Friday, April 29, 2011

Cucumber Punch

From: Taunja Ruch
Delish Dish

Use this whenever you need a light and refreshing alternative to lemonade.

2 L Lemon-lime soda (Sierra Mist, 7up, Sprite)
1 can frozen limeade
1 cucumber

Mix Limeade and soda. Chop the cucumber into rounds. Drop into the limeade/soda mixture. Refrigerate for an hour (if you have time). Serve.

People will look at this oddly at first, and then make sure you have extra fixings on hand, because it will go quickly!

It also goes well with Cafe Rio. . ..

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Baked Chicken Taquitos

adapted from Our Best Bites

From: Emily Garner

Makes 14-16 taquitos

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. green salsa
1 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. sliced green onion
2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
1 c. grated Monterrey jack cheese (use pepper jack if you like a little heat)

small yellow or white corn tortillas
kosher salt (do not skip this ingredient!)
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Add cilantro and green onions and mix. Add chicken, cheese and combine well.

Working a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 40 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and won't crack when rolling. Place 2-3 T. of the mixture on the lower third of the tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can.

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with some kosher salt on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to turn golden brown. Dip in sour cream, salsa, guacamole or whatever you like!

Creamy French Onion Meatballs

From: Emily Garner

About 40 frozen, cooked meatballs (I buy these from Sam's Club)
1 can condensed French onion soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 c. sour cream
rice or noodles

Place meatballs into a 4-6 qt. slow cooker prepared with nonstick cooking spray. Combine soups and pepper and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir in sour cream. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice, wild rice or noodles.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Peanut Butter Pretzel and Toffee Bonbons

Added by Ani Brown
from melskitchencafe.com

(I'm not always a peanut butter fan, but wow, these are addicting, amazing, and totally easy! Yum!)

*Note: to chop the pretzel sticks, I place several large handfuls of pretzel sticks in a ziploc bag, seal, and roll over the top with a rolling pin until the pretzels are crunched up well. I measure out of the bag and continue the process until I have 2 cups. These bonbons can be made up to three days in advance. The peanut butter pretzel filling can be made and formed into balls and frozen for up to 2 months before dipping.

*Makes about 10-12 dozen bonbons

8 tablespoons butter, softened to warm room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups peanut butter

1 cup toffee bits

2 cups chopped/crushed pretzel sticks

1 pound chocolate (semisweet, milk, bittersweet)

2 tablespoons shortening or butter

Toffee, chopped nuts, chocolate jimmies for garnish

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until evenly combined. Add the peanut butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the toffee bits and pretzel pieces by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet (12X18-inches or several smaller baking sheets) with parchment or waxed paper. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch or so (it doesn't have to be exact) balls and place them on the lined baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for 15-20 minutes until firm. At this point, the balls can be transferred to a sealed container or freezer ziploc bag and frozen for up to 2 months.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and shortening/butter together in a microwave-safe bowl or in a double boiler until completely melted and smooth (taking care not to overheat the chocolate as that can cause white streaks, bloom, to appear in the hardened chocolate).

One by one, toss a formed peanut butter/pretzel ball into the melted chocolate and using a fork, cover the ball with chocolate. Lift the covered bonbon out of the chocolate with the fork and tap the lower stem of the fork (right above where the rectangular tined fork part ends) on the edge of the bowl to let excess chocolate fall through the tines of the fork. Scrape the bottom of the fork along the edge of the bowl and transfer the covered bonbon to a parchment lined baking sheet (you can use the same baking sheet(s) used for freezing the balls if you have room). Set the bonbon very close to the parchment paper and using a second fork or butter knife, gently scoot the bonbon off the fork onto the baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle your garnish of choice on the top of the wet chocolate before it sets.

Refrigerate the bonbons until ready to serve.

Turkey Club Pizza (to die for)

by Natalie Pelfrey

1 tube of ready made pizza crust (or you can make your own if you are a stud)
sesame seeds (sprinkled on crust)

Bake the crust at 425 for around 5 minutes or until it little golden brown. Take it out and let it cool for awhile.

Then spread mayo all over the crust and top with:
Monterey Jack cheese
basil (fresh or dried)
thinly sliced deli turkey
real bacon, crumbled
thinly sliced tomatoes
swiss cheese

Throw it back in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until crust is light brown and cheese is melted.
One of my favorite recipes!

Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad

by Natalie Pelfrey

1 pkg rotini or spiral pasta
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1.5 c sliced celery
3/4 c sliced green onions
1 c green grapes
1 c red grapes
1 pkg dried cranberries
1 c ranch dressing
3/4 c mayo
2 c salted cashews

Combine everything together. Whisk ranch and mayo. Toss to coat, refrigerate. Put in cashews just before serving. CHOW DOWN. Yummy!

Creamy Chicken and Black Beans

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken W/ Black Beans and Cream Cheese...yum!

Ingredients:
4 -5 boneless chicken breasts (I've also used less)
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans (drained, but not rinsed)
1 (15 ounce) can corn (drained, or an equal amount of frozen corn)
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, your favorite kind
1 TBSP minced garlic (or less, we LOVE garlic)
a few good shakes of cumin and ground red pepper or chili powder (for heat)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
cliantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Place 2-4 frozen, yes, frozen, boneless chicken breasts into a crock pot.
2. Add beans, salsa, corn and spices.
3. Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
4. Add 1 package of cream cheese, cut up (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
5. Stir in the now-melted cream cheese and shred or cut the chicken and serve over rice or egg noodles. Sprinkle with cilantro if you like it.

Baked Dijon Salmon

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Baked Dijon Salmon

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or regular mustard with a dash of horseradish if you have it
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional or use another nut)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon, or just one or two big fillets
salt and pepper to taste
lemon for garnish

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
3.Brush each salmon fillet with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
4.Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Sweet & Spicy Baby Back Ribs (in the oven!)

from: Tara Flake

Original recipe: Beth's Melt in Your Mouth Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients:
4 lbs pork back or pork baby back ribs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
Your favorite barbecue sauce (mine is Sweet Baby Rays - any of the sweet and spicy varieties)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees f.
2. Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs. You can do this by working a spoon or the tips of kitchen sheers into the bottom center of the membrane, work it back and forth to form a "pocket" then slide your thumbs in and work the membrane off from the center outward to the ends. Every once in a while I'll get a rack that doesn't cooperate and I just leave the membrane.
3. Brush the rack with the liquid smoke. (I just use my hands!)
4. Mix dry ingredients and apply rub to ribs on all sides.
5. Lay ribs on a baking pan on top of two layers of foil (side by side and crimped together to make one wide piece that hangs over the sides of the pan), shiny side out and meaty side down. You can also cut the rack into portions and it will cook a little more evenly.
6. Lay two sheets of foil (crimped together to make one wide sheet again) on top of ribs and roll and crimp edges to the bottom layer tightly, edges facing up to seal.
7. Place on baking sheet and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone.
8. Remove from oven and either brush with your favorite sauce or dip it on your plate. Alternately, you can brush the sauce on the meaty side and then place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the sauce gets bubbly and sticky on the ribs. This is nice, but usually sets my smoke alarm off so we just dip it :)

*note* It helps to spray BOTH the pan and foil for easy clean up... this is super messy with the cooked sugar and meat juices!

Braised Chicken Thighs

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Emeril's Braised Chicken Thighs
This is time consuming, (simmers for almost an hour) but very easy. Just plan ahead!


Ingredients
4-6 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), trimmed of any skin or fat. (Either boneless or bone-in is fine)
1-2 tablespoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (you can buy Emeril's Original Essence or make your own; I make this dinner a lot so I make my own)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter (or dairy-free margarine for lucky girls like me)
2 cups thinly sliced yellow or white onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
a few dashes of dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cooked white rice or mashed potatoes, for serving

Cooking Directions
Season the chicken all over with the Essence. Place the 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl, and quickly dredge both sides of each thigh in the flour, shaking to remove any excess. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch flameproof casserole or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, and when it has melted, place the chicken in the pan. Brown for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, and when it has melted, add the onions, garlic, thyme and the black pepper. Cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the onions and cook for 2 minutes longer. Then whisk in the chicken stock and increase the heat to high. Return the chicken to the pan, and bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a heavy, tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Uncover the pan, stir the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching, and turn the chicken over. Cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes longer.

Stir the bottom of the pan a final time, turn chicken over and re-cover, and simmer for 20 more minutes. Add the parsley to the sauce, stir to combine, and then serve the chicken over rice or mashed potatoes with the sauce on top. If the sauce is a little thin, continue to simmer and add a little cornstarch/flour and water slurry to thicken.

Mango Coconut Curry

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Spicy Indian Chicken and Mango Curry

2 large or 3 medium mangoes, peeled and diced, divided
1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk
1 TBSP curry powder
3/4 tsp salt
14 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces (we like dark meat, but white meat would work too!)
4 green onions, sliced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 TBSP minced garlic
olive oil
ground ginger
ground red pepper
more curry powder

Directions
1. Place half of the mango slices into a blender with the coconut milk, 3/4 tsp salt and 1 TBSP curry powder. Also, squeeze the mango pits between your hands over the blender to get every last drop if mango pulp and juice. Messy but worth it! Blend until smooth and set aside.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with curry powder, ground red pepper (to your spicy-tolerance level), and a little ginger. Add the chicken, garlic and green onion to the oil; cook until the chicken is almost done, about 5 minutes.
3. Add diced zucchini and saute until chicken is done and zucchini is starting to soften.
4. Pour in the mango puree and add the remaining diced mango add and cook until heated through. Sprinkle a little ground ginger in and stir. This is where I take some out for the kids, then go on and add more curry powder, salt and red pepper until it's spicy/flavorful enough for the adults. Every curry powder is different, and some already come spicy. With some brands, I don't have to add much while other brands require a few more teaspoons. Just experiment and taste as you go!
5. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice to be authentic, or plain old white or brown rice if you aren't trying to impress anyone :)
*note* Try other diced veggies - white onions, bell peppers, squash... garnish with thinly sliced cucumbers...lots of possibilities!