tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61229195813074153772024-03-14T04:20:53.601-07:00green megs & hamUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-69661329644531608912012-10-04T14:58:00.003-07:002012-12-23T11:46:48.383-08:00Pan-Seared Chicken with Mushroom Sage Sauce<br />
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WOAH! I cannot even begin to explain how delicious this recipe was! The flavors were so.... delicious! I can barely form words remembering back to how much I really liked this recipe! I will say that part of what made this dish so exquisite was the Basil Pearled Cous-cous that I accompanied with the chicken. The flavors together were just so scrumptious! I will definitely only make this dish with the Near East Basil Pearled Cous-cous from now on! This dish was so creamy and delicious! Of course I used extra mushrooms because I like to have some mushrooms with every bite! I definitely recommend this dish!<br />
There is a little alcohol used in this dish. My husband doesn't like dishes that incorporate alcohol so I made sure to allow the alcohol flavor to cook off for a while longer than the recipe suggested, so my sauce wasn't necessarily as sauce-y as compared with where I got the recipe from, but I thought it made it richer and more flavorful. And, score!, my husband said he really couldn't taste the alcohol much at all, which he is particularly nit-picky about and able to pick out even when I haven't mentioned that there is alcohol in a dish, so for him to say that was huge. Also, if you would prefer not to use alcohol at all, I would just substitute it out for some chicken broth and it would be just as tasty.<br />
So, here we go!<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
3 T butter<br />
1/2 C chopped shallots, or minced onions (I couldn't find my shallots until I finally relented and used onion, cause of course that's when you find what you're looking for!)<br />
10-12oz mushrooms of your choice (I used button)<br />
1 t fresh parsley<br />
1 C dry white white or dry vermouth (I know others would kill me, but I just use the cooking wine that can be found by the vinegar in the store. We don't drink so I don't have bottles of wine on hand.)<br />
2/3 C heavy whipping cream<br />
3 T fresh sage<br />
1 T olive oil<br />
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/3 inch or so<br />
salt and pepper<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
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In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add onions and sweat for a minute. Add the mushrooms, parsley and a pinch of salt and saute for approx. 10 minutes or so until they begin to get all soft and yummy-butter filled.<br />
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Add the wine and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon by scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the yummy bits from the onions and mushrooms. Add the cream (make sure your heat isn't too high so as not to curdle the cream, you want to slowly bring it to a higher heat). Now, bring it to a low boil and cook the sauce down for approx 10-15 minutes to allow it to thicken (You want it to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).<br />
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White the sauce is reducing, begin the pearled cous-cous in a small sauce pan.<br />
Then, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan and sear chicken on each side for 3-4 minutes, do not disturb while it cooks. It will gain a lovely caramelized color from the hot pan.<br />
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Now, back to the sauce. Add the chopped sage to the sauce, along with a pinch of salt and pepper (make sure you taste the sauce first to see how much salt you actually need to add).<br />
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I served this dish by first putting a scoop of pearled cous-cous on each plate, and topping it with the lovely seared chicken breast, and topped it off with a healthy scoop of the mushroom sage sauce. Then, garnish with a pretty sprinkle of parsley!<br />
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Then, fall out of your chair as the flavors burst in your mouth! Then, get back up and finish the rest of your dinner! You're welcome!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Adapted from: <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_breasts_with_mushroom_sage_sauce/">Simply Recipes</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-80701256300607742762012-09-08T14:54:00.001-07:002012-09-08T14:55:01.024-07:00Asparagus and Red Pepper Beef Stirfry I found this recipe a while back while looking for the perfect stirfry. I wasn't that enthused by the recipe, considering there weren't that many ingredients, but I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful the sauce was! It actually became our favorite stirfry recipe and I made it most nights that week; I'm not ashamed.<br />
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What's great about this recipe as well, is that it doesn't take long to go from prepping to the dinner table; as most stir fry's. I also love that I don't have to worry about side dishes with this one! I can never remember to plan for vegetable side dishes, which is why I love stir frys: the vegetables are already included!<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
3 T vegetable or peanut oil<br />
1 bundle of asparagus, bottoms trimmed and sliced into thirds*<br />
1 lb flank steak, sliced into thin strips<br />
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips<br />
Slurry: 2 tsp cornstarch whisked into 3 T water<br />
3 T soy sauce<br />
1 tsp ginger (I use the jarred version)<br />
1 clove garlic (again, I use the jarred version, crushed garlic)<br />
1 scallion, chopped<br />
1/2 tsp chili oil (or Sriracha** if you don't have chili oil)<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
Prepare your rice and set for 10-12 minutes.<br />
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For the asparagus, I have tried two methods here and both worked great, just choose whichever you'd prefer. Since you aren't going to cook the asparagus for very long, this step is going to help make the asparagus tender and not hard and woodsy.<br />
*1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the bottom half outer layer of the asparagus off (Obviously, do this before you cut the asparagus into thirds otherwise this step will be a bit difficult).<br />
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the asparagus pieces for several minutes and drain.<br />
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Prepare the sauce: Stir together the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, scallion and chili oil or Sriracha (**I didn't have chili oil the first several times I made this dish and used Sriracha instead. This time I did use chili oil, and I must say, I preferred the Sriracha. The Sriracha gives the dish a bit of heat and a bit more flavor).<br />
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Begin the stirfry: Add 1 T of oil. Start with the asparagus and cook on high heat for a few minutes until browning. Remove and set aside.<br />
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Add 1 T of oil to the pan and stirfry the beef strips in 2 batches for 1 minute on each side (2 minutes total); don't cook the beef any longer even though you might be tempted to. By the time the dish is ready, the meat will be so tough and dried out. Trust me, it might not look done, but just go with it.<br />
Then, add all the beef to the pan along with the bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes to allow pepper to soften.<br />
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Give the slurry one more stir to make sure the cornstarch is incorporated into the water and pour into the pan with the stir fry sauce. Allow to thicken for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and toss to combine all the ingredients.<br />
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Serve over white rice.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe adapted from: </span><a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/flank_steak_stir-fry_with_asparagus_and_red_pepper/" style="font-size: small;">Simply Recipes</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-86965924164033796142012-09-07T22:14:00.002-07:002012-09-07T22:14:59.867-07:00Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This dish was so outstanding! I was really surprised at how delicious and flavorful it was considering it took less than 15 minutes to make and there weren't many ingredients involved! Definitely make this one! I know that the fish sauce might kinda throw some people off, but just trust me... if you're careful with it and use it sparingly, it adds such depth and flavor. This was a perfect dish for two, we like lots of shrimp though! Do it!<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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1 tsp peanut oil<br />
4 scallions (green onions) diced, with the white and green parts separated<br />
1 Tb Thai Green Curry paste<br />
2 cloves Garlic, crushed<br />
1 lb shrimp<br />
10 oz light Coconut Milk<br />
6-8 dashes of Thai Fish Sauce (use sparingly and taste as you add)<br />
2 T fresh chopped Basil<br />
salt to taste<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
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Prepare 1 C dried rice and set for 10-12 minutes.<br />
Begin to peel and de-vein shrimp if necessary.<br />
Chop scallions and basil.<br />
In a 10 in skillet over med heat, add oil and let heat for 30 seconds or so.<br />
Add white scallions parts and curry paste and allow to cook for a minute or so, stirring to combine.<br />
Add garlic and stir to combine.<br />
Add shrimp and allow to cook for several minutes until the shrimp begin to turn pink.<br />
Add coconut milk and fish sauce* and stir to combine, allow to simmer 2-3 minutes to heat thoroughly.<br />
Turn heat off and add the green scallions parts and chopped basil and mix together.<br />
Serve over white rice.<br />
Be amazed at the deliciousness!<br />
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*Please, please, please be careful with the fish sauce. I just know that people are going to put a lot in and then hate me for suggested this recipe when the smell eminating from this dish makes you want to vomit, and it's so salty and fishy tasting. Fish sauce is super tricky: if you put too much, it can completely ruin a dish. If you put just the right amount in, it adds so much depth and flavor and you <i>cannot </i>taste fishiness at all. I promise. My husband would not eat it if he could taste it.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (I remember the time I followed the recipe and put 1/2 C fish sauce in a dish and that was the first time I refused to </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">allow my husband and I to finish the dish past one bite. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner instead. </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">That meal will go down in history as the worst dish I've ever made. So just DON'T do it.)</span></i><br />
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Be very careful. I accidentally added a dash too much in this dish, and compensated by adding more coconut milk and it was perfect! I ended up really liking the extra sauce that it provided for the rice, so I've written in the addition to the recipe here. After each dash or two, taste the sauce to see if it's right.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe adapted from: <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/thai-green-coconut-curry-shrimp-with.html">Gina's Skinny Recipes</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-88628680643482458872012-07-25T16:28:00.000-07:002012-07-25T16:28:37.364-07:00Grilled Chicken Week<br />
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This week came about because we are trying to be healthier; like <i>everyone</i> else, when aren't we? Grant wanted to do something a little simpler, well, wanted ME to do something simpler for dinners, like grilled chicken. I was totally up f<span style="background-color: white;">or th</span>at, but of course, I couldn't just make the same recipe every night, I had to find some fun recipes that were also easy-ish and not defeat the whole purpose of the plan.<br />
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I found some recipes online in various places and the result was pretty awesome! These recipes are originally for various amounts, and different types of chicken. I have changed each recipe for our liking: dinner for two. You may also click on the link to each recipe to see any changes I've made to the recipe or to the amounts.<br />
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A friend gave me some pretty good tips for grilling chicken, so I thought I'd just do an introductory post to explain the specifics of how I'll be grilling the chicken so I won't need to do it for each post.<br />
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<b>Grilling Tips:</b><br />
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1. I'm using medium sized chicken breasts which are about the size of my palm (roughly 6 inches long). And I'll be grilling them for approx. 6-7 minutes on <i>each</i> side. If you have larger ones, you'll need closer to 10 minutes per side.<br />
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2. Preheat grill on high. Then when you're ready to put the chicken on, turn down to med-low.<br />
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3. Spritz the grate with cooking spray several times so you're chicken is less likely to stick (Don't just spray the whole thing b/c you'll get major flare ups, just spritz it). Also, many people dip a paper towel in olive oil and using tongs, brush the grate with the paper towel. I myself haven't used this method, but most recipes will have you do this. I just find it easier to use Pam.<br />
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4. Place your chicken on the grill. If you want to give it that extra punch of prettiness, put it at an angle so you'll get cool grill marks. I place the large side of the breast closer to the middle of the grate since it's thicker and will need more time to cook. Close the lid and walk away.<br />
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5. Look at your watch (clock on your cell phone) and check the time so you know EXACTLY when to come back and check the chicken.<br />
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6. Flip your chicken to the other side. Close the cover, walk away again. Again, check your watch.<br />
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7. If basting, here's where you wanna do it. One thing I've learned is that if you put your chicken on the grill with a very sugary sauce on it (BBQ), it will be more likely to burn and char. You might like that, my husband, however, does not. It is better for me to wait and put it on the chicken at the end and cook the chicken for another minute to adhere the sauce to the chicken.<br />
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8. Plate your chicken and take it inside and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. If you cut right into it, all the juices will flow out of your chicken leaving you with dry chicken, and no one ever said "MMM" while eating a dry piece of chicken. Never. Don't do it. You'll be tempted... but you'll be mad at yourself.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">A lot of people have been requesting these recipes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Here are some pictures of this weeks dishes:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-73664067307468931352012-07-25T16:02:00.002-07:002012-07-25T16:02:29.280-07:00Day Four: Mustard Grilled Chicken with Creamy Polenta I was blown away by this dish. First off, I don't like dijon mustard. Second, I've never cooked with polenta before, nor mascarpone cheese. I was in for a real treat with this one! I was so pleasantly surprised by this recipe! My husband and I both really enjoyed this one; I'll definitely be making this again! <div>
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The one thing I'll do differently next time is to actually get quick cooking polenta. Since I'd never cooked with polenta before, I had no clue that it came in any other way than what I'd already seen before: a tube. So, a tube I used. Now, don't get me wrong... it was extremely delicious; but because it was in tube form it was pretty solid, and took quite some time to get it to break down into a smooth consistency. It would just be easier with quick cooking polenta. They also didn't have any plain polenta at the store, so I was forced to use a sun dried tomato flavored polenta; no complaining on this end. I was worried how it would taste combined with the ingredients I was going to add to it, but it was just scrumptious! My husband said the polenta reminded him of corn chowder, which, who doesn't like a thick creamy bowl of corn chowder!? Here I'll explain exactly how I made the polenta, but I would probably use the quick cooking kind next time.</div>
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That, combined with a delicious piece of mustard grilled chicken... just outrageous flavors! I must say that one thing I really liked was that the dijon wasn't overpowering, so if you're looking for very intense mustard flavor, maybe add some dry mustard into the mix. But for me, it was perfect, just mild and tasty! Get ready!</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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3 scallions, finely chopped</div>
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1/4 C dijon mustard</div>
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1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice</div>
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1 clove garlic (again, I find it easiest to use jarred crushed garlic, about 1 tsp)</div>
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2 boneless skinless chicken breasts</div>
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Olive oil</div>
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3 C water</div>
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1 tube polenta (or get quick cooking polenta and follow the directions on the bag, which I'll do next time)</div>
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1 tsp salt</div>
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1 tsp sugar</div>
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1 ear corn, kernels shaved off</div>
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1/2 C mascarpone cheese (this is similar to cream cheese, and typically comes in a container)</div>
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<b>Directions:</b></div>
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In a resealable bag, add scallions, mustard, lemon juice, and garlic and mix. Add chicken to the bag and seal. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours. </div>
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30 minutes before dinner, begin polenta. Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Slice tube of polenta into 1/2 inch chunks and whisk into water. You'll need some muscle for this step. Add salt, sugar, and continue to whisk that polenta until it begins to melt down to a smooth consistency. It will seem to take quite some time, but just stick with it, it'll get there (10-15 min). As it begins to form a smooth consistency, you can decide the texture you want it to be by adding more water. I started out with 2 cups and slowly added more along the way, and ended up with around 3 cups water.</div>
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Preheat your grill, lightly spritz grate with cooking spray. Place chicken on grate over med-low heat and grill for 6-7 minutes per side for 6-7 oz medium chicken breasts. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.</div>
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Add fresh corn kernels to polenta and cook a few minutes more (5-10 mins). Stir in mascarpone cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. It should now be a creamy chowder type consistency. </div>
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To serve, place chicken breast atop a generous bed of creamy, delectable polenta and enjoy!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Adapted from: <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/08/dinner-tonight-grilled-mustard-chicken-with-fresh-corn-polenta-recipe.html">Serious Eats</a></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-52299430466015929522012-07-25T12:12:00.000-07:002012-07-25T12:12:25.359-07:00Day Three: Huli Huli Chicken with Pineapple and Coconut Lime Rice<span style="background-color: white;"> Many of the recipes I've chosen to do during this grilled chicken week calls for whole chicken, which I chose not to use, as I'm cooking for only my husband and myself. Therefore, I've adapted the recipes to just using 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you would like to see the recipe for the whole chicken, please see the link at the bottom of the recipes. </span><br />
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This Huli Huli chicken is Hawaiian inspired with the pineapple juice and has a good punch from the soy sauce. This is really tasty! I also cut up a fresh pineapple to grill along with the chicken... so scrumptious! You could probably get away with using canned pineapple rings, which I've done in the past, but if you can find fresh pineapple in season, definitely go the extra step with the fresh... totally worth it! I also served this with a coconut lime rice.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">This recipe is a little bit more involved, but not difficult in the least, and definitely worth the extra few steps! The extra steps involve making a brine. More people are familiar with brines now since it's become this huge thing to bring turkeys at Thanksgiving (which if you haven't, you MUST try it! There is absolutely nothing like it! For a wonderful Turkey brine, try <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html">Alton Brown's</a>.) For those that are still in the dark about brines, basically it's a flavored liquid that you marinate </span><span style="background-color: white;">your lean meats in </span><span style="background-color: white;">(it's not technically marinating, but we'll just use that word for now), in order to create more moist and flavorful meat. Usually, most brines will include water, salt, sugar, and other flavoring agents. Your biggest issue with brining is finding a container large enough, but for this recipe, since we're only doing a few chicken breasts, we'll just use a resealable plastic bag. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<u>Brine</u><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">2 C cold water</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1/2 C soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1 tsp vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1-2 cloves garlic</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1 t fresh ginger (I have the jarred ginger, and it makes cooking with ginger much easier)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">2 boneless skinless chicken breasts</span><br />
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<u>Glaze</u><br />
9 oz pineapple juice (I used a pineapple coconut juice)<br />
2 Tbsp brown sugar<br />
2 T C soy sauce<br />
2 T ketchup<br />
2 T rice vinegar<br />
2 cloves garlic<br />
1 T fresh ginger<br />
1 t Sriracha<br />
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<u>Rice:</u><br />
1 C dry rice<br />
1 C coconut milk<br />
1 C water<br />
1 lime<br />
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1 fresh pineapple, cut into spears*<br />
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*Slice the top and bottom off the pineapple, and stand it up. Using a sharp knife, very carefully saw down the pineapple taking the rind off. Go back around, taking any leftover rind off and then slice the pineapple long ways down the middle. Slice each half in half again. Stand each quarter up, and carefully slice the hard core off. Then cut into spears for this recipe, or chunks for salads, stir fry, or snacks. It's kinda difficult at first, but after several tries, it becomes super easy.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Directions:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">For the brine, add vegetable oil to a small saucepan over med high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add water and soy sauce and stir to combine. Add liquid to a plastic bag and add chicken. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours. (I did this step in the morning, so it was ready to go by dinnertime. </span></div>
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30 minutes before you are going to eat, prepare your glaze. Combine pineapple juice, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Remove half of glaze to a separate bowl for serving (This is the step I forgot, and I seriously regret it. Once you put that glazing brush in the bowl and then the chicken, all is lost).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yWfVhwXNstU/UBBCf6wVRAI/AAAAAAAABY8/nFENi2GPsAc/s1600/HuliHuliGlaze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yWfVhwXNstU/UBBCf6wVRAI/AAAAAAAABY8/nFENi2GPsAc/s400/HuliHuliGlaze.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These pictures aren't the best, sorry bout that.</td></tr>
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Once you've got your glaze pretty much done, you're ready to start your chicken. Preheat your grill. Lightly spritz the grate with cooking spray, and make sure heat is med-low. Place your chicken on the grate and cook away, undisturbed. For large chicken breasts cook 9-10 minutes on each side; for small-medium (6-7oz) sized breasts, cook 6-7 minutes on each side. Then add your pineapple spears to the grill and watch carefully so they don't burn to a crisp. But definitely get some good color on there and allow them to caramelize a bit.</div>
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Now that you put your chicken on the grill, lets get the rice started. For just the hubby and I, I make 1 C dry rice for our dinners. Here's what I did. Heat 1 C coconut milk in saucepan with 1 C water. Add the juice of 1 lime and 1 C rice. Allow to come to a boil and turn down heat to very low. Set that timer for 10 minutes and wait for super delish rice (Time and heat may vary, but I find I get perfect rice on my frustrating stove this way). </div>
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When the rice has started go turn your chicken, and brush some glaze on the top. When the other side has had it's 6-7 minutes, turn the chicken and add more glaze. I let the chicken cook for just another minute or so to let the glaze kinda cook into the meat a bit. Plate your chicken and take it inside with you to rest while you finish up your rice. </div>
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To plate, place pineapple over a bed of coconut lime rice, served alongside chicken. Serve with reserved glaze on the side. Ooh and aah over these delish flavors!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Adapted from: <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/grilling-huli-huli-chicken-recipe.html">Serious Eats</a></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-83761431019354754202012-07-24T17:09:00.000-07:002012-07-25T12:14:04.005-07:00Day Two: Greek Chicken with Tzatziki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"> We really enjoyed this dish! The flavors were so strong and exotic! It was super flavorful! I served this with Near East's box of Mediterranean couscous and it was just the perfect match for the chicken and tzatziki! I was about to make Mediterranean couscous from scratch, but I just so happened to have a box in my pantry. I will definitely be making this again! Super tasty, and super easy! </span><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1/2 t turmeric<br />
sea salt<br />
1/4 c Greek yogurt<br />
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts<br />
sea salt<br />
Oregano for garnish<br />
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Olive Oil<br />
1 red onion, sliced into rings<br />
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper sliced into eighths<br />
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Tzatziki sauce:<br />
1 C Greek yogurt<br />
1/8 C fresh dill, chopped<br />
1/8 C fresh mint, chopped<br />
1 lemon, juiced<br />
1/3- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and finely chopped*<br />
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*If using a regular cucumber, make sure to seed the cucumber before dicing.<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
Combine turmeric and a pinch of salt with the Greek yogurt in a plastic bag. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.<br />
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Preheat grill. Spritz grill with Pam and place chicken breast on the grate. For small to medium breasts, grill 6 -7 minutes per side. For large chicken breasts, grill for 9-10 minutes per side.<br />
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Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on grill at the same time as chicken and turn with chicken. Watch closely so the vegetables do not burn, but only slightly begin to char; or let them burn, whatever you like!<br />
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Start couscous. Make according to box directions. Add ingredients to pot, bring to a boil, add couscous and remove from heat and allow to sit for five minutes before fluffing with a fork.<br />
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While chicken is grilling, make tzatziki sauce. Combine yogurt with the fresh dill, mint, lemon juice, cucumber. Season with salt. Refrigerate.<br />
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Serve chicken on top of couscous with a dollop of tzatziki sauce. Serve grilled vegetables alongside chicken. Be amazed at your awesome skills!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Adapted from: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-extraordinary-chicken-with-greek-tzatziki-recipe/index.html">Food Network</a></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-73422431553919215092012-07-16T06:06:00.000-07:002012-07-25T16:05:03.270-07:00Day One: Grilled Chicken with Pepper Peach Relish<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<u>For the Chicken</u><br />
1/4 t salt<br />
1/8 t <i>each</i> of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg<br />
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts; roughly 6 oz each<br />
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<u>For the Glaze</u><br />
1/4 C peach preserves<br />
2 T lemon juice<br />
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes<br />
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<u>For the Relish</u><br />
1 medium peach, peeled and finely chopped<br />
1/3 C red bell pepper, finely chopped<br />
1/3 C yellow bell pepper, finely chopped<br />
1 green onion (scallion), finely chopped<br />
2 T fresh mint, minced<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
Prep and Heat the grill to medium.<br />
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Combine the spices and rub onto chicken; set aside.<br />
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Combine ingredients for glaze; set aside.<br />
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Combine ingredients for relish; set aside.<br />
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Spray grill lightly with cooking spray (careful with this, spray in spurts so as not to attract huge flareups). [Alt. Using tongs, brush the grate with a paper towel coated in oil].<br />
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Place chicken on grill and cover; cook for roughly 6 minutes on each side. Baste frequently with glaze.<br />
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Serve with pepper peach relish.<br />
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I served this with an orzo side dish.<br />
I cooked 1/2 C of orzo, tossed it with 2 T olive oil, 1 T fresh basil, and some salt and pepper.<br />
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This was pretty delicious. The relish gave this a great pop of flavor. Very simple to make, especially if you make the glaze and relish earlier in the day (which would probably make it more flavorful anyways). I also thought that it might be really good to add some jalapeno to the relish next time I make it. I will definitely make this one again; we both really enjoyed it!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-25166256196174268492012-02-24T11:32:00.000-08:002012-02-24T11:32:57.318-08:00Saltine Toffee This stuff.... there are hardly words to describe how delicious this little treat is!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-93LCYRY2ZPg/T0fj4ZKahAI/AAAAAAAABPY/SF-RJm9PUdI/s1600/SAM_0961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-93LCYRY2ZPg/T0fj4ZKahAI/AAAAAAAABPY/SF-RJm9PUdI/s400/SAM_0961.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Several years ago we were gathered at my grandparents house in Riverside, CA preparing a holiday meal together when my uncle told us about this little dessert/treat he was going to make us. He said that his friend brought it to work one day and it was so addicting and everyone loved it, so he got the recipe to make for us. We were all excited... until we heard the ingredients: saltine crackers mixed with chocolate and a caramely sauce. Now, the chocolate and caramel sauce sounded great... but we were all a little skeptical about it being paired with saltine crackers. But, we told him we'd give it a shot.<br />
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Boy oh boy were we ever so wrong. This is seriously addicting. We all pretty much stuffed ourselves with this rich and tasty treat that we weren't really too hungry when dinner came around. Whoops!<br />
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Now, years later, I remembered the recipe and wanted to try it again, when I searched online for it... everyone was referring to it as "crack" because of how addicting it is... which made me laugh. It <i>is</i> pretty addicting. Therefore, you must go try it! It's super simple and easy to make with very few steps for a super big tasting treat! So, go, right now, and find these items to make this... I'll wait.<br />
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30-50 saltine crackers, depending upon how large your cookie sheet is, I used 48 for my large pan<br />
1 C butter (add another 1/4 C if you are using more than 40 crackers)<br />
1 C brown sugar (again, more if you're making a larger batch)<br />
2 C semisweet chocolate chips<br />
*optional: add crushed nuts to the top, or even crushed pretzels would be good... but I'm a purist, just chocolate for me please!<br />
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Preheat oven to 400°.<br />
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Line cookie sheet with foil and allow extra to fold over the edges for easy clean up.<br />
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Line the foil with the saltine crackers, covering the whole sheet, allowing for no space between each.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jqtKcEgeb8/T0fkBl0E3lI/AAAAAAAABPg/vseWpXXLN_Y/s1600/SAM_0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jqtKcEgeb8/T0fkBl0E3lI/AAAAAAAABPg/vseWpXXLN_Y/s400/SAM_0936.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a Paula Dean Jelly Roll pan which is something like 12x17</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In a saucepan, allow your butter to melt and add your sugar. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for a few minutes more until thickened.<br />
<i>**Be SUPER careful on this step. This is turning into a caramel type sauce and if you touch even a tiny bit it WILL burn you... I say this from multiple experiences. </i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M4J5fa2TaDs/T0fkp5rEZ9I/AAAAAAAABPo/ua_LX4L2Ocg/s1600/Saltine+Toffee+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M4J5fa2TaDs/T0fkp5rEZ9I/AAAAAAAABPo/ua_LX4L2Ocg/s400/Saltine+Toffee+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pour this mixture over your crackers, taking care to try and make sure that it is evenly distributed. You don't want to leave any poor cracker out of this step, or you'll hurt its feelings.<br />
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Bake this for 5-6 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle the crackers with chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute or so (to allow the chocolate to get soft and melty), and then, using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate over the top to evenly coat.<br />
<i>**Again, if you do not have an offset spatula... GET ONE! They're not expensive at all, and it will make your cooking life so much easier. I have used it for SO many things.</i><br />
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If you're using nuts or pretzels, now is the time to add them, while the chocolate is still warm and not hardened.<br />
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Allow to cool completely. I let it cool on the counter for a while, 30 minutes or so, and then put it in the fridge to further cool down.<br />
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Take it out, break it into pieces and enjoy!<br />
Break it into toffee type pices, on the diagonal, etc. This last time I went to break it into pieces and they just all came apart in the squares of the cracker, which worked perfectly fine too.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: My Uncle's friend, unknown to me, but super awesome for having this great recipe!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-76854636863577985512012-02-24T10:50:00.000-08:002012-09-07T22:15:33.848-07:00Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry Grant and I LOVE Thai food. There's this great little place in Bakersfield called the Thai House on Ming that we were introduced to a while back courtesy of Grant's previous occupation. We love to go there and get their Tom Yum Goong soup (spicy and sour soup with shrimp, straw mushrooms, carrots, and cilantro), Grant loves their Pad Kee Mow (drunken noodles with chicken and bell peppers, extra spicy), and my favorite the Yellow Curry Fried Rice, which is chicken with rice and lots of curry powder... yum! My dream is to recreate that dish at home sometime! <div>
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I've been in a bit of a Thai cooking frenzy lately. Last week I think three of our dinners consisted of Thai dishes. What I love about it is that they were all Thai dishes, and yet all so distinctly different. I love the sweet, spicy, and salty combinations. I love the hint of citrus in some of the dishes. It's all just so great! </div>
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This dish is great. I loved the addition of pineapple, it added such a brightness to the dish. </div>
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1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks</div>
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1 tbsp <a href="http://www.thaikitchen.com/products/sauces-and-pastes/premium-fish-sauce.aspx">Thai Kitchen fish sauce</a></div>
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2 tbsp cornstarch</div>
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1 tbsp oil, divided</div>
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1 tsp garlic</div>
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1 tsp ginger</div>
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2 C bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks (whatever color you like)</div>
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1 serrano chili pepper, chopped (if you don't want the heat, just take out the seeds and ribs)</div>
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1 can pineapple chunks, 1/4 C juice reserved</div>
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1/2 C Sweet and Spicy Chili dipping sauce *Next time I'm going to attempt to make my own Chili sauce!</div>
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cilantro </div>
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Combine chicken and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir to coat. Set aside.</div>
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Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in skillet, add chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet to a bowl or plate and cover to keep warm. </div>
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Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in large skillet over med high. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or so; be careful not to burn garlic. Add peppers, serrano pepper and pineapple and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes until peppers are close to the texture you want. Add the Chili dipping sauce and reserved pineapple juice; cook a few more minutes until it begins to thicken. Add chicken and toss to coat.</div>
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Serve over white rice and garnish with a sprinkling of cilantro. Then enjoy and make yummy noises!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/06/thai-chicken-and-pineapple-stir-fry.html#more">Gina's Skinny Recipes</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-73877809008667010492012-02-23T11:31:00.001-08:002012-02-23T11:31:42.889-08:00Parmigiana Spinach Chicken Rollatini Don't be thrown off by the fancy title of this dish... it's really not a complicated dish at all. When you're finished though, it will look very pretty, maybe even restaurant worthy... if you're not serving it on cheap plastic Lego dishes like I am.<br />
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5 thinly sliced breast fillets (or you can just use a breast and pound it down to make it very thin)<br />
1/2 C Panko breadcrumbs<br />
1 tbsp Italian seasonings<br />
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided in half<br />
5 tbsp egg whites, lightly beaten<br />
5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry<br />
4 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese<br />
6 oz part skim mozzarella (get the fresh block instead of the grated or sliced mozzarella)<br />
1 C marinara sauce<br />
salt and pepper<br />
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Preheat oven to 450°. Spray your 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray.<br />
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Mix together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, and half of the grated Parmesan in one bowl.<br />
In another bowl, lightly beat 4 egg whites.<br />
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Shred 1.5 oz mozzarella cheese (slice the rest into 5 even slices and set aside) and combine with the rest of the Parmesan, spinach, 1 egg white, and ricotta cheese.<br />
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With your breast fillets lined one a cutting board, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread 2 tbsp of the spinach cheese mixture onto each one. Roll them up and keep seam side down.<br />
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Dip each chicken breast fillet into the egg whites, then breadcrumbs, and place seam side down in your baking dish. Spray with a little olive oil spray.<br />
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Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top each with a nice hefty scoop of marinara sauce and then a slice of mozzarella cheese.<br />
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Continue to bake until the cheese is melted, another 5 minutes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/chicken-rollatini-with-spinach-alla.html">Gina's Skinny Recipes</a></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-6267146266758363822012-02-23T10:43:00.000-08:002012-02-23T10:43:17.280-08:00Olive Garden's Italian Sausage Soup This soup was great. It was really fast and really easy to make. It's a pretty simple recipe as there aren't that many ingredients, but it all adds up to a very hearty and delicious soup. And, it's pretty healthy as well. I used Jenny-O Italian Turkey sausage to cut the fat some. I don't make many soups with a beef broth base, so I wasn't sure how I'd like this one, but it was really tasty! I'm definitely going to be making this soup again!<div>
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<div>
1 lb sweet Italain sausage, ground (I used the Jenny-O Italian sausage links, and took them out of their casings)</div>
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1 C white rice</div>
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1 Cup chopped tomatoes in puree (10 3/4 oz can)</div>
<div>
10 oz box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained</div>
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6 C beef broth</div>
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1/4 tsp black pepper</div>
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Pecorino Ramano cheese, for garnish</div>
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Brown the sausage in a soup pot and. Add the rice, broth, tomatoes, and pepper and bring to a simmer. </div>
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Simmer for 12- 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in chopped spinach and let simmer a few more minutes.</div>
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Serve the soup with a healthy amount freshly grated cheese on top.</div>
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That's it! Couldn't be easier or tastier! </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.olivegarden.com/Connections-to-Italy/Recipes/Soup/Italian-Sausage-Soup/">Olive Garden</a></span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-40321955362265315762012-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:002012-02-22T18:09:06.882-08:00Cheesy Ground Beef Enchiladas I lost my camera before I was able to upload them here for this recipe. Really sorry. But, you can check out the pictures over at <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/simple-perfect-enchiladas/">The Pioneer Woman</a>. Sorry about that. I HATE cooking something when I don't have a visual to look at. It makes me not want to cook the meal. I love to see what the finished product should look like, so I know if I did something wrong. Plus, the picture is what makes me decide if I want to cook the meal or not. Sometimes the ingredients are questionable, but if it looks really yummy in the picture, I'll give it a shot. So, ultimately, sorry for the mishap. But really, we should all be more sorry about the fact that I lost my camera... sad day. Let's all take a moment of silence for my poor camera, out there in the world, thinking that it's owner has abandoned it. I can't talk about this any more...<br />
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I was in the mood for a little something different, so I chose to use flour tortillas instead of corn this time. Definitely different than corn enchiladas, but they were still really good, kinda chewy and very soft, which we liked.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 1/2 lb ground beef<br />
1 medium yellow onion, chopped<br />
1 7oz can chopped green chiles<br />
1 tsp chili powder<br />
1 tsp Mexican oregano<br />
1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />
1/2 tsp paprika<br />
1/2 tsp coriander<br />
20 medium flour tortillas<br />
8oz freshly grated cheddar cheese<br />
8oz freshly grated monterey jack cheese<br />
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Sauce:<br />
1 tbsp canola oil<br />
1 tbsp flour<br />
1 28oz can of your favorite enchilada sauce<br />
2 C chicken broth<br />
salt and pepper<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
For the sauce: In a saucepan over medium, heat the oil and flour for <b>1 minute </b>(not 2), and whisk together continuously so as not to burn it... like I <i>might</i> have done one, two, maybe three times. Add the enchilada sauce, broth and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or so.<br />
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Brown the ground beef and onions and drain. Add the green chiles and all of the seasonings. Mix well and sautee for several minutes to let the goodness seep into the meat and make it all flavorful. This step is important, and made a big difference in the outcome of my enchiladas, as compared with previous efforts.<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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Shred the cheese and mix together (Freshly grated cheese is super important here people... I am now a firm believer, I have been converted to block cheese, it's pretty much all I use now!)<br />
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Spread some sauce on the bottom of a pan (I used a baking sheet, like you would use for cookies. It's a Paula Dean, and I think it's a little bit bigger than a typical cookie sheet and the sides are a teensy bit higher, and it works perfectly for enchiladas).<br />
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Make your enchiladas: Hold your tortilla in one hand, and pour 2 -3 tbsp of the meat into the center, making a line. Sprinkle 2 tbsp cheese over the top. Pour 2 tbsp sauce over the top and roll tightly. Place in the pan and continue to make the rest of the enchiladas. Pour sauce over the top and bake for 15 minutes.<br />
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Take the enchiladas out and* sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.<br />
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*Next time I would pour a small amount more of sauce over the top of the enchiladas because they looked a little dry. They weren't dry, they just looked it, probably because I didn't dip them in oil before I assembled the enchilada. But it was okay, they didn't taste dry at all, they were super cheesy, super soft and chewy.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Adapted from: <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/simple-perfect-enchiladas/">The Pioneer Woman</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-69671020794167711772012-02-22T17:45:00.000-08:002012-09-08T14:55:08.372-07:00Mongolian Beef<br />
.....or as my husband called it Candied Beef.<br />
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This was probably one of the first Asian dishes that I cooked that I felt like I was eating at an actual restaurant. One can make good Asian dishes at home, but there is usually something missing, like that finish on the chicken or beef that makes it crispy. Well, this dish was not missing that special something. I felt like I was eating at PF Chang's (since it's supposedly their recipe and all).<br />
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We really liked this recipe... but watch out, because as my husband observed, it's pretty sweet! It's definitely not a dull version of Mongolian Beef. I really liked it.<br />
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2 tbsp Vegetable oil<br />
1 tsp ginger<br />
2 tbsp garlic<br />
1/2 C soy sauce<br />
1 C brown sugar (if you don't want it as sweet, you might use 1/2 to 2/3 C instead)<br />
1/2 C Vegetable oil<br />
1 lb flank steak or sirloin sliced thinly <i>(I used top sirloin, and this is a big key I think. You want to make sure you get good quality beef, since it's the star of the show, you'll really notice if it's tough and chewy).</i><br />
1/4 C cornstarch<br />
3 green onions, sliced 1-2 inches in length, on a bias<br />
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Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and add soy sauce. You want to work quickly so that garlic doesn't burn. Slowly add the sugar and stir, allowing it to dissolve. Allow the sauce to come to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Remove and set aside.<br />
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Cut steak into thin strips and put in a bag with cornstarch and shake to coat. Let meat sit for 10 minutes, so the cornstarch will stick to the meat.<br />
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Put 1/2 C vegetable oil in a wok or skillet and heat to medium high. Add the meat and brown for 3-4 minutes. **<i>Watch carefully, this is another step where your meat can become tough if cooked too long. DO NOT wait for your meat to be fully cooked, otherwise it will dry out completely. We are going to continue cooking the meat in a minute.</i> Remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels.<br />
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Clean the pan out and return the meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook another minute. Add the green onions and cook another minute.<br />
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Serve over white sticky rice.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2010/09/mongolian-beef-broccoli.html">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-21177956673539250112012-02-08T10:20:00.001-08:002012-02-08T10:20:57.977-08:00Bloglov'n<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1865479/green-megs-amp-ham?claim=h3y4rka4swp">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-12624674791011224172011-10-13T21:22:00.000-07:002012-07-25T16:03:07.486-07:00Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Rice Soup<br />
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It's that time of year again... soup weather! I love soup weather. And we had a bit of a rain storm a few weeks back that made me immediately begin searching for a delicious looking soup recipe. And I found one.<br />
This soup takes a bit of time, but it was quite worth it. Especially if you like sausage (Yes!), Butternut Squash (Yes!), Rice (Yes!), and Corn (Yes!)!!!<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
A 3-4 lb Butternut Squash<br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
salt and pepper<br />
12 C chicken stock<br />
2 1/2 C chopped onions<br />
1 C wild rice (I didn't have wild rice, so I just used regular white rice, it was really good, but I'm interested in trying it with the wild rice next time).<br />
3/4 lb smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut in half, then in half again<br />
2 C fresh corn kernels (I cut my kernels right off the cob and tossed them in with the soup)<br />
1 1/2 C half and half<br />
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br />
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Peel, seed and slice your squash into 1 inch chunks. Be careful because this squash is difficult to peel. As you can tell, I bent my peeler. I had to buy a new one... YAH! I mean, darn!<br />
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Place the chunks onto a baking sheet lined with foil and toss with 1 tbsp of oil and salt and pepper (Make sure you don't slather it with the oil, just 1 tbsp, you'd be surprised at how far that tbsp will go. I've made the mistake of putting too much oil before, it doesn't roast right). </div>
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Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. Remove from the oven. Using a spatula, gently move the pieces around so that they don't get stuck to the foil while cooling. Be careful so that the foil does not tear and then you'll be picking little tiny foil pieces out of your squash. </div>
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Once the squash is cool, place in a blender or a food processor (I used a blendor, I think next time I'll use a processor, this was too much squash for a blender. I found it to be very tedious trying to shove the squash on top down to the bottom of the blender to be pureed. It was frustrating... learn from me. Unless, of course, all you have is a blender, then my suggestion is to work in batches), with 2 C of chicken stop and puree until smooth. </div>
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In a saucepan over medium heat, add 4 C of stock and 1/2 C onions and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and cook until done, about an hour (Unless you use an instant type rice that doesn't take that long... my vote!). Remove and let cool.<br />
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In a large pot over medium, add a tbsp of oil. Add the sausage and brown for a few minutes. Add the rest of the onions and the corn and season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes more. Add the last 6 C of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry about the weird glare thing going on here</td></tr>
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Stir in the rice and continue cooking for 10 more minutes. (There was no reason to continue cooking for another 10 minutes with the plain white rice, mental note for next time!)<br />
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Remove from the heat and stir in the half and half and season with salt and pepper to taste.<br />
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Garnish with parsley and dig into this delish soup!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/smoked-sausage-butternut-squash-and-wild-rice-soup-recipe/index.html">Emeril Lagasse</a> (Maker of the best soups ever!)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-73789972765636874842011-10-13T20:53:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.583-07:00Asian Ground Beef Lettuce Cups <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we're looking for a starchless meal, I always go to Lettuce Cups. They're super easy, and full of flavor. I typically use chicken, and cut it up into small pieces. I found a new recipe that looked pretty good and thought I'd give it a shot, but, I didn't have any chicken, only ground beef. Still, I thought I'd try it and hope for the best. Well, my wishes were realized as this dish was super tasty! </div>
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The first time I made it, I didn't measure my soy sauce, and it was super salty. The second time I made sure to measure my soy sauce and it turned out much better. It was still really good the first time, just really salty. So, just make sure to measure that bad boy out.</div>
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<u>Ingredients:</u></div>
<div>
1 Tbsp oil</div>
<div>
1/2 - 3/4 C shredded carrots</div>
<div>
1 celery rib, finely diced</div>
<div>
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced</div>
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15 sugar snap peas, finely diced</div>
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1/2 C red onion</div>
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1 - 1 1/2 ground beef</div>
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Iceberg lettuce leaves (I usually use butter lettuce, but this was good too)</div>
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2 tbsp diced scallions (green onions)</div>
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Sauce:</div>
<div>
1/2 C soy sauce</div>
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3 tbsp minced garlic</div>
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3 tbsp minced ginger</div>
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3 tbsp sambal hot sauce</div>
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3 tbsp apricot preserves</div>
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1/4 C rice vinegar</div>
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3 tbsp hoisin sauce</div>
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1 tsp minced cilantro</div>
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2 tsp sesame seeds</div>
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1 tsp sesame oil</div>
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(Mix ingredients together and stir well before serving)</div>
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<u>Directions:</u></div>
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In a medium saucepan, brown the ground beef. Drain the beef and set aside. </div>
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Add a tbsp oil to the skillet and add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. </div>
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Add the ground beef and mix together.</div>
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Add the Apricot Sambal sauce and scallions and let simmer for a few minutes so that the juices get all yummy together in the meat and veggies.</div>
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Add the beef mixture to a bowl. Place your lettuce leaves onto a plate and serve. </div>
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I serve this out of one bowl, and give each of us a plate for our lettuce leaves. It makes it really easy to dish up, rather than trying to split the mixture between two plates, then one might want more or less than I served, so one bowl works well for us. </div>
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I know I said I use lettuce cups as starchless meals, but with this one I did make some white rice. I layered my rice then the beef mixture into the lettuce cup, rolled it up and chowed down. The rice helped to cut the saltiness of the soy sauce. It was really good. </div>
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Super easy, super good, super flavorful! </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/chicken-lettuce-cups-recipe/index.html">Guy Fieri</a></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-72466268879136362062011-10-13T17:39:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.576-07:00Chile Verde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mmmmm, there's something so wonderful about sitting down at the end of the day, and diving into a meal that's been cooking all day long; very satisfying. The whole house smells like the delicious aroma of what's been simmering on the stove for hours, and it's intoxicating! The only thing is... you really have to plan out your day around the meal, b/c you have to make sure that you have enough time to do all the steps... especially when you have a little baby that is so demanding! geesh! :)<br />
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Thankfully, said baby was extra wonderful on Saturday when I started this project. When she was down for her morning nap, around 9am, I thought I'd get started, and boy am I glad I did! While this Chile Verde is by no means hard at all, it can be considered a bit time consuming. Now, there are ways to get around this by buying canned tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, chiles, etc. But, when you want the satisfaction of making things from scratch... you buy the ingredients and do the roasting yourself. Also, another way to cut time... a lot of time, is by buying your meat cut into chunks already... or at least asking your butcher to cut the meat up for you once you pick our your slab. I, however, did not do that... and cutting up the meat took the LONGEST time. I won't be doing that again, I don't care if the meat quality is slightly less. It got old after a half an hour of trying to cut chunks off a bone-y slab o' meat. Never again!<br />
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This was pretty good! The husband liked it, and the guests enjoyed it as well. This is one of those meals that is a special occasion kinda meal. Enjoy!<br />
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<u>Ingredients;</u><br />
1 1/2 lb tomatillos<br />
8 garlic cloves (3 finely chopped, 5 unpeeled for roasting)<br />
2 jalapenos, chopped (I kept in the seeds and membranes, and it had a bit of a kick, but not too much)<br />
2 Anaheim or Pablano chiles<br />
1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned<br />
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3 1/2 - 4 lbs pork sholder (pork butt), trimmed of fat and cut into 1-2 in chunks<br />
Flour<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
Olive oil<br />
2 yellow onions, chopped<br />
1 tbsp dried oregano<br />
1 tbsp cumin<br />
2 1/2 C chicken stock<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
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Here are your greens for the sauce:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">onions, jalapenos, anaheim chiles, garlic, cilantro, and tomatillos</td></tr>
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Get your broiler started, and place your 2 Anaheim chiles under the broiler and continue watching them closely, b/c you will need to turn them every so often to make sure they blacken on all sides. This took approximately 10 minutes; but SO much easier than putting them over an open flame on the stove and waiting as it blackens at a snails pace. </div>
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Once the peppers are done, and completely black, place in a container and cover with plastic wrap to allow the skin to steam and come off easily. Let those chill and steam while you work on the tomatillos.</div>
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Take the husks off the tomatillos, and rinse. Be careful because they are quite sticky once you take the papery husks off. Slice the tomatillos in half and place on a foil-lined baking sheet, face down. Take your 3 unpeeled garlic and place on the pan with your tomatillos.</div>
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Here's the part where you can do one of two things, either broil or bake. I prefer broil b/c it takes a LOT less time. The only problem is... my broiler is under the oven, so I had to keep an eye out and continue bending over to check the tomatillos, which was a little irritating, but I prefer it to waiting for an hour or more for the tomatillos to roast in the oven. So go with your fancy. (If you roast in the oven, roast at about 350-400 for an hour or so). Otherwise... broil for 7-10 minutes. (B/c my broiler was under the stove, a pan wouldn't fit, so I had to place them on the broiler sheet individually with tongs, which was fine, just make sure those legs are bendy!)<br />
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Chop your jalapenos, and place in a blender, along with the tomatillos, cilantro leaves, the roasted garlic that you have now peeled, and the Anaheim chiles. (Once the tomatillos are done roasting, take your chiles out of the container and gently peal off the skin and chop. I kept the seeds) Pulse ingredients until smooth and all mixed together. It will smell wonderful!<br />
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The next step is a bit frustrating... only because the pork butt can be a little hard to cut if you get a whole chunk of it. Next time, I will definitely get the meat pre-cut, this step took up way too much time! While everything is roasting, begin cutting the meat into chunks. Pour a tbsp of oil into a hot skillet. Place some flour in a bowl, and put a few chunks into the bowl and roll 'em around to coat. Working in batches, so that the meat will brown evenly and get a nice crispy coating to it, put some of the meat into the skillet and cook for a minute on each side. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.<br />
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You can do this next step at the same time as the meat, or wait until you are finished with the meat (I tried to save time so I did this step while the meat was cooking and then just transferred the meat right into the pot). In a large pot, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the meat, oregano, and cumin. Let the seasonings cook into the meat for a minute before adding the tomatillo mixture. Then add the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.<br />
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Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let cook for 2-3 hours.<br />
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Serve with white rice and tortillas. Mmmm starch and more starch!<br />
And, those I served this dish to liked the addition of some sour cream.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/">Simply Recipes</a></span><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-52070586312861787512011-10-13T17:31:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.557-07:00Taco Salad<br />
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Game night at church is the second Friday of every month. And I love it! I love getting to meet up with people from church and chat with them and catch up on things we don't have time to talk about on Sunday morning. But, the best part: the food everyone brings! I always try to change it up and bring something fun and interesting. Even though I love to bake, usually we have a ridiculous amount of dessert, so I am resigned to bring a dinner type of dish each month; which is great, because it allows me to find new recipes to try that I normally wouldn't.<br />
Last month I was looking for something fun and different, and I came across a Taco Salad recipe. We love taco salad. When I started dating Grant he introduced me to the addition of Catalina dressing poured on top of the salad. I thought it might be kinda weird at first, but because I love Catalina dressing, I was all about trying it... and it was SO delish! I will never go back to having a normal taco salad!<br />
What I like about this recipe though, is that it adds a little something I didn't used to include, beans. Duh, Meghan! I don't know why I never thought of it before. Needless to say this recipe is super delish, and I could not have received more compliments throughout the evening on it.<br />
So, the next time you are looking for something easy and fast, yet still not skimping on taste, try this one out!<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
2 lb ground beef (We like things meaty, so I added the extra half pound)<br />
2 packets of taco seasoning mix (I just use my McKormick seasoning container from Costco!, and A LOT of it! Season that meat up baby! Make it tasty!)<br />
1 bag shredded lettuce<br />
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese<br />
2 Cup chopped tomatoes<br />
2 Cup chopped onions<br />
1 medium can of sliced olives (I give them a rough chop)<br />
2 15oz cans Ranch style beans (1 used S&W, and they're exact title is Chili Beans in a Zesty Tomato Sauce)<br />
1 bag of corn chips (I used the small ones to make it more bite size)<br />
1 16oz bottle Catalina dressing<br />
1 12oz jar salsa<br />
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**This makes a pretty good amount of salad, so if it's just for 2 people, I might cut it in half. Although, every time I make it I wish there were leftovers, so I would probably make this amount and save it for meals later. Obviously, don't mix it all together though or some of the ingredients will be soggy and wilty.<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
Brown the ground beef and onion, and drain. Add the Taco seasoning mix and 1 C water and simmer for roughly 10 minutes or until the meat has soaked up all the water, making it all kindsa juicy!<br />
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Add the beans with some of the juices to the pan and continue simmering for however long you like, I simmered for about 10-15 minutes.<br />
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In a bowl, add the chips, the ground beef and bean mixture, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, Catalina dressing, and salsa. Mix this delish concoction together until everything is married together with screams of joy! Sprinkle cheese on top, dish and devour!<br />
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You could even add sour cream as well, but I chose to stick to the recipe this time, and it was really tasty!<br />
You will not be upset about trying this one folks!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Adapted from: <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/-Trash-Bag--Taco-Salad">Taste of Home</a></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-1532658476654688762011-09-12T17:36:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.543-07:00Beef and Mushroom Lasagna There was one dish that my Nana would always make whenever we would drive the ten hours to visit her and my grandfather in Weed, CA; and that was lasagna. It was her signature dish. I remember it would take so long to make, and no one was allowed in the kitchen while she was cooking... it was agony. Of course I just wanted to go into the kitchen since I wasn't allowed... I was just one small little person right?<br />
I remember loving lasagna back then. I've come to realize that I think I loved the idea of my Nana spending so much time putting her love into that lasagna for us much more than I actually loved the lasagna. I've had many different types of lasagna, and I've made it myself many times, and I never feel overjoyed after eating it. Ever.<br />
I'll be honest, I actually do like some lasagna... you know, the frozen kind? Embarrassing right? Oh well, I admit it. So, that leads me to tonight's recipe... Corned Beef and Cabbage... Just kidding, Lasagna. While I didn't think it was the best thing ever, I do think that it was pretty good for what it was... a quick lasagna that didn't take a lot of prep, using fast ingredients. But, I do think that with a couple changes, I could make it into something that I'd love. I will probably make my own Bechemel sauce next time instead of using the Cream of Mushroom, and I'd add sauteed mushrooms. I would also probably spring for a jar of sauce that was a richer in taste, and probably use more than just one jar (for leftovers, it wasn't sauce-y enough for me).<br />
While I didn't think it was the best, Grant thought it was really good, and went back for seconds. He didn't mind the Cream of Mushroom taste. So I guess that's a good sign. (Although, once I made a super fancy lasagna, using wine and everything, and he hated it... he doesn't really care for super fancy foods. He tends to like simple comfort foods, like the time I made him Beef Stroganoff... again, that's for another time)<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup<br />
1/2 C Milk<br />
1- 1 /12 lb Ground beef<br />
1 jar Spaghetti sauce (I used Marinara, I might use something different next time)<br />
1 box of Barilla No Boil Lasagna noodles<br />
8 oz Mozzarella, shredded<br />
Italian seasonings<br />
Garlic Powder or fresh garlic<br />
dash of salt<br />
dash of crushed red pepper for a little spicy kick if ya like<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
If using regular lasagna noodles, prepare those. Otherwise, get started:<br />
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In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain any fat and add your seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, red pepper, and Italian Seasonings.<br />
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In a medium bowl, mix together the Cream of Mushroom Soup and 1/2 C milk.<br />
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When finished, add the jar of spaghetti sauce, saving just a little to lightly cover the bottom of your 9x13 baking pan.<br />
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In your baking pan (that has a little bit of sauce on the bottom), overlap 4 of the No Boil Noodles (or 3 regular noodles). Spread half of the ground beef mixture on top of the noodles. Lay another layer of the noodles on top.<br />
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Spread half of the Cream of Mushroom soup over the noodles, and top with half of the cheese and another layer of noodles.<br />
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Repeat the last two steps one more time.<br />
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Place in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. The outside of the noodles won't look completely finished, but the inside will be done. (In an effort to avoid this, next time I would soak the No Boil noodles in some water for 5 minutes or so, shedding the cooking time).<br />
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So while I would make a few changes, this wasn't too bad. Especially if you're looking for something quick and easy. I think this could be just a launching pad for all different types of fast and easy lasagnas. It was great because once the lasagna was in the oven and I turned around to clean things up, I noticed I didn't have a load of crap to clean... and that was the best part of this dish!<br />
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Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/beef-and-mushroom-lasagna-141256/">Kitchen Daily</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-16633766874621726772011-09-07T21:05:00.000-07:002011-09-07T21:05:51.165-07:00Genius!Okay, I don't think that my little cooking heart could be happier right now!<br />
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Look at this super duper adorable <a href="http://www.spearmintbaby.com/2011/09/from-nightstand-to-play-kitchen/">Play Kitchen</a>! oooo, be still my heart!<br />
Here's the crazy part... it was made from a small dresser... yup! a dresser! Craziness right?!<br />
I can't wait until Abby is older and she can help me cook in the kitchen... I just hope I have the patience to let her help me! She will be a chef one day... in my dreams of course...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-636120574823354332011-09-05T22:08:00.000-07:002011-09-05T22:09:50.538-07:00Coconut Sherbet Pie Doesn't everyone call it SherbeRt? Well, you're wrong! Just so ya know. I always used to call it SherbeRt... until I had a very anal friend correct me... it's in fact, sherbet... no R. I would laugh so hard b/c it used to irritate her so much when people called it sherbert instead of sherbet. People and their weird anal quirks. I have 'em too, so I can't really argue with her too much!<br />
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Looking for the perfect summer dessert? Look no further! This is it... you found it!<br />
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<br /> Let me tell you how delicious this is! Oh Dear Goodness! This will not disappoint... if you like sherbet of course! I made this Saturday night for dessert when we went over to a friends house for dinner. They made some delicious tri-tip, baked potato, and a fancy salad. Plus, for appetizers, we had virgin Strawberry Margaritas, a fruit tray with some really tasty cheese, as well as some cream cheese topped with spicy jalapeno jelly with crackers. Crazy right?! It was sooo good. I felt so spoiled... and stuffed at the end of the night!<br />
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This would also be good with other kinds of sherbet too... I'll have to try that out!<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 pkg of Mothers Coconut Macaroons<br />
1/2 C whipping cream or milk<br />
3/4 C sliced almonds<br />
1 carton of sherbet (orange, lime, and raspberry flavored)<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
Take out the sherbet, so it can start softening while you work on the cookies.<br />
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In a large zip top bag, filled with the entire pkg of cookies and the almonds, crush them together with a rolling pin (make sure to crush it by rolling the pin over the cookies, and not banging the bag, you'll be adding liquid, so you don't want to go poking holes everywhere!). Reserve 1/2 C of the mixture for the topping before you add the liquid.<br />
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Add 1/2 C whipping cream or milk and mix together. Press the cookie mixture onto the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan. I would also wrap the outside of the pan with some foil so that in case any of the sherbet leaks out, it doesn't get everywhere.<br />
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Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the sherbet and begin filling in the pan. I went in a circle, placing the scoops side by side, trying to make sure that the flavors were evenly blended. Work quickly as your sherbet is probably beginning to melt now.<br />
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Now, using your way awesomely cool spatula (remember from the <a href="http://greenmegsyham.blogspot.com/2011/08/butterscotch-brownies-with-brown-sugar.html?utm_source=BP_recent">Butterscotch Brownies</a> recipe?) and spread the sherbet around making a flat surface.<br />
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Sprinkle the reserved cookie mixture over the top of the sherbet and place in the freezer for at least 8 hours.<br />
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Enjoy this wonderful dessert. Everyone really enjoyed this at dinner.<br />
And of course because I didn't look for a carton of the sherbet, I ended up with a whole gallon. Imagine trying to fit a spring-form pan and a gallon of sherbet in your freezer along with everything it normally holds... oh dear... and trying to make it all fit before it all melts... holy cow!<br />
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Recipe Courtesy of: Lesli Anderson (good friend)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-70630278529939889242011-09-05T21:46:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.569-07:00BBQ Chicken Enchiladas Who doesn't love a good enchilada?! I know I do!<br />
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I like making enchiladas, and I really try to make them as authentically as possible... besides the whole making-your-own-sauce thing... which probably is a setback on making them authentically, but o well.<br />
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I recently had some friends over... friends from Mexico... and of course Grant requested enchiladas for dinner... way to go Grant. Invite the Mexicans over for my wanna-be-Mexican-enchiladas, and I'll try not to embarrass myself. They were very gracious of course. But, I chose to use the time as a chance to ask them how to really make enchiladas authentically. They proceeded to give me a whole speech about how to make them.... did you know that authentic enchiladas are NOT baked in the oven? WHAT?! That's outrageous! There's some kind of cool pot type of thing that they use... I won't try to explain it... but trust me... it's cool! I told Grant that I needed one of those things... stat! yeah right... that thing will never see the light of my kitchen!<br />
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The other day I found a recipe for enchiladas with a twist... BBQ Chicken enchiladas... wow! I just knew I had to try this out! And I was not disappointed! These were pretty tasty, and Grant and my mom agreed that these were good. What's better... they could NOT be easier! These are in no way trying to be authentic at all, which I love. I probably should invite my Mexican friends over for this enchilada dish, b/c it's so different that it wouldn't seem like I was poorly trying to make enchiladas like they are used to.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
<u><br /></u><br />
8 large tortillas (I am not used to buying Large tortillas, I'm used to small ones, so this was weird!)<br />
1 roasted chicken, shredded<br />
28 oz can red enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas, which isn't my favorite, but it was good with this, it's definitely got a spicy kick though, so if you want something more mild, try my favorite brand, La Victoria)<br />
1/2 C BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Brown Sugar)<br />
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced<br />
1 tbsp BBQ seasoning (I used McCormick... it smells soooo tasty!)<br />
Pinch of Cayenne<br />
2 Tbsp Olive Oil<br />
1 C shredded cheddar cheese<br />
1 C shredded Mozzarella<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
<u><br /></u><br />
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat and sprinkle with a little salt to sweat those puppies out and get the juices going. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes until they start turning a golden brown color.<br />
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In a medium bowl, mix together the enchilada sauce and the BBQ sauce; dip your finger in there and taste it to make sure that you like the balance of flavors. I added another giant squirt of BBQ sauce.<br />
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Once the onions look nice and golden-y, add the shredded chicken, half of the cheese, and 1 C of the sauce mixture. Let saute for a few minutes to get all the chicken gooey with the cheese and sauce. Restrain yourself from eating all the chicken right then.<br />
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Pour a little sauce at the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, and begin making your enchiladas. Put an 1/8 of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla, wrap it up, and place in the casserole dish. I made four at a time before wrapping them up just to make sure that they were all evenly stuffed. Then squish the enchiladas over to fit the other four.<br />
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Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top and then top with the rest of the shredded cheese.<br />
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Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.<br />
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These enchiladas are HUGE! You'll think that you might need to double the recipe b/c you're only making 8 enchiladas... but trust me... you don't need to. I only ate one enchilada, and I was full. You might have 2 at the most, but not more than that probably... these are big. Remember, you're using Large tortillas, not your normal small tortillas that you normally see enchiladas made out of. It's almost like a small burrito!<br />
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These were so tasty! Given 'em a try, so good and super easy!<br />
Ps. Don't you just love my Lego plates? Classy right?<br />
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Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/01/bbq-chicken-enchiladas/">how Sweet it is</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-20478007869264443032011-09-02T22:44:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.551-07:00Sloppy Joe Stuffed Bell Peppers Sometimes you run across a recipe, and you wonder why you never thought of that before yourself! This is one of those... although, I don't make sloppy joe's all that much, it just seemed like such a genius idea, I was a little upset with myself for not thinking of it first. I adapted this recipe that I found from No Reason Needed, and the link can be found at the bottom.<br />
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Who doesn't love a good sloppy joe... and who doesn't love a good stuffed bell pepper? Why not combine them? Although, I will say that while I make a good sloppy joe, I'm still trying to master the stuffed bell pepper. Stouffer's makes such a great stuffed pepper, that I've been trying to recreate it, but with no success so far. If you haven't tried their frozen stuffed bell pepper dish yet, you should. Well, only if you like green bell peppers stuffed with ground beef, rice, and submerged in a healthy amount of tomato sauce... then heck yes. And if you're looking for a healthier frozen meal, that's it, I can tell you that much!<br />
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I thought this meal was pretty good actually, however, my husband was too lazy to cut the pepper into pieces and eat it TOGETHER!, instead he just ate the sloppy joe part out of the pepper, and then sucked the pepper dry, maybe taking a bite of it here and there... eesh! He said he would prefer it over a bed of rice next time... Why not just in a bun like an actual sloppy joe?! I don't know, he's crazy!<br />
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I don't think I have ever said this before, and I doubt I'll ever say it again... but I actually could have done without the cheese on this dish... WEIRD! I know. For some reason it just didn't jive with the sloppy joe part for me. Thankfully I didn't mix it in... which might have made it better, I don't know.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 lb ground beef<br />
1/2 large onion, or one small onion, diced<br />
4 green peppers (make sure the bottoms will sit flat)<br />
1 clove garlic<br />
1 tsp Chili powder<br />
1 tsp Paprika<br />
salt<br />
2 Tbsp Molasses<br />
1/2 C Ketchup<br />
2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard<br />
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar, or White vinegar is fine too<br />
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce<br />
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar<br />
1/2 C shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese, or whatever cheese floats your boat<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
Slice the tops of your green peppers off, but reserve the tops and dice them up.<br />
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add your bell peppers. Boil for 10 minutes.<br />
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Meanwhile, saute the diced onion and green pepper tops in a tbsp olive oil and garlic.<br />
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These are the ingredients you will add; except that I forgot to picture the brown sugar.</div>
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Add your ingredients, and it will look like this. Now, I'm all about seasoning that meat up as much as possible, so I always like to add my seasonings to meat first, let it soak it, and then add any liquids.</div>
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After adding in all the ingredients, including the liquid, here's what it will look like:<br />
It doesn't necessarily look totally appetizing, but it tasted good.<br />
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Once the peppers are done boiling, take them out and drain them while the meat finishes cooking.<br />
When the meat is done, put foil in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish and place the peppers standing up in the dish.<br />
Scoop the meat mixture into the peppers, there was just enough for the 4 peppers.<br />
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Place a handful of cheese on top of each pepper and place in a 350 degree oven for roughly 15 minutes.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://noreasonneeded.blogspot.com/2011/08/sloppy-joe-stuffed-peppers.html">No Reason Needed</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122919581307415377.post-61911408575847874492011-09-02T22:12:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:24:16.563-07:00Rigatoni with Asparagus and Bacon Who doesn't love bacon? Right?! Everyone!<br />
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I came across this recipe a few days ago and knew I had to try it! The husband doesn't care for asparagus much, but, with a little bacon mixed in, and cheese... I thought he'd forgive me.... and I think he did! He said he enjoyed this dish. We had the leftovers for lunch today, and we were not disappointed! This dish could not be easier and tastier! You won't be upset you tried it! Of course... I'd add more bacon... cause, more bacon never hurt anyone!<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 box Rigatoni<br />
1 lb asparagus, cut into roughly the same size as the rigatoni<br />
8 Bacon strips... next time, I'll probably use the whole pkg. (I used thick cut bacon... so good!)<br />
1 clove garlic<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
2/3 C half and half<br />
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese<br />
1/4 C fresh parsley<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
Bring water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook to al dente, 12 minutes; drain.<br />
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Meanwhile, in a skillet, begin to cook the bacon (remember, low and slow!);<br />
Remove and drain on paper towel.<br />
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Bring water to a boil in the same pot and add the chopped asparagus and boil for 3 minutes.<br />
Drain and add to ice cold water.<br />
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In a large skillet, add the garlic, butter and oil (mmmmm, such a great combination!).<br />
Add the half and half and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another few minutes.<br />
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While the sauce is thickening, chop your bacon into pieces.<br />
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Here comes the good part: Stir the shredded mozzarella cheese into the sauce and stir until melted.<br />
The sauce will become this at this point.<br />
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Add the rigatoni, salt, asparagus and bacon. Stir to combine all those yummy ingredients!<br />
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Grate the Parmesan cheese right onto each dish, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.<br />
Enjoy this delicious concoction that I will be adding to my list of recipes now!<br />
Tasty!<br />
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And because I can't leave well enough alone, I added some sausage... also because I'm sure that no matter how tasty my husband thought this dish was, he would have been wondering where the meat was.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe Courtesy of: <a href="http://dailydishrecipes.com/secret-recipe-club-rigatoni-with-bacon-and-asparagus/">The Daily Dish</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0