RECIPEAHOLIC

Apple Parmesan Salad

2011-09-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

I adore apples. Especially this time of year when they are at their peak. Fresh, crisp, delicious!!

This salad is a fabulous way to use some of those incredible apples! The dressing perfectly compliments the crisp apples and the parmesan adds a bit of "bite" so it's not too sweet. And the pine nuts add great texture! It is one of my favorite salad recipes.

I think it would be wonderful served with some seasoned grilled chicken on top for lunch or dinner!

APPLE PARMESAN SALAD

1/2 cup olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

Romaine or Baby Salad Greens, chopped

2 medium apples (sweet not tart)

(Gala, Fuji, Ginger Gold, or Golden Delicious)

1/2 cups pine nuts, toasted

4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Whisk together first eight ingredients. Put chopped lettuce in bowl. Core, halve, and slice apples and add to the lettuce. Whisk dressing again and add sparingly to the lettuce and toss. Sprinkle with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Serve remaining dressing on the side.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

2011-09-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been FOREVER since I updated my blog last! I had a baby, and lets just say I haven't had a whole lot of motivation! I am sure many of you can relate :)

I have still been cooking and baking, although not as much as I used to! I think I have gone thru what I would call a period of "un-inspiration"! Even though I have been feeling somewhat un-inspired in the kitchen, I have whipped up some great recipes! Most of them have been really easy! I can't wait to share them with you!

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog. Anything with pasta tends to attract me! So I gave it a whirl. I did make a few changes from her recipe. Basically I added onion to the ground beef and some more spices.

It was really, really tasty! Very Comforting.

I could imagine it being superb on a cold winter day. Perhaps you trudged home from school (four miles one way) in four feet of snow, and you enter the front door to the wonderful smell of this in the oven. (That was just an imagined sceneario. It never happened. I have never lived in an area that has ever received that much snow!)

Creamy noodles, a lovely "tomatoey-beefy" taste, and a nice sharp cheese. Yum!...This recipe definitely satisfies!! I served it with toasted garlic bread. And green beans. It was divine.

These pictures do not do justice.

SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE

Ingredients

1-1/4 pound Ground Beef
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles (5 cups)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
Serve with crusty French bread.

Recipe Notes: I used NO YOLKS brand egg noodles. They were great! While browning the beef, I added about 1/2 cup diced onion. After beef was cooked through, I sprinkled on Italian Seasoning, Basil, Crushed Red Pepper (just a little), Parsley, and Lawry's All Season. I also used more than one cup of cheese...maybe more like 2 cups. The cheesier the better :)

Bayou Chicken Pasta

2011-05-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have updated!! Pregnancy has made me slack in this department I guess! :)

If I haven't mentioned, I have a deep love for pasta. I could probably have it every night of the week! This particular pasta is creamy, full of flavor, and downright fabulous! Oh...and it has a nice little kick! Thanks to Emeril Lagasse for this wonderful recipe!

One bite of this and you won't want to stop!

This is what gives it a nice kick! It calls for a habenero pepper, but I didn't want to make it too spicy so that my toddler couldn't eat it! This jalepeno pepper added the perfect amount of kick!

Green onion, yellow onion, garlic, jalepeno pepper, heavy cream (don't try to cut fat and use light cream...it just doesn't work!) , freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and tomatoes. (I used Muir Glen's Fire Roasted diced tomatoes)

Mmm! Almost ready!!

Add the bit of green (green onion and parsley) and NOW it is ready!! DIG IN!!

BAYOU CHICKEN PASTA

1 pound linguine

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped habanero pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water

1/2 cup chopped green onion tops

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the chicken to the pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and habaneros to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of Essence, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add the green onions, Parmesan and parsley and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Hawaiian Chicken

2011-04-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe in the Dec/Jan 2011 Taste of Home magazine. I thought it looked like it was worth trying, so I gave it a whirl last night for dinner. And I am very glad I did! It is wonderful! And fairly easy to make! Took about 20 minutes of prep time. I definitely will be making it again!

The chicken came out so moist and tender! The sauce, which seemed to me like it had A LOT of sugar came out really delicious! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Served over a bed of rice (I used a box of Near East Almond Pilaf) and green beans on the side.

After coating chicken pieces in a flour mixture, you brown them in a pan with a little oil. Then lay them in a baking dish like the above photo.

Stir together the sauce and cook it for 2 minutes. Pour it over the chicken pieces and top with pineapple and green pepper. I didn't have the green pepper on hand so I skipped it. Bake for 20 minutes!

HAWAIIAN CHICKEN

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
(I used 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken tenders)

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
(I used chicken broth instead...see below)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened sliced pineapple

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 medium green pepper, cut into rings

Hot cooked rice

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, one piece, at a time, and shake to coat. In a skillet, brown chicken in oil. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, bouillon and ginger. Drain pineapple into a 2-cup measuring cup; set pineapple aside. Add enough cold water to juice to measure 1-1/4 cups. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce. Gradually whisk into sugar mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Pour sauce over chicken; top with green pepper and reserved pineapple. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Serve with rice.

Yield: 6 servings.

I don't keep chicken bouillon on hand because it has msg in it. So, what I did for this recipe was substitute chicken broth (I like Swanson's Low Sodium with no msg) for the cold water. It came out great this way!!

And a hint on chicken broth...If you open a can and only use a little bit out of it, instead of throwing it away or letting it sit in your frig for 2 weeks and then throwing it out, pour it in a freezer proof container and freeze it! Then it is there when you need it! You could even freeze it in an ice cube tray so you would have smaller portions of it!

Happy Cooking!!

--Mindy

Chicken Salad Pita

2011-04-25T06:24:00.000-07:00

I have had my eye on this recipe for a while and finally had everything on hand to make it.

Wow, is it tasty!!

The combination of sweet and salty is just right! Stuffed into pita bread with some fresh spinach, it is just about perfect! Make it and invite a few ladies for lunch and they will love you forever!

CHICKEN SALAD PITA

Chicken Salad:

4 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 1/2 cups seedless grapes, halved

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup sliced green onion

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 T. dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/8 tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp. paprika

Mix dressing ingredients together and mix with chicken mixture. Add the almonds at serving time. Serve in pita pockets with fresh lettuce or spinach. Mmmm!

Bow-tie Pasta

2011-04-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

I guess I am in an Italian kick!

This recipe is so quick, so easy, and so FABULOUS!! I love anything with marinara sauce on it, so this recipe is a winner with me!! My family loved it too!!

It was so good, if I had the ingredients on hand I would whip it up for lunch right now!! (Yes it is that quick to make!)

This picture doesn't do it justice, but it will have to do!

BOW-TIE PASTA

1 pound lean Ground Beef

1/2 cup diced onion

1 box Bow-Tie Noodles

3 cups (or more) Spaghetti Sauce

(I used Barilla Tomato & Basil)

Garlic powder

Italian seasoning

Crushed red pepper

Oregano

Basil

Lawry's All Purpose Seasoning

Pepper

1/2-1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook the bow-tie pasta according to package directions. If it gets done before your sauce does, drain and toss with a little olive oil. (Save a little of the pasta water in case you need to thin your sauce a little.)

Fry ground beef and onion in pan until no longer pink. Drain or wipe out any grease. Season with garlic powder, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper (just a few flakes!), oregano, basil, Lawry's, and pepper. I just sprinkle each spice over the meat fairly generously.

Add in spaghetti sauce. When sauce is bubbly, add in mozzarella cheese and sour cream. Heat together about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Stir in pasta. Add a little pasta water if sauce seems to thick. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve!!

I added some garlic toast (french bread sliced, and topped with butter, garlic powder, and Lawry's, then toasted under the broiler until brown) and a green tossed salad to complete this meal!

Super Stuffed Shells

2011-04-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

Italian food is among one of my favorites! I found this recipe on The Food Network. This website is a great resource! I love the fact that you can read reviews on the recipe before you try it, so you are less likely to be disappointed with the results! Nothing worse than slaving in the kitchen for hours, not to mention spending money on ingredients and the result is less than satisfactory!

This particular recipe is from Emeril Lagasse. They are delicious (as are a lot of his recipes!) Topped with a simple homemade marinara sauce, and cheesy and meaty on the inside! Your whole family will love them!

Mmm...

I made the whole recipe and split it into two pans. A 8x6 pan and a 8x11 pan. We ate the smaller pan for dinner which was more than enough for my small family of 3! I did not bake the other pan. Instead, I wrapped it in 2 layers of saran wrap and aluminum foil and popped it in my freezer to have a meal ready after I have my baby. (Six weeks left!)

I make up the whole amount of Emeril's seasoning and keep it in a jar in my spice cupboard. It is a great seasoning!

SUPER STUFFED SHELLS

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Basic Red Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain
In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, Essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.
Pour the Basic Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

Basic Red Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, broken into pieces, and their juices
16 ounces tomato sauce
4 teaspoons tomato paste
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to use.
Yield: 3 cups

Easy Veggie Medley

2011-04-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare veggies. It seems to go great with almost anything! I believe my Mom came up with the recipe... It is quick and easy! (Seems to be the theme of my cooking this week!) I am 8 months pregnant, so quick and easy is what I need right now!

These are the raw veggies. Red potatoes, carrots, onions. I always add zucchini and yellow squash, but I forgot to get it when I was at the store. :( Season it up with whatever sounds good! I will put what I used in the recipe below.

Just out of the oven! Mmm...this is comfort food!! Warm and full of flavor!

They were steaming so much my camera lens kept fogging up! Even without the zucchini and squash it was delicious!

EASY VEGGIE MEDLEY

Red potatoes, quartered

Whole baby carrots, or peeled carrots chunked

Red or white onion, sliced

Zucchini, halved and thickly sliced

Yellow Squash, halved and thickly sliced

Olive oil

Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Lawry's All Purpose Seasoning

Dill Weed

Water

Place all veggies in an oven-proof dish. Drizzle with a decent amount of olive oil. (Not a ton so it is really oily, but enough to coat the veggies). Sprinkle with desired seasonings. Salt, pepper and dill weed would be great if that is all you have! I really like the addition of the dill though, so don't skip out on that! Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of water and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Note: The potatoes take a lot longer to cook than the squash, so you can add the squash in about 20 minutes into the cooking process. I have done it both ways :) If you add the squash in the beginning, just cut it as large as the potatoes and it will be fine!

Chicken Caesar Salad

2011-04-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

I actually made time to do a post!!

Need a quick, easy, and delicious dinner?? Those are my favorite kind!

This Chicken Caesar Salad is tasty and filling!

Thanks to my Aunt Norma for the marinade recipe! The chicken comes out so moist and flavorful!

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 T. dijon mustard

chicken breasts or tenders

romaine lettuce, chopped

Caesar croutons

Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

Caesar dressing

( I love Naturally Fresh brand found in produce dept.)

Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, and mustard. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cover with marinade. Let sit at least 30 minutes.

Grill over medium heat until cooked through, but not overcooked! Slice diagonally into thin slices.

To chopped romaine lettuce add croutons, parmesan cheese, and dressing. Add dressing slowly and toss as you go along so you don't overdress the salad! Dress salad right before serving to prevent soggy lettuce and croutons.

On individual plates put a pile of salad. Top with sliced chicken and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Add some bread (garlic toast, ciabatta roll, focaccia bread) and you have a fabulous meal!

I haven't gone away!

2011-03-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted! I have been busy! I have many new recipes that I want to share though! Keep checking back! I will get them on in a week or two! In the meantime, happy cooking to each of you!

Orange Roasted Chicken

2011-02-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for new recipes using a whole chicken. Probably because I am never really satisfied with how they come out! Usually they seem dry and lacking flavor.

NOT THIS ONE THOUGH!

This recipe for Orange Roasted Chicken is wonderful! Very moist and bursting with a mild orange flavor! I was pleasantly surprised! Thanks to my sis-in-law Jena for the recipe!

All glazed up and ready for eating! This is so easy to make!

Sprinkle a whole chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Make sure you lift up the skin so you can get the seasonings underneath the skin on the chicken breasts. I had to use a knife to cut the skin away.

Roast chicken like this for 15 minutes.

On the stove, heat together preserves and low sodium chicken broth.

The recipe calls for orange marmalade, but I used apricot preserves because that is what I had in the frig and it turned out just delicious!

After 15 minutes take chicken out of oven and baste with 1/3 of the sauce. Make sure and get it under the skin! Continue roasting and basting for about an hour or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. This part is vital! Over-baked chicken is not tasty or moist!

When chicken is done, put on a serving plate and dump juices in pan over the top to glaze it once more.

Carve chicken and drizzle some of the juices over the top. So yummy!!
Finish off the meal with cooked carrots and mashed potatoes!

ORANGE ROASTED CHICKEN

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange marmalade or apricot preserves
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 whole roasting chicken (about 3 1/2 lb)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place marmalade and broth in small saucepan on low; cook 4–5 minutes or until marmalade melts.
Meanwhile, pat chicken dry; loosen skin from breast of chicken and around legs and wings. Sprinkle Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper over entire chicken, including inner cavity and under skin. Place chicken, breast side up, in 9- x 13-inch baking dish (wash hands). Remove orange sauce from heat.
Bake chicken 15 minutes.
Remove chicken from oven and brush with 1/3 of the orange sauce. Bake 45–60 more minutes, basting two more times, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness.
Let chicken stand 5 minutes before slicing. Slice chicken thinly and serve.

Delan's Chicken Panini

2011-02-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

My husband was watching Food Network a few weeks ago and inspiration hit! He insisted we go to the grocery store right away and get the ingredients to create this sandwich.

I have to admit...it is very delicious! I am proud of his creation!

I didn't get pictures of that first time we made it, but made sure to get some when I made it for dinner earlier this evening! It is a sandwich worth sharing!

Rye bread, moist rotisserie chicken, cole slaw, provolone, and 1000 island dressing pressed together in a panini grill. It is a fabulous combination!! Thanks to my husband Delan!

It is best to make the cole slaw ahead because it develops more flavor as it refrigerates. This recipe is from a Top Secret Recipe book. It is a clone of KFC Cole Slaw. It is excellent! (In fact the only cole slaw I have successfully made!)

If you don't feel like making cole slaw you could easily go to KFC and pick some up to go!

Then make the 1000 Island Dressing.

My mom showed me how to make this when I was very young. It is the only 1000 Island dressing I will eat! It is delicious! Not only is it an excellent addition to this sandwich, it is fabulous on a tossed salad!

I am not even going to recommend 1000 Island dressing from a bottle.

This picture makes my meat look very pink! It was not this color at all! Oh well!

I used a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I used some white meat and some dark.

Season the meat a bit with a sprinkle of pepper, Lawry's All-Purpose Seasoning, or whatever other spices sound good at the moment! A bit of cayenne pepper might add a nice kick!

Soft rye bread from the bakery and provolone cheese sliced at the deli.

I have also used a pumpernickel/rye swirl bread, and a plain pumpernickel bread.

The hubby prefers rye bread. To me it doesn't matter... I love any bread!

Butter 1 side of each slice of bread. Assemble like this: buttered sides of bread facing out, 1000 Island dressing on the inside of each bread slice, provolone next to the dressing (i used 2 slices), then chicken sandwiched between the cheese.

Place the sandwich on a hot panini grill. If you don't have one I would grill it in a pan like you would do grilled cheese. Grill until cheese is melted and bread has golden grill marks.

Split sandwich open and put in the cole slaw. Put sandwich back together.

Enjoy your yummy panini! Use extra 1000 Island dressing for dipping if you so desire!

I am definitely having one for lunch tommorrow! Oh I can't wait!

DELAN'S CHICKEN PANINI

Cole Slaw:

8 cups finely chopped cabbage (1 head)

1/4 cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 T. white vinegar

2 1/2 T. lemon juice

In a bowl, mix together cabbage and carrot. In a smaller bowl, blend remaining ingredients with a whisk until smooth. Pour into cabbage and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Mom's 1000 Island Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

ketchup added until mayo is pinkish in color

approximately 1 T. sweet relish

Season with pepper, onion powder, celery salt

(sometimes I add a small dash of cayenne pepper)

Mix well with wire whisk. Add a little water if you prefer a thinner dressing.

For both of these recipes I only use Best Food's or Hellman's Mayonnaise.

Sandwich:

Rye or pumpernickel bakery bread

Fully cooked rotisserie chicken, sliced thinly

Lawry's, Pepper, etc. to season chicken

Provolone cheese, sliced

Cole Slaw

1000 Island dressing

soft butter

Using 2 slices of bread, butter 1 side of each piece. Placing buttered side down, spread each piece with 1000 Island dressing. Place 1 slice of provolone on top of each piece of bread (on top of dressing). Place seasoned chicken on top of cheese. Put sandwich together. Place on a hot panini grill or in frying pan on the stove. Grill until cheese is melted and golden grill marks appear on bread.

Open up sandwich (the chicken will stick to the melted cheese). Place desired amount of coleslaw on top of chicken. Close up sandwich. Cut in half and serve with additional 1000 Island dressing if you so desire!

Enjoy!

Beef with Snow Peas

2011-02-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

I have had my eye on this recipe for quite sometime over at The Pioneer Woman's website.

I finally got the ingredients to make it and WOW do I have to rave about it! It is absolutely incredibly DELICIOUS! That woman can cook!!

If you have ever had and enjoyed the beef and broccoli at PF Chang's, this is 1000 times better! Plus, you can control the sodium and ingredients that go into it!

Tender and flavorful beef, crispy snow peas....YUM, YUM, YUM!!!

I loved it. I want to eat it every day!! I did make a few minor changes to the recipe, but nothing drastic.

The best part? Not only does it taste good but dinner will be on the table in say 20 minutes! It is super fast!

This photo does this dish no justice, but I went to where my hubby was working and we ate together, so it was the best I could do for that situation!

This is flank steak. It is fairly thin and quite lean. I halved the recipe so I bought 3/4 lb. of it. Under $5 so not too bad!

Using a sharp knife trim off any visible fat, and then slice in the direction opposite that the grain of the meat is going. Slice as thin as you can get it!

The marinade calls for ginger. This is what ginger looks like, minus the frost on mine! I buy a piece of it like this and keep it in the freezer in a freezer bag. I recommend peeling it before freezing it though. I didn't do it this particular time and takes a few extra minutes. Peel it, then grate what you need. I use the fine grater. It grates very easily in a frozen state!

The marinade consists of soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and fresh ginger. I didn't have sherry so I used rice vinegar, and I also added 1 large clove of minced garlic. It smelled wonderful!

Add the meat to marinade and stir it up! I mixed mine up ahead of time and put it in the frig. It sat in there for about 1 1/2 hours.

The snow peas. Oh how I love snow peas! I just trimmed the ends off.

In a hot pan or wok, saute peas in oil (I used expeller-pressed Canola oil) for 45 seconds. No longer! You want them fresh and crunchy! Remove from pan and set aside.

To the pan add half of the beef and sliced green onion. Set in pan and leave beef alone without stirring for 1 full minute (I set a timer). Then stir it around for 30 more seconds. Remove from pan and repeat with rest of beef and onion.

Return all beef, snow peas, and remaining marinade left in bowl to the hot pan. Saute over high heat for 30 seconds or so. Pile it up on top of some jasmine rice and sprinkle with crushed red pepper! Prepare for your taste buds to be overwhelmed with joy!

BEEF WITH SNOW PEAS

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, trimmed of fat and sliced thin against the grain
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 T. Sherry (I used Rice Vinegar)
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh snow peas, ends trimmed
5 whole green onions, sliced thinly
Salt as needed (Mine needed no salt!)
3 T. canola, peanut, or olive oil
crushed red pepper for sprinkling
Jasmine Rice, cooked according to package

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet (iron is best) or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.

Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

Serve immediately over rice. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.

Winter Fruit Salad

2011-02-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

This fruit salad is perfect to make in the winter when fresh fruit is expensive and not as plentiful!

You won't be sacrificing flavor though! This is very yummy and refreshing!

Someone always asks for the recipe when I make it!

I can't take the credit for this recipe though! It is from my wonderful Mother :)

Thanks Mom!

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

32 oz. can of sliced peaches in syrup

32 oz. can of sliced pears in syrup

12-16 oz. bag frozen raspberries

12-16 oz. bag frozen strawberries

12-16 oz. bag frozen blueberries

Drain juice from peaches and pears into a large bowl. Put fruit onto a cutting board and slice into bite size pieces. Put into bowl with drained juice.

Cut strawberries into bite size pieces. Put all frozen fruit into bowl with the peaches and pears and juice.

Mix together and place in refrigerator until frozen fruit is thawed.

Serve and Enjoy!

You could add your favorite canned or frozen fruit to this also! Such as frozen cherries or blackberries, canned mandarin oranges, or pineapple!

Soft & Fluffy Peanut Butter Bars

2011-02-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

I had a slight addiction to these.

I would cut skinny pieces off each bar until the bar was gone. Finally I just started eating whole bars. Then I decided these have to go into the freezer so I wouldn't be further tempted.

Well I went into the freezer yesterday, and lets just say I wasn't looking for frozen meat or veggies!

Something so delicious definitely needs to be shared!

These are moist, soft and the peanut butter/chocolate combination is intoxicating!

That is if you like peanut butter and chocolate! These also freeze well!

These bars have several steps, but don't let that scare you away! They are well worth the time involved!

Beat butter and PB until fluffy.

I am a HUGE fan of natural PB, but these bars do not come as moist and yummy if you use the natural stuff! So I broke down and bought some regular Jif

Add in sugars and continue beating.

Mixture should look like this. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.

When dough is mixed well, add dry ingredients. I used quick oats. Mix on low speed until all is combined.

Spread dough into a greased jelly roll pan. Mine measures 12 x 17.

Bake bars at 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes until very light brown.

Do not over bake these bars! They will not be as moist if cooked to long! Edges should only be light brown. The center of the bars will still be pale, but will appear cooked.

Meanwhile, put 1 cup of peanut butter into bowl. This again is the Jif normal PB.

Whip with hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Who would have thought that just PB could look like this with a little mixing!

Spread whipped PB on warm crust. Put in the freezer until PB layer is frozen.

While the bars are freezing, mix up the frosting.

When PB is frozen, remove bars from freezer and pour frosting on bars.

At this point, try to work quickly. Spread frosting evenly over bars. If you work quick enough, the frosting will be really shiny. But if you continue messing with it, it will get dull like mine below.

I like the shiny look, but I figured I would even it out a little more and it was too late! It became dull! It certainly doesn't affect the taste! Just the looks!!

And there you have it! A giant pan of scrum-didly-umptious PB Bars!

SOFT & FLUFFY PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Dough:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup butter, slightly softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups oatmeal

Filling:

1 cup peanut butter

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

dash salt

Mix together peanut butter and butter until creamy. Add in sugars. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Spread dough into a greased 12 x 17 jellyroll pan. Bake at 375 for 10-13 minutes until edges are a very light brown. Center of bars will still be pale. Do not over bake!

Whip 1 cup peanut butter with hand mixer until light in color and fluffy. Spread onto warm crust. Put pan in freezer until peanut butter layer is frozen and firm to the touch.

While bars are freezing, make frosting. In a saucepan over medium-low, heat together butter, cocoa, and milk until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix with hand mixer. Frosting will be somewhat runny.

Remove bars from freezer when ready, and pour frosting over top. Working quickly, spread frosting over bars. Slice into bars and enjoy!

These freeze well!

Best Chicken Parmigiana Ever!

2011-01-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have tried A LOT of Chicken Parmesan recipes.

This is absolutely the yummiest, most fabulous Chicken Parm I have ever had!! (It is even better than anything I have had in a restaurant!)

Thanks to The Pioneer Woman for this wonderful recipe!

What makes it so excellent is the sauce. It is rich with flavor! Since I have made it I have actually day-dreamed about it a few times!

It is just that good!

Now doesn't that look divine?

Start out with boneless chicken breasts. Trim fat and put in a bag, or between wax paper.

Pound with a meat mallet (or soup can) until very very thin and flat!

Dredge 'em in the flour mixture

Place gently in the hot oil and butter.

Turn them over when they are golden brown and slightly crisped. Repeat on other side and remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan make the marinara sauce. Add the chicken back in and top with lots of shredded Parmesan cheese.

Cover and let simmer until cheese is melted.

The result: An incredibly satisfying dinner! One you can be proud of!!

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat

½ cups All-purpose Flour

Salt And Pepper, to taste

½ cups Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

¾ cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)
(I used Chianti)

3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons Sugar

¼ cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 pound Thin Linguine

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.

Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Mega Morsels

2011-01-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

I was really craving a dark chocolate chip cookie. The unfortunate part was I didn't have enough chips to make a batch. And I wasn't about to make a store run! Then I remembered a cookie my sisters and I created years ago. It uses many different kinds of chips. I had those chips in my freezer so I was ready to bake!

The result was pure deliciousness!

Chock full of dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, and butterscotch chips. Along with some coconut and slivered almonds.

I started with this amount of "stuff".

It wasn't enough for my liking so I dumped in a bunch more! Now this is more like it!!

Mix it all together. It should look full of chips!

I scooped out my cookies with a big cookie scoop. One batch made 12 cookies.

When they came out of the oven the cookies had spread quite a bit, so I used a metal cookie spatula to scoot the edges together to form round cookies. Or, you could add a few more tablespoons of flour to the dough and it would probably eliminate the spreading!

This cookie really had it all! They were divine! All of my favorite flavors and cooked perfectly! Slightly crispy on the edges but soft and yummy in the middle!

MEGA MORSELS

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

You can add whatever you wish to this dough, but here is what I added:

60% Cocao Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips
Milk Chocolate Chips
White Chocolate Chips
Butterscotch Chips
Coconut
Toasted slivered almonds
(Macadamia nuts would be good also)

I don't have amounts of the things I added. I just dumped until it looked good, so use your best judgement! I used equal amounts of the dark, milk, and white chips, with just a splash of butterscotch chips.

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in extras. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Yield: 1 dozen

If you don't wish to deal with the cookie spreading during baking, add a few tablespoons of flour to the dough. You could bake one cookie and see how much it spreads. If it still spreads, add a little more flour.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2011-01-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

This soup is awesome! I hadn't made it in quite some time, and I had forgotten how delicious it is! If you have read this post you know I am not a fan of Velveeta processed cheese. But there are a few occasions where it is really worth putting health concerns aside and using it!! :) This is one of those times!

Give this soup a try....I don't think you will be disappointed!

Thanks to my Aunt Caren for the recipe!

Chop all the veggies and put in a pot. Add some water and cook until tender.

Cube up the Velveeta.

While the veggies are cooking, heat milk and water. Add cubed cheese and stir on low heat until smooth.

When the veggies are soft, drain them and mix them into the soup.

Season soup with salt and pepper. I couldn't resist putting on this picture of my son helping me with the soup! He was so proud! He is definitely Mommy's kitchen helper!

I put together a salad (romaine, carrots, broccoli, red onion, boiled egg, Monterey Jack cheese, and sunflower seeds).

I thawed some homemade bread I had in the freezer and dinner was ready!! It was so tasty I can't wait until lunch tommorrow so I can have it again! And it is kid friendly! My 20 month old son liked it so much he had two bowls!

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

4 cups potatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

2 large carrots, sliced

1 large head broccoli, cut up small

(do not use leaves or thick stem)

2 cups milk

2 cups water

2 lbs. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the vegetables together in water; drain. Heat together milk and 2 cups water. Stir in cheese. Cook slowly over low heat until cheese is dissolved (this can burn very easily). Mix drained vegetables into cheese mixture; add salt and pepper to taste.

I halved this recipe for my family of 3 and it was perfect! Just enough left for us to have a bowl for lunch tommorrow.

Mom's Oven Stew

2011-01-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful meal for a chilly day! Thick, hearty, and full of wonderful flavor! My mom has been making this stew for as long as I can remember! It is downright delicious!

This isn't your ordinary runny beef stew! It is nice and thick and you must serve it over mashed potatoes!

You mix all the ingredients together in a oven-proof baking dish.

Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 3 hours. During the last hour or so your house will start to smell divine!

It comes out perfect every time!

MOM'S OVEN STEW

1 lb. stew meat, cut into 1" pieces

2 cups carrots, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 T. tapioca

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

generous dash of pepper

6 oz. can tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a 2 1/2 to 3 quart baking dish; mix well. Seal with foil and cover tightly. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours (or 275 degrees for 4-5 hours). Best served with mashed potatoes.

Yield: About 4 adult size servings

For wonderfully creamy mashed potatoes:

Boil quartered potatoes until very mushy; drain

Put in Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment. Mix until potatoes are all chopped up.

Add:

Milk and butter, heated together until butter is melted and milk is hot

(For 5 lbs. potatoes use approximately 1 cup. milk and 6 T. butter)

Add:

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

Mix with paddle until combined.

Switch to whisk attachment and whip until very fluffy.

On occasion I will add a few ounces of softened cream cheese and this makes them even better!

These amounts are based on 5 lbs. of potatoes. If you have more or less potatoes adjust accordingly. If your potatoes seem to stiff, add more milk.

Chef's Salad

2011-01-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't call this a recipe.

Just an idea for an easy lunch or dinner! Sometimes a person just needs ideas!! :)

Basically I cleaned out the refrigerator!

We had some leftover lunch meat that needed to be used up, so instead of another sandwich, we did a salad!

I probably could have made it look a little nicer, but I was starving! So I just piled it up high!

Here is the "salad bar"

Romaine. It speaks for itself! I love it! Crunchy, mild, and full of fiber! Yum!

Carrots, broccoli, red onion, chopped boiled eggs, turkey breast, roast beef, and ham.

(I try to buy low sodium deli meats if at all possible...too much sodium is not a good thing!)

Also some freshly grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.

I always buy block cheese. It is usually cheaper plus it tastes so much better! And it really doesn't take much time to grate! But if you want to use the pre-shredded kind...don't let me stop you!! :)

And some Croutons...Sunflower Seeds would be my pick, but I was out of them.

Usually I make my salad dressings from scratch, but this one is really good!

Add on the dressing and you have a delicious meal!

(I very much enjoyed it!)

Frosted Black Bottom Cupcakes

2011-01-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

I was really craving a thick slice of cheesecake. But I didn't feel like going through the process of going to the grocery store, making the cheesecake, then waiting 8 hours or so for it to chill! So I decided the cream cheese part of these cupcakes would have to satisfy my cheesecake craving!

I had posted these on my blog quite some time ago, so I will put the link for the recipe below.

Moist and delicious!

Even better with a swirl of mocha frosting! Chocolate frosting would be great too!

Just another way to decorate them!

Sometimes there is nothing like old classics you grew up eating!

I prefer these cupcakes chilled!

Here is the link for the recipe:

http://recipeaholic.blogspot.com/2010/02/have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too.html

The recipe is called Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

(also known as Black Bottom Cupcakes)

Hope your day is wonderful!

Tahiti Sweeties

2011-01-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

I am back! :)

Thanks to each of you for your support! It is great to know there are more than a few people reading my blog!

I am a novice blogger and had no clue I could go to a certain page and actually see how many people were viewing my page per day! I guess you learn something new everyday!

These bar cookies are my favorite right now! They are moist and full of my favorite things! I love them slightly underbaked, and I freeze them so they are there when my sweet tooth starts calling :)

Want one? They are sooo delicious! Chocolate, white chocolate, and coconut! Triple yum!

Thanks to my niece Lacey, who shared the recipe with me!

Mmm! It is looking good already!

Put the dough in a 9x13 pan. I actually prefer a shiny aluminum pan over glass,

but I couldn't find any of mine! And...If I wasn't pregnant I would definitely have eaten a spoonful by now!

Spread the dough out evenly. Usually at this point I sprinkle more coconut, and both kinds of chips over the top. But...I must have gotten interrupted because I completely forgot and put them in the oven!

I was a little sad when I pulled them out of the oven and realized I forgot the extra toppings! But there was no reversing it! Oh well....live and learn! (They were still very tasty!)

These were baked a minute or two too long. (Probably another distraction!) Glass bakes hotter on the edges. That is why I prefer a shiny aluminum pan. They seem to bake more evenly. I guess if you like crunchier edges these would be great for you, but I am sort of a soft under-baked cookie lover! (Believe me when I say I most certainly enjoyed them though!)

TAHITI SWEETIES

1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup cashews, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chips
(I do a heaping cup)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
(I do a heaping cup with these too)

extra coconut, chocolate and white chocolate chips for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together brown sugar and butter until combined. Add eggs and vanilla to mixture and mix well. Take the flour mixture and fold into wet ingredients until combined.

Fold in coconut, cashews, chocolate, and white chips into batter. Try not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out. Top with extra coconut and chips.

Bake for about 25-28 minutes, or until light golden brown on top. Do not over bake! Cool to room temperature before cutting. (If you can wait that is!)

I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer for mixing up the batter for these. I did not do the cashews this time. Sometimes I do them, sometimes I don't. They don't affect the flavor...they just add extra texture :)

Should I Continue?

2011-01-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

It has been many months since I blogged last! Before I became a blogger, I didn't realize how much time blogging actually takes! I am always trying out new recipes, and I love sharing them with others. I stopped posting recipes though, because it felt like I only had a few people checking my blog. And those few people didn't make comments very often! If you have ever blogged, you know how nice it is to get some sort of feedback showing you, that indeed it is worthwhile for you to continue blogging!! (And that there are actually live people that are seeing what you are writing!)

So, what I am getting at, is if you do check my blog and would like me to continue sharing and reviewing recipes, let me know! Post me a comment on here, or facebook, or become a follower :)

Happy New Year!

Baked Lemon Chicken

2010-10-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got a new camera!! No more blurry cell phone pictures! So, I should be updating my blog more regularly now!

This chicken may look ho-hum. The ingredient list may even look ho-hum! But just give it a try and I am quite sure you will be pleasantly surprised at how moist and how much flavor it has!

I made it for the first time several years ago. I was leafing through a cookbook, and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I gave it a whirl. I had written a note in the cookbook that it was "wonderful".

Recently I was leafing through the same cookbook and saw that note. I looked at the ingredients and thought, does this really live up to the "wonderful" I wrote down? So I decided to find out! I must say, it did indeed live up to that one word!! It is wondeful!

I prefer to make my own breadcrumbs. It is so fast and in my opinion they taste much better!

First dip the chicken in butter/lemon mixture, then in the crumbs.

Place in a pan and drizzle with remaining butter/lemon mixture! Simple as that!

The result: moist, lemony, baked chicken!

Now add some sweet potatoes and a salad and you have yourself a meal!

BAKED LEMON CHICKEN

3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

(I cut my chicken breast into smaller strips, or use tenderloins if you prefer)

In a shallow dish, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Place bread crumbs in another dish. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with crumbs.

Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with remaining butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 179°.

Yield: 4 servings

To make your own breadcrumbs:

Tear up any kind of bread into small pieces. Layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until dry. Grind in food processor until they become small crumbs. Add dried parsley, oregano, and basil. Pulse a few more times. And there you go! Seasoned breadcrumbs! If you have extra, toss em in the freezer!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

2010-09-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

I LOVE stir-fry! It's just so yummy!! I am constantly trying out new stir-fry recipes, and this one is a keeper for sure! A few great things about this recipe: It was really quick and easy to make....took about 20 minutes, I had everything on hand, and it has great restaurant flavor!

I found it on www.foodnetwork.com. I typed in chicken stir-fry and LOTS of recipes came up! This one had 5 stars and 265 reviews, so I figured it must be good! One person even reviewed that her hubby thought it was leftovers from PF Chang's!

Mmm! I love it garnished with toasted sesame seeds and green onion! Adds a nice little crunch!

These aren't the greatest pictures, but unfortunately my camera got a little water on it at the beach and it is no longer functioning. :( This is the best I could do with my phone!

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI STIR-FRY

Marinate the chicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients

1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed
3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
About 1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 to 6 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)
3/4 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
Garnish: toasted sesame seeds, optional
Serving suggestion: Jasmine rice

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes if using. Stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates and garnish with sesame seeds; serve with rice.

Notes: The garlic and ginger can be chopped together in a minichopper to save time.
Scallion greens can also be used to garnish, if you like that extra onion-y flavor and you want to use up the scallions.

The broccoli stems are used (love all that fiber) to add textural contrast and also to help bulk up the dish, and why waste them?

I reduced the amount of broccoli and added some thinly sliced carrots (I cut them into coins). I added them with the broccoli stems and they came out great! I also reduced the amount of salt and used pineapple juice instead of dry sherry. You could also use orange juice if you prefer. I just did a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and that gave it the perfect kick. And definitely use Jasmine rice! It is so tasty!

Corny Chicken Wraps

2010-09-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Some days, there just isn't enough time to plan for dinner! Then 4 o'clock comes around and you need to think of something quick! Try this out next time that happens! (I am NOT the type of cook who plans menus ahead weeks in advance! I just can't do it! I have tried. So there are days when I have the "what should I make for dinner?" problem! I know there are some of you that do plan ahead, and I marvel at that, but it's just not me!!)

I love these wraps! They are flavorful, very fast to prepare, and they don't call for a long list of ingredients! You actually may have every ingredient in your house right now!

In a pan heat up frozen corn, black beans, salsa, taco seasoning and pre-cooked chicken. I used the meat from a rotisserie chicken.

This is my favorite grocery store salsa. The brand is La Mexicana and it is found in the produce department. I don't know if they have it in your area, but look for it! It is excellent!

On a tortilla, put on the chicken mixture, shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa. You can even mix the sour cream right into the chicken mixture right before serving. It is great both ways!

CORNY CHICKEN WRAPS

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa (or more if needed)

2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/2-1 pkg. low sodium Taco Seasoning

Cheddar cheese, shredded

sour cream

salsa for topping

tortillas

In a saucepan heat corn, beans, salsa, taco seasoning, and chicken until heated through. Warm tortillas in oven wrapped in foil for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. On each tortilla layer chicken mixture, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

Serve with some green beans and dinner is ready! (Probably in less than 15 minutes too!)

Irresistible Double Chocolate Muffins

2010-09-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

My husband loves chocolate muffins. Especially the ones at the Costco Bakery. Because he likes them for breakfast, I am always looking for ways to make them healthier. And believe it when I say that those Costco muffins are just flat out bad...in more ways than one! I found this recipe online. I admit, I was quite skeptical at how they would taste. Or I should say, how I thought he would think they would taste!

The reviews for the recipe were great, so I decided to give them a whirl. Of course I didn't tell my hubby until AFTER he ate one exactly just how healthy they were! I didn't want any preconceived notions in his head affecting the taste! He loved them! I was thrilled!

Mission accomplished.

Who knew healthy could look so lovely?

Ready for baking!

Go ahead, have one or two!

IRRESISTIBLE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup ground flax seed

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate

chips

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.	Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.
2.	Combine flour, flax seed, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing just until combined. Spoon equal amounts of batter into muffin cups.
3.	Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 to 30 minutes.

The only thing I changed on this recipe is I did 1 cup of milk chocolate chips instead of 1/2 cup semi sweet chips. --My husband prefers milk chocolate...my personal motto is the darker the better! I just can't convince him of that though! (And believe me I have tried!)

Blue Ribbon Blueberry Buckle

2010-09-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

Hello! I hope each of you had a fabulous summer! I sure did! Summer is by far my favorite season of the year! I love all of the fresh fruits and vegetables that actually taste like they are supposed to.

I guess you could say I took a sabbatical from blogging. I have lots of recipes to write about though because I definitely didn't stop cooking! So keep checking back...I promise I won't ever take that long of a break again! :)

Many of my upcoming recipes will be focused on summer's bounty....I sure wished I could have gotten these recipes on here when your garden was still producing, or the berries were actually still in season, but sometimes life just doesn't go like you want it to! :)

The following is one of my favorite ways to use blueberries:

This cake is thick, moist, and so flavorful! It is simply fabulous! It isn't too thick, so it doesn't dry out during baking. It practically melts in your mouth. And if that weren't enough, it is filled with antioxidant rich blueberries! I can't even describe how delicious it is, so you just might have to make it!

This picture is all about the glaze!! Look at how shiny and beautiful! If you can't tell, I love a basic glaze! In fact, you could probably glaze a shingle and it would be tasty!! :)

Thanks to my dear mother who passed this recipe down to me! She made it throughout my childhood and we always gobbled it up! Somehow though it tastes better today than it ever has! (Maybe cuz I am a grown up now!!?)

BLUE RIBBON BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
(if using frozen berries, thaw and drain)

In a bowl beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat for 2 more minutes on medium speed scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Spread half of batter in a greased 9x13 pan (for cakes I prefer metal over glass). Sprinkle with 1 cup of blueberries. Pour the rest of the batter over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near middle comes out clean. Drizzle warm cake with glaze. (Recipe below)

Glaze for Blueberry Buckle:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together in bowl with wire whisk. Drizzle over cake using a spoon.

Grilled Pizza

2010-06-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

I love pizza! And I really love grilled pizza! It is easy and so delicious! I must confess. There was a piece leftover in the frig, so I ate it for breakfast this morning.........Cold. And I enjoyed every bite!

My mom found this recipe in a motor home magazine and cut it out for me. What I like about it, is the dough goes right onto the grill, no using a pizza stone, so less mess to clean up after! Plus, they cook quickly!

I like BBQ chicken pizza, but you can make them however you like!

Mix the warm water and honey. Then add the yeast. It should foam up like this.

After the dough has risen, put onto a floured board and cut into 4 pieces. I like to use a pizza wheel.

Roll out each piece into an 8 inch circle.

Put the dough directly onto the grill. The grill should be medium-high. I should have taken a picture of my first one. I had the grill on too hot and the bottom scorched! I advise to start with medium heat and you can always turn the heat up if it isn't cooking.

After 3-4 minutes of grilling, dough should have grill marks. Place grill mark side up and layer on your toppings.

This pizza has BBQ sauce, mozzarella cheese, cooked seasoned chicken tossed in BBQ sauce, and onion. I like to use red onion, but I didn't have any on hand and I wasn't about to run to the store! Cook on the grill for several minutes until cheese is melted.

Top pizza with chopped cilantro and enjoy!!

GRILLED PIZZA

PIZZA DOUGH

1 T. honey

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. active dry yeast

3 cups flour (I use whole grain flour)

1 tsp. salt

2 T. oil

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA TOPPINGS

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 T. olive oil

Emeril's Essence Seasoning

1 cup plus 2 T. BBQ Sauce

2-3 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 of a red onion, sliced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

For the dough:

Feel free to use ready made dough from your local grocer. I just prefer to make my own. It is very easy, even for a beginning yeast baker! Give it a try!

In a small bowl, dissolve the honey in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir until it dissolves. Let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, until a layer of foam forms on the surface. In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Stir the flour into the wet ingredients, until all the flour is incorporated. If its too dry, add more water. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 15 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and put in in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a moist towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours).

I use my kitchen aid mixer for the dough. And for the kneading part, just put the mixer on speed 2 and let it do all the work! Just set the timer! This dough can also be made the day before you need it. Just let it rise, then punch down and put in the refrigerator. Take it out an hour or two before you make the pizza. The dough will actually have more flavor if prepared the day before.

For the pizza:

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add chicken pieces. At this point I sprinkled with Emeril's Essence seasoning. Or use whatever you like. Saute chicken until cooked through. Toss with 2 T. BBQ sauce.

Punch the dough down, and divide into 4 equal portions. Roll out each portion into an 8 inch flat circle. Gently place rolled dough on the grill and close the lid. It will puff up and get grill marks on the bottom. Remove it after 3-4 minutes. If the bottom is burnt, adjust grill temperature and time. Set the pizza on a board, grilled side up.

Spread 1/4 cup barbecue sauce over the surface of the dough. Layer on 1/4 of the cheese, chicken, and onion. Put back on the grill and close the lid. Remove when the crust is crispy and cheese is melted. Sprinkle each with cilantro.

NOTE ON BBQ SAUCE:

If I don't feel like making my own sauce recipe, I use Sticky Fingers brand Carolina Sweet sauce.

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's or Bull's Eye)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine all ingredients with a whisk until smooth.

For all other pizza flavors, make sure all ingredients you put on the pizza are cooked. They are not on the grill long enough to cook the meat. Do not overload pizzas--they will be soggy.

Creamy Vegetable Bow Tie Toss

2010-05-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Wow! A month has gone by since my last post! Too much has been happening, I guess! First my computer was full of viruses and was in-operable. Then we were out of town for a while. And so on and so forth!

This hot pasta dish is a WONDERFUL side dish! Full of flavor! And it can use up that garden produce you will be yielding soon, if you have a garden that is! If you don't have a garden, get a few pots and plant some parsley, thyme, and basil! They are easy to grow and nice to have on your back porch!

Creamy, fresh, and fabulous!

Cook the veggies until crisp-tender!

The tasty sauce with fresh basil and parsley.

The recipe calls for bow tie pasta, but all I had on hand was rotini. Anything works!

Creamy Vegetable Bow Tie Toss

Ingredients

12 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
2 cups cut fresh asparagus (about 1/2 pound)
2 medium sweet onions, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned
1/3 cup butter, cubed
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup prepared ranch dip
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute vegetables in butter for 5 minutes. Stir in broth;cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dip, Parmesan cheese,parsley, basil and salt; stir into skillet and heat through. Drainpasta; add to the skillet and toss to coat. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 253 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 30 mg cholesterol, 324 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 8 g protein.

Simple Cheese Lasagna

2010-04-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

My niece Lacey borrowed me a cookbook called America's Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook. It is an awesome cookbook if you are looking for some great recipes!

This lasagna recipe comes from that cookbook. I love how fresh it tastes!! The main recipe is meatless, but there is a variation where you add ground beef to the sauce. The first time I made it I did it meatless, and it was excellent! When I made it this time, I decided to add steamed spinach for extra nutrients, and cooked ground turkey breast for extra protein. The result: AWESOME! We loved it and so did our baby!

I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 pan, but I will write the recipe for a 9x13 pan. Another idea if you have a small family, is to make the whole recipe and put it in two smaller pans. Bake one for dinner, and freeze one for later!

Who says lasagna has to full of fat and unhealthy? I use part-skim ricotta, part-skim mozzarella, and with the spinach and ground turkey breast, it cuts off fat, cholesterol, and adds great vitamins and nutrients!

These are my favorite brand of canned tomatoes! They are very fresh tasting!

If you have never used ground turkey breast, this is what it looks like cooked. I added onions and dried spices to it also! Make sure and get the turkey breast, and not just ground turkey. The regular ground turkey has a lot of fat, where as the breast is 99% fat free.

I am always looking for healthier ingredients and ways to cook!

The chunky tomato sauce with the cooked turkey breast added in.

The tomatoes were pretty large, so I decided to use a hand blender to make a less chunky sauce so it would be easier for my baby to eat.

Spread a little sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then put a layer of noodles. The original recipe called for no-cook lasagna noodles, but I just buy the regular kind and cook them.

Next layer one third of the ricotta sauce. The fresh basil in it smells so good!

Then a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

Add spinach if you like! Thinly sliced steamed zucchini would be excellent also!

Layer with tomato sauce, then do the process over again twice. Noodle, ricotta, spinach, tomato sauce, noodle, ricotta, spinach, tomato sauce. Then put on more noodles, and the last of the tomato sauce.

Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with sprayed foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 25 more minutes.

Look at that delicious lasagna! Lightly browned on top and bubbling on the edges! Cool for 10 minutes before cutting! You don't want to cut into it steaming hot....it will make a big mess!

CHUNKY TOMATO SAUCE FOR LASAGNA

Makes: 6 cups

This sauce is also delicious served over regular pasta!

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, minced

salt

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 tsp. salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SIMPLE CHEESE LASAGNA

If you don't want to make your own tomato sauce, you can use two 26 oz. jars of sauce.

15 oz. ricotta cheese (1 3/4 cups)

2 1/2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup minced fresh basil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

6 cups tomato sauce

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

1 pound mozzarella, shredded (4 cups)

1 cup steamed fresh spinach, or frozen spinach thawed (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the basil, egg, salt, and pepper until well combined.

Spread 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place 3 of the noodles on top of the sauce and drop 3 T. of the ricotta mixture down the center of each noodle, then spread it to an even thickness. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Top with 1/3 cup of the spinach. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the sauce evenly over the spinach. Repeat this layering two more times.

For the final layer, place the 3 remaining noodles on top. Spread the remaining 1 1/4 cups sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Spray a large sheet of foil lightly with vegetable oil spray and cover the lasagna. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake for 25 more minutes or until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

SIMPLE TURKEY or BEEF LASAGNA

In a pan over medium heat, brown 1 lb. of ground turkey breast (or ground beef) with 1 cup of chopped onion. Add a generous sprinkle of each of the following: Pepper, Lawry's All Season, Italian seasoning, dried basil, oregano, parsley, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add this to the chunky tomato sauce after you add the garlic and continue with the recipe. If you are using jarred tomato sauce, simmer meat with sauce for 15 minutes on low heat.

Baby Muesli

2010-04-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

My son who is almost a year old just loves this Muesli! The first time I made it for him he tasted it and said, "Mmm!" I love it too! It is very fresh tasting and makes a great healthy breakfast! Eat it cold or warmed!

Just the right size for baby!

I got the recipe from this book. It is a wonderful book! Full of great tips and information!

My precious son enjoying Baby muesli for breakfast.

BABY MUESLI

2 T. rolled oats

1 T. finely chopped dried apricots

1 1/2 tsp. raisins

1 T. ground almonds

1/4 cup apple, orange, or pineapple juice

1/2 small apple, peeled, cored, and grated

Mix together the oats, apricots, raisins, and ground almonds in the plastic bowl of a handheld electric blender. Pour in the juice and leave to soak for 5 minutes. When softened, blend to make a finer texture, then stir in the grated apple.

Yield: 1 baby sized portion

The book says for babies 8 months or older.

It also says you can add other fruits to this muesli such as chopped peach or banana.

Omit almonds if there is any family history of allergy in the family.

I ground up the almonds and dried apricots in my mini food processor. I also used it to blend the finished product to a finer texture.

Pick Me Up Coffee Shake

2010-04-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Often in the mid afternoon I get a slump. What is better to perk you up than a little shot of caffeine!

If you think you might ever want to make this shake in the next few weeks, get out your coffee pot right now and make double strong coffee. Then pour it in ice cube trays and freeze until firm. Put in a ziplock freezer bag and store in your freezer so they are ready when you get the need for a pick me up!

I am drinking this as I type and it is just what I needed this afternoon to get the energy to finish cleaning!

PICK ME UP COFFEE SHAKE

6 double strong coffee ice cubes

2-3 T. chocolate syrup

1/2 cup milk or half & half

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

spray whipped cream

cinnamon

No need to measure on this recipe! Get out your blender and throw in the coffee cubes. Then squirt in some chocolate syrup, dump in some milk, throw in a scoop of ice cream if you have some. If you don't have ice cream, or want a less caloric shake, no need to add it! Flip on the blender and let it go! If it gets stuck, add more liquid. Taste it and see if it needs more of anything. If it meets your taste buds, pour in a glass, spray on some whipped cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon! Add a straw and enjoy the moment!

Yield: 1 shake

Stir-Fried Chicken and Rice Noodles

2010-04-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

I love Asian food! I have tried many different Asian recipes, and many of them call for several different sauces in one recipe. This can get costly if you need to buy them all! What I love about this recipe, is it doesn't call for anything too unusual (the only thing you might not have is the sesame oil) and it is so simple and delicious!! It has really great flavors! If you don't want to try the rice noodles, it would be excellent served over jasmine rice! Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

The chicken marinates for about 20 minutes. Then you saute it and set aside.

Saute the veggies. I love the bright greens!

These are the rice noodles. Boil water, then remove from heat and stir in noodles. Let sit for 10 minutes or until tender.

Mmm! Love these flavors!

Mix in the noodles and top with roasted peanuts!

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN AND RICE NOODLES

2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup white wine or low sodium chicken broth

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 T. sugar

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp. chili powder

3 oz. uncooked Asian rice noodles

4 tsp. canola oil, divided

3 cups fresh broccoli florets

2/3 cup green onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh gingerroot

1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, wine or broth, and sesame oil until smooth. Pour 1/4 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Add the broth, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder to remaining marinade; set aside.

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain and discard the marinade from chicken. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in 2 tsp. canola oil until juices run clear; remove and keep warm.

Stir-fry broccoli in remaining canola oil for 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger; stir fry 3-5 minutes longer or until broccoli is tender. Return chicken to the pan.

Stir reserved broth mixture and stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Garnish with peanuts.

Yield: 6 servings

Note: Gingerroot usually comes in fairly large pieces, and recipes usually only call for a small amount. I buy a piece of gingerroot, peel it, and put in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Then when a recipe calls for it, I remove from freezer and grate frozen. Then you always have fresh ginger on hand and don't have ginger rotting in your pantry!

Awesome BBQ Ribs

2010-04-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

My good friend Beth gave me these tips on making ribs....And they turned out incredibly! Ohh they were soo good! The meat was very tender and fell off the bone in a perfect way! I used to roast mine slowly in the oven, but that will be a thing of the past! I love how these have great grilled flavor! They were better than any restaurant ribs I have had! Thanks Beth (and Pete for the grilling tips)!! This is an overnite recipe so make note!

These ribs are par-boiled, then marinated overnight in BBQ sauce, and then grilled! Oh so FABULOUS!

I marinated mine overnight in Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, and basted with Sticky Fingers barbeque sauce.

You grill them for about 20 minutes, flipping and basting every few minutes.

AWESOME BBQ RIBS

baby back ribs

bbq sauce

Cut ribs to fit into a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Keep at a rolling boil uncovered, for 2 hours, adding water if needed to keep them covered. Remove from water, and cool slightly. Place in container or ziplock bag and coat with bbq sauce. Marinade overnight in the sauce. Heat grill to medium to high heat (about 400-500 degrees). Place ribs on grill like pictured above. Cook for 5 minutes covered. Flip and baste ribs in bbq sauce. Continue flipping and basting ribs every couple minutes, for about 20 minutes or until meat becomes very tender and starts to fall off the bones. Serve immediately and dig in!! Make sure you have lots of napkins!

Roasted Asparagus

2010-04-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

Springtime = Asparagus! I have never liked asparagus until I tried it this way. It is so tasty I could eat a whole pound of it! (Haven't tried it, but I bet I could!) I have made it so many times in the past few weeks my husband said, "Enough with the asparagus!" It apparently isn't his favorite vegetable! He does eat it though!

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

desired amount of asparagus

olive oil

salt

pepper

Parmesan cheese

Wash asparagus and hold the the ends. Bend until each stalk snaps. It will snap in the perfect place so you won't have "woodiness" (aka: tough stalks). Lay stalks on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until bright green and tender. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2010-04-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I hardly ever cook pork. In fact this was only my third time cooking it! This morning I was trying to find a recipe that would be quick and easy, and I found this! Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwiches from the February/March 2010 Taste Of Home Magazine. What made things even more fabulous, was that it cooks in the crock pot AND pork tenderloin was on sale this week at the grocery store!

So I tried it and was pleasantly surprised! It was quite tasty! The only thing was that it tasted pretty salty. We try to eat low sodium (more heart healthy!) so next time I would probably cut the sauce in half and add a little water to the sauce. But, if you are used to a regular sodium diet, you probably wouldn't notice it being salty at all! :) So make adjustments as you see fit!

Mmm!

Raw pork tenderloin. I bought mine on sale for $3.99 a lb.

Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over pork. It's quite a bit of sauce, so that is why I figured I could easily cut it in half!

Remove pork after 4-5 hours of cooking on low in the crock pot.

Then shred with two forks. The meat was so tender it shredded very easily! Then put the meat back in the sauce remaining in the crock pot.

These are the rolls I bought. I found them in the Walmart Bakery and they were excellent! I even warmed them like the package says :)

I served my sandwiches with Roasted Asparagus. A very yummy and simple meal!

TANGY PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)

1 cup ketchup

2 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

2 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. spicy brown mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 kaiser rolls, split

Cut the tenderloin in half; place in slow cooker. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper. Pour over pork.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours in slow cooker or until meat is tender. Remove meat; shred with two forks. Return to slow cooker and heat through. Serve on rolls.

Talkin' Trail Mix

2010-04-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

One day I was watching Sandra Lee on the Food Network, and she was making this trail mix. She called it Talkin' Trail Mix, because she said it's so good everyone will be talking about it! Well I agree with her! It is such a perfect blend of ingredients! I tweaked the recipe a bit and I like it even better! It's very addicting! Every time I make it someone asks me for the recipe.

Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate. YUMMY!!

First you toast the nuts and coconut in the oven. Toasting nuts bring out their flavor.

Then while the mixture is still warm, you add the chocolate and cranberries. The original recipe called to stir these in when mixture is completely cool, which I did many times. Then one time I accidentally left my trail mix in the sun. It melted the chips and when it cooled, the mix sort of clumped together and I thought it was good that way! So I do it both ways now.

Talkin' Trail Mix

1 bag (6oz) slivered almonds

3/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (they are green)

1 cup sweetened coconut

3/4 cup walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (Ocean Spray)

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet, combine nuts, pumpkin seeds, and coconut. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Combine toasted mixture with cranberries and chocolate.

Cheesy Potatoes

2010-04-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

These are the perfect side dish for your Easter Dinner....or any meal! They are great because you can make them the day before, and just pop them in the oven the next day about a half hour before your meal! I think they are some of the best potatoes I have had...but try them out and you decide! They also make excellent leftovers!

I don't even have words to describe these potatoes! Five stars for sure!

After the potatoes are cooked and cooled, you shred them and spread in a baking dish. I use my food processor to shred them. An electric salad shooter would work too! Or just a regular grater! They don't have to be perfect shreds....if they crumble some, that's okay!

Then you mix in some shredded cheddar cheese.

The good stuff! Butter, sour cream, onion, salt, pepper, and parsley.

You add the sauce to the pan, and using a fork mix it all in until all the potatoes are coated.

At this point you can top with extra cheese if you have any, then bake. Or if they are for the next day, cover and put in the refrigerator.

CHEESY POTATOES

6 large potatoes

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. parsley flakes

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Peel potatoes and boil whole until tender. Cool. To melted butter, add sour cream, onion, salt, pepper, and parsley. Heat until warm and stir to combine. Grate potatoes and spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Add cheese, fluffing with fork to spread out evenly as you mix. Pour sour cream mixture over and fluff into potatoes until evenly distributed. More grated cheese can be added to the top if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. These can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bake before serving.

If you wish to make these potatoes healthier: Reduce the amount of butter by several tablespoons, use light sour cream, less salt, and use less cheese. I have made them this way with great results!

Fabulous Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce

2010-03-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I get a craving for fish and chips. This time, I decided to make my own! They were everything I hoped for and more! Scrum-didely-umptious!! And an added bonus--they are baked, not fried!

The recipe called for salmon, which I think would be very tasty, but I was trying to get my husband to like fish, and the man at the seafood counter said flounder was the least fishy tasting fish. So I tried the flounder. I think cod or halibut would be great also!

I wished I had some of that news print paper to make them look professional!

Dredge the fish in flour, salt, and pepper.

Then immerse in frothy egg whites.

Then you coat the pieces in seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Lay those beauties on a pan and admire them for a second!

Lastly, you drizzle them with olive oil, and bake 'em in the oven!

Great crunch, great flavor! The flounder I purchased was really thin, but they still came out great! Personally I think it would be better with a thicker cut of fish. But I had bought mine frozen from Publix and I didn't know they were going to be so thin!

The "chips"......these are really easy! And yummy!

This tartar sauce is incredible! Beats any of the jarred varieties! It's so fresh and pairs perfectly with the fish!

PARMESAN FISH STICKS

1 (18-ounce) center-cut salmon fillet, about 9 by 4 inches, skinned

(or cod, flounder, halibut)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 egg whites

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse the fish fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the fish in half to make 2 fillets each about 4 by 4 1/2-inches in size. Starting on the longest edge, slice the fillets into 1/2-inch pieces. Lay the widest pieces, from the center, cut side down, and slice in half lengthways so all the pieces are equally about 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 1/2-inches in size.

Place the flour in a medium bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Place the egg whites in another bowl and beat until frothy, about 30 seconds. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Coat the salmon pieces in the seasoned flour and pat to remove any excess flour. Dip the floured salmon in the egg whites and then into the Parmesan mixture, gently pressing the mixture into the fish. Place the breaded salmon pieces on a liberally oiled baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

"CHIPS"

2 potatoes

2 T. olive oil

salt

pepper

1/2 t. garlic, minced

rosemary, fresh or dried

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub and slice potatoes in half, then each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Toss in a bowl with oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. Place cut side down on greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Turn over to other cut side and bake for 20 minutes longer, or until tender and lightly golden.

TARTAR SAUCE

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 T. small diced pickles or dill relish

1 T. white wine vinegar

1 tsp. dijon mustard

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

splash of lemon juice

dash of hot sauce

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until the pickles are finely chopped and all ingredients are well mixed, but not pureed.

(I probably pureed mine! It was still fabulous though!)

Crockpot Italian Chicken

2010-03-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

If you were looking for something quick and easy, you just may have found what you were looking for! And not only is it easy to prepare, its delicious too!

A friend of mine recently mentioned to me, if I need a quick and easy meal, throw some chicken into the crockpot with some spagetti sauce and serve it over noodles. Well, I decided to give it a try! Here is my version:

Whole wheat linguine tossed in marinara sauce, topped with very tender chicken and topped with mozzarella and parmesan.

CROCKPOT ITALIAN CHICKEN

chicken

(I used tenderloins I bought on sale and froze)

Spagetti Sauce from a jar

(I used part Barilla and part Ragu)

Noodles

(I used whole wheat linguine)

crushed red pepper

italian seasoning

basil

oregano

pepper

Lawry's All Season

onion powder

garlic powder

mozzarella cheese, grated

parmesan cheese, grated

In a crockpot, pour some of the spagetti sauce in the bottom of dish. Place chicken on top. Cover with sauce. Bake on low until cooked through. (I threw mine in frozen and after 5 hours they were done. They might have been done earlier, but I didn't check!)

Cook noodles according to package directions. In a saucepan, heat up some more spagetti sauce and season with the above dried seasonings. Heat until bubbly. Place a little sauce in a baking dish; remove chicken from crockpot and place over sauce in baking dish. Cover with more sauce and grated cheeses. Broil in the oven until cheese is melted.

Toss cooked and drained pasta with some the seasoned sauce. Serve chicken over pasta. Grate more parmesan over chicken and sprinkle with parsely if desired.

Sound easy enough? Crockpots are so wonderful! If you haven't used yours in a while, dust off the cobwebs and get slow cookin! They really do make life a little easier!

Roy's Famous Chocolate Souffle

2010-03-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have one word to sum up this dessert: DIVINE! You might be thinking a souffle sounds difficult to make. Think again! This might be the easiest thing you have ever made! If you can crack an egg, well, you're in business!

Unfortunatly this is the only picture I have of the making of this dessert. :( I somehow got side tracked and managed to snap this one photo before my fork took a dive into the warm, chocolately goodness of this souffle. I think it knocked me into a chocolate coma.

The batter needs to refrigerate overnight, so plan ahead!

ROY'S FAMOUS CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 oz. semi sweet chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

1 3/4 T. cornstarch

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

Melt butter and chocolate together in a double boiler. (I just used the microwave)

Combine sugar and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with yolks. Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture; combine thoroughly. Add eggs and whisk just until smooth. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. You will need 4 small ramekins; cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom, then spray the sides generously. Scoop batter into molds so they are 2/3 full.

Bake on top rack of oven 20 minutes, or until sides are set but center is still undercooked. Remove from oven. Holding each mold with tongs or potholders, slip a metal spatula underneath and transfer to plate. Slip a butter knife between the parchment and the mold to loosen cake; slip off mold and peel off parchment.

Serve immediately. Makes 4 3-inch cakes

I used 4 oz. ramekins, and got 4 out of one recipe. I cooked mine for about 18 minutes. When I removed them from the oven, the souffle was puffed up and the top was crackled and looked cooked, but when lightly shaken, I could tell the center sort of jiggled. I decided to leave them in the ramekins and serve with vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream is a must! They are very rich, and the ice cream sort of balances that richness! I garnished with a fresh raspberry and a mint leaf.

Also, when you remove them from the oven, they will begin to deflate. Don't panic! This is normal :)

And, if you are wondering about Roy's, it is the name of a delicious restaurant!

Perfect Winter Salad

2010-03-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Salad doesn't have to be boring! Bring lettuce to life with a succulent dressing, dried cherries, red onion, parmesan cheese, and pecans! And if you want to make a meal out if it, add some seasoned grilled chicken! This salad is so good it could almost be dessert!

My taste buds tell me this recipe is a winner!

I really enjoy romaine! It is so crispy and green!

I just love looking at a pile of greens!

In case you haven't used shallots, this is how I buy them. They are usually located near the onions.

PERFECT WINTER SALAD

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonaise

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 T. white wine vinegar

2 T. shallot, minced

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 pkg. (5oz.) spring mix (I just used 1 head of romaine)

2 medium tart apples, thinly sliced

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; whisk in oil. Chill until serving

In a salad bowl, combine the salad greens, apples, cherries, pecans, onion, and cheese. Just before serving drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Mom's Oh So Fabulous Chicken

2010-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

My mom created this for dinner one night 15 years ago. I fell in love with it! Then I sort of forgot about it! I recently remembered and tried to replicate it! It came out just as delicious as I recalled!

It's tender, flavorful, and just FABULOUS!

The sauce contains three ingredients: Miracle Whip, honey, and mustard.

Always use chicken tenderloins. They never come out tough or dry like chicken breast can.

After seasoning the chicken on one side with Lawry's All Season and pepper, place seasoned side down in a hot pan with a little bit of oil. (I like Spectrum Organic Canola Oil.) Season the top side and spread some of the sauce. Then cover and cook for several minutes or until the underside of chicken is golden. What makes this chicken so moist is trapping in the heat!

Crunch up cornflakes and mix with a tish of melted butter.

After a a few minutes of cooking, flip chicken over. It should have some nice golden color. Yes, my pan is a little crowded, but it worked!

Spread some more sauce on top.

Sprinkle on the cornflake mixture. Cover again and cook until chicken is no longer pink when you make a slice in the thickest part.

Try it and let me know what you think!

OH SO FABULOUS CHICKEN

Sauce:

1 cup Miracle Whip

2 tsp. yellow mustard

2 T. honey

1 lb. chicken tenderloins

Lawry's All Season

pepper

1 T. oil

Topping:

3/4 cup cornflakes, crushed

1/2 T. butter, melted

Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl until combined. In another bowl mix cornflakes and butter. Season one side of chicken with Lawry's and pepper. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Place chicken in pan seasoned side down. Season top side of chicken and spread with some half of the sauce. Cook for several minutes covered until bottom side is golden. Flip chicken over and spread on the rest of the sauce; sprinkle with cornflake mixture. Cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through.

Watch the chicken carefully and try not to overcook. Tenderloins usually cook pretty quickly!

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-03-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's getting to be that time of year! Strawberry season! Well, it's not quite here yet in SC, but Florida strawberries are widely available!

This shortcake recipe has really good old fashioned flavor! Topped with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream, not only does it look beautiful, but it satisfies that nagging sweet tooth also! And with lots of vitamin c rich strawberries, you can practically call it health food! :)

This is what it should look like after butter is mixed in.

Add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until ingredients are combined.

Spread in a greased pan. I like to use metal over glass for cakes. They just cook better!

Fresh out of the oven. This is when you can smell the goodness!

Gorgeous berries! Not quite as good as when they are locally picked, but a decent substitute!

Dice or mash the berries and sweeten to taste with sugar.

Build it up anyway you like!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

2 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

splash of vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

strawberries, sliced and sweetened

heavy cream, whipped and sweetened

Mix first four ingredients. Mix in butter with electric hand mixer until blended and mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add eggs; top with milk and vanilla. Mix until moistened and ingredients are combined. Put in greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted near middle comes out clean. Serve warm with berries and whipped cream.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2010-03-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

Creamy, cheesy, delicious pasta! Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food! I have made several different recipes which call for regular cheeses and they always come out dry and not creamy enough. When I found this one, I was leary of the Velveeta in it. (I don't care for processed cheese!) But I figured that the Velveeta would probably make it nice and creamy. So I decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did! I guess everything is okay in moderation!

Macaroni and Cheese

4 cups elbow noodles

4 T. butter

1 small onion, diced

2 T. flour

4 cups milk

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

Ritz crackers, crushed

Cook noodles as directed on package. Drain and put in a 9x13 inch pan. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for several minutes. Add the flour and mix until smooth. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir until boiling (this could take 15-20 minutes--be careful not to burn). Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cut cheese into chunks and stir in until smooth. Add elbow noodles and mix together. Pour into pan and top with crushed crackers. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

I halved this recipe and it easily fed four adults with some leftover. I rate this recipe 4.5 stars.

Sour Cream Twists

2010-03-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Soft, cinnamony, delicious creations that melt in your mouth! These are soo fabulous served warm with a cup of coffee! They are very light in comparison with a cinnamon roll dough.

I thought a pink glaze would look pretty so I added a tiny bit of Wilton's Gel Coloring in Rose Petal to create the pink.

The recipe says to drizzle on glaze when twists are warm. I did just that and the glaze sorts of melts on as you see above.

I wanted a more pronounced pink glaze look, so I drizzled the rest of the twists when they were cooled.

This is a double batch.

Place a few on a plate, pour a cup of coffee and sit down for a break!

SOUR CREAM TWISTS

2 cups sour cream

2 pkgs. dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)

1/2 cup warm water

6 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

6 cups flour

Heat sour cream to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. Stir in sour cream, butter, salt, soda, beaten eggs, and 2 cups flour. Beat well. Add the rest of the flour; dough should be sticky. Turn dough onto floured board, knead 5-10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, grease top of dough. Cover and let rise until doubled; at least one hour. Divide dough in half. Roll each piece of dough into an oblong shape approximately 8" wide. Spread with 1/4 cup butter, 2/3 cup white sugar, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Fold each section of dough in half and cut into 1" strips. Twist each strip as you place it on a large greased cookie sheet. This recipe will make two pans. Cover twists and let rise until light; about one hour. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees and frost while warm.

GLAZE TOPPING

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, softened

3-4 T. hot water

Beat well and frost twists. Top immediately with nuts or sprinkles.

In case you haven't noticed, I LOVE working with yeast! (Thanks Mom for taking the time to teach me!) But I know not everyone does. Post me a comment if you would like me to do a detailed tutorial on making successful yeast doughs!

Banana Muffins

2010-03-08T18:23:00.000-08:00

Imagine this: The smell of fresh baked banana muffins wafting through your house. Mmm don't they smell so divine? I almost can't wait till they get done baking so I can have a bite!

I always store rotten bananas in the freezer. I just throw them in peels and all. To defrost, set on counter for a little while, or microwave for about a minute. Peel and mash. Its a beautiful thing!

These little measuring cups are so cool! I love mine.

Mix all the wet ingredients and sugar with a hand mixer.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Overmixed muffins are not cool.

Fill paper lined or greased muffin tins 3/4 full.

Warm, puffy, and ready for divulging! I like to cook banana muffins until they are pretty brown on top. I like the added crunch! These ones probably could have stayed in the oven a little longer!

BANANA MUFFINS

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

3 T. milk

1 T. lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix first six ingredients until fairly smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. This can also be made into banana bread. Put in greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour or until tooth pick inserted in middle comes out clean.

BBQ Chicken Calzones

2010-03-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy making calzones. Probably because I really enjoy eating them! I love bread, bbq, cheese, and marinara sauce, so putting all those together in one lovely little package is just splendid!

Usually I make 7" calzones, but I made these miniature BBQ Chicken Calzones for a party. Fun finger food! And you just have to dip them in marinara sauce!

This is to show you about how big to roll the dough if you make the mini calzones.

A little dab of sauce, a tiny pile of freshly grated mozzarella, and a small mound of bbq chicken mixture. Mmm! I could go for one right now!

To seal them up, I at first tried my usual method, a rolled edge. It was hard to do because they were so small, so I found just pressing dough with the tines of a fork worked perfect!

BBQ CHICKEN CALZONES

DOUGH:

1 pkg. active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 T. sugar

2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

3 1/4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, oil, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. (I do this in my Kitchen Aid Mixer.) Mix in remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (I let my Kitchen Aid do the kneading for me....same amount of time on speed 2). Place in a greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost double, about 30 minutes.

BBQ CHICKEN MIXTURE:

Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup bbq sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's or Bull's Eye)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine all ingredients with a whisk until smooth.

In a saucepan, combine sauce and:

About 1 lb. chicken cooked and sliced or shredded

(I like to grill or broil and I usually season it first with Emeril's Essence Seasoning)

chopped onions--however much your heart desires!

Simmer mixture on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes to blend flavors.

MARINARA SAUCE:

--in a pinch I use a jar of spagetti sauce

If I have the time, I make this:

Basic Red Sauce:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 chopped yellow onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

16 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, broken into pieces, and their juices

16 ounces tomato sauce

4 teaspoons tomato paste

2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to use.

Yield: 3 cups

If you don't like the chunks, put in in your blender!

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten

CALZONE INSTRUCTIONS:

When the dough has finished rising, punch it down. Divide into 6 equal parts. (If doing mini ones just tear off small balls of dough.) Roll each part into a 7" circle on a lightly floured surface. Spread one half with a little marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, bbq chicken mixture, and sometimes I top off with some more mozzarella. Fold dough over filling and seal with fork or rolling/pinching method. Place calzones on greased baking sheet. Let rest for 15 minutes. Brush calzones with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. (Mini calzones bake for around 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.)

Serve calzones with extra marinara sauce for dipping!

Don't limit yourself to BBQ Chicken! Try any other combination that sounds good! :) Another personal favorite of mine is what I call The Hula! Seasoned ground beef, small deli ham pieces, pineapple, fresh tomato and mozzarella. It's really tasty!