Make Your Own Cheeseball

The new "it" thing this Season is to make your own cheese balls to serve at Holiday parties. And it's so much easier than you think--cheaper is nice too.

*Sorry, no picture, it got devoured too fast.

Easy Cheese Ball

2-8 oz. packages of cream cheese
3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar
1-1 oz. packet of dry ranch seasoning (dressing mix, or dip)
Sliced almonds to roll in

Mix the cream cheeses, cheddar, and ranch seasoning together and shape it into 2 separate balls, or logs--you choose your preference. Roll in sliced almonds. Enjoy!

This tastes best if allowed to refrigerate overnight to "marry" the flavors. Serve on crackers of your choice. SO GOOD! (And you made it!)

Pampered Chef Aloha Pizza

I was invited to a Pampered Chef party last Friday and I wondered to myself why I never attended one before. Not only were their recipes delish but their gadgets are COOL too! Here is what the consultant made (aloha pizza).

The Pampered Chef ®Aloha Pizza Recipe
2 green onions with tops
2 packages (13.8 ounces each) refrigerated pizza crust
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 medium pineapple
1/2 medium red bell pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Thinly slice white part of green onions using Utility Knife and set aside. Cut green part of onions into thin, vertical strips. Place strips in Prep Bowl filled with ice-cold water; set aside for garnish.2. Unroll both packages of dough side by side over bottom of Large Bar Pan, trimming excess dough even with long sides of pan. Combine oil and garlic pressed with Garlic Press in another Prep Bowl. Brush oil mixture evenly over crust with Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush. Spread half of the barbecue sauce over crust with back of Easy Adjustable Measuring Spoon. Sprinkle chicken and cheese over crust. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown; remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.3. Meanwhile, peel pineapple and cut in half; reserve half for another use. Finely dice remaining pineapple half and bell pepper. Combine sliced green onion, pineapple and bell pepper in Classic Batter Bowl with Small Mix ‘N Scraper®; spoon over pizza, draining excess liquid against side of bowl. 4. Place remaining barbecue sauce into resealable plastic bag; trim corner and drizzle over pizza. Pat green onion strips dry using paper towels; sprinkle over pizza. Cut pizza into squares with Pizza Cutter.
Yield: 8 servings

Apple "puff" pancake

Okay, so I don't know why it is called a pancake, the texture is nothing like a pancake. It is a yummy breakfast concoction, you can put syrup on it...I think it is great without!

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick of butter(NOT Margarine)

2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced(I use a apple peeler/corer/slicer, it needs to be super thin, also you don't want to use a tart apple)

2-3 Tbsp brown sugar(I don't measure...I just sprinkle it all over, it is probably more)

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, mix eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until well blended.

2. Melt butter in a 9x13 pan in the oven.(I cut it up into chunks before putting into the pan)

3. Add apples to pan. Return to oven until butter sizzles. Do not let it brown.

4. Remove dish from oven and immediately pour batter over apples.

5. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

6. Bake in middle of oven for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.(It will be very puffy, but will go down as it cools.)

7. Serve immediately.

*makes 6-8 servings

FAMILY BURRITO

There is no need to fill and fold individual burritos. With this whimsical method, you can make one giant burrito the whole family can share! I will write out the original recipe and give you my tricks.

Makes 8 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 330, total fat 11g, Sat fat 6g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Carbs 25g, protein 24g, sodium 840 mg, fiber 1g

Ingredients:
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced(you need 16 slices. I only had 1 tomato, that is why I only had 9 slices in the picture.)
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 lime (juiced)
3/4 cup chunky salsa
1 Tbsp southwestern seasoning
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese(I like to use a blend)
4 burrito size tortillas(11-11 1/2 inches)
1 (9oz) can of bean dip

Assorted toppings such as shredded lettuce, sliced olives, cilantro, and avocado lime sauce(recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a microwave safe bowl combine chicken, onion, lime juice, salsa, southwest seasoning, and garlic. (my trick...I buy the pre-cooked southwestern chicken in the meat section in your grocery store. It is Foster farms. You don't have to add the seasoning if you use that because it is already on the chicken, but you need to chop it up because it comes in strips.)
2. Microwave chicken mixture 3-4 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese(save the other cup for the topping of the burrito.)
3. Arrange tortillas in an overlapping circular pattern on a baking sheet, covering most of the pan. (tortillas will extend off the baking sheet 5 inches or so) It will be like an envelope when you close it. Starting at the center, spread the bean dip over the tortillas forming a 10 x 10 inch square. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over the bean dip. Fold edges of tortillas up over the chicken mixture in an envelope pattern. (see picture 1-2)
4. Arrange 16 tomato slices in rows over the top of the burrito. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese over burrito, covering completely. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are brown. Cut into rectangles and serve with assorted toppings.(My tip: I use a pizza cutter to cut up burrito. I make squares using tomato slices as a guide.)

Avocado lime sauce:
Mash 1 ripe avocado, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1 Tbsp of lime juice, and 1/4 tsp of salt. This taste SO good on the burrito.

Orange Pound Cake

You may be guessing my first love is baking. Right on!

Even Calvin likes this one!! I served it for Steph's birthday gathering at our house this year. It's kind of funny, but the recipe came on the packaging for the Bundt pan. It sounded yummy, so I saved it and gave it a try. Yum-O!

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

Preheat oven to 325. Spray Bundt pan with oil. Cream the butter and sugar and beat in the eggs, mixing well after each addition. Stir in orange juice and zest. Add flour and baking soda, and then add the sour cream (or plain yogurt). Mix well and pour into pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before preparing the glaze (unless you want melted pools of glaze on the cake plate and not much on your cake).

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together until smooth and pour immediately over cooled bundt cake.

Apple Hill Cake

Of course this works best with Apple Hill apples, but we only make the trip in the Fall, so the rest of the year "regular" apples just have to do.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
4 cups diced apples
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda

Combine the sugar, oil and eggs. Add the diced apples. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Mix well. Add dry mixture to apple mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 or greased Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees at 1 hour. Serve warm or cold.

**This cake is great all by itself, but you could always add whipped cream, or ice cream. I added a dusting of powdered sugar just for pretty. (A cake like this would make extra special french toast after firsts and seconds have been devoured.)

Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs

This recipe is supposed to be the same beef short ribs from Roy's

4 servings

1/2 cup canola oil

4 (10-ounce) beef short ribs (boneless is fine)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup flour

3 carrots, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 cup red wine

3 bay leaves

2 quarts beef stock

10 black peppercorns

HONEY MUSTARD GLAZE

1 cup whole grain mustard

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup garlic, chopped

1 bunch basil, leaves chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a roasting pan over medium heat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour. Shake off any excess flour. Sear all sides of short ribs until golden brown. Add carrots, onions and celery to roasting pan and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine. Add the bay leaves, beef stock and peppercorns. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake until ribs are knife-tender, about 21/2 hours.

Remove short ribs from liquid and set aside to cool. Cut and trim short ribs to desired size.

Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. In a medium bowl, mix together all the glaze ingredients. Brush short ribs well with the glaze and grill briefly to set the glaze.

Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Pizza

You'll have to scroll down to mid-April for the recipe for my pizza dough to complete this yummy palate pleaser.
Before you begin the dough:
Roast 1 to 2 heads of garlic--depends on how much you love garlic--by carefully removing the paper-like skin around most of the cloves and cutting 1/4 inch off the tops of each clove. Place the garlic head on a 12-inch square of aluminum foil and drizzle with oil (about 1 tsp). Salt and pepper to taste. Close up the foil and roast in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. While that is roasting, prepare the dough. When the garlic is roasted, open the foil and place in the refridgerator to cool so you can handle it by hand when needed.

You'll need:

1 recipe pizza dough, risen and rolled out, ready to go.

2 tomatoes, diced (deseed first to prevent soggy pizza)

salt

several leaves of fresh basil, rolled and snipped

1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

1 cooked chicken breast, if desired (grilled is SO yummy)

After the dough has risen and been rolled out into pizza form, take the cooled roasted garlic head and squeeze the garlic directly onto the dough. (Invert the head and press and think toothpaste.) Spread the garlic with a knife to cover the dough well. Next, layer the diced tomato on top of the garlic and salt to taste. Sprinkle on the basil, mozarella, and chicken breast (if desired) and cook at 425 for approximately 15 minutes. It smells so good coming out of the oven! Please take my advice and wait for it to cool 5 minutes before you dig in. Nothing tastes as good if you burn your taste buds first.

(Pictured: Personal sized meatless version made with half wheat flour/half all-purpose, and 1/3 the amount of dough cooked for 12 minutes.)

Mexican Lasagna

If you haven't thought of what to make for Cinco De Mayo, here's a recipe that's a favorite of ours! And...the best part is that it's soo easy to make!

Mexican Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
2 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions (we use olives) and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Oven-Fried Pork Chops

This recipe I found many moons ago. The kids love it and so do we! You can also use chicken breast strips and it's just as delicious. I hope you all are enjoying the recipes that we are sharing.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

8 Pork Loins 3/4 inch thick
4 tbsp of melted butter
2 eggs beaten with 4 tbsp of milk and a dash of black pepper
1 box of your favorite stuffing FINELY CRUSHED (I use a food processor for this)

Pour melted butter into baking pan coating the whole pan.
In a shallow dish place egg mixture and in another dish place finely crushed stuffing.
Dip chops into egg mixture and coat both sides with stuffing. Place chops in prepared pan.

Bake uncovered, in 425 oven for 10 minutes.
Turn chops.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear.

Easy Ziti

This is an easy go-to dinner for any evening. :) It is also a Weight Watcher's meal - 7 pts per serving (6 servings per recipe) if you are counting. =P

1 (16 oz) jar reduced-fat spaghetti sauce
1/2 C part skim ricotta cheese
1 1lb box ziti
1/2 C shredded reduced-fat italian cheese blend

1. Preheat broiler. In a large bowl, mix the spagheeti sauce and ricotta thoroughly until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, cook the ziti according to the package directions. Drain and stir into the sauce, then spread into a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese blend. Broil until cheese is melted and golden - about 5 minutes.

YUMMY Hash Brown Quiche

Here's another of my favorite "go-to" dishes that I've played with and find I just can't mess it up. So perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner!

You can put it together really quickly with the frozen hash brown patties from the store, or, if you're looking to rid yourself of some potatoes quickly (like me, who can't stand to throw out food) you can boil some up and "crumble" them into the pan, pour the butter over and proceed as usual.

Hash Brown Quiche

8 to 9 frozen hash brown patties (or your own homemade version-see above)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 to 2 cups cubed precooked ham
1 cup shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk or cream (I used to use Half and Half, but find that 2% works just as well)
1/2 tsp salt

Place potatoes into a 13x9 pan and pour melted butter evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheeses and ham. In a large bowl beat eggs well and add your milk product and the salt. Mix again, and pour over potatoes cheese and ham dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes more. Let sit for 10 minutes and ENJOY!! Serves approximately 8.

I found this recipe in a cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen, but, as always, made my own changes to make it work for us. I LOVE that you can change so many things to lower the fat. Try it with your own potatoes (with skins), only 1/4 cup butter, 1% milk, and a bit less cheese and you're good to go with a MUCH lower fat version. Anyone who needs a recommendation (and knows her) ask Peppie. She was here last week and got to enjoy this yummy dish.

Game Ball goes to.....

Justin Eccles!!!!

JD batted 3 for 3 and had 2 RBI's. At the end of each game, Coach Steve presents the ball used in the game by our team. The ball is presented to the person who he thinks did exceptionally well in that game. Every kid gets a game ball by the end of the season.

Jessica's Pizza Dough

Ok, I'm not posting enough of my yummy recipes, but part of the reason is I don't have recipes for most of the things I make, I just "eyeball it." (Ask Chris...she's asked me for recipes before and it's never an exact science.)

This pizza dough has been in the making for 10 years as I've fiddled with it to make it perfect. I can't help with the sauce though, I've given up. It never tastes as good as the kind you buy, so I go with that (squeezable is easiest).

Make sure you have an hour to make this just right. I'll usually make double the recipe to have two pizzas (different toppings) or a side of breadsticks. One recipe will make either a thick medium pizza, or a thin/regular large pizza. ENJOY!

PIZZA DOUGH

1 cup Warm Water (105 degrees)
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp if you buy in bulk, like me)
1 tsp Sugar

Mix these three ingredients together and let sit for about five minutes until yeast begins to bubble.

Add:
2 Tbl Oil
1 tsp Salt
2 1/2 cups Flour

Optional: (DO NOT ADD TO DOUGH)
Cornmeal (used to dust the pan after greasing. Gives the pizza that "pizza place" textured bottom.)

Mix well. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm spot. Punch down dough and roll directly onto greased pan (I use air bake cookies sheets and dust them with corn meal after greasing). Spread with sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings and bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Banana Nut Bread

I hope this help with the unused bananas…

What you will need:

1/3 cup shortening

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 medium mashed ripe bananas

½ cup chopped walnuts

What you do:

Beat shortening and sugar for about 1 minute on high. Scrape bowl and continue beating for another minute. Add eggs. Beat on medium for about 30 seconds. Scrape bowl and beat on high for about 1 ½ minutes.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add half of flour mixture and half of mashed banana to mixing bowl. On low speed mix about 30 seconds. Add remaining flour and banana. Continue mixing on low for additional 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and add in the walnuts. Mix about 15 seconds.

Pour mixture into greased and floured 9x5x3-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. Stick a knife into the bread if it comes up clean it is done. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack

Turkey Meatloaf

This is Teri's recipe for turkey meatloaf. The first time I had it, I was blown away by how it melted in my mouth--also the smell it gave off while it cooked made my stomach growl sumpthin' fierce.

Here's what you'll need to get your mouth watering:

• One and three-quarter pounds of lean ground turkey (with at least 7% fat content)
• A quarter-pound of lean ground beef (or lean ground pork) for just a little bit of fat to prevent the meatloaf from drying out while cooking
• Two eggs
• Two cloves of garlic
• A cup-and-a-half of oatmeal (make sure it's whole oat)
• Two tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
• Half-a-cup of ketchup (keep the worcestershire and ketchup out because you'll need to use it again later)
  
• Optional: half an onion (chopped)
• The final most important ingredient is LOVE. I'm serious. If you can't do this with love in your heart, then your meatloaf has failed before you even crack that first egg. =(

After you've got all the ingredients ready, pre-heat your oven to 325.

Now take all those ingredients and mix 'em all up really well in a big bowl (make sure all the meat gets kneaded and all the egg gets mixed in). What you're after is a really moist consistency. If it feels a little dry, add a little more worcestershire and ketchup.


Next, break out a big casserole dish to form your meatloaf on. I know what you're thinking...why not use a meatloaf pan? Because this is how we do it. NO MEATLOAF PAN.

There was an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay where Bobby had to go against some meatloaf expert brothers--and none of those guys used a meatloaf pan. Forming it yourself kept the loaf from getting too dense. So if those MEATLOAF EXPERTS didn't use a pan, we're not using a pan. Got that?

So take your big casserole dish and either dab the bottom with vegetable oil or spray it with PAM. Next form the loaf in the middle of the dish...


After you form the loaf, splash a little more worcestershire on the meat and then break out the ketchup again and spread a layer of it on the entire loaf (this will help create the crust).


Place the meatloaf in an oven for 45 to 50 minutes. One way to tell if it's done is to poke the loaf with a knife, and if the juices run clear, it's done!


Let the meatloaf rest for about ten minutes and then it'll be all ready for you to cut up and chow down. Honestly, if I didn't have to take a picture of it, I probably would have just taken a fork and eaten it straight out of the casserole dish. Also, I really didn't eat this with bread and carrot sticks -- I had it filipino-style over rice.

Honey Mustard, Panko-Breaded Chicken Strips

I originally saw this recipe on Ham on the Street on Food Network, and instead of honey-mustard, the host used chili paste. I made this dish down in San Diego once while visiting my sis, and she tweaked it a little by bringing in the honey-mustard.

Teri and I tried that variation tonight, and now I'm proud to share it with you.

I was so proud, we even saved three strips for a fancy photo shoot after dinner. Teri was laughing the whole time I was taking pics of the chicken.

Here's what you'll need: panko bread crumbs, honey-mustard sauce, light mayonnaise, chicken breast tenders.

First pre-heat your oven to 375.

Mix the honey-mustard and mayo in a bowl.

Dip the chicken tenders in that honey-mustard/mayo mix.

Roll the chicken in the panko breading.

Place on a baking sheet and stick in the oven for about 35-40 minutes (or until golden-brown).

That's it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

This is courtisy of Rachael Ray... Thanks for coming up with killer recipes... I love corned beef hash and rubens... What a great combo... Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby white potatoes such as Yukon gold, quartered
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus additional for the toast
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound corned beef left over from dinner or thinly sliced from the deli counter, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pack (about a pound) sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (eyeball it)
• 1 cup Guinness beer (eyeball it)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (an 8- to 10-ounce block) grated Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices rye bread, toasted and buttered

---

Yields: 4 servings

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Preparation

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill it with cold water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a bubble. Turn the heat down to medium to cook the potatoes until tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and place them back into the pot they were cooked in to dry out for a few minutes.

Place a large, cast iron pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook them until they start to get golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

Add the corned beef and chopped onion into the pan along with the chopped onion. Cook until the onions are tender, another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sauerkraut, mustard and Guinness into the pan and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes. Season everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over everything and cover the pan with aluminum foil to melt.

While the cheese is melting, place a medium skillet over medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cook the eggs however you or your guests like them (I love mine fried!). When the eggs are finished, remove the foil from the pan and dish the eggs over the pan. Cut the buttered toasts in half and line them up around the pan and let everyone have at it!

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Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss

This is one of my favorite "go to" recipes for last minute guests. It is one of Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals, but it is more like 45 min to 1 hour. LIAR! :) LOL

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped '
2 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the chicken to the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and return the skillet to the heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and shallots to the skillet. Saute garlic and shallots 3 minutes. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid 1 minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine. Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. Top with fresh snipped chives.

Hawaiian Chicken

This dish is labor-intensive, but the final result is like Fergie says - D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups canola oil for deep frying
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. DIRECTIONS
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Toss chicken wings with garlic salt, and set aside for 10 minutes. Place cornstarch in a large plastic bag; toss the wings, a few at a time until coated. Shake off excess cornstarch, then dip into beaten egg. Shake wings in cornstarch again, then fry until golden brown in deep fryer. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Stir together vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, honey, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, place the chicken wings in a bowl, pour all but 1/2 cup of the sauce overtop, and toss to coat. Reserve remaining sauce to for basting.
4. Place chicken wings on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then baste with remaining sauce, turn, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
5. To serve, place wings on serving platter, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

A simple bruschetta

final may result may not look like the shot above

For a quick and easy brushcetta, you'll need: a couple of medium-sized tomatoes (like those ones at the supermarket that come on the vine), three or four cloves of garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozarrella cheese, and some italian bread.

First, slice the bread into discs or rounds, or whatever -- just slice 'em. Place the discs of bread on a baking sheet and place in an oven (pre-heated to I dunno, 275?) to slowly toast.

While the bread is in the oven, seed and cut-up the tomatoes into small, chunky pieces. Put those into a bowl.

Next, saving at least one clove of garlic for later, dice the remaining cloves and toss in with the tomatoes.

Chop up the fresh basil and toss that into the bowl, too. If you bought a bundle of basil at the store, you don't need to use all of it -- eight or nine leaves should be fine.

Check the bread in the oven, and when it's slightly toasted pull out of the oven.

Being careful not to burn yourself--rub the top of each slice of bread with the clove of garlic you saved from earlier. Put the bread back into the oven.

Cut up (or break into small pieces) the mozarella cheese and toss into bowl with other ingredients. Toss all the ingredients together.

Take the bread out of the oven and drizzle the slices with the extra virgin olive oil.

Finally, spoon the ingredients from the bowl onto the bread and you're all set to get yer grub on.

TACO SOUP!

I especially love this meal because there isn't much prep work and it's on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Here's the scoop on our taco soup:
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (in juice)
2 80z cans of tomato sauce
1 14.5oz can of corn (use juice)
1 14.5oz can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 lb. of browned hamburger (add diced onion if desired)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
-simmer on medium 10 min.
-serve over tortilla chips with cheese and sour cream.
That's the recipe I was given, we also add olives (w/o the juice) guacamole and sometimes green chilies. I also get a big can of kidney beans in stead of the smaller size.
Enjoy!

Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls

My awesome baker of a husband came across this recipe for a local restaurant's award winning cinnamon rolls. He made them and I now know WHY they won an award. These things ROCK!

Sonja's Famous Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Roll Recipe

First Place winner at the 2002 Del Mar Fair!

Dough:
4oz. butter
2c. milk
4 eggs
1tsp. salt
6oz. sugar
8c. flour
2T yeast

Filling:
8oz. soft butter
2c. Brown sugar
2T. cinnamon

Icing:
2c. confectioners sugar
1/4 c. soft butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. vanilla
3-4 T. milk

Melt 4 oz. butter with 2 c. milk until lukewarm. In mixer beat 4 eggs, 1 tsp. salt and 6 oz. sugar together. Combine milk mixture with eggs and place 4 c. flour in bowl. Mix until smooth. Add 2T. yeast, attach dough hook and add 4 c. flour. Mix for 7 min.

Place dough in a well oiled bowl and let rise until double in size.Roll dough out into a 16" x 12" rectangle. Mix ingredients for the filling and spread on the dough. With the long side facing you, roll up the dough in a jelly roll fashion. Cut dough into 12 pieces and place in a 13" x 9" pan.
Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min and cool.

Icing:
Cream together 2 c. sifted confectioners sugar and 1/4 c. soft butter. Add and beat until smooth 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 3-4 T. milk. If too thin, add a little confectioners sugar, if too
thick, add a little milk.

Spread on fully cooled cinnamon rolls.

Bon Appetite!

Hummus Dip with Pita Chips

I wanted to share the Hummus dip and Pita chips recipe that I made for my wife on Valentines Day as an appetizer and then made another for Eccles get together, its very good and easy to make.

Hummus Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed


• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed, plus more for garnish


• 1/2 lemon, juiced 2


• tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish


• 2 cloves garlic, peeled


• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil (this goes a long way, be careful)


• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 12 to 15 grinds black pepper


• 1/4 cup water Paprika, for garnish
  

Steps:
In a blender combine all the ingredients except the parsley and paprika to be used for garnish. Blend on low speed until smooth. You'll have to stop the blender often to push down the ingredients. If the mixture is too dry and you're having trouble blending it, add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to help things along.

Scrape the hummus onto a plate. Sprinkle the paprika over the top, drizzle lightly with olive oil, scatter some parsley on top, and serve. You can make the hummus up to a couple of hours before you serve it. Cover the top with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.

You may refrigerate, I did and to tell you the truth it tasted better because as my wife says the flavors "marry" =). If you refrigerate please let it sit to warm to room temperature (easier for dipping, won't break a pita chip)

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 10 minutes

Pita Chips:

Ingredients:

• 2 whole pitas


• Olive oil (for brushing) (Optional)


• Dash cayenne (go light, unless you like really spicy foods)
  

Steps:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush 2 whole pitas with olive oil (for a lower-fat chip, do not brush with oil),stack pitas and cut into wedges. Arrange wedges on baking sheet and sprinkle with cayenne.

Top with second baking sheet to keep chips flat.
Place stacked baking sheets in oven and bake chips in 375 degrees oven for 12-15 minutes or until crisp.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 12-15 minutes

That's all folks...until next time. Can't you tell I'm busy at work!

Feelin' Mexican?

Hey, Everyone! So, I thought that I'd add my 2 Dollas and Fitty Cents to this cool new blog thing and share this awesome new recipe that I found for Mexican Rice. As simple as its sounds, can I remind you that my BF is Mexican (among other things) and 99% of his family functions they serve homemade Mexican food. So, I feel like there's more pressure for me to make Mexican food as 'muy bueno' as I can. Ha. So, I've had a recipe from a Hispanic friend in the past that didn't seem to work out well because there were just too many steps and it took too dang long. I recently found this one online and it received hundreds of reviews with 5 stars with not much work or ingredients. I gave it a try and it was friggen delicious! I've even tried different ones from the Food Network in the past and this one really tastes the most authentic with the most flavor, too. How exciting, I know!! So, here it is and I hope you guys try it soon. Don't be fooled by the bajillion steps in the instructions, it was really easy! Let me know how it goes, believe me if I can get it in one try then you definitely can, its Fool-Proof! Serve it along side enchiladas like I did or your classic taco/burrito night...it'll add that extra oomph to your meal and make your taste buds dance 'La Cocoracha'! Enjoy!
-Kristine =)

P.S. That is not an actual picture. Your Mexican Rice will look BETTER!... and more recent =) Hey, it was the only thing I could find on Google that looked like the real thing!

Ingredients

2 ounces tomatoes, very ripe and cored (You can also use one regular size can of whole tomatoes, like I did)
1 medium white onion
3 medium jalapenos (adjust to your taste)
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup canola oil/vegetable oil
4 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 lime

Instructions

1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350.
2. Process tomato and onion in processor or blender ( I used my Magic Bullet) until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. Discard excess.
3. Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapenos and discard. Mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeno. Set aside.
4. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes.Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.
5. Heat oil in heavy bottomed ovensafe 12 inch straight sided sautee pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over medium high heat about 2 minutes. (The recipe is very specific about this but I used a 10 inch dutch oven and it worked out fine.) Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Stir in broth, pureed mixture,tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
8. Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes.Stir well after 15 minutes. (I do not own a dutch oven, so I kept it on low on the stove for the duration and rice turned out great.)
9. Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately.

*Edited 6-15-05: If you can't get good fresh tomatoes you are better off using canned tomatoes. Don't use those awful hard and underipe tomatoes that are at most supermarket chains. Just be sure that the processed tomatoes and the one onion equals 2 cups. One the other hand- if you find that after processing your tomatoes and onions that you have less than 2 cups- simply add enough bottled salsa to make up the difference.
*Edited 8-21-06: Do not skip any of the steps. It may seem stupid- but rinsing the rice to remove the starch is very important if you want fluffy rice. It will only take two minutes of your time but it makes the difference.

Now You Can "BLOG" Your Restaurant Recommendations

This is not a recipe! Although I wish I had the recipe to this delicious sandwich.



This is a restaurant recommendation. Since some of you (actually most of you) are being shy. I'd like to add the option of making restaurant recommendations. Swanky, local, hole-in-the-wall, seafood, fusion, "slap yo' momma good" restaurants! *Amanda, what was that restaurant we went to in Oakland? That's a good one to blog.

This sandwich is from Joe's Buffet. It's their roast beef sandwich dipped in au jois with lettuce, pickles, and swiss cheese. The cheese is optional and cost extra. You dip it in au jois just like a french dip sandwich.

Here is a picture of Leah eating this "slap yo' momma" good sandwich!!

*Edit-March 17 , 2008 - Ryan found this clip today of Baby Leah eating a Joe's sandwich.

Cider House Chicken

Thanks Rachael Ray!! This looked so good when she made it... Can't wait to try it out... Oh and I forgot... We get to set it on fire... Twice!!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 2 small, organic baby chickens, broken down into 4 legs and 4 breasts (or, instead of a whole chicken, buy already-cut, bone-in, skin-on breasts and thighs)
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Calvados or other apple brandy, divided
• 1 cup hard cider, such as Woodchuck brand (if unavailable, mix 1 cup cloudy apple cider with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Hot sauce, to taste
• A dash of nutmeg
• 3 Honeycrisp apples, sliced into 1/2 inch disks across the core
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• A handful of parsley, chopped
• 1 multi-grain baguette

Preparation

Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with EVOO, about two turns of the pan. While the EVOO is heating up, season the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Once the oil starts to ripple, add in the chicken breasts, seasoned side down, and brown them on both sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and reserve on a paper towel-lined platter. Add a little more EVOO to the pot and repeat with the thighs, reserving them on the same platter.

Once all the chicken is browned, add the carrots and onions to the pot, and a drizzle of EVOO if needed. Once the veggies start to get tender, add in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

As the tomato paste cooks, tie the herbs together into a neat little bundle with some butcher twine and toss it in the pot. Season the veggies with salt and freshly ground black pepper then add in the 1/2 cup calvados. Remove the pan from the heat and, using a lighter or match, ignite the brandy to burn off the alcohol.

Once the flame has gone out, place the pot back over medium-high heat and add in the hard cider. Cook and reduce the liquid by 1/2, then add in the chicken stock, hot sauce, and nutmeg. Remove the herb bundle and puree the mixture in a food processor or a blender.

Return the liquid back to the pot, and add the herb bundle back in along with the browned chicken pieces. Cook over medium to low heat, simmering everything for about 15-20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet over high heat and sauté the apples slices until lightly browned – don't overcook them, they should still be crispy. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of Calvados, remove the pan from the heat and ignite the skillet like before. Let the alcohol cook out and reserve the apples for garnish for the creamy cider chicken.

Add the cream to the chicken and cook to warm through. Just before serving. add in a handful of roughly chopped parley. Serve with caramelized calvados apples on top and a chunk of multi-grain baguette alongside to mop up the sauce.

Huli Huli Chicken

Val's picture below brought me back to the islands. That picture was taken in Maui at Leilani's.

One of my favorite things to make for a luau is Huli Huli Chicken. It's delicious over rice with a side of macaroni salad. YUMMY!!!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

20 pieces of boneless, skinless thighs

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger and oil. Set aside for 1 hour before using.

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium hot. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly brush pieces with sauce. Lightly oil grill. Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked through, turning often, about 15-20 minutes. If sauce starts to burn, move chicken to indirect heat and allow it to cook more slowly.

Contawe's Baked Potato Soup

This past weekend, Aaron and I attempted to make our own baked potato soup and I gotta tell you that it turned out really good! Soooo good that we want to share the recipe with you guys! It's perfect to cook together since it takes a while to prepare and I gotta say that we had fun making it!

What you'll need:
4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
4 green onions, chopped, divided use
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided use
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided use
8 ounces sour cream

What you'll need to do:
Wash, dry, and prick potatoes with fork. Bake in 400-degree oven for 1 hour or until done. Let cool.

Cut potatoes into half lengthwise and scoop out pulp; set aside. Use skins for something else, such as stuffed potato skins.

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Gradually add milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp. green onion, half the bacon and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated.

Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if necessary for desired consistency.

Serve with remaining green onions, bacon and cheese.

We hope you guys enjoy it as much as we do!!

Chinese String Bean Chicken

This is a recipe that I experimented with and is now a "go to" recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks
  
• 1 bundle of Chinese string beans or regular green beans washed and cut
  
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
  
• 1 small chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 3 tbsp. oil

Heat frying pan and add oil. Sautee onion and garlic until onion is soft. Add chicken and cook through. Add soy sauce and chicken broth simmer for 10 minutes. Add string beans and cook to desired tenderness or crispness.

You can add SRIRACHA HOT CHILI SAUCE to spice it up. Enjoy!

Serve over rice. Be sure to let us know how you like it!!

Slow Cooker Meals and More

These are great recipes for busy days. (Thank you Betty Crocker!!)

Garlic Pork Roast (Slow cooker)
10 servings

3 ½ lbs pork boneless loin roast
1 Tablespoon oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup chicken broth or water

Trim excess fat from pork. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over med-high heat. Cook pork in oil about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place onion and garlic in slow cooker. Place pork on onion and garlic and pour broth or water over pork.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours, or until pork is tender.

FOR LEFTOVERS:

You’ll want to make this roast to shred and pop in the freezer for busy days. No one will know it took you less than 30 minutes to make the following delicious recipe!

Remove pork from cooking liquid; reserve the liquid. Cool pork slightly. Shred warm pork using two forks. Place 2 cups shredded pork in each refrigerator or freezer container and add ¼ cup liquid to each container. Cover and refrigerate up to four days or freeze up to four months. To thaw frozen mixture, place container in refrigerator for about 8 hours.

Weeknight Pork Stew (from previous recipe leftovers)
4 servings

1 container (2 cups) Garlic Pork Roast, thawed if frozen
8 small new potatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
2/3 cup vegetable, chicken, or beef broth
1 ¼ tsp dried basil leaves
½ tsp salt
1 cup frozen green peas
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT peas, cornstarch and water in 3-quart SAUCEPAN (not slow cooker). Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Rinse peas with cold water to separate; stir into pork mixture. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water; stir into pork mixture. Cook and stir about 1 minute, or until sauce is thickened.

Potato and Double Corn Chowder (Slow cooker)
6 servings

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (4 cups)
1 can (15 ¼ ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (14 ¾ ounces) cream-style corn
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ tsp salt
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 6 to 8 hours (or high heat setting 3 to 4 hours).

Spicy Peanut Chicken (or PORK)
Serves 4

¼ cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
¼ tsp ground red pepper (Cayenne. Can use chili powder or even paprika to make it more mild)

Mix these ingredients together and set aside.

1 Lb Boneless skinless chicken (or PORK) cut into ¾ inch pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1 tsp grated ginger root, or ¾ tsp ground ginger powder
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ¾ inch pieces
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
2 green onions, sliced

Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add oil; rotate wok to coat sides. Add chicken (or pork) garlic and ginger root; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in the center.

Add bell pepper to wok and stir-fry 1 minute.

Add cornstarch mixture to wok and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in peanuts and garnish with green onions.

I Love Shrimp!

I love shrimp! I think I'm allergic to it but it doesn't stop me. :)

Italian Shrimp. I got this recipe from my good friend, Greg. It's a very simple, delicious recipe. Be sure to leave a comment if you've tried it and let us know how you like it.
This is a picture of Greg, ME and Ryan at Bing Crosby's for one of Ryan's birthday celebrations. ( Haha! After "previewing" my post I just noticed that I match the background!)

Italian Shrimp

• Marinate large, thawed, headless, peeled and deveined shrimp in Italian salad dressing for 30 minutes to an 1 hour
• Grill on skewers at least 3 minutes on each side until pink
  
• ENJOY!

How easy is that?