butter, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high and brown the chicken skin-side down until the skin is golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, sprinkle on herbes de Provence. Add the garlic back to the pan and place hot pan in oven. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove chicken thighs and garlic to a platter for serving.

Brioche Buns

2011-10-03T06:48:00.002-05:00

The most important part of a sandwich for me is the bread. I know this goes against most sandwich lovers, but it is how I feel. I have tried hamburger rolls, Kaiser rolls, honey wheat rolls and I have finally found the winner. These rolls were amazing. The perfect roll for any sandwich. They had just the right hint of sweetness. These remind me of the buns at Dutchs across the street from TCU. Friends of ours who went to TCU took us there after a visit to the Fort Worth Zoo. Both C and I left commenting on how amazing the buns were. And now I can make them at home thanks to The Jey of Cooking. No need to drive up north. I made the recipe for the bread machine because I am lazy.

Brioche Buns

2/3 cup warm milk (~110 degrees F)
1/3 cup warm water
4 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced and softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 ¼ cups bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 Packet) Instant Yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 egg yolk
Sesame seeds

Whisk together the milk, water, honey, butter and eggs. Pour into your bread machine. Spoon the flour over top and sprinkle it with the yeast. Run your machine on the dough cycle.

Remove the dough from the machine and place on a floured surface. Flour your hands, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and form into balls. Place 2 to 3 inches apart on a Silpat lined baking sheet. Flatten each ball just a bit with the palm of your hand. Allow to rise again another hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Once risen, brush the tops with the egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 10-15 minutes, turning the pan once halfway through, until buns are golden. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Pork Chops and Peppers

2011-09-30T06:06:00.000-05:00

One of my most favorite bloggers, Tide and Thyme, has been back to blogging lately. Joy! I didn't change her recipe at all. And it was absolute perfection. C's vinegar aversion had completely vanished when I plated this meal. He ate the entire thing and thought the peppers were amazing. Well, maybe he didn't use the word amazing, but he definitely loved them. There wasn't a bite left on his plate. Even curiouser, he didn't complain about the garlic smell. Can you believe he asked me to stop cooking with garlic because he hated the smell so much? Obviously, that isn't going to happen. I used red and yellow bell peppers since they are sweeter than green.

Pork Chops with Vinegar Peppers

6 pork chops (bone-in or boneless, 1 inch thick)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
fresh ground pepper

Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet. Heat over high heat until shimmering. Add half of the pork chops. Cook for 3 minutes, or until nice and golden on both sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add remaining chops, and repeat process, remove to the plate when cooked.

To the now empty pan, add the sliced pepper. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are beginning to soften. Add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar, and scape the bottom of the pan vigorously with a wooden spoon to loosen up fond. Let vinegar reduce until it coats the peppers and is almost syrupy in consistency.

Plate pork chops, and top with the vinegar peppers.

Crispy Potato Roast

2011-09-28T05:54:00.000-05:00

This post is going to start like so many others...I saw these potatoes on Pinterest. And they looked amazing. I broke out my mandoline and heavily adapted the recipe. It was the presentation I was after. I have a things for fancy looking potatoes (Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C.) These potatoes didn't disappoint, in either the fanciness or the deliciousness. The original recipe calls for the potatoes to be peeled, which would make them easier to cut and eat. That being said, the crispy potato skin was my most favorite part of the dish. My madoline decided that my potato slices were going to be oblong, so I just had one layer of potatoes running along the dish.

Crispy Potato Roast

2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium to large russet potatoes
Coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter and oil. Brush bottom of an oval 9-inch baking dish with some butter mixture. With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice potatoes into 1/8" slices crosswise. Arrange potato slices vertically in dish. Sprinkle with salt; brush with remaining butter mixture. Bake for one hour. Add rosemary and bake until potatoes are cooked through with a crisp top, about 30 minutes more.

Best Bread Machine Bread

2011-09-26T06:26:00.000-05:00

When I read this recipe on AllRecipes, I was curious. It went against everything my bread machine's manual said to do. And I wanted to try it anyway, what did I have to lose except three cups of bread flour and a little time. Not even that much time, more like ten minutes of active time and three hours of dealing with the house smelling wonderful. Of course C was at the Aggie game, which is a 2 hour drive each way, so the smell wouldn't torture him. After I tasted this bread, I am unsure that I will ever go back to my bread machine's instructions. It was perfectly baked. And Miss F has homemade sandwich bread for her lunch all week.

Best Bread Machine Bread

1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt

Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. Select the white bread setting and press start.

Recipe Swap: Ham and Swiss Double Pinwheels

2011-09-23T05:29:00.008-05:00

A Taste of Home Cooking hosted a gameday and tailgating recipe swap this week. This recipe comes from Life and Kitchen, but I didn't make it for gameday. Instead, I figured this would be fantastic toddler food. And I was right. I omitted the green onion since I was making it for a two year old. Finley was excited to help make her "hammy cheesy rollups" and was even more excited to eat them. She ate three for lunch. I will send some of the leftovers in her lunchbox today. So whether you are making these for the watching football set or watching Sesame Street set, I recommend them highly. They remind me of my friend Shelley's Sausage Swirls. I submitted Lance's Hot Crab Dip to the recipe swap, I hope whoever made it enjoyed it as much as I do.

Ham and Swiss Double Pinwheels

¼ pound cooked ham, cut into pieces
1 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In food processor bowl with metal blade, process ham and cream cheese until smooth and well blended. Unroll dough into 1 large rectangle; press into 13×8-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Spread ham mixture over rectangle. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Swiss cheeses. Starting with both short sides of rectangle, roll up both toward center. With serrated knife, cut into 16 slices; place cut side down on cookie sheet. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

2011-09-21T06:09:00.000-05:00

This recipe is an adaptation of my mom's banana bread recipe. We had a long morning at the pool and Miss F was in no mood for napping. So we baked banana bread...Miss F style. She is happy to help me bake, especially if she gets to snack on chocolate chips while doing so. And with this recipe, not only did she get chocolate chips, she also got a bowl of applesauce to eat as well. A toddler's dream! This recipe is especially nice because you don't have to drag out the mixer. I just measure the wet ingredients in a 4 cup measure and give it a whir with my immersion blender. That is the only thing that Miss F didn't do in making this bread, it really is that easy.

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 eggs
¼ cup natural applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
2 over ripe bananas
¾ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift the first six ingredients together. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, applesauce, oil and bananas on medium speed until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan and fill with the batter. Bake for 45 minutes, let cool before slicing.

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

2011-09-19T06:20:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to perfect sweet potato fries in the oven for the longest time, I have never been successful. They are either super soggy or over cooked. It is really hard to get a French fry texture from the oven. And I really don't enjoy deep frying, the whole house smells like McDonalds for days after. This recipe is a good solution for my sweet potato fix. The wedges don't get overcooked and they get nice and crispy from the hot baking pan. The cayenne pepper adds a nice kick to complement the sweetness of the potatoes. You can adjust the pepper to your liking, I add more than half a teaspoon because I like things spicy, the spicier, the better.

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

3 sweet potatoes
¼ cup olive oil
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges, eight wedges per potato. In a small bowl, combine the oil and cayenne pepper. Brush the wedges with the oil and lay flat on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2011-09-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

This recipe is perfect for taking a meal to a friend. It makes two pans, one for dinner and one to give away. My friend from Miss F's playgroup had her baby girl Sloane a few weeks back and I knew I wanted to bring this meal. I brought a salad and a batch of chocolate chip cookies to go along with it. We had it the night before, of course C picked out all the tomatoes, which then made Miss F pick out all her tomatoes...fantastic. Nonetheless, he went back for seconds and so did I. I made some changes to the sauce from the original recipe on Martha Stewart, after tasting the sauce I felt it needed Parmesan and I prefer a melted cheese crust on top of baked pasta. The sauce is dangerously rich and totally delicious. C said he would prefer his with carrots and broccoli next time. I am not so sure about the carrots, but maybe I will add some broccoli and red bell pepper next time I make it.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups whole milk
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in the Parmesan. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with ¼ cup mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Naan

2011-09-14T06:22:00.011-05:00

I am not a fan of Indian food, the flavors just don't pop for me. I love Thai curries, but Indian curries just don't appeal to me at all. One thing I do love whenever I eat Indian food is Naan. Maybe my problem is that I fill up on Naan and there is no room left for my tummy to enjoy the rest of the Indian cuisine. I got this recipe from Budget Bytes and it did not disappoint. Miss F kept calling them "tortillas" and she wanted to make "tacos" with them. The cutest part was she wanted me to take a picture of her eating her food after I was done taking a snapshot of my food. I adored this bread.

Naan

2 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup water
2 ½ to 3 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg

In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and mix until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until the dough comes together. Swap out the mixing paddle for the dough hook and knead for 3 minutes.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about ¼ inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well.

This recipe is Miss F recommended

Pumpkin Powdered Doughnuts

2011-09-12T05:41:00.002-05:00

As soon as i saw these on Pinterest (via Multiply Delicious), I knew I had to make them. I had one bag of pumpkin left in our freezer and it was time to be put to use. I must confess that one of my favorite doughnuts come from the grocery store, the cake doughnuts with the cinnamon powdered sugar on them. So I had to adapt the recipe to make them like my grocery store fav. After making these, I am clueless how that cinnamon powdered sugar stays put. These doughnuts absorbed it, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. These are the perfect fall breakfast treat and they are totally worth making a powdered sugar disaster in the kitchen. I swear there was powdered sugar all in Miss F's hair by the time we were done.

Pumpkin Powdered Doughnuts
makes 6 doughnuts

1 ¾ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, divided
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup
¼ cup buttermilk
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease your doughnut pan.

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, 1 ½ teaspoons of the cinnamon, and both sugars. Whisk together ingredients until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, egg, vanilla, maple syrup, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pan. I put the batter in a large Ziploc bag and cut off one of the bottom corners to pipe it into the doughnut pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until doughnuts are slightly golden. Remove doughnuts to a cooling rack.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the powdered sugar and remaining teaspoon of cinnamon. Add the cooled doughnuts to the bag and toss to coat in the powdered sugar mixture. Serve.

Lemony Potato Rounds

2011-09-09T06:16:00.000-05:00

As soon as I saw the word "Lemony" appear on Branny Boils Over, I knew I needed to make this recipe. I love anything with lemon. I hosted a lemon themed dinner party once and learned that not everyone shared my passion for the tartness of lemon, especially when it involves lemon mousse. These potatoes were not nearly as tart as the lemon mousse, but the zest really added a nice flavor to the potatoes. And I got to break out my mandoline, which is always a thrill. These potatoes provide a great blank canvas, they would be fantastic with Parmesan+pepper, or fresh dill or dried basil+sun dried tomatoes.

Lemony Potato Rounds

1 pound potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
lemon zest grated from 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil. Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes into ¼” thin rounds. Place potato rounds in a single layer and drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano and pepper. Toss to coat and rearrange in single layer. Baker on a center rack of oven for 22 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove cooked potatoes from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon oil, salt, and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly and serve.

Crab Rangoon

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

When I was in college, one of the places in the dining hall was Kim Son. It was average Chinese food at best, but you always got a crab Rangoon with your entree. The lady working the counter liked me and always said "more crab puff?" To which I always replied, "yes, please!" I always had at least three. And I would have been totally happy just eating those for dinner. C was out of town on a fishing trip, so I knew I could bake all the bread I wanted and cook lots of seafood. I imagine he would freak out just a teeny bit if he smelled crabmeat frying up in our kitchen. This recipe is amazingly simple. I dipped the crab Rangoon in Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, which was the perfect complement of spice and sweet to the rich crab.

Crab Rangoon

1 brick of cream cheese, softened
1 pound of crab meat, picked free of shells
32 wonton wrappers
Oil for frying

Gently fold the crab meat into the softened cream cheese, making sure to distribute the crab meat evenly. In a small saucepan, heat 2” of oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, prepare a small bowl with water in it. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the crab mixture into the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in the water bowl and brush it around the edge of the wonton wrapper. Pinch the wonton wrapper to for a cross at the top, sealing with your wet fingertips. Fry the wontons in the oil until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving or else the filling will be too hot. Serve with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.

Beer Braised Chicken Thighs

2011-09-05T06:11:00.000-05:00

One of my most favorite meals in the crockpot is Barbecue Beer Chicken Thighs. It has a nice vinegary kick that I adore. This recipe uses beer and chicken thighs, but it tastes entirely different. The sauce is deliciously thick and the chicken is so tender from being simmered with the beer. I used a bottle of Fat Tire, which provided a great flavor to the sauce. This recipe is very loosely based on the one here created for Terrapin Beer. You cannot go wrong with anything involving a turtle. Much love to the University of Maryland Terrapins, my dad's alma mater. I didn't find that this needed any seasoning at the end of the cooking, mainly because the Tony Cacheres provides a very salty flavor. I am going to make this again with Old Bay in place of the Tony Cacheres.

Beer Braised Chicken Thighs
1 tablespoon Tony Cacheres
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of chopped green onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
1 bottle beer
1 handful of parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme, roughly chopped
¼ cup half and half
Salt
Pepper

Clean chicken thighs and remove unnecessary fat. Pat them dry and coat with Creole seasoning. Heat oil over medium-high heat in heavy braising pot or Dutch oven. Once the oil is hot, add chicken thighs and brown on each side for 2-4 minutes. Once the thighs are browned, add chopped onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Mix onions, and garlic together while scraping up browned bits from pan. Add flour and mix. Once mixture has thickened, add the beer. Once pot begins to boil lower heat, cover and lightly simmer chicken for 45-50 minutes until chicken pulls apart easily. After the chicken is done, remove each thigh and turn heat back to medium-high. Add parsley, thyme, and half and half. Cook until sauce reduces and is thick. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve chicken and sauce topped with chopped green onion.

Chocolate Iced Doughnuts

2011-09-02T06:39:00.000-05:00

As soon as these popped up on my blog links, I knew I had to have them. My most favorite of all doughnuts is an iced chocolate doughnut. Specifically an iced chocolate doughnut from Krispy Kreme. Krispy Kreme left the city of Houston years ago and Shipley's doughnuts just cannot compare. So, I ordered a doughnut pan from Amazon and two days later, it was here. And Miss F and I made doughnuts. She stirred and tasted, I tried to ice them as best I could. My doughnuts are not nearly as healthy per doughnut as Prevention RD's, mainly because my pan seemed to be bigger than hers, so I only got one dozen doughnuts from the recipe.

Iced Chocolate Cake Doughnuts
makes 12 doughnuts

1 tablespoon butter, melted
¾ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups cake flour, sifted
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon water

Preheat the oven to 425. Spray your doughnut pan with non-stick spray.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, and beaten eggs. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.

Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pan about 2/3 full. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the tops of the doughnuts spring back when lightly touched.

Allow to cool in the pan for a couple minutes. Remove the doughnuts onto a rack to finish cooling before you glaze them.

For the glaze, microwave all the ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power for about 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted. Add additional water (by the half teaspoon), if needed to thin. Dip one half of each doughnut into the chocolate and allow to dry on a cooling rack.

Chicken Souvlaki

2011-08-31T06:41:00.010-05:00

It's no secret how much I love Greek food, especially from Niko Nikos. When I saw this recipe in the September 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living, it immediately went into our menu plan. I used my regular pita bread recipe, which I am still working on getting the pitas to be nice circles. It was very similar to Chicken Gyros, but with a little brighter flavor thanks to all the fresh lemon juice. Miss F gobbled up the chicken and kept exclaiming "more pita!" Considering she rarely likes breads, I take that as a success. Normally, she is shouting "more meat!" The skewers would also be great on the grill...if only we had one.

Chicken Souvlaki

1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2” cubes
1 cucumber, chopped
½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
3 plum tomatoes, cut into eighths
½ onion, cut into 2” pieces
Pita bread

Whisk together lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, half of the garlic, oregano, oil and salt. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Stir together remaining lemon juice, remaining garlic, remaining salt, cucumber, and yogurt. Thread the chicken, tomatoes and onion onto metal skewers and place on a broiling pan. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve skewers with pita and cucumber yogurt sauce.

Pork Tonkatsu

2011-08-29T06:19:00.000-05:00

I love getting free magazine subscriptions on the internet, esepcially cooking magazines. I had three free issues of Bon Appetit and I liked them so much, I almost paid for a subscription. This recipe is from the July 2011 issue, Pork Tonkatsu with with watermelon-tomato salad. I decided to omit the salad and serve the pork with white rice and Sesame green beans. Sesame green beans are simply steamed green beans tossed with a drizzle of Sesame oil and sesame seeds. It is a simple side and pairs perfectly with the pork. C said these were better than my beloved Pork Things. I am not so sure about that, but I certainly did enjoy this version. But how could anything dipped in Panko then fried be bad?

Pork Tonkatsu

1 egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 boneless center-cut pork chops, pounded to 1/8" thickness
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Whisk eggs and mustard in a medium bowl. Combine Panko, salt, and pepper on a large plate. Dip in egg mixture, then in Panko, pressing to adhere. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook pork until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, adding 1 tablespoon vegetable oil after turning. Drain on paper towels.

Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

This dish is loosely based on one of my most favorite pasta dishes, Creamy Artichoke Lemon Chicken Pasta. When C tasted it, he said it was "too bitter." I was perplexed, he went on to explain, "bitter, like a lemon." Ah, means too sour, not bitter. Point taken, but he loves the Creamy Artichoke Lemon Chicken Pasta, must be the bacon that cuts the sourness of the lemon. So if you aren't a huge fan of tartness, reduce the lemon juice to 1/4 cup. I am a huge fan of the tartness, so it must mean more of the leftovers for me. Next time I am going to add fresh peas and I will scale back the lemon for Mr. Bitter.

Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

1 pound penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved and pounded to ¼ inch thickness
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Zest of one lemon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ onion, chopped
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
½ cup white wine
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, chilled
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. In a bowl, stir together flour, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat chicken with flour mixture. Sauté the chicken until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels. Add the onion and asparagus to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth and lemon juice, cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the cream and the butter to the sauce, stirring until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the chicken breasts into strips, and return them to the pan. Stir in the penne to coat with the sauce. Serve.

Recipe Swap: Caprese Pasta

2011-08-24T06:16:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I participated in a recipe swap, but as soon as I saw that this week's theme was Italian, I knew I had to participate. I submitted Penne alla Vecchia Bettola, which is probably my most favorite pasta dish to make. I again was lucky to get the swap's hostess' recipe for Caprese Pasta. The recipe was daunting, since there were no measurements. I went ahead and used shredded mozzarella per the original recipe because I had it on hand and I made a huge batch of it. Since my basil plant died a couple months back, I got a Living Basil plant from Kroger. It is hydroponically grown and only cost 50 cents more than a bunch of basil. Let's see how long it lasts...

Caprese Pasta

1 pound pasta of your choice, I used Campanelle
6 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
15 to 20 basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Boil pasta per package directions, drain, run under cold water and set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cooled pasta, cheese and basil. Serve.

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

2011-08-22T04:41:00.000-05:00

When I saw this on Pinterest, I was instantly interested. I have a weird issue with beans, as in, I don't like them. But I will eat beans in soup. I have no idea what the difference is, but it works for me. This soup is no exception. I made some changes from the original recipe, cream of chicken soup does not get used in my house, so I found an easy swap out to make it homemade. It was really easy and the soup definitely benefitted sodium wise. As soon as I smelled the soup simmering away, I knew I would love it. And I wasn't wrong. It was amazing. Miss F said "I love soup!" I am already planning on making it again with a homemade enchiladas verde sauce and fresh cilantro.

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounce) Rotel diced tomatoes and jalapenos
1 package (10 ounce) frozen corn
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup bell pepper, diced
1 can (10 ounce) Enchilada sauce
2 whole chicken breasts
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and ½ cup milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

In a crockpot, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of the mixture.

In a large bowl, whisk together the enchilada sauce and chicken broth mixture . Gradually whisk in remaining milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker. Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup. Top with cheese and serve. The soup can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

Lime Tart

2011-08-19T06:50:00.000-05:00

I found myself with an excess of limes from the Foodarama sale, so I decided to come up with a dessert to snack on for the week. One of my most favorite desserts is lemon mousse, made by making a lemon curd and folding it into whipped cream. I decided to make a lime curd and do the same, except to put it in a graham cracker tart crust a la Key Lime Pie. Key Lime Pie has been a favorite since childhood. I remember going to the restaurant at the top of the Hyatt in Baltimore whenever I made straight A's on my report card. I always got crabcakes and Key Lime Pie. C thought this was "too limey," ut I thought it was perfectly limey. If you aren't a fan of tart desserts, reduce the lime juice to 1/2 cup.

Lime Tart

½ cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup lime juice
Pinch salt
5 egg yolks

¾ cup cream

1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar

Melt the butter over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Whisk in the sugar, lime juice, salt and eggs. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes, until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Cool for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press the graham cracker mixture into the tart pan. Bake for 8 minutes, cool.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form, fold the cream into the lime curd. Spoon the lime mixture into the cooled crust. Top with lime slices and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Summer Sweet Corn Pasta

2011-08-17T07:06:00.000-05:00

When I saw this recipe on Taste of Home Cooking, it struck me as the pasta version of chicken corn chowder. I was able to satisfy C's "where's the meat" questioning with bacon and Miss F was a massive fan. I made a lot of changes to the recipe, adding some wine for more flavor and omitting the cheese because I didn't think the sauce needed it. Getting the corn prepped wasn't exactly the easiest of tasks, but it was so worth it. Miss F snacked on the fresh corn kernels while I swept, re-swept and swept again. There was corn debris all over the kitchen. I will have to try fresh corn in the chowder next time I make it because it made such a huge difference in the sweetness.

Summer Sweet Corn Pasta

1 pound pasta of your choice (I used thin spaghetti)
6 slices bacon, chopped
6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
½ onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
5 large mushrooms, quartered
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
½ teaspoon thyme
A few dashes of hot sauce
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup sweet basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet and add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the onion, red pepper and mushrooms; liberally season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour the wine over the corn and vegetables to deglaze the pan. Pour the stock into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, toss with the sauce. Top with basil.

Guess Whoooo's Having a Baby Boy: Owl Baby Shower

2011-08-15T06:44:00.001-05:00

One of my dearest friends, Jen, is having a baby boy. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and hosted a fantastic wedding shower for me. Since she eloped to Las Vegas, I had to make it up to her with a baby shower. It was such a fun afternoon. There were so many guests, people came from Illinois, Montana and Wisconsin to help celebrate this wonderful occasion. When I sent Jen a link to TinyPrints to get an idea of what kind of invitation she was looking for, she immediately liked this owl invitation. I was so thrilled that she chose the owl invite, I had wanted to host an owl themed birthday party for Miss F's second birthday, but I got overruled with her circus obsession.

Jen's favorite food is TexMex, specifically Chuys. So I came up with a menu of casual TexMex fare, with some of Jen's favorites. She loves the skillet queso from Chili's, so of course we had to include it. My friend Shannon made an amazing cake to replicate the invitations, she is unbelievably talented. I attempted fondant sugar cookies for Miss F's first birthday party...they were a disaster. Shannon is a miracle worker for doing what she does with fondant. I had such a lovely time planning and hosting this shower with my friend Melissa. I think the most time consuming part was slicing all the fruit for the skewers. Other than that, everything came together quite quickly. Though I did learn a good lesson, do not have something in the oven, four burners going on the cooktop and 40 guests over on a 100 degree day...our air conditioner just couldn't handle it. Once everyone cooled off with a drink, we were set to open the massive amount of baby gifts, everyone was beyond generous. We can't wait to meet Jen's baby boy!

Jen's Shower Menu

Chicken Tacquitos

Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Southwest Egg Rolls

Short Rib Empanadas

Skillet Queso

Strawberry, mango, pineapple and cantaloupe skewers

Vegetables with jalapeno ranch dip

Salsa, Guacamole, and Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
Chocolate cake
White wine peach Sangria

Apricot Dijon Pork Chops

2011-08-12T07:36:00.001-05:00

I recently discovered a really neat blog, Budget Bytes. It's no secret that I love saving money, who doesn't? I spent a good hour pinning items on my Pinterest from the blog, there were so many good recipes to choose from. This is the first one I have cooked from the blog and it happens to be the original recipe that I had the link to. Years ago, I made a fantastic apricot chicken recipe, but I have since lost the recipe on some hard drive somewhere and I have tried recreating a few times, with little success. C started off saying that the kitchen smelled "pungent." Uh oh. Turns out, he really liked the sauce, surprise suprise. He also liked the Hassleback potatoes, even though he didn't want to.

Apricot Dijon Pork Chops

½ cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thin cut pork chops

Whisk together the preserves, mustard, vinegar, garlic powder and water. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the pork chops. Sauté the pork chops in the skillet until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the apricot sauce to the pan. Stir the sauce for 2 minutes, scraping the pan drippings from the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Return the pork chops to the skillet and coat with sauce. Serve.

Summer Shrimp Creole

2011-08-10T06:57:00.000-05:00

C hates all things seafood. Lucky for me, Miss F loves shrimp. So whenever C is out for the evening, I try to cook something with shrimp for Miss F and I. This is a new recipe of my own invention using fresh summer zucchini and tomatoes. I am not a huge fan of the celery traditionally found in Creoles and the zucchini is so much nicer with the tomato and bell pepper. I am going to try the zucchini for celery swap the next time I make Jambalaya 'Marylaya.' I am so happy to have a little girl who loves to eat shrimp as much as I do, only problem, she steals them from my plate!

Summer Shrimp Creole

1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined
½ medium onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon corn starch
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons snipped green onions
2 cups white cooked rice

In a large skillet cook onion, zucchini, tomato, and bell pepper in butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Stir in canned tomatoes, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk together the corn starch and water in a small bowl, stir the corn starch slurry and shrimp into the tomato mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque. Salt and pepper to taste, serve over white rice and sprinkle with green onions.

General Tso's Chicken

2011-08-08T07:41:00.002-05:00

I have been meaning to make this recipe forever, ever since I saw it on Cook Like a Champion. This recipe was a comedy of errors for me. I forgot to get green onion at the grocery store, which I thought would be no big deal. Then, I realized as I was about to cook the dish, we had no eggs and about 1/4 cup of white rice. So off to the store I went as soon as C got home. I decided to modify the recipe because I didn't want to dirty 4 pots and I didn't think it was a huge deal. When I served the chicken, C was curious as to why it wasn't crispy fried. Hmmm...I had never had General Tso's chicken before, but I guess I need to actually fry it instead of stir fry it. Nonetheless, I adored this recipe, fried or not. As did Miss F. She even ate a whole piece of broccoli.

General Tso’s Chicken

1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 large egg white
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Steamed broccoli and white rice, for serving

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, egg white, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and all but 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, chile-garlic sauce, sugar, remaining soy sauce and cornstarch. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the ginger and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Whisk the broth mixture, then add it to the pan. Cook about 3 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in green onions. Serve immediately with broccoli and rice.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

2011-08-05T07:17:00.004-05:00

I have honestly never had any desire to bake blondies. I don't get the idea of eating a brownie with no chocolate. When I saw these on Martha Stewart, it piqued my interest. They were essentially a large, chewy, chocolate chip cookie. The best part of this recipe is how quickly it is mixed together. You don't even need a mixer, just a whisk, a spoon and a bowl. Of course C had his smothered in ice cream...cookies n' cream ice cream. Nothing like making a rich dessert even more rich. One square was enough for me, just the perfect bite of dessert.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted, plus more for pan
½ cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter. In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Set pan on wire rack, and let cool completely. Cut into 16 squares.

Crispy Margarita Tacos

2011-08-03T07:02:00.005-05:00

The inspiration for this recipe was one of the very first things I "pinned" on Pinterest. The recipe was from A Taste of Home Cooking and included a strawberry-avocado salsa that I knew would be a fail in our house. The more I thought about it, as much as I love Panko, they didn't seem right for tacos. But tortilla chips did seem perfect. I have made tortilla crusted chicken before, it is one of my favorite quick meals. I loved the idea of the original recipe to marinade the chicken in lime juice and tequila, much like the main dish I made for my Foodbuzz 24x24 party. The marinade added so much flavor to the chicken, when I make the plain chicken again, I will marinade it for sure.

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos

2 chicken breasts, sliced

Marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup tequila
2 tablespoons lime juice
zest of 1 lime
½ teaspoon cumin

1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 egg
¼ cup milk

Sauce:
¼ cup sour cream
1 small avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
juice of one lime
salt

6 to 8 tortillas
Toppings: shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges

At least 2 hours, but no more than 24 hours before making the tacos, combine the marinade ingredients in a plastic food storage bag. Put the chicken in the bag, seal and let marinate in the fridge until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, whisk the egg with the milk. In a food processor, pulse the tortilla chips until they resemble a fine powder. Put the crushed tortilla chips in a separate shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Dredge the chicken into the crushed tortilla chips and toss gently to coat. Place the chicken in a greased wire rack on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small food processor or blender, add sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice. Process until smooth, salt to taste.

Heat tortillas, then serve with crisp chicken, sauce, and toppings.

Zucchini Fries

2011-08-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

I first saw a recipe for zucchini fries on Macaroni and Cheesecake, then days later I saw it on Confections of a Foodie Bride. It was a sign. Anything made with Panko is always delicious. I never bought Panko much because of the price. Then my friend Courtney told me that Panko was always a steal at the Foodarama. She has tipped me off to so many good prices there (20 limes for $1). So Panko has become more of a staple around here and I couldn't be happier. C ate every single one of these. Which absolutely floored me considering he pushed all the zucchini off of Chicken Bruschetta. I guess he selectively likes zucchini. Any other ideas of veggies to cover in Panko and bake?

Zucchini Fries

¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper
2 zucchini, cut into 5” strips

Preheat oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place flour in a large zipper bag. Whisk eggs with 2 tablespoons water and place in a shallow dish. Place Panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish and mix to combine. Place zucchini in the bag with the flour and shake until well coated. Dip the zucchini into the egg and then into the Panko, turning to coat well. Place breaded zucchini on the greased baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Kaiser Rolls

2011-07-29T06:58:00.000-05:00

I have made a couple of different sandwich rolls before. There have been hamburger rolls and honey wheat sandwich rolls, but I have always loved Kaiser rolls. And I have always been too scared to make them. They shape was intimidating. Enter the bread machine. It makes everything easier. These rolls were just perfect paired with Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork. Don't these rolls looks so much better than the ones I picked up from the store in that post? And they taste about 10 times better!

Kaiser Rolls for the Bread Machine

¾ cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/3 cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
cornmeal
Sesame seeds

Set machine on dough cycle. Add all ingredients per your machine’s instructions. Run the cycle. Remove the dough from the machine and divide into eight equal pieces. Form each piece into a rope, tie in a knot and tuck the ends under. Place on a baking sheet lined with cornmeal. Cover with towel and let rise about 45 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush tops with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Tequila Lime Shrimp and Chicken

2011-07-27T06:58:00.000-05:00

I served this as the main course for my Foodbuzz 24x24 party. The shrimp and chicken get such a nice flavor from the limes. The recipe is loosely based on Ina Garten's Tequila Lime Chicken, but since we don't have a grill and I wasn't interested in smoking out my guests using my cast iron grill pan, I decided to bake it instead. The chicken was so moist from the marinade, I will use it again to make fajitas, it would be amazing wrapped up in a tortilla. My only issue is I overbought limes, they were 15 for a dollar at Foodarama. Guess I can use them with the leftover tequila to make margaritas.

Tequila Lime Chicken and Shrimp

6 chicken breasts, halved
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup gold tequila
1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 2 cups of the tequila lime mixture and store in the refrigerator in a separate container. Add the chicken breasts to the large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Set the chicken in a greased large oven proof dish. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, until browned and the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. While the chicken is resting, roast the shrimp in a large ovenproof dish for 5 minutes, basting with reserved tequila lime sauce.

White Wine Peach Sangria

2011-07-25T06:48:00.000-05:00

It wasn't long ago that I made a batch of Sparkling Sangria for my Foodbuzz 24x24 party. The real reason behind making it was to do a trial run for a baby shower I was hosting. Both bottles of champagne exploded all over the kitchen floor, so I thought it best to try a sangria without the explosion potential. When I saw the recipe on An Apple a Day for White Wine Sangria, I knew that it would be perfect for the shower. And it was! Though, it wasn't without a struggle. The lovely drink dispenser just stopped working after 30 minutes or so. I transferred the Sangria to a punch bowl and the guests were able to scoop the fruit into their glasses, so it worked out for the best anyhow.

White Wine Peach Sangria

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 bottles white wine (I use Walgreen's Southern Point Chardonnay, it's ~$3 and has a great light taste)
¼ cup brandy
1 can peach nectar
2 large peaches, sliced
5 strawberries, halved

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat to make a simple syrup. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a large pitcher combine wine, brandy, nectar and simple syrup. Stir to combine. Add peaches and strawberries. Serve over ice.

Migas Casserole

2011-07-22T06:42:00.002-05:00

I don't really care for breakfast foods, I would rather eat a slice of pizza or some other dinner item. And breakfast for dinner, why? Seems like such a waste of a good dinner. There are two exceptions: crab cakes Benedict and Mexican breakfast. One of the best Mexican breakfasts I ever ate was at a small taco stand in San Antonio while visiting my best friend, Heather. The salsa set your tongue on fire and made the eggs worth eating. I made this casserole to mimic those flavors, but in an easy prepare ahead dish for my Thursday morning playgroup. I was originally going to add the tortilla strips on top, but I worried they might get burned by the time the eggs were set, I will experiment with it the next time I make it.

Migas Casserole

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ red bell pepper, diced
½ orange bell pepper, diced
½ small onion, diced
½ jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tomatillos, husked and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup tortilla chip strips
9 eggs
½ cup cream
1 ½ cups grated Mexican cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the bell peppers, onion and jalapeno for 3 minutes, until soft. Grease a 9x9 glass baking dish. Add the sautéed vegetables, tomatoes and tortilla chips to the prepared dish. Whisk the eggs, cream and ¾ cup of the cheese in a separate bowl. Pour the egg mixture in the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until eggs are set. Serve with warm tortillas and fresh salsa.

Shredded Beef Tacos

2011-07-20T06:31:00.002-05:00

Another success for the crockpot, at least in my eyes. C would still prefer ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning, but it is well established that he knows nothing about good food. I made up this one on my own and I was very impressed with the results. It is sort of a combination of Crockpot Chicken Tacos and Crockpot Pork Carnitas. The meat is so tender, it shreds so easily. Of course it helped that I had leftover creamy jalapeno from Chuy's to top the tacos with, that stuff is so addictive. I used a Coors Light, because it was what was down in our fridge and I know I won't drink it, but any light beer would work great.

Shredded Beef Tacos for the Crockpot

1 ½ pounds beef roast
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, chopped
½ jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 can of beer
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred the meat, return to the crockpot and cook for 20 minutes more. Serve on tortillas with Colby jack cheese, salsa, creamy jalapeno and fresh cilantro.

Triple Berry Smoothie

2011-07-18T07:32:00.000-05:00

I make this smoothie a couple of times a week for breakfast. Miss F probably drinks more than I do, she loves the smoothie. I am tearing through my frozen stash of Froberg Farms strawberries, it is going to be a sad day when they are all gone. Spring is so far away and I am already wanting to pick strawberries again.

Triple Berry Smoothie

¾ cup frozen strawberries
¼ cup blueberries
¼ cup blackberries
½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
Small handful of ice
2 teaspoons of honey

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Recipe Swap: Peach and Blueberry Crisp

2011-07-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

This week's recipe swap was dessert. I submitted my mom's chocolate cheesecake recipe, which is probably my most favorite dessert. I got Peach Blueberry Crisp from The Cookaholic Wife, which I was super excited for. I did change the original recipe by using fresh peaches and blueberries. Texas peaches are at their peak right now, which made it a bit more work, but it was totally worth it. I used the trick I learned while making Miss F's baby food, you boil the peach for 30 seconds and the skin peels right off, so much easier than using a knife to peel it. I sent the crisp and a gallon of ice cream to work with C and he said everyone enjoyed it. This is such a lovely summer dessert.

Peach Blueberry Crisp
Peach-Blueberry Mixture Ingredients:
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
5 large peaches
1 pint blueberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crisp topping (recipe follows)
vanilla ice cream (optional)

Crisp Topping Mixture Ingredients:
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with butter. Bring a small saucepan filled with water to a boil. Boil each peach for 30 seconds, let cool. Peel the peaches and slice. Combine the peaches, blueberries, sugar, flour, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Toss well to mix. Transfer the fruit to the baking dish. Place the baking dish on a foil lined cookie sheet to catch any juices that might bubble over.

Combine all of the crisp topping ingredients in a large bowl and using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread the crisp mixture on top of the fruit and bake until crisp is browned on top and the juices have thickened around the edges, about 55 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Garden Tomatoes with Cilantro Pesto

2011-07-13T07:26:00.002-05:00

I wanted a light salad for my Foodbuzz 24x24 dinner, A Gathering of Girlfriends, and this salad was perfect. The tomatoes came from my in-laws garden, they have so many varieties, which made this salad amazing. I think this was the last batch from there garden for the summer, which makes me quite sad. The cilantro pesto recipe is adapted from Bobby Flay, but it would be delicious on a multitude of things, not just tomatoes.

Garden Tomatoes with Cilantro Pesto

2 cups chopped cilantro leaves, plus ¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup grated Cojita cheese
6 large tomatoes, sliced

Place cilantro and garlic in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the oil and process until smooth. Add the cheese and process until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over sliced tomatoes.

Banana Oat Bread

2011-07-11T07:19:00.002-05:00

With a fickle toddler, we always have bananas in various states of ripeness hanging around our house. I often throw the super ripe ones in the freezer for banana bread, banana peanut butter oat muffins or banana applesauce oat muffins. Obviously, the toddler loves the banana oat combo, so I decided to try it out in a bread version. I served it at our playgroup and every slice was devoured. Apparently, the banana oat combo is a huge hit among all toddlers, not just my own. The recipe is from The Motherload and next time, I am going to add extra oats on the top like she did, it looks so nice.

Banana Oat Bread

1 ½ cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed banana
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine banana, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, in the pan, for about 15 minutes (I left mine in longer and it was fine). Remove the bread from the pan after 15 minutes and cool thoroughly on the rack.

Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas

2011-07-08T07:04:00.002-05:00

When I saw that this week's theme for the recipe swap was Mexican, I knew I needed to participate. Since moving to Houston, I have learned that Mexican food is one of my most favorite foods, specifically, TexMex. I submitted my Baked Chimichangas with Deluxe Tomatillo Sauce and I was lucky to get a tomatillo recipe back in exchange, Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas from Christine's Kitchen Chronicles. I will admit that I was intimidated by using fresh tomatillos, but it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I doubt I will ever use canned again. These enchiladas had all the flavors that I love and they did not disappoint. Be sure to check out A Taste of Home Cooking for the Mexican recipe swap roundup in the future.

Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas

For the chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/3 bunch of cilantro,
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice - added about an hour before cooking

For the enchiladas:
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
¾ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
8 corn tortillas, warmed

Creamy Roasted Tomatillo Sauce :
10 small/medium tomatillos; remove husks and wash; cut into halves or quarters
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt
1 cup cilantro, thoroughly washed
1/2 cup sour cream
Dash of salt

Combine chicken with marinade ingredients (except lime juice) in a large bag or bowl. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, adding the lime juice during the last hour. After removing the chicken from the marinade, sauté it until golden brown on all sides. Shred the chicken, or chop it up into rough cubes. In a bowl, combine cooked chicken, tomato, avocado, and ¼ cup Mexican blend cheese. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with some of the tomatillo sauce. Take a tortilla shell, dip both sides in the tomatillo sauce, then add some of the chicken mixture. Roll it and put into the baking dish, seam side down. Continue until you have filled the casserole dish, making sure the enchiladas are tightly packed together (but not overlapping). Spoon the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas, and finish with a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Cover and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

For the Creamy Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a baking dish. Roast on 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until tomatillos are tender. In a pot, add roasted veggies, cilantro, and the salt. Mix everything together and then puree using an immersion or regular blender. Add the sour cream and stir thoroughly. Let lightly simmer until you are ready to assemble your enchiladas, stirring occasionally.

Corn Blinis with Chipolte Cream

2011-07-07T06:49:00.000-05:00

I first made these blinis for a dinner party years back. The recipe has been stored on my computer for years and I have not a clue where it came from, some random Google search I am sure. While I have made the blinis before, I hadn't served them with the Chipolte cream prior. Just a note, the cream is spicy, but I love the heat when paired with the mild corn blini. When I have made them in the past, I just served them with plain sour cream and a cilantro garnish, which works well for people who don't like the spice of the adobo. This recipe is perfect for the summer, especially if you are able to use fresh corn. I miss Silver Queen corn from Maryland so much, the Texas corn is good, but it isn't as delicious as the corn from my home state.

Corn Blinis with Chipolte Cream

1 cup sour cream
4 to 5 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup flour
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for the skillet
1 cup of corn kernels

Combine the sour cream and chipoltes in a small bowl, set aside.

Combine the cornmeal, salt and sugar in a medium bowl and gradually add the boiling water, stirring to combine. Sift the flour over the mixture and mix to form a firm paste. Let stand for 10 minutes to cool. Add the eggs one at a time, then the milk. Add the melted butter, stirring, and mix well. Add the corn, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick griddle over medium to medium-high heat. When it is hot, add a little butter and swirl it around to coat the griddle, being careful not to burn the butter. Add about 2 tablespoons of batter to make each blini (should be about 2 ½ inches wide) and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly puffed and crisp on the bottom. When they are lightly browned on one side, turn and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the other side.

To serve, place the blini on a plate. Smear them lightly with the chipolte cream. Serve immediately.

Raspberry Chocolate Cake

2011-07-05T06:40:00.000-05:00

Per the request of my Foodbuzz 24x24 party guest, Marianne, I am posting this recipe for her. I used the never fail recipe for Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake. I also attempted the frosting for these cupcakes at Cate's World Kitchen. Problem is, it is hot in Houston, so hot that the ganache never set up enough. I ended up chilling it for about 30 minutes and beating in a half cup of powdered sugar, which worked just fine. I frosted it and transported it to our refrigerator in our garage. Which is down a flight of stairs from our kitchen. Turns out, the cake got a little wobbly with the soft frosting. The cake was foreshadowing the party events. My friend Cara got a little wobbly walking down the stairs from our roof deck. A broken champagne glass, a cut finger and a bruised bottom...the pain was eased with a slice of cake.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
8 ounces butter, melted
2 cup fresh raspberries, pureed and strained (about 2/3 cup puree), at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 pint raspberries, for topping the cake.

Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the butter until smooth. Stir in the raspberry puree and mix until smooth. Transfer to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium high until the mixture is room temperature. Pour in the heavy cream and continue whipping until stiff enough to pipe. Frost the layer cake and top with the fresh raspberries.

Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Fill two greased 8” rounds full with batter. Bake 25-28 minutes.

Sparkling Sangria

2011-06-30T07:12:00.002-05:00

Michael Chiarello is a genius, especially with this sangria. I was able to use the wedding brandy in it, which was particularly nice. I served this to start the party for the Foodbuzz 24x24: A Gathering of Girlfriends with great success. It was refreshing and the fruit flavors were lovely. Just right for summer.

Sparkling Sangria

1 cup brandy
½ cup orange liqueur
¼ cup sugar, super fine
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 pint raspberries
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 bottles sparkling wine or cava, chilled

In a large pitcher, combine the brandy, and orange liqueur. Pour in the sugar, stir or shake the pitcher thoroughly to mix until the sugar dissolves. Add all the fruit at once. Add the cava and serve as is or on ice.

Recipe Swap: Barbecue Chicken Salad

2011-06-28T06:38:00.002-05:00

We have been travelling and I have been busy, but I was able to find time again to participate in the salad recipe swap organized by A Taste of Home Cooking. Even better, I got her recipe in the swap. As soon as I saw the recipe for Barbecue Chicken Salad, I knew I would love it. Especially the avocado vinaigrette. I swapped out ranch for the bleu cheese since no one in this house really enjoys bleu cheese. I also added my own recipe for nectarine barbecue sauce to the dish. C just had ranch on his salad and I just had avocado vinagrette on mine because it was so amazing. I also added chopped cucumber and avocado to the salad itself. This will go into our summer dinner rotation and I am already thinking about what new salads I can make with the vinaigrette.

Barbecue Chicken Salad

For the Avocado Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons peach jam
1 medium ripe avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes:
2-3 pounds red potatoes, washed
1 stick butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
½ small onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup ketchup
½ cup water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
Hot sauce, to taste
1 nectarine, peeled, and diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced

For the salad:
Mixed greens
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumbers, chopped
Avocado, chopped
Corn
French fried onions
Ranch Dressing

To make the avocado vinaigrette-put all of the ingredients except the oil into a food processor or blender. Drizzle in the oil while the processor is running. Process until smooth.

To make the potatoes - boil a large pot of water and salt well. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the water and return potatoes to the pot. Stir in butter, shallot, and parsley. Stir well. Set aside and keep warm until serving.

To make chicken - in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a minute or so to soften. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the temperate to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Grill the chicken and brush each piece liberally with barbecue sauce. Cut into strips and set aside.

To plate the salads - place mixed greens on a plate. Lay the sliced chicken on top of the greens. Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and fried onions. Place a few warm potatoes on the side. Drizzle entire salad with avocado vinaigrette and ranch dressing.

Foodbuzz 24x24: A Gathering of Girlfriends

2011-06-26T19:02:00.004-05:00

Once or twice a year, I like to invite a fun group of girlfriends over for a dinner party. Sometimes we are celebrating things, like a birthday or my “retirement” to become a stay at home mom, but most of the time, we are just getting together to spend some much needed girl time. My husband, C, refers to it as a “Cackle Fest”, as we can get quite boisterous as the night wears on. This generally results in dancing to a Britney Spears song or group singing to “Umbrella.” The parties are never dull and I am so fortunate to be able to share these parties with such an extraordinary group of friends. Some have been friends for years, others are new acquaintances, but by the end of the evening, we have formed a lasting circle of friends.

Last night nine of my friends gathered for just such an occasion. I had already sent out the invites (paper by snail mail) when Foodbuzz announced the date for June’s Foodbuzz 24x24, where 24 parties are held over 24 hours. I felt so lucky that it happened to be the same day as my scheduled party and even luckier when I was selected to participate. I had already come up with a menu that was Latin inspired; I wanted the flavors to be bold and exciting. I set out to the local flower shops to find the brightest blooms I could find and I programmed the computer to play Buena Vista Social Club, Gypsy Kings and the like. One of my most favorite details was the charger menus. I had seen the idea on Pinterest and I ran with it. It was such a nice way to decorate the table without being too fussy.

The girls were greeted with sparkling Sangria, a recipe from Michael Chiarello. The drinks were fruity and strong, the right way to start a party. I had three appetizers out for everyone to eat while the other guests were still arriving; we are women, you know not everyone is going to be on time. I had prepared corn blinis with Chipotle cream, cantaloupe wrapped with Serrano ham, and short rib empanadas with avocado cream. Look for the recipes in the coming week.

The first course at the dining table was a fresh garden tomato salad topped with cilantro pesto paired with an Argentinean Malbec. The main course was Tequila lime chicken and shrimp, roasted in the oven for entertaining ease and paired with couscous and sautéed zucchini and yellow squash paired with a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. For dessert, slices of chocolate raspberry cake were passed around with glasses of champagne. After all that eating and drinking, we had reached “Cackle Fest” levels, so it was time to head upstairs to the rooftop to talk, talk, and talk some more. This was truly a delicious and delightful gathering of girlfriends.

Pork Canton Noodles

2011-06-24T06:58:00.000-05:00

Canton noodles are my most favorite discovery in the Asian market. They are ridiculously horrible for you, but super tasty, isn't that how it always is? C asked why I was putting cabbage in everything lately. I was curious as to why, seeing how he loves cole slaw (shudder.) He doesn't seem to think that cole slaw qualifies as cabbage. I think he is pretty silly. This dish is delicious, cabbage or not. I am still unsure how to cook the Canton noodles since there are no instructions on the package, but it seems to cook up in boiling water the same amount of time it takes to stir fry the pork and veggies. I bet they planned it that way...

Pork Canton Noodles

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 pound pork, sliced thin
1/2 bell pepper, sliced thin
3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/4 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup snow peas
5 mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon toasted Sesame oil
1 package Canton noodles, prepared per package directions (if you can find them)

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a wok. Add the pork and stir dry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, carrots, onion, cabbage, snow peas, and mushrooms to the wok and stir fry 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp tender. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Sriracha and Sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the pork and vegetables. Stir in the prepared Canton noodles. Serve.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

2011-06-22T08:04:00.000-05:00

I adore the salsa at Pappasitos. Especially when paired with their light as air chips. The salsa is served warm along side the warm chips. Perfection. This salsa is lacking the fire roasted flavor of the salsa at Pappasitos, but it is delicious nonetheless. I am still working on figuring out how to fire roast tomatoes at home...any ideas? If you like a salsa with a lot of fresh flavor, this is worth a try.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

4 tomatoes, quartered and seeded
2 garlic cloves, halved and peeled
¼ onion, peeled
½ jalapeno, seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 475. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, onion and jalapeno with the olive oil. Arrange the mixture on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Cool.

Pulse the cooled tomatoes, garlic, onion and jalapeno in a food processor. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro and salt. Serve with chips.

Banana Peanut Butter Oat Muffins

2011-06-20T07:00:00.006-05:00

Miss F is still a huge fan of muffins. And she is an even bigger fan of helping to bake the muffins. Her assistance is normally putting all the muffin liners in to the tin while I mix all the ingredients, but she is also great at stirring. I doubled this recipe because I had a lot of overripe bananas. In one batch, I left the plain. The other got an addition of 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, which made Miss F an even bigger fan. This recipe is from Baking Bites.

Banana Peanut Butter Oat Muffins

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 med.)
6 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed banana, peanut butter and buttermilk until very smooth, making sure all egg has been well-incorporated. Pour into flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tin, filling each just about up to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Fresh Tomato Pasta

2011-06-17T07:58:00.000-05:00

I first had pasta sauce made with fresh tomatoes many years back at my friend Mel's house. She had made it by hand crushing the tomatoes and C loved it. This dish is perfect if your tomato garden is flourishing. Since I have a four story house in the middle of the city with no yard, let alone garden, and I am struggling keeping three herb plants alive, fresh tomatoes should be hard to come by. Lucky for me, they aren't, since my in-laws have tons of tomatoes fresh from their garden. Even better for me, fresh tomatoes and no gardening work. C picked most of the larger chunks out and said the meal was missing meat. I thought it was fantastic.

Fresh Tomato Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ onion, diced
½ bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
5 or 6 large tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots to the pan and sauté until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Add the red pepper, basil and tomato paste and sauté until the tomato sauce is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Asian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2011-06-15T08:13:00.001-05:00

This sandwiches came together beautifully. The crisp cucumber and cabbage is a nice contrast to the saucy pork. No extra sauce is needed. They were a touch salty, so low-sodium soy sauce would be a great substitution. C didn't have his with cabbage or cucumber, his loss. Miss F ate her sandwich deconstructed, pork and roll separately. She even tried some of the purple cabbage.

Asian Pulled Pork

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds pork roast
½ cucumber, sliced
1 cup sliced cabbage

Whisk together all items except for the pork. Place the pork in a crockpot. Pour the sauce overtop. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the pork with two forks and return to the crockpot. Cook for 15 minutes more. Serve on wheat rolls with cucumber slices and cabbage.

Saucy Garlic Chicken

2011-06-13T08:02:00.011-05:00

When I read this recipe on A Taste of Home Cooking, I knew I had to try it. Besides having wonderful recipes, A Taste of Home Cooking coordinates all the recipe swaps I have participated in, which I really have enjoyed doing. This recipe dirties a lot of pans and dishes. but the end result is totally worth it. I remember being very wary the first time I was served roast garlic, but the flavor turned out to be much more mild than I was expecting. And the best part, no whining from C about the smell of sauteing garlic.

Saucy Garlic Chicken

1 whole garlic bulb
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup fresh baby spinach
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
pinch of nutmeg
Hot cooked pasta
Chopped tomato and minced fresh basil, optional

Remove papery outer skin from garlic (do not peel or separate cloves). Cut tops off of garlic bulbs; brush bulbs with 1 teaspoon oil. Wrap the bulb in heavy-duty foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until softened. Cool for 10-15 minutes.

In a skillet, brown chicken in remaining oil on both sides. Place spinach in a greased baking dish, put browned chicken on top of the spinach

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in ½ cup of cheese, nutmeg and remaining salt and pepper. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the sauce. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover and bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees and sauce is bubbly. Serve with pasta. Sprinkle with tomato and basil if desired.