Appetizer Artichoke Bread July 30, 2010

This bread is sooooo good!  I’ve made it a couple of times for partys.  It is really rich, but delicious!

1 loaf unsliced french bread
1-1/2 cups (12 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp sesame seeds (I omit these)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I’ve used Mozzarella too)
1 cup (40z) shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar (6.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Cut bread in half lengthwise, hollow out, leaving 1/2 in. shells.  Set aside.  Please removed bread in a food processor, cover and process until crumbly.

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, sour cream, butter and sesame seeds.  Spread onto a baking sheet.  Broil 4in. from the heat for 8-10 mins or until lightly browned, stirring once.

In a large bowl, combine the crumb mixture, cheeses, artichokes, garlic, parsley and lemon pepper.  Spoon into bread shells.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 mins or until golden brown.  Slice and serve warm.

Creamy Artichoke Dip July 30, 2010

Another Taste of Home Appetizers recipe.

2 cans (14oz each) water packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
2 cups (80z) shredded part skim mozzarella
1 pkg (80z) cream cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients, bake at 350 for 30 mins, or until heated through.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Enchilada Dip July 30, 2010

I found this in the Taste of Home appetizer magazine and thought it looked good!

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilis
1 envelope taco seasoning

In a 2qt. microwave safe dish, combine all of the ingredients.  Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4-5 mins, stir.  Microwave, uncovered, 3-4 mins longer or until heated through.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Garlic Knots March 15, 2010

Anything with garlic and bread makes me happy and these knots just looked delicious!  When I saw them come through my google reader from Christine’s Cuisine I quickly starred them.  I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make them for a while because H and I were in the process of moving.  Well, fast forward to this weekend…… we are finally starting to get settled and I decided it would be time to get back to cooking!  These were the perfect start!  At about 4 pm, I quick whipped together the dough.  It goes quick since my KA mixer did all the work.  Then I set it out to rise while I jumped on the treadmill! (I need to back to exercising after all this moving too!!)

I let them rise for an hour, then divided them in 8 pieces and rolled them into knots, then let them rise again for about another hour before baking for 15 mins.  These made fairly big knots, so you could definitely make 10-12 decent sized knots as well.  Overall these tasted good.  The dough was delicious and will definitely stay in my rotation, but both H and I agreed that they would taste better with the butter and garlic put on once they came out of the oven.

H gave this recipe 3 flip flops!

Silly me…. I forgot the recipe!!

Ingredients

Dough:
3 cups bread flour ( I think I used regular, I can’t remember what kind I had
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast
1-1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (about 110 degrees F)

Topping:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

 

Directions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt together. 

2. Add the olive oil, milk and water, and mix just to combine.

3. Switch to using the dough hook, and knead to form smooth, elastic dough, adding additional water or flour as needed.  (about 8 minutes)  I definitely needed some additional flour, I’m not sure if maybe because I didn’t use bread flour, but mine dough was VERY sticky at first.

4.Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, until it’s doubled in bulk.
5. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, and roll each into a rope about 10 inches long; tie each rope into a knot and tuck in the ends. Could have made more than 8, they were fairly big.

6. Place the knots on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes to about an hour.
7. To make glaze – combine the minced garlic, melted butter, and italian seasoning.

8. Brush the knots with the glaze. Next time I will try brushing the rolls AFTER baking.

9. Bake the knots in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes until very lightly browned. 

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast January 18, 2010

Let me start out by telling you that I don’t really like turkey.  Even on Thanksgiving my mom usually makes me a steak.  But I saw this recipe on the She Cooks She Bakes blog when it came through my Google Reader, so I thought it would make a good Sunday dinner.  Let me tell you, this turkey is amazing.  It was so moist and the sweetness from the Maple Syrup was so delicious!  When I sliced the turkey, I left it in the juices while plating, so that added to the flavor.  I served this with sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes.  YUM!  Even my H who wasn’t feeling that well (and doesn’t love turkey either) liked this, he gave it 3.75 Flip Flops!

This picture was from about half way through.  Please note that it says to cook the turkey for 15 minutes per pound.  My turkey breast was just over 6lbs.  So I figured about 1.5 hours but it took closer to 2 hours to reach the correct internal temperature, so we had a late dinner! 

I brined my turkey at about noon and cooked it at about 5:30, you can certainly brine for a longer amount of time.  I just didn’t have enough time!  In a large freezer Ziploc back, I put in 1/2 cup salt & 1/2 cup sugar and enough water to cover the turkey.  Then just put that all in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: This recipe is meant for a 10-12lb turkey
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 bunch fresh sage, finely chopped
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh turkey
8 strips bacon
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Put the butter and sage in a mixing bowl and mash until the sage is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and slip the remaining seasoned butter under, massaging the breast meat as you go.

Shingle the bacon strips over the breast so it’s totally covered. Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, cover the turkey with aluminium foil, and place in the oven. (I do not cover the turkey until the last 1hour of baking, so that they turkey can get that nice golden crispy skin.) – I did the same.

In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup with 2 tablespoons of hot water to thin. Depending on the size of your turkey roasting times will vary the key is to roast your turkey 15 minutes for every lb.  (Mine was about 20 mins per lb.)

As your turkey is baking you should be basting the turkey with the maple glaze every 30 minutes. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F.

The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife. When done take the turkey out of the oven and put the roasting pan on the stove top. Transfer the turkey to a serving tray to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

Sizzling Beef & Scallions January 12, 2010

I made this recipe from the Rachel Ray magazine today…. while eating it, H and I had a long discussion on how he was going to start grading my recipes for my blog.  He would rate them as a number of flip flops, 1-5 flip flops.  He decided that he is a hard grader…. I’ve never had a meal worthy of 5 flip flops…. um, thanks!  Sorry, this isn’t Ruth Chris!   
So he decided that:
1 flip flop = Fair, I didn’t really like it, but I ate it anyways.  If he doesn’t finish his plate it gets a 1.
2 flip flops = Average, It was ok but I didn’t love it. 
3 flip flops= Good, Make this one again.
4 flip flops = Great, Going back for seconds (or thirds)….. make this a lot.  Bragging to my friends.
5 flip flops = Amazing, Rachel Ray who??  Stuffing myself like thanksgiving dinner.

Please remember these grading are his words, not mine!

So onto the meal…. H gave this 3.5 flip flops….. he ate 3 plates full of it.  I gave it a 3.  I will definitely make it again.  I thought the flavors were authentic, the colors were pretty and it gave us a good mix of protein, veggies, and carbs.  You could add other veggies if you wanted… grated carrots, snow peas, etc.  I used half brown rice and half white.  I made instant rice in the morning and then put it in the fridge all day.  Once I tasted the meal though, I thought the rice was a little mushy.  Not sure if it was because of the brown rice, or if I didn’t let the rice sit long enough, or what?  That was my only complaint though.  I served this with frozen egg rolls that I baked (H didn’t like those) and a side of sweet & sour sauce (which H loved).

The recipe is below with my edits.

8 oz. London Broil, sliced into short, thin strips  (I used strip steak because I had it in the freezer)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I didn’t use this much at all)
10 scallions, green parts thinly sliced and white parts cut into 1in. pieces
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper (I also added about 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onion)
3 large eggs lightly beaten
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed (omitted)
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger (I didn’t have fresh, so I used about 1 tsp ground)
1/2 tsp. sugar (I used a packet of splenda)
4 cups cooked white rice, chilled (I used half brown & half white)

In a medium bowl, toss the beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce (I added in some garlic powder and ground ginger, also I used about 2 tbsp soy).  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil (I used 1) over medium high heat.  Add beef and cook, stirring for 2 mins; transfer to a bowl. (This took me longer than 2 mins, my pan probably wasn’t hot enough).
In the skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat.  Add the scallion whites, bell pepper and ginger and cook, stirring for 2 mins; stir in the peas.   Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and pour in the eggs.  Stir the eggs until they begin to set, then stir in the vegetables.  Add the mixture to the beef: stir in the sugar and the remaining 1tbsp soy sauce.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in the skillet over medium heat.  Add the rice, breaking up any clumps, then cook without stirring, until heated through, 2 mins.  (It took me a lot longer than 2 minutes for the rice to heat through, maybe 5-8).  Stir in the beef mixture and scallion greens.

French Onion Mac N Cheese January 10, 2010

This one is from Every Day with Rachel Ray…. and whats not to love!  We love onions, pasta and cheeese…. yum!  So my H and I got home from running some errands this morning and I thought I would make this recipe for lunch.  It came together very easily and I substituted with what I had on hand.   See my edits below.  This is a delicious recipe and I thought the sweetness of the onions really came out, but it is very rich!  I think this would be great with chicken pieces and some extra veggies (broccoli, peppers, etc.).  The only change I would recommend is to start your water boiling for the pasta first because my onions were done cooking before my water was even boiling.  This dish from start to finish probably only took about 25 mins. 

4 tablespoons of butter
2 large onions, very thinly sliced (I used half of a yellow onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic)
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 pound penne rigate or whole wheat penne (I used whole wheat which I thought held up really well in the thick sauce)
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk (I used about 1/3 cup of heavy cream and 2/3 cup skim milk
freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
3/4 lb gruyere cheese, shredded (I used half light havarti and half mozzarella since that is what we had!)

In a skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium high heat.  Stir in the onions, thyme and bay leaf for 5 mins.  Season with salt & pepper.  Lower the heat and cook until the onions are browned, 10 -15 mins.  Transfer to a plate and discard the bay leaf.  Reserve the skillet.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, and the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and return to the pot.
In the reserved skillet, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour for 1 min, then whisk in the chicken stock and milk, and bring to a boil; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Lower the heat and cook until thickened, about 5 mins.  Stir in the cheese until melted.
Combine the onions and sauce with the pasta and toss well.

Hello world! January 9, 2010

Hello everyone!  This is my first adventure in blogging!  I am going to use this blog to track recipes that I want to try and give reviews of recipes that I do try!  Hope you enjoy it!

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken January 9, 2010

This is one my husband will love.  I’m not a huge fan of gorgonzola…. but I’ll try it!

1 pkg (16oz.) penne pasta (we will use whole wheat)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 in. pieces.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups (8oz.) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
6 – 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesean cheese

Cook pasta according to package.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil on all sides.  Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.  Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Add cream and broth, cook until sauce is slightly thickend and chicken is no longer pink.  Stire in Gorgonzola cheese, sage, salt & pepper.  Cook just until cheese is melted.  Drain pasta & toss with sauce.  Sprinkle with grated parm.

Glazed Shrimp and Asparagus January 9, 2010

I love shrimp… in case you couldn’t tell!  My husband though always says “I’m shrimped out” no matter how often we eat shrimp!  He eats whatever I put in front of him though, so this will get made soon!

8oz. uncooked whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup of water
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. honey
1 lb. large uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
3 tsp. peanut or canola oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-3 in. pieces
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sesame seeds (we will leave these out, since H can’t eat seeds)

Cook pasta according to directions.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water, soy sauce and honey until smooth.  Set aside.  In a large skillet or wok, stir fry shrimp in 1 tsp. peanut oil and the sesame oil until shrimp turn pink.  Remove and keep warm.  Stir-fry asparagus in remaining peanut oil for 2 minutes.  Add the ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and sesame seeds.  Stir-fry 2 minutes longer or until asparagus is crisp-tender.  Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Add shrimp, heat through.  Drain pasta, serve with shrimp mixture.