Friday, April 22, 2011

Feta Topped Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoned pepper
1 large roma tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.
Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned.

Grilled Taco-Barbeque Chicken

2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tsp ground cumin

Heat closed medium size grill for 5 minutes. In shallow bowl, mix taco seasoning and oregano. Brush chicken with oil; coat with taco seasoning mixture. Place chicken on grill. Close grill and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.
In a 1 quart saucepan, heat barbeque sauce, chili sauce, and cumin to boiling over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce with chicken.

Key Lime Cupcakes with Meringue

Ingredients:
24 paper liners for cupcake pans

For Cupcakes:
1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 tsp zest)
4 large eggs
1 pkg (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For Filling:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Key lime juice

For Meringue:
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Reserved 3 large egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake pans with liners.

Prepare the cupcake batter:
With a citrus zester or fine grater, zest the lime and reserve one tsp. Separate three of the eggs, place the whites in a large clean mixing bowl and the yolks in another mixing bowl. Add the remaining egg, cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, lime zest and lime juice to the egg yolks. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Place the pans in the oven. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for five minutes. Increase the oven heat to 450 dregrees.
Run a knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups placing them on a wire rack to cool for 15 mintues before filling.
Prepare the filling:
Place the sweetened condensed milk and Key lime juice in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Press the tip 1/4 inch into the center of the cupcake and squeeze the bag to release about 1 Tbsp filling into the cupcake. Scrape of any excess filling. Place the cupcakes back into the pan.
Prepare the meringue:
Add the cream of tartar to the reserved egg whites and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy, 45 seconds. Add 1 Tbsp of the sugar. Continue beating on high, adding one tablespoon sugar at a time, until the whites form stiff peaks. Spoon two tablespoons meringue onto the top of each cupcake and swirl to spread it just to the edges of the cupcakes. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the meringue in light nutty brown in color, five to six minutes.
Lift the cupcakes out of the pan and serve at once or allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Rice and Curry

Curry sauce
1 to 1 1/2 lbs hamburger*
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder, heaping
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
Milk

Cook hamburger with onion on medium low heat. Once hamburger is almost browned add the curry, sugar, and salt. Stir in with hamburger and cook until hamburger is done. Remove pan from heat.
Add flour and stir in really well. Once the flour is completely stirred in, pour milk on top of mixture until it is covered.

Turn the heat back on to medium high and stir mixture continuously stir mixture so that it doesn't burn on the bottom. Gradually turn up the heat to high and continue to stir until sauce thickens. If sauce is too thick, add a bit more milk.

* Make sure you don't buy lean ground beef. You want the extra grease so that the flour will have something to mix with. This helps the curry to thicken once the milk is added.

Serve the curry over white rice.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Empanadas

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup raisins, chopped
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp flour
1 3/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheese
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 pkgs (8 biscuits each) refrigerated buttermilk dough
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the beef is browned and the vegetables begin to soften. Add raisins, olives, vinegar, flour, allspice, and cumin. For spicier empanadas, add cayenne pepper. Cook until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and cilantro.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll one biscuit into a 4-inch circle. In a small bowl, beat the egg with one Tbsp of water. Brush half the biscuit dough with egg. Scoop 1 rounded Tbsp of meat filling onto the dough. Fold the dough over and press the edges with a fork to seal the dough closed. Repeat with remaining biscuits and place empanadas on a large baking sheet. Brush them with egg and bake them for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 16 empanadas.

Citrus Dijon Chicken Skewers

3/4 cup dijon mustard
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
20 wooden skewers (soaked for 30 minutes)

Mix mustard, marmalade and thyme. Reserve 1/2 for dipping and brushing and refrigerate. Toss chicken with remaining mustard mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes to marinade. Thread chicken on skewers and place on rack of broiler pan. Use 1/4 cup of reserved sauce and brush onto chicken. Broil chicken 4" from heat 6-8 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally, broil until cooked through.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

1/3 cup brown rice - uncooked
4 portions chicken breast - about 1 lb
1 lime - halved
2 tsp taco seasoning
6 corn tortillas
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic - minced
1/2 onion - chopped
1 can (4oz) diced green chilies
6 cups chicken broth
4 Tbsp salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp cilantro - chopped

Cook brown rice according to its package directions. While the rice is cooking, place chicken breasts in a shallow dish; cover with lime juice, and lightly coat both sides with taco seasoning. Then place chicken on a hot grill and cook for approximately 6 minutes on each side. Let the chicken cool slightly, then cut it into strips and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cut corn tortillas into 1/2 inch strips, then place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they are crispy, then set aside.
While the tortillas strips are baking, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; saute until the onion is transparent, about 8 minutes.
Add cooked rice to the pot and saute for 3 minutes. Add green chilies and saute for 2 more minutes. Then pour chicken broth into the mixture and bring it to a boil. Add sliced chicken and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 25 minutes.
Place a few tortilla strips in the bottom of the bowls and spoon about a fourth of the soup into each. Garnish each bowl with a few more tortilla strips, a spoonful of salsa, sour cream, and cilantro.

Savory Sopes

3 cups masa harina
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp salt
oil for frying

Mix together masa, 2 cups water and salt until a soft dough forms. Add in additional water by the tablespoon if dough seems too dry. Knead on a lightly floured surface until all ingredients are well combined and dough is softened, about 5 minutes.

Make small balls out of the dough. 1 inch for small (think large marble), 2 inch for regular size (think walnut), 3 inch for large sopes (think golf balls).

Press each ball by hand to about 1/2 inch thick. Find a glass or an object with a smaller diameter than the dough patties. The idea is to press the object into the sopes dough to flatten the center more while creating a raised edge. Do this through parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Fry in a 1/4 inch of hot oil on both sides until lightly golden brown and cooked through.

Top and serve immediately.

Chicken Pasta

1 to 1 1/2 bags bowtie pasta cooked al dente
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut off all the nasty fat and out all the veins
Put chicken in frying pan and sprinkle garlic, cumin, and basil over top. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth.   On medium heat cook until chicken is not longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and place on cutting board. Once chicken is cool enough to touch, chop into smaller bite size pieces.

3 tsp of chopped garlic
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 Jonathon apple - chopped up fine
3 tomatoes - chopped
3 green peppers - chopped
2 handfuls of broccoli - chopped
2 Tbsp mango salsa
In the chicken pan, saute the garlic in the olive oil for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add rest of the ingredients, the chopped chicken and saute until the peppers are al dente. (soft but still have a little crunch)

Sauce:
4 tsp spicy brown mustard
4 tsp Seven Seas Green Goddess dressing
2 Tbsp real lime juice
2 Tbsp real lemon juice
3 Tbsp Onion Vinaigrette Salad dressing
1/2 8oz pkg cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter
1 bottle creamy alfredo sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan. Add your favorite spices to sprinkle on top. I used cumin, basil, and a dash of sea salt.

In a large bowl combine pasta and the chicken "stuff". Pour sauce over the top and mix well. Serve immediately.

Kim's Crockpot Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
1 8oz bottle Italian dressing
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Combine the chicken breasts and dressing in a crockpot. Cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Drain half of the dressing and discard. Shred the chicken and return to crockpot.
In a bowl combine soup, broth, cream cheese, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken and cook for 1 more hour on low heat. Serve over pasta or rice.

Apple Strawberry Crisp

Topping:
1/2 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp softened margarine - don't soften the margarine too much or it will make the topping clump together instead of being a coarse mixture
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all the topping ingredients with a fork or by hand till it resembles a coarse mixture.

Fruit:
Sliced apples and strawberries
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
I also added 3 Tbsp of Apple juice to make it more flavorful
Put the sliced apples and strawberries in a deep baking dish, sprinkle the sugar, lemon juice, and apple juice over top.

Sprinkle the topping on the fruit and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes till browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to allow the natural juices to set.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Cajun Chicken Pasta

4 oz linguine pasta
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Place the chicken and the cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes). Add the bell peppers and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

8 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
3 to 5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Place butter and cocoa in bowl and mix on low speed until combined. Add the sugar, 3 Tbsp of milk, and vanilla. Blend on low speed until sugar is incorporated then increase speed to medium and blend until light and fluffy. Add remaining milk if frosting is too stiff.

Microwave Single Serving Chocolate Cake

2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp cocoa
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Spray mug, add all ingredients and stir with fork until smooth, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and microwave for 50 seconds or one minute.

Homemade Pizza

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp basil
25 oz yeast
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 cup warm water
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and water until all is well blended. Let rise for 30 minutes then spread out on a large pizza pan and cook crust by itself for 5 minutes. Add pizza toppings and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Pizza Sauce recipe:
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 Tbsp ground oregano
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder
Put all ingredients in the blender and mix well.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Fast Rising Rolls

In a quart size Ziploc bag dissolve and let rise for 10 minutes
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients and stir together
6 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
Make a hole in the dry ingredients and add
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 beaten eggs
ingredients in the Ziploc bag
Stir well and then cover with dish towel and let rise for 1 hour. Knead using a little flour until workable and smooth. Divide dough in half and roll into two circles each a little bigger than a medium size plate. Take a pizza cutter and cut into wedges (about 12-16) then roll up from the wide edge. Place on cookie sheet, frost with butter than let rise 20 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Crockpot Pork Chops

1 large onion, sliced
4 to 6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 to 6 pork chops, boneless or bone-in
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly spray slow cooker with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray. Put onions and potatoes in bottom of slow cooker. Top with pork chops, salt and pepper, pour soup over chops. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until tender. Serves 4 to 6.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

3 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups peanut butter (heaped)
1/2 cup margarine
1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar
12 oz bag of chocolate chips
1/3 cube of wax shaved

In double boiler, melt wax and chocolate chips. In large pan, put rice krispies and powdered sugar and mix. Set aside. Melt margarine and peanut butter in pan and then pour over rice krispies mixture. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheets. Dip in chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. Cool until chocolate is hard.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

8 cups milk (can use 2% but preferable whole)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped chocolate

Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Heat the milk over medium-low heat until it steams and is very hot to the touch. Add the sugar and the vanilla and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn of the heat and ladle about 1 cup of the milk out and pour it over the chocolate pieces. Let the chocolate melt slowly. Stir it with a whisk to get all the chocolate in contact with the milk. Continue adding milk and stirring until all the milk as been incorporated. Ladle into serving cups and top with whipped cream.

Parmesan Bites

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese with mixer until well blended. Separate dough into 8 rectangles; seal seams. Spread with cream cheese mixture; top with peppers and parsley. Fold each rectangle lengthwise sealing seams as best as possible and cut into 3 squares. Place on baking sheet and top with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Garlic and Asparagus Pasta with Lemon Cream

8 oz. dried rotini pasta
1 tablespoon butter/margarine
2 cups yellow summer squash
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 cup ragu white sauce

Cook pasta. Combine water, lemon zest, and ragu sauce in saucepan. Whisk until smooth, bring to a slow boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Melt butter in skillet; add asparagus, squash, garlic and saute until vegetables are soft. Combine pasta and veggies and toss. Pour hot lemon sauce on top and gently stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 Tbsp milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring

In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with the food coloring if you desire.
*This recipe should frost 48 cookies unless you like your cookies to have a little more frosting than normal.

Broccoli and Ham Casserole

2 cups chopped, cooked ham
1 10oz package frozen broccoli
1 cup cooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup croutons
salt and pepper to taste

In a casserole or baking dish, combine ham, broccoli, cooked rice, soup, cheese, onion, and sour cream. Spread croutons over top. Bake 55 to 65 minutes at 325 degrees or until brown and bubbly. Serves 4