I Hope You're Hungry

Sliders

2012-02-10T06:14:00.005-05:00

I have to be honest. These were incredible. We wanted to go to happy hour at a restaurant, but I knew I could make happy hour food at the house, and these fit the bill perfectly. They were awesome. I wish I'd discovered them during football season.

I used the 93/7 ground beef in an effort to not feel as guilty about mixing in mayonaisse and cheese, and I'm glad I made that decision. I'm sure they'd be extra flavorful with 80/20, but like I said: mayonaisse and cheese are added on top of that. Even though you will drain the extra grease, going lean on the meat doesn't hurt.

The recipe is easy to double or triple, depending on your crowd (or just your appetite). We didn't eat all twelve of ours, but we found that they reheat in the microwave nicely.

We ate these with fries and beer. It was not a healthy night, but it was certainly a happy night.

Sliders

1 lb ground beef
12 dinner rolls, split in half (I used King's Hawaiian rolls)
1/2 (1oz) envelope onion soup mix
2 heaping Tbsp mayonaisse
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, combine ground beef with onion soup mix. Cook and stir together over medium high heat until beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Remove from heat. When slightly cooled, stir the mayo and cheese into the ground beef mixture.

Slice the rolls in half sandwich style. Place the bottoms of the rolls on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Place the meat mixture on top of the roll bottoms. Replace the tops of the rolls. Cover with another sheet of foil sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and cheese has melted, about 30 minutes.

Cheddar Chicken Tenders

2012-02-09T18:13:00.000-05:00

This was a recipe my sister sent me, and we really enjoyed it. I changed the original recipe to fit what I already had, so instead of using crushed Ritz crackers, I used some seasoned bread crumbs. The sauce, which consists of cream of chicken soup, butter, and sour cream, makes this obviously decadent. Awesome.

Next time, I'll dip the chicken in egg (instead of milk) before the cheese and bread crumbs. Be aware that you'll have some trouble making the cheese stick; it'll fall off when you're trying to press the bread crumbs, so your bread crumb bowl will end up full of cheese. Just get as much of it as you can on the chicken. It'll all end up very tasty melted together later.

Cheddar Chicken Tenders

2 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup milk
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp dried parsley
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sour cream

Preheat oven to 400. Cut chicken breasts into strips. Place milk, cheese, and breadcrumbs into three containers. Dip each strip of chicken into the milk, then the cheese, and then the breadcrumbs. Don't worry if some of the cheese falls off. Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with cooking spray, and place the prepared chicken in the dish. Continue with the rest of the chicken. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for another 10 minutes.

In a medium sized sauce pan, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is heated through. Serve over the chicken.

Teak Dog Tuesday

2012-02-07T06:21:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things about Teak is his ability to pass out wherever he is, whenever he's tired. He's so stinkin' cute.

Cream Cheese Jalapeno Crescent Poppers

2012-02-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

These are just as amazing as the name suggests. They're also extremely easy to make, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your refrigerator. They were fantastic as an appetizer when we tried them, and it isn't difficult to have five of them without batting an eye. Try them! You will love them!

Cream Cheese Jalapeno Crescent Poppers

1 can crescent roll dough
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 oz pickled jalapenos, diced
1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, jalapenos, and sugar until mixed thoroughly. Unroll crescent roll dough into two long and skinny rectangles. Press the seams together. With the back of the spoon, spread half of the cream cheese mixture onto one of the rectangles.

Once the filling has been spread on one of the crescent roll rectangles, roll up dough on the long end (so you'll have a long, skinny roll). Cut the roll into 16 pieces, and place each piece cream cheese-side-up (and down) on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 13 minutes. Repeat with remaining crescent rectangle and remaining half of cream cheese mixture. Enjoy!

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2012-01-31T18:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the break from TDT last week.

The picture below is of Teak on Sunday being cute and domestic with us. This is definitely a break from today's Teak. Earlier today, our next-door neighbors called Buck at work, saying that they heard Teak crying in different way from usual (sad that he has a regular cry!). They looked outside and saw that Teak got his head stuck in the kennel gate. He was trying to escape and got stuck! Thankfully, they rescued him. He's safeow. and sound and lying on the recliner right now.

But I can't help but wonder... Teak Dog, where were you going to go? That made me so sad.

Corn Chowder with Jalapenos and Bacon

2012-01-23T19:38:00.000-05:00

This was another recipe we enjoyed from the Homesick Texan Cookbook. I'm sure it's wonderful with fresh corn, but we made it out of season with canned sweet corn--still very good. Maybe you can enjoy this on a cold night, assuming you have cold weather in your neck of the woods. We, apparently, don't.

Corn Chowder with Jalapenos and Bacon

8 pickled jalapeno slices, diced
4 slices bacon, dliced
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh (about 3 cobs shucked)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro and tortilla chips, for serving

In a large skillet, saute the bacon on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. In the skillet with bacon grease, add the diced onion and jalapeno on medium for about 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

Turn off the heat, and pour the cooked corn mixture into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed.

Pour pureed corn into a large pot. Add the remaining chicken broth, cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, cilantro, cooked bacon, and lime juice. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve either warm or cold with a cilantro garnish or tortilla chips.

Meatballs a la Pizzaiola

2012-01-18T06:07:00.008-05:00

Have you recently watched one of Giada's shows on the Food Network? She always looks beautiful, and she always makes food that sounds so delicious. One thing that doesn't sound so great to us, however, is her pronunciation of Italian words. Let's be honest. It's annoying. I have her cookware and her food processor from Target, but I roll my eyes when I hear her say mozzarella. Or, if you hear Buck imitate her, MOZZZAREELLLLLLA. She's a wee bit ridiculous.

Anyway, we made these very good meatballs with some pasta (PASta) and a side of marinara sauce. You could do these as a hearty appetizer or with spaghetti. (spaGHEtti) Next time, I'd either bake them on a rack over a baking sheet (so some of the fat will drip out) or just pan fry them entirely (so they will develop a good crust). The half and half that I did wasn't strong. I also used 1 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes, and they were just a little spicy; you can adjust the seasoning to your liking.

During our Italian lesson with Giada, we learned that the title of this dish means that they're meatballs with all the flavors from a pizzeria: sundried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, not to mention the little cube of mozzarella in the middle. They didn't especially taste pizza-flavored to us, but they were very good either way. The recipe below makes a whopping 3 dozen meatballs, so cut the recipe to make it suit your needs.

Meatballs a la Pizzaiola

Cooking spray
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (5 or 6)
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds 20-percent fat ground beef
1 pound ground pork
6 ounces smoked mozzarella, cut into 36 (1/2-inch) cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cups marinara sauce, warmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside. In a food processor, pulse together the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and salt. Process until blended. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the beef and pork and, using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Form the mixture into 36 equal-size meatballs (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Insert 1 cube smoked mozzarella cheese into the center of each meatball and form the meat around it, completely enclosing the cheese.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat half the oil over medium heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs. Place the browned meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes for medium doneness. Set aside to cool slightly, and serve with warm marinara sauce

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2012-01-17T06:01:00.001-05:00

Teak fell asleep with his tongue out, and it was precious.

Vienna Sugar Cookies

2012-01-16T12:49:00.000-05:00

This is an old recipe from the Fort Worth newspaper. Apparently several readers wrote in that these cookies helped curb morning sickness during pregnancy. I made these cookies for a sweet friend who will have a baby this summer, but I can assure you that these are still delicious even if you're not pregnant. Enjoy!

Vienna Sugar Cookies

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (98-103 degrees F)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add flour, blending well. Add yeast mixture; blend well. Refrigerate dough until chilled.

Put sugar on a large piece of wax paper. Pinch off pieces of chilled dough the size of small walnuts and shape into balls. Working with one ball of dough at a time, press ball flat into sugar until dough is thin. Keep flipping dough over and pressing it into sugar, until it is the size of a flat doughnut. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Transfer to racks to cool. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

2012-01-11T06:12:00.003-05:00

My mom tells me that this originated as a Weight Watchers recipe, so if you have a certain new year's resolution to keep, this soup will keep you in line. She jazzed it up with the onion, celery, and Cajun seasoning, which departed from the original recipe, but those additions only made it better. (Half a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning doesn't sound like much, but it adds a considerable kick to this big pot of soup. Remember that you can always add more seasoning, but you can't take it out once it's in. Start small.)

My mom also told me for probably about a year how good this soup was, but I was wholeheartedly not interested. For whatever reason, nothing about it sounded appealing.

I was so wrong.

This really is very good and satisfying. You can make it with ground turkey or lean ground beef; you won't be able to taste the difference. It's a hearty soup, so feel free to add more broth if you don't want it to be so thick. This warm, healthy soup is perfect for cold, rainy evenings. A warm bowl of soup has the power to lift your spirits besides raising your body temperature. Try it once, and you'll see how very good it is.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

1 lb ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 (12oz) can V8 juice
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can original Rotel tomatoes
1 can Veg-All (liquid drained)
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Seasoning (or other Cajun seasoning)

Brown turkey, celery, and green onions slowly in a pot sprayed with cooking spray. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with cornbread.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2012-01-10T20:03:00.000-05:00

Here's handsome Teak, sitting in front of our Christmas tree.

No, somehow I haven't taken it down yet.

Yes, I'm going to get on that ASAP.

Migas--Georgia Style

2012-01-05T05:28:00.001-05:00

I lived in Texas for two glorious years before moving to Georgia, but unforunately I wasn't lucky enough or in-the-know enough to order a plate of migas for breakfast while living there.

Don't know about migas? I didn't either. Here are some good explanations from the Homesick Texan or Pioneer Woman, but I can tell you, too: it's a tasty breakfast dish with eggs designed to use up stale tortillas. The recipe below is another one I adapted from the Homesick Texan cookbook.

Both explanations above note that the eggs are not scrambled; you wait for the eggs to set on the bottom and then do some gentle folding. However, my folding turned into scrambling, but I don't think the end result suffered. The stale tortillas (you can use fresh ones, too) are cut into strips and fried, and in the original dish, they're stirred into the eggs while they're cooking, which softens their texture. Well, if I'm going to the trouble to fry something (I had the baking soda box next to the skillet--one grease fire is enough for me, thank you very much), I want it to be crunchy, so I made the tortilla strips a bed for the eggs to sit on. I only used a few tablespoons of canola oil, and the strips were nice and crispy in just a minute or two. If you don't want to fry the tortilla strips, I'm sure you could bake them or even just use tortilla chips.

The finished product was completely delicious. We had this as our first meal of 2012, and we were both very happy and satisfied. Try this on your next lazy weekend morning; you won't regret it.

Migas--Georgia Style

Oil, for frying
2 tortillas, cut into strips
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
10 pickled jalapeno slices
4 eggs
Splash of milk
1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
3-4 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup (2oz) grated Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese
Salsa, for serving

In a large skillet, preferably a cast-iron skillet, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Place tortilla strips into skillet, cooking until crisp, turning once. Remove tortilla strips with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Drain the oil from the skillet, leaving 2 tablespoons, and turn down the heat to medium. Add the onions and jalapenos to the skillet, cooking while occasionally stirring until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. While this is cooking, whisk the eggs in a bowl with the milk, salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro.

After the onions and jalapenos are cooked, add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the egg mixture. Gently stir the eggs; when almost done, sprinkle cheese on top of eggs, and let the eggs sit until the cheese has melted.

Place tortilla strips on a plate, and serve eggs on top. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with salsa.

Homesick Texan Salsa

2012-01-04T05:27:00.001-05:00

I was so excited when my sister gave me this Homesick Texan Cookbook for Christmas! I already like the Homesick Texan blog, so I knew the cookbook was going to be great. I started marking recipes immediately.

This salsa took just a couple of minutes to throw together, and we really liked it. We had it on our nachos, with our eggs, and on and on. It makes 3 1/2 cups though, which is a huge amount of salsa (even for us, and we eat a good bit of it), so you might want to cut the recipe in half. Her recipe notes that it keeps for a week in the refrigerator.

Homesick Texan Salsa

1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cilantro
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup pickled jalapeno slices
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt, to taste

Place all ingredients except the salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2012-01-03T05:06:00.002-05:00

Check out those mallards. Way to go, Buck and Teak!

Gratin Potatoes

2012-01-02T06:53:00.000-05:00

This recipe is quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. It takes no time to throw together--just a little while to bake. It's decadent (just like anything with whipping cream), and it's delightful. This is a family favorite for us!

Gratin Potatoes

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 qt whipping cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Layer potato slices in a buttered 9"x13" baking dish. Combine other ingredients, and pour mixture over potatoes.

Bake at 400 for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and mixture is bubbly and golden. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Christmas Bark

2012-01-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful 2011, and I hope 2012 will bring even more blessings.

I probably should have posted this Christmas Bark recipe last week, but I was having too much fun with my family to worry about that. Besides, Christmas isn't the only time of year you can make this. If you're sticking to your new year's resolutions to be healthier, just bookmark this recipe until you've changed your mind a bit. It's worth it.

Christmas Bark

1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 (12oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Place crackers in one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides. Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. After it comes to a bubble, cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour butter-sugar mixture over the crackers. Spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate morsels. When they start to melt, spread evenly over entire layer of crackers. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top; refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator and crack into pieces.

Cashew Broccoli

2011-12-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

We had this really delicious broccoli for our Christmas dinner. If you have trouble eating your broccoli (like we sometimes do in our house), this is such a great recipe! (How can it not be delicious with 6 ounces of sour cream?)

We didn't exactly measure out 2 pounds of broccoli, but we used 2 (12oz) frozen steamer bags. The minced onion that the recipe calls for is not the minced onion flakes that are so handy--it's real onion. Also, if you can't find white wine vinegar, you can use regular white vinegar; that's what we did, and it still tasted wonderful.

Cashew Broccoli

2 lbs broccoli
2 Tbsp minced onion
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
3 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped cashews

Steam broccoli until tender. Saute onion in butter; add sour cream, sugar, poppy seeds, paprika, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Arrange broccoli on a serving plate. Pour sauce over broccoli, and sprinkle with cashews. Serves 6.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-12-27T07:04:00.001-05:00

During a recent nap, Teak looked like he was snuggling with my stuffed tiger. It was pretty cute.

Twice-Baked Shrimp Stuffed Potatoes

2011-12-26T08:39:00.049-05:00

This was really good! It's a meal all by itself. Whenever I make grilled shrimp, I usually serve it with a baked potato, so this just combined them.

This is a Paula Deen recipe from a particularly ridiculous Christmas special that was on Food Network a couple of weeks ago in which her two grown sons dressed up like elves and her husband dressed up as Elvis-Santa. I love her, but I miss the old Paula--the one who didn't say "y'all" every other word, the one who didn't scream and cackle like a witch, the one who didn't deep-fry every other ingredient.

Christmas time makes me nostalgic.

Anyway.

Twice-baked potatoes are always delicious, and they only get better with shrimp sauteed in a pat of butter. Also, don't skip sprinkling the potatoes with paprika; it smelled wonderful! We cut the recipe in half, but I'm posting the whole recipe below. My mom and I enjoyed making these together, and I'm sure your family will enjoy them, too.

Twice-Baked Shrimp Stuffed Potatoes

6 large Idaho potatoes
Vegetable oil, for coating
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and sauteed
8 oz grated Cheddar cheese
Paprika, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350. Cover a baking sheet or pan with foil.

Begin by washing the potatoes, drying them, and gently prinking them with a fork on all sides. Coat each potato with vegetable oil, place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, and slice them in half. Scoop out the inside of the potato, and place in a large bowl. Place the butter in the bowl. Using a mixter on high, mix toghether, and then add the sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Chop the shrimp into large pieces. Fold the shrimp and cheese into the mixture. Gently stuff the mixture back into the potato shells, making sure not to break them. Pile the mixture as high as you can on top of the potato shells. Sprinkle each potato with paprika. Bake in the oven until browned on top, 20-25 minutes.

Spaghetti Pie

2011-12-23T07:19:00.003-05:00

(The picture above was taken before I put it in the oven. Just imagine that the cheese has melted.)

This is such a delicious way to make spaghetti! We made this for Buck's parents for Sunday lunch, and it was a hit with everyone! We used ground venison, but you can use hamburger meat, too. We served it with a salad and crescent rolls. This would be a great weeknight meal. It definitely serves a crowd.

Spaghetti Pie

1 lb ground venison
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
8 oz spaghetti, cooked al dente
1 1/3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 Tbsp olive oil
Tony Chachere's (or other Cajun seasoning), to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the venison and brown well. Season with Tony's, to taste. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, and green onions. Set aside.

Coat a two-quart casserole dish with cooking spray, and add the cooked pasta. Spread the sour cream mixture over the pasta. Add the meat mixture on top, and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.

Philly-Style Duck Sandwiches

2011-12-22T05:47:00.003-05:00

Buck is an avid duck hunter, and of course, Teak is a mighty retriever now. When Buck told me that he wanted to try a new duck recipe, I wasn't terribly interested. Ducks haven't ever been my favorite.

Anyway, these duck sandwiches turned out AMAZING. I'm not exaggerating; they were fantastic. I went from being a skeptic to a believer just because of this recipe. I really do look forward to Buck making these again.

If you are also a skeptic or just don't want to use ducks, I'm sure it would be great with chicken or steak. It would also be great wrapped up in a tortilla because these are very similar to fajitas, but the bun (we used potato rolls) were good because they absorbed some of the juices.

The recipe from ducks.org says to use 3 cups of thinly sliced duck breast fillets for four servings; I'm not exactly sure how many cups we had, but I do know that it was the breasts from two wood ducks for our two sandwiches. You can count one duck per sandwich.

I highly recommend that you try these. If you're friends with a hunter, he (or she) probably has some duck breasts in a freezer somewhere, and this is the recipe you should try!

Philly-Style Duck Sandwiches (makes 2 sandwiches)

2 wood duck breast fillets, very thinly sliced (Place the duck breasts in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up before slicing as thinly as possible with a sharp, thin-bladed knife.)

1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Tabasco sauce
2 slices pepper jack cheese
Rolls

In a medium bowl, combine half the olive oil with the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the duck slices and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned. Mound the onion mixture on one side of the skillet. Add the marinated duck to the other side of the skillet and stir-fry for two to three minutes. Once cooked, season with a dash of Tabasco sauce.

Combine the meat and onion mixture. Form into two rectangular mounds, top with cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted. Fill each roll with the meat, onion, and cheese mixture.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-12-21T17:46:00.000-05:00

This is Teak Dog Tuesday's Christmas edition (and also the Wednesday edition--whoops).

Merry Christmas!

Chicken in Wine Sauce

2011-12-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

This is such a delicious baked chicken dish, and it takes almost no time to throw it together. If you're still scrambling to plan a Christmas menu, this is a worthy contender for the main dish at one of your meals.

If you don't drink or don't want to use wine for any reason, you can substitute the wine for milk or even water. My sister says she commonly makes this dish for her friends who just had babies, and she and uses milk or water. The taste isn't noticeably different. Also, the last time I made it, I forgot to use the butter in the recipe, and it was still great. That might be a meager way to cut some calories.

The recipe is from Paula Deen's cookbook, The Lady and Sons. I hope you like it!

Chicken in Wine Sauce

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored stuffing mix, crushed
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, and pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top, and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-12-13T03:54:00.002-05:00

On the way back fron a hunting trip, Teak wedged himself behind the center console in Biz's single-cab truck. He chose to take a nap there, instead of the empty passenger seat.

Tomato Bisque

2011-12-12T03:34:00.003-05:00

This is my mom's recipe. A few years ago, my dad started planting a huge vegetable garden in the summer, and it produced more tomatoes than they knew what to do with. BLTs? Check. Marinara sauce? Check. Then she started making this tomato bisque, and it is SO delicious. She, of course, makes it with her abundance with fresh tomatoes during the summer. During the winter, I make it with canned diced tomatoes that I smooth out in the food processor, but I'm sure tomato puree would work the same way.

This recipe is always a treat and a crowd pleaser. There are also some changes you can make if you want to use ingredients you already have or cut some of the fat out of the original recipe. As with everything, the full-flavor version is better, but I couldn't notice much of a difference at all when I used 1% milk (instead of whole milk) and 1/2 stick of butter (instead of a whole stick). I'll let you decide for yourself what you want to do.

I strongly recommend that you try it. You won't be disappointed. Like Buck said over the weekend, this soup is good for your soul.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe, Mom! I love you!

Tomato Bisque

2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and seeded OR 3 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp sugar
1 qt milk
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup flour
1/2 or 1 stick butter

If using canned diced tomatoes, pulse in food processor until in small bits, not large chunks. Place tomatoes in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in bouillon cubes, sugar, salt, bay leaf, basil, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour all at once to make a roux; cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk a little at a time, cooking and stirring constantly until thickened. Stir into tomato mixture and heat through.

Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

2011-12-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe in a Southern Living cookbook, and I had to try it because it only had five ingredients that I already had in my pantry. I am SO glad we tried these. Buck absolutely loves them. I was impressed that they even looked like pecan pies coming out of the muffin tins. If you don't want to go to the trouble of making a pecan pie this Christmas, everyone would be just as happy with these. The only thing Buck wished we'd had with these is vanilla ice cream--a mistake we won't make next time.

Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Mix brown sugar, flour, and pecans in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Beat eggs until foamy. Stir together butter and eggs; add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened.

Spray 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray. Spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Yields 2 dozen mini muffins.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-12-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

Teak stays outside if it's not raining, and he lies under a cypress tree in the yard. He is COVERED with leaves and grass and tree sap by the time we get home from work. I don't think we'll get all the sap out of his fur until his next haircut.

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2011-12-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

This was a Southern Living recipe, and not surprisingly, we loved them. They reminded us a lot of the Ultimate White Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Oatmeal Crispies. They were so good, and they'd be great as an edible Christmas gift. I ended up cutting the recipe in half, but I'm posting the entire recipe. Make as many as you need, deciding how many you want to share. :) Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, soft eggsened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
2 cups (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in oats, white chocolate chips, and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, and remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yields about 5 dozen.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-11-29T06:13:00.002-05:00

So sleepy

Creamy Fried Confetti Corn

2011-11-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

YUM. I made this alongside the chicken cakes, and this was an amazing dish, again from Southern Living. It would be perfect at your Christmas table. I tried to lighten it up (as much as you can lighten up a dish with 8 slices of bacon) by using half the amount of cream cheese (4 ounces instead of 8) and 1% milk instead of half-and-half, and it still tasted delicious. I made a couple of other changes that I'll reflect below. So delicious.

Creamy Fried Confetti Corn

8 bacon slices, chopped
4 cups sweet corn kernels (about 8 ears or about 2 large cans)
1 medium size onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used jarred red bell pepper)
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Cook chopped bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper twoels, reserving 2 tablespoons of droppings in the skillet. Set aside bacon.

Saute corn, onion, and bell peppers in hot drippings in skillet over medium-high heat for 6 minutes or until tender. Add cream cheese and milk, stirring until cream cheese melts. Stir in sugar, salt, and pepper. Top with bacon. Yields 6-8 servings.

Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce

2011-11-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

When I found this Southern Living recipe, I couldn't wait to try it. These were SO good; Buck has already requested them again. He said he would have been fooled into thinking these were crab cakes if I hadn't told him they were chicken.

I used my favorite Crock Pot Salsa Chicken for the shredded chicken, and the salsa added extra moisture and flavor. You could just as easily use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store as a short cut. As another short cut, I used the roasted red bell pepper from a jar since I didn't have a fresh one. The cakes aren't spicy, but the red pepper in the creole sauce does add some heat. I highly recommend these!

Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce

1/2 medium size red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Creole mustard
1 tsp Creole seasoning

Saute the bell pepper, green onion, and garlic in a skillet coated with cooking spray for 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Wipe skillet clean. Stir together bell pepper mixture, chicken, and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Shape chicken into 8 patties. Cover and chill 15 minutes.

Cook patties, in 2 batches, in skillet coated with cooking psray over medium heat, 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Serve immediately with Creole Sauce.

Creole Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp Creole mustard
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Stir together all ingredients until well blended.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-11-22T06:37:00.002-05:00

Resting up for our Thanksgiving festivities

Spicy Mushrooms

2011-11-21T08:36:00.000-05:00

These mushrooms are very good, but please do note the title: they are spicy!

This is another recipe from this month's Food Network Magazine, and it was really easy to put together. It's also nice because it's easily adaptable to fit what you have around the house. The original recipe called for 2 plum tomatoes, but I used 1 roma tomato; the original wanted 2 seeded fresh jalapenos, but I used 8 or 9 slices of pickled jalapenos. Instead of starting with unpeeled garlic cloves to roast, I used the minced ones that come in water. And it all worked out great.

I didn't think they'd be very hot. Yes, the jalapeno slices had seeds, but I didn't think they'd be as potent with all the mushrooms and onions. I was wrong. They're hot! If your family doesn't like spicy food, scale back the jalapenos.

Spicy Mushrooms

1 roma tomato
8 slices pickled jalapenos
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
Olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
Juice of 1 lime
Parsley, for garnish

Cut tomato into quarters, and set on baking sheet skin-side-up along with jalapenos and garlic. Broil for 5-6 minutes or until charred. Peel the garlic, and chop the vegetables. Saute the onion and mushrooms in olive oil and salt to taste for 8 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, the chicken broth, and some chopped parsley; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the juice of 1 lime.

Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Dressing

2011-11-20T06:06:00.003-05:00

Again, we made this for our pre-Thanksgiving feast, and it was delicious! The apples and dried cranberries made the dressing sweet, and the sausage made it savory. We loved it.

I read that you can actually stuff your turkey with this to make it stuffing, but as I don't know anything about cooking a turkey, we baked it in a 9"x13" dish and called it dressing. It's fantastic.

Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Dressing

1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
4 Tbsp butter, melted
Chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the white and wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes in preheated oven. Transfer bread crumbs to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, and parsley. Spoon into 9"x13" casserole dish, and drizzle with melted butter and chicken stock.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, drizzling with chicken stock to moisten dressing 2-3 times during baking. Serve warm.

Amazing Corn Casserole

2011-11-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

You want this at your Thanksgiving dinner, your Christmas dinner, your birthday dinner, and probably more often than that. The problem, as with all delicious dishes, is that you can only afford to eat this one a few times a year. But I promise you, it is absolutely amazing.

We made a pre-Thanksgiving feast this weekend, and I wanted to make sure and post this first and recommend it highly. It was awesome.

Amazing Corn Casserole

1 (15.25oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15.25oz) can creamed corn

1 (8oz) pkg corn muffin mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9"x13" casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes, and then serve warm.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-11-15T20:55:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, while tracking a deer with Buck, Teak had the very unfortunate experience of getting approximately 837 cockleburrs stuck in his fur, with about 70% of them in the hair of his right ear. Teak is 2 1/2 years old, and even though he's had many haircuts, we've never let the groomer touch the curlson his ears or the top of his head. His ear hair is very long, which worked to Teak's disadvantage and the cockleburrs' advantage. After pricking our own fingers full of holes, and removing several of them, Biz decided the only way to finally settle the matter was to take the beard trimmer to Teak's ear. Now he has sad, very uneven ears.

How sad is he? This honestly put me in a bad mood on Sunday.

Cheesy Corn Puffs

2011-11-15T20:54:00.000-05:00

This recipe is in this month's Food Network Magazine as a new twist on an old-fashioned kitchen staple: a can of creamed corn. They were good, but I think they'd be even better with some sharp Cheddar cheese or some chopped jalapenos. As much as I love pepper jack cheese, it doesn't have the kick that these need.

Cheesy Corn Puffs

1 cup creamed corn
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, plus more for topping
3 eggs
1 Tsbp fresh chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Bring the corn, butter, and salt to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 2 mintues.

Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Stir in the cheese and chives. Chill the dough 15 minutes.

Scoop tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with more cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown and puffy, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-11-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

Club Sandwich Puffs

2011-11-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

This is another recipe I adapted from Plain Chicken. They were so good, and they're a great appetizer or snack for tailgating. They're quick to put together, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your refrigerator already. Try them! They're great fresh out of the oven.

Club Sandwich Puffs

1 oz deli ham, chopped
1 oz deli turkey, chopped
2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 tsp minced onion flakes
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg
1 Tbsp honey mustard
1 (8oz) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine finely chopped ham, turkey, bacon bits, onion flakes, cheese, honey mustard, and egg. Mix well.

Lightly spray a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Unroll crescent rolls and press into one large rectangle; cut rectangle into 24 squares. Press dough squares into muffin cups and shape up around the edges. Fill each muffin cup with some of the meat mixture. Bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-11-01T06:32:00.001-04:00

Teak got a very special present on Sunday afternoon: a steak bone. He was the happiest dog in the world.

Black Bean Dip

2011-10-30T08:23:00.000-04:00

This is based on the recipe for Paula Deen's Monster Mash, but I don't think we should limit it to just Halloween. This dip has a place at your party table all year long. It's extremely easy, and it was really good! I liked it better when it was hot instead of when it had gotten to room temperature.

I let myself feel okay about eating huge quantities of this dip because I used fat free cream cheese, shredded cheese made with 2% milk, and organic fat-free black beans. Surely that cancels out the bag of chips we ate along with it.

It makes quite a bit, too, so you can save any leftovers (or in my case, what wouldn't comfortably fit into the 8x8 dish), and spread it in some tortillas with shredded chicken for a delicious soft taco later in the week.

Black Bean Dip

4 oz cream cheese
2 (20.5 oz) cans refried black beans
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
Tortilla chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly spray a 2-quart baking dish. Cut cream cheese into small cubes and place on bottom of dish. Combine beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and spoon into the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Remove from oven, and stir so that the cream cheese is combined with the other ingredients. Turn on the broiler. Top dip with the remaining cup of shredded cheese, and broil until the cheese has melted and is slightly browned. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-10-25T19:38:00.000-04:00

Carrot Cake Cookies

2011-10-24T06:21:00.001-04:00

Let me recreate for you a conversation I had with Erica, one of my very closest friends, during our freshman year in college.

Me: Ooh, I love carrot cake!
Erica: You look like you'd love carrot cake.
Me: Why?
Erica: I don't know...
Me: Is it because I'm a redhead?
Erica: YES!

Whatever the reason, I do love carrot cake, and I couldn't wait to make these carrot cake cookies from Everyday Cooking for Two. And I'm happy to report that they're everything I'd hoped they would be. And more. With cream cheese icing.

Now, I goofed on the icing. I was trying to make it healthier. (As if it matters--seriously. It's cream cheese icing. Who am I kidding?) I tried using 2 1/2 tablespoons of applesauce instead of 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter, so the consistency is all wrong. There are little lumps of powdered sugar that don't look appetizing.

But if you could taste them, you wouldn't care.

If I were really worried about making them healthier, I would have added the 1/3 cup of raisins that the recipe calls for, but I didn't have any at the house, so I didn't; you can. Also, the original recipe says that baby carrots had less taste than regular carrots, so I used regular carrots. It took me almost 3 carrots to reach 3/4 cup.

You should make these as soon as you can.  The recipe made 21 cookies for me, but it depends on the size of the cookies. These would be awesome for a holiday treat or for an everyday treat.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Icing
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350, and spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray. Finely shred carrots and set aside.

Make the frosting first. Cream together softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, and continue to mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.

In a large mixing bowl combine the stick of melted butter with the brown sugar, white sugar, and egg yolk. Whisk or beat together. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix together well, and slowly combine with the butter/egg mixture. Add the shredded carrot, the oats, and the raisins. Mix well.

Spoon onto cookie sheets in 1"-diameter dough balls. Flatten them slightly with your fingers.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes; then rotate the pans, and bake for 8 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. When cooled, frost with icing.

Sweet and Savory Burgers

2011-10-23T07:56:00.001-04:00

We LOVED these burgers! I don't eat a lot of red meat, but I couldn't get enough of these. I think the sauce is what made them extra good. It was really spicy just to taste it on its own, but it was perfect with the burger on both sides of the bread (and as a dipping sauce for the fries).

This was a Southern Living recipe. It called for chili sauce, and I wasn't positive what that meant, so I got a jar of sweet chili sauce in the Asian foods section of the grocery store. I should also note that this is probably my first burger, ever, without cheese on it. I didn't even miss it. The recipe says you can top the burger with grilled pineapple slices and grilled red onion, and I'm sure that would be great, but both of us ate our burgers with the bread, the meat, and the sauce. Simple and delicious.

The bottom line is that we'll definitely make these again. I can't recommend them enough.

Sweet and Savory Burgers

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1.5 lbs ground chuck (80/20)
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup jalapeno jelly
Hamburger buns

Combine the first five ingredients, and pour them in a shallow dish. Shape the ground chuck into five patties, and set the patties in the soy sauce mixture to marinate. Make sure both sides of the patties are dipped in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for four hours.

Combine the chili sauce and jalapeno jelly, and set aside.

When ready, grill the burgers over medium high heat for 6-7 minutes per side, or until cooked to desired doneness. Smear pepper jelly mixture on both sides of the bun, and garnish burger with grilled pineapple and grilled red onion, if desired.

Chicken and Black Bean Mini Empanadas

2011-10-22T17:45:00.000-04:00

I really liked these! This were really good served with salsa and sour cream. If you're going to the trouble to make them, you might as well make several sheets of them, and that's fine because they reheat beautifully. I was able to get 11-12 empanadas per sheet of puff pastry, and I cut them into circles with a water glass. I'm sure a biscuit cutter is more proper, but you use what you have. Similarly, I used a beer bottle to roll the puff pastry dough into the a bigger rectangle because I didn't have a rolling pin. I've since received one. (Thanks, Amanda.)

To speed up the process, you can also make the filling the day ahead. I made the filling with my favorite, Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, but you could use any shredded or ground meat--beef, pork, turkey, or deer (if you live in my neck of the woods). The recipe calls for a can of black beans, but I didn't even use half of it.

This is the perfect party appetizer or tailgate food, and they're nice and filling. You should try these!

Chicken and Black Bean Mini Empanadas

4 sheets Puff Pastry dough
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1/2 lb cooked shredded salsa chicken
1 Tbsp Philadelphia Cooking Creme Southwest Blend
1 small red bell pepper, diced (I used one from a jar)
2 tsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used the 4 cheese Mexican blend)
1/2 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Thaw the puff pastry sheets at room temperature for 40 minutes or until they're easy to handle. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Stir the egg and water with a fork in a small bowl.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, and combine the chicken, bell pepper, taco seasoning, and Cooking Creme until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese and half the can of black beans.

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, and roll out into a 16"x12" rectangle. Cut into 12 (2.5") rounds. Put 1 teaspoon of the chicken mixture on each round. Wet the edges of the round; fold over and press the edges with a fork to seal. Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining sheets of puff pastry. Brush empanadas with egg wash.

Bake for 18 minutes or until golden. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-10-18T06:13:00.001-04:00

Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets

2011-10-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

In this month's Food Network Magazine, there are recipes for different dinner pockets. Just like Hot Pockets, these were nice and tasty, but they're better because you can control the ingredients that go into them. In the magazine, they suggest broccoli-cheddar pockets, shredded chicken pockets, and picadillo pockets. We went with good ol' ham and cheese.

These were so easy because the recipe only calls for refrigerated bread dough. The can that I had expired in April, so instead of wagering a precious sick day over a $3 can of bread dough, I opted for the two new cans of crescent rolls that I had. I think they were even better than they'd be if I'd followed the recipe.

I'm putting the recipe like it calls for in the magazine, but if I use two cans of crescent rolls again, I'll definitely make more filling next time. Also, change it up to make it how you like it--I always use whatever cheese we have, which usually ends up being the Mexican four-cheese blend. If you want to splurge on some gruyere, be my guest!

Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets

1 (11oz) tube refrigerated French bread dough (or 2 cans crescent rolls)
1 cup (about 4 oz) grated cheese
1 cup (about 4 oz) deli sliced ham
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Cooking Spray
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 425. Mix the cheese, ham, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne in a bowl until combined. Squeeze the mixture together with your hands to make it compact. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough. (If using bread dough, cut the dough into four pieces, and roll out each piece into a 6"x8" rectangle. If using crescent rolls, cut the dough into 8 pieces.) Divide the filling evenly among each dough rectangle. Fold the two shorter sides of the dough over the filling, stretching the dough to cover. Fold the two longs ides of the dough to form a packet; pinch the edges to seal.

Place the pockets seam-side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Beat the egg and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl; brush the pockets with the egg wash. Bake until golden-brown, or about 15 minutes.

Cookie Empanadas

2011-10-15T08:28:00.001-04:00

These cookies are just sinful. What's not to love in this recipe? The dough is made of butter, cream cheese, and flour. Then you fill them with jelly. Then you bake them and roll them in cinnamon and sugar. Good grief. Amazing. They're especially good just out of the oven.

The recipe only made about 15 cookies. I did half with apple jelly and half with strawberry preserves, and I thought the apple ones were better (but it's not like I turned down any of the strawberry ones). The preserves leaked out of the cookies more during baking, and the jelly held up better. You could easily switch up flavors, but the jelly was better to cook with.

I will absolutely make these again. These would be great Christmas cookies. Delicious!

Cookie Empanadas

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fruit jelly
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Day/Week Before: Cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended. Beat in the flour. Shape dough into a smooth ball, wrap in foil or cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to a week.

Day Of: Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using. Preheat oven to 375. Shape dough into one-inch balls, then press the balls flat with the bottom of a glass on a floured surface. Place small spoonful of jam in center of each round, moisten edges with water. Fold round over and press edges together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately roll in sugar mixed with cinnamon.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-10-11T20:43:00.000-04:00

Teak went for a swim and retrieved his bumper like a champion.

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-10-06T05:52:00.002-04:00

These were great! I made the filling for the caps the day before, and then I stuffed them and baked them the day I served them. These would probably be even better if some breadcrumbs were involved, but these were excellent how they were. I tripled the recipe below, but you can change it to suit your own needs. You can also use whatevevr mushrooms you want, but I used baby bellas. Yum!

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 mushrooms
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove mushroom stems; set aside caps, and chop the stems. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Slowly cook and stir the chopped stems and onion until the onion is soft; remove from heat.

Place onion caps on baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 5-6 minutes, and remove from oven.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mushroom stem mixture, bacon, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix well. Scoop the mixture into the mushroom caps. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Sun-dried Tomato Aioli

2011-10-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

I made this dipping sauce last week for some grilled shrimp, and it was awesome! It was easy to throw together, and I already had all the ingredients. I made it the day before I needed and let it sit overnight so that the flavors could blend together. It was delicious!

The original recipe calls for 4 crushed garlic cloves, but I only used 2, and I always use the minced garlic that I can store in the refrigerator. I also used reduced-fat mayo and the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil--YUM. I love sun-dried tomatoes, so I let some of the oil into the aioli besides just the tomatoes.

Like I said, we used it for shrimp, but you can use it for anything you like. Enjoy!

Sun-dried Tomato Aioli

1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

In a blender or food processor, process all the ingredients until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-10-04T16:31:00.000-04:00

Teak visited his friend Kate yesterday, but because Kate is bigger than Teak, she tends to knock him down a lot. Teak gets tired of it, and you end up with before-and-after shots like these.

Friends:

Enemies:

Sangria

2011-10-03T05:07:00.003-04:00

I love sangria. This was my first attempt in making it myself, and it couldn't have been any easier or more delicious. I will say this, though: I highly recommend a designated driver. It's dangerous! I started making this from Pioneer Woman's recipe, but I added orange juice just to have something in the pitcher that wasn't completely alcoholic. I will definitely make this again.

It's a shame that I didn't take a picture of the pitcher when it was full, but it was beautiful.

Sangria

1 bottle red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 bottle white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup vodka
1/3 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 orange, cut into slices
1 lemon, cut into slices
2 limes, cut into slices

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, and allow it to refrigerate overnight before serving. Serve cold or over ice. Have tongs out to retrieve fruit.

Ultimate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-02T19:54:00.000-04:00

Happy October! October is the birth month for me, my sister, my sweet friend Erica, and her sweet baby who is making his debut in the world right now, as I type. This will be a great month.

I don't eat regular chocolate, but I love white chocolate. My favorite cookies in the world are the Subway white chocolate chip cookies (for Valentine's Day, Buck gave me a dozen cookies instead of a dozen roses, and I was not disappointed at all--no sarcasm). These cookies were incredible! How could they not be delicious, since they have two sticks of butter? They're our new favorites! You have to try these.

Ultimate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 bag white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix until a smooth batter forms. Fold in white chocolate chips.

Scoop rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets, and bake for 12-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-09-27T20:49:00.000-04:00

Savory Slow Cooker Chicken

2011-09-25T11:34:00.000-04:00

If you were a fan of the Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, a.k.a. the easiest chicken in the world, you'll also like this recipe. It has only a few more ingredients (but that's understandable, as the salsa chicken's only ingredients were salsa and chicken) and is just as easy to throw together.

After it was finished in the crock pot, I shredded it with two forks, and we ate it on sandwiches, which were very good. What was even better, though, was warming it in a skillet with a spoonful of Santa Fe Blend of Philadelphia Cooking Creme. That gave the chicken a little southwest flair, so we naturally had some chicken nachos that night--our favorite.

Thanks, Amanda, for sharing this recipe!

Savory Crock Pot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1.5oz package onion soup mix
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup water

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle soup mix and garlic salt on top of chicken, and then pour dressing and water on top. Cover with lid, and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4 hours. Shred chicken with two forks, and serve.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-09-20T05:25:00.002-04:00

We made Teak one happy puppy over the weekend. On Friday morning, I finished the jar of peanut butter for my PB&J sandwich. We saved the mostly empty jar for Teak's enjoyment that night. Oh, how he enjoyed it. He LOVES peanut butter.

Gloria Joy's Chocolate Pie

2011-09-19T20:04:00.000-04:00

This is my aunt Gloria Joy's recipe for chocolate pie. She's quite the chef, and my dad suggested that I make her recipe for this pie (she has several great ones). He knew it was too good not to try, and he was right! When Aunt Gloria Joy sent me the recipe, the last line of her recipe said, "This makes an ugly pie, so I serve it with whipped cream and toasted nuts." I did serve it that way, but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it that way, so you're seeing the ugliness but not tasting the goodness. It's runny, and I worried the pie wasn't done all the way, but it got high compliments. It was easy to put together, and it's great! Try it!

Gloria Joy's Chocolate Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
5/8 cup fat free canned milk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, defrosted

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs slightly. Add sugar and cocoa, and mix well. Add milk, butter, and vanilla, and mix well. Pour into the pie crust, and bake 45-50 minutes. After 20 minutes, cover loosely with a foil canopy. This makes an ugly pie, so serve it with whipped cream and toasted nuts.

Sweet-Hot Pecan Sauce

2011-09-14T05:38:00.002-04:00

This will be your new go-to sauce for everything. This recipe is from a Southern Living cookbook, and it was originally served with fish fillets; however, when I made it over the weekend, it was fantastic over the green beans with goat cheese and bacon. It was also delicious with the grilled doves we had that night. You just can't go wrong serving this sauce. Plus, you can make it ahead of time, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. A new favorite!

Sweet-Hot Pecan Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 chopped red onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup pecan pieces, chopped
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp hot sauce

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Stir in pecans and next 4 ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-09-13T06:37:00.001-04:00

Pepper Jack Potato Casserole

2011-09-12T05:24:00.001-04:00

Cheese and potatoes are both so delicious. This is not at all a healthy recipe, but it is very tasty. It's great as a side at a casual dinner or an excellent addition to a brunch. If you can't find the Monterey Jack cheese with the peppers, just chop up some pickled jalapenos and add them--that's what I did. Enjoy!

Pepper Jack Potato Casserole

1 (30 oz) package frozen shredded hash browns
1 (8 oz) package Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, shredded
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine hash browns and cheese in a large bowl. Stir together milk and next 4 ingredients; pour over hash brown mixture. Pour into a lightly greased 9"x13" baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly.

Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Bacon

2011-09-11T18:19:00.000-04:00

Holy cow! These are the best green beans I've ever had. I could eat these every night and be happy.

As Biz's favorite vegetable, we're usually willing to try new ways of preparing them, and these were incredible. I'm sure they're even better if you use fresh haricots verts, but I used good ol' canned green beans. The goat cheese is what really dressed these up. (The real truth is that I could eat goat cheese every day and be happy.) And what isn't better with bacon?

This is delicious enough to serve on a special occasion or on a weeknight. The goat cheese is a little bit of a splurge, but the canned green beans save you some money, so it all evens out, right?

Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Bacon

1 (14.5 oz) can green beans (I used Italian cut)
3 strips bacon
2 oz goat cheese

In a small skillet, fry the bacon strips over medium heat. Remove when finished, and set aside. Pour out all but one teaspoon of bacon grease.

In a microwaveable bowl, heat green beans for 3 minutes. In pan with bacon grease, combine goat cheese and green beans until cheese melts. Transfer to serving dish, and crumble bacon on top. Serve hot.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-09-06T06:00:00.005-04:00

Teak did an AWESOME job retreiving doves on Saturday morning. Buck was so proud of him. He did a great job listening to commands, picking up all the doves, and bringing them back to Buck. Well done, Teak!

Sweet Onion Potatoes au Gratin

2011-09-05T08:47:00.002-04:00

The picture doesn't really do this justice. It was really delicious. We used fingerling potatoes, so that's why it looks pink/purple--because it is. You can't see the caramelized onions (which are delicious) because they're hidden under that layer of cheese (yes please). Tell me--what's not to love here? So don't judge the recipe by the picture; try it yourself. It's easy enough to make on a weeknight but decadent enough to serve for a special occasion. You'll love it. (I adapted this recipe from Rachael Ray's.)

Sweet Onion Potatoes au Gratin

2 Tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds fingerling potatoes (or Baby Yukon Golds)
1/3 - 1/2 cup half and half
1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
8 oz Swiss cheese

Heat a small skillet with the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and the bay leaf, and cook until very soft and sweet and lightly caramelized, 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and discard the bay leaf.

While the onions cook, put the potatoes in a medium size pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then salt the water and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the hot pot. Mash the potatoes with the half and half and Paremesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the broiler. Arrange the mashed potatoes in a shallow casserole dish (I used 8"x8"). Top the potatoes with the onions and Swiss cheese. Place the dish under a hot broiler until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Chicken and Peaches

2011-09-02T15:20:00.001-04:00

This is a dish Rachael Ray made on her show last week, and once I saw it, I couldn't wait to try it. It's definitely a strange combination, but it worked nicely together. It also looks beautiful on a platter.

Her original recipe uses chicken breasts and thighs, but I just used chicken breasts and it was fine. Also, don't skip out on the hot sauce. It's really not spicy, and it would be bland without it. Serve this with rice or at least some bread or biscuits to soak up the sauce.

Chicken and Peaches

1 Tbsp butter
2 peaches, pitted and sliced thickly
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup peach preserves
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat a medium skillet with the butter over medium heat. Add the peaches and lemon juice, and cook until lightly golden, about 10 minutes.

While the peaches cook, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken is cooked through. When finished, remove to a plate and cover with foil.

In the skillet that had the chicken, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion; cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, peach preserves, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and season with black pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken. Arrange chicken and peaches on a platter, and douse with peach sauce.

Fackler Cake

2011-09-01T20:12:00.000-04:00

Today is Buck's birthday--YAY!! For his birthday cake, he requested this yellow cake with chocolate frosting, which he dubbed the Fackler Cake for the family who gave us the recipe. Mrs. Fackler was kind enough to share her recipe with us, and Buck couldn't have been happier that she was willing to let me have it. He has long loves this cake--especially the icing--and he's thrilled to celebrate his birthday with it.

Fackler Cake

Cake:
1 box Duncan Hines Butter Cake Mix (and the ingredients it requires--water, 3 eggs, amd 1 stick butter)

Icing:
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
5 Tbsp cocoa

Cook cake in two 9" pans according to package directions. For icing, mix butter, sugar, and cocoa in a heavy pan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often with a whisk. Remove from heat and cool. Icing will thicken as it cools. Frost the cooled cakes and serve.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-08-30T06:55:00.000-04:00

Apple Bread Pudding

2011-08-27T21:54:00.000-04:00

I've made loaves of apple bread and banana bread recently, and both times we ended up with a few slices that get dry before we get around to eating them. I really hate to waste them and throw them away, so I decided to try this bread pudding recipe with the leftover apple bread. YUM. This recipe would still be great with sliced bread or French bread, and you could just slice up some apples and add them in the dish for that flavor. It would also be great with banana bread and some chopped pecans. It was very easy to put together, and it was decadent and especially delicious with vanilla ice cream.

Apple Bread Pudding

3 eggs
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 3/4 cups hot water
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups cubed bread

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add sweetened condensed milk, hot water, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in bread, moistening completely. Turn into a 9" square baking pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm; refrigerate leftovers.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-08-23T05:25:00.006-04:00

Southwest Pizza

2011-08-22T20:24:00.000-04:00

We do like our pizza, and we love nachos, so this was a crafty way to combine the two. It was good; just make sure you get your crust nice and crisp. You can add any other Southwest toppings you want--maybe corn, red onion, or cilantro. You can also dip it in more salsa, sour cream, or even Ranch dressing. Yum!

Southwest Pizza

1 refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup salsa
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained
1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
1 cup shredded Mexian four-cheese blend

Prebake crust according to package directions. Spread crust with salsa. Sprinkle with beans, cheese, and jalapeno peppers. Bake at package-directed temperature until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Open-Faced Monte Cristo Sandwiches

2011-08-21T19:33:00.000-04:00

This is a yummy way to jazz up a regular ham and cheese sandwich; it's really good and has ingredients you already have at your house! Instead of regular sliced bread, we used sandwich buns that were about to be stale. It was quick and tasty. We'll make it again.

The recipe below makes 6 servings, so scale it down to fit your family's needs. Enjoy!

Open-Faced Monte Cristo Sandwiches

2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp honey mustard
6 bread slices
2 Tbsp butter
1 lb thinly sliced ham
6 slices Swiss cheese

Whisk together first three ingredients in a shallow dish. Dip both sides of each bread slice into the egg mixture.

Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add 3 bread slices, and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet, and repeat with the remaining tablespoon of butter and three bread slices.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Top each bread slice with ham and cheese. Broil six inches from heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-08-16T17:09:00.000-04:00

Parmesan Pesto Crescent Rolls

2011-08-15T06:16:00.001-04:00

This was the perfect bread to go with our pasta. (Read: these carbs were delicious with our other carbs.) It was nice to get so much taste from such little effort. We'll have these again soon!

Parmesan Pesto Crescent Rolls

1 can crescent rolls
Basil pesto
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent rolls on baking sheet. On each unrolled cresecnt, place 1/2 tablespoon pesto and 1 teaspoon grated Paremsan cheese. If desired, sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese on top of rolls. Roll up and bake for 11-13 minutes. Enjoy!

Pasta Ponza

2011-08-14T21:14:00.000-04:00

Okay, this isn't really Giada's recipe for Pasta Ponza, but it's what I based this recipe off of. It was so easy and so delicious. I especially love pasta dishes because they're so great as leftovers for lunch the next day, and this was just as good reheated the next day.

One of the secrets of this recipe is tossing the hot pasta with cheese immediately. The cheese sticks to the hot pasta, and then the sauce will stick to the cheese. It was fantastic. We loved this, and we'll definitely make it again.

Pasta Ponza

Cooking spray
13.25 oz penne pasta (I used whole wheat pasta)
1 cup (or 6 oz) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a shallow glass baking dish with cooking spray, and place the halved tomatoes in the dish. Drizzle olive oil on top of the tomatoes, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes, and cool for 5 minutes.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook until tender but still firm to the bite. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Place the hot pasta in a large serving bowl, and toss immediately with the cheese. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of the pasta, and mix. Thin the sauce with the pasta water, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle the fresh basil on top. Serve immediately.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-08-09T06:33:00.004-04:00

On Saturday evening, as I was cooking dinner, I heard a faint noise somewhere in the house. I couldn't find anything in the living room, so I looked in the dark bedroom and saw nothing at first glance. It wasn't until I was turning to leave the room that something caught the corner of my eye: Teak lying on the dresser. That's right. On the dresser. I have no idea why.

Pollo Loco - Mexican Chicken and Rice

2011-08-07T15:34:00.000-04:00

This was absolutely fantastic! This is just as good, if not better, than the best chicken and rice you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It will have to be a once-a-week meal in this house.

I could have done more with the presentation in the photo to wow you, so if the photo doesn't do it for you, please try this recipe anyway. It was delicious, and the leftovers were great, too! Thank you, Steph at Plain Chicken, for sharing the recipe!

Pollo Loco

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice--not instant (but I used medium grain and it was fine)
1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 container Mexican queso (I used Gordon's cheese dip)

Marinate chicken breasts in Baja Chipotle marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best). When ready, grill chicken until done (165 degrees).

While the chicken is grilling, prepare the rice.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden (8-10 minutes). While rice is cooking, sprinkle with taco seasoning.

Stir in onion flakes, chicken broth, and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Heat cheese dip according to package directions, and set aside.

To assemble the pollo loco, spoon 1/4 of the rice on a plate, top with a chicken breast, and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of queso on top. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and cilantro, if desired.

Banana Bread Bruschetta

2011-08-05T13:42:00.000-04:00

I saw this recipe in a Southern Living cookbook, and since I had just made banana bread, I couldn't help but try it out. YUM. This was delicious! If you want to make your own banana bread, you can of course use the recipe for Almost No Fat Banana Bread, but you could easily just buy a loaf at the bakery. This would be great at brunch with a mimosa, or you could use it as an appetizer at a party. It's wonderful.

Banana Bread Bruschetta

1 loaf banana bread
Goat cheese
Apricot or pear preserves

Slice banana bread into half-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice in half, and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from heat for 2 minutes. Spread each slice evenly with 2 tsp goat cheese and 1/2 tsp apricot or pear preserves.

Almost No Fat Banana Bread

2011-08-04T10:43:00.002-04:00

Do you like how my natural reaction is to spread cream cheese all over the banana bread that has almost no fat? I do see the irony.

The bread really is delicious without any toppings though. It's very moist and has a great banana flavor. It's quick to put together, and it smells great coming out of the oven. I'm sure it would be great as muffins, too.

Almost No Fat Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs whites (or 1 egg)
1 cup banana, mashed (2 large bananas)
1/4 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease and 8"x4" loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add egg whites, bananas, and applesauce; stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out onto wire rack and cool before slicing.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-08-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

Ham and Cheese Rolls

2011-08-01T19:58:00.001-04:00

Oh my gosh. You will thank me for these little gems. They're completely delicious, pretty easy to put together, and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a casual dinner. They're really filling, too; the full recipe makes 12 rolls, but you could cut it to 6 rolls easily.

I slightly tweaked this Southern Living recipe, and I'll definitely make it again. As the recipe below notes, you can make them in a 10-inch skillet or round pan or a 9-jnch square glass dish. I tried to fit as many as I could (which was nine) in a 9-inch round pan, and the other three I put in my muffin-top pan. They all tasted equally delicious, but the ones in the muffin-top pan browned more quickly than the ones in the round pan.

Ham and Cheese Rolls

12 frozen biscuits (I used Mary B's)
All-purpose flour
¼ cup dijon mustard
1 Tbsp minced onion flakes
1 cup (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 (9oz) container deli sliced ham, chopped or torn into pieces
Cooking spray

Arrange frozen biscuits, with sides touching, in three rows of four biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Let stand 30-45 minutes or until biscuits are thawed but still cool to the touch.

Sprinkle thawed biscuits lightly with flour. Press biscuit edges together, and pat to form a 12x10” rectangle of dough; spread evenly with mustard, and sprinkle minced onion flakes on top. Top evenly with the cup of shredded Swiss cheese and then with the ham.

Roll up, starting at 1 long end; cut into 12 (about 1” thick) slices. Place rolls into a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet, 10-inch round pan, or 9-inch square pan. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until center rolls are golden brown and done; cool slightly.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-07-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

We're at the beach this week! Yay! :)

Teak loves the sweet denim couch at the beach house.

Pimento Cheese

2011-07-22T00:04:00.000-04:00

There was a big article in our newspaper's food section yesterday on how pimento cheese is the hot food trend of 2011. My parents have always liked it, but the looks of it always scared me off. So orange. Somewhat creamy but lumpy. Specks of red. I never wanted any part of that.

I'll tell you, though, that it's really good--definitely better than any store-bought pimento cheese. I'm glad I branched out. My dad recommends eating it on white bread with a slice of tomato, but it's great as a dip with some crackers. If you like it creamier, add a couple more tablespoons of mayo. Try it yourself!

Pimento Cheese

1 lb sharp cheddar, grated
1 (4oz) jar diced pimentos, drained
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp mustard
2 Tsbp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-07-19T23:19:00.000-04:00

Apple Bread

2011-07-19T23:17:00.000-04:00

This is a tasty apple bread recipe. My goal is to start making more fruity breakfast breads, so hopefully I'll get on that shortly. It's great with a pat of honey butter, or you can indulge yourself and eat it with a smear of cream cheese. Very good!

Apple Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup broken walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, egg, vanilla, and apples. Stir into flour mixture; add walnuts and mix. Pour mixture into greased 8"x4" bread pan, and bake for 35-45 minutes or until done. Cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-07-12T07:43:00.002-04:00

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

2011-07-10T17:27:00.001-04:00

I can assure you that this is not on the pre-wedding diet.

This bread is just sinful. It is SO good. You should make it right away; I just recommend that you make it when several other people are around. Otherwise, it would be too easy to pull off all the pieces and eat it all by yourself.

Thank you, Steph at Plain Chicken, for your amazing recipe!

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

1 round, unsliced loaf sourdough bread
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 oz bag Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits (or crumbled cooked bacon)
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix

Preheat oven to 350. Using a sharp bread knife, cut the bread in both directions, but don't cut through the bottom crust. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon bits in between the cuts. Mix together the butter and Ranch dressing mix, and pour it over the bread. Wrap in foil and bake for 15 minutes. Unwrap bread, and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-07-05T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here is Teak trying to wedge himself in between the table and a chair on the back porch.

Cracker Salad

2011-07-04T11:49:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

This is my mom's recipe, and it has become a favorite at my family's get-togethers. It's so fast and easy to make, and it's especially great if you're using homegrown tomatoes. I admit that I left out the hardboiled egg the recipe calls for(I didn't want the kitchen to smell bad), and I couldn't taste a difference. It's also nice that you can put everything together as early as you need to, and just add the crushed crackers at the very end.

This is a very tasty and easy side dish. You'll like it!

Cracker Salad

2-3 medium tomatoes, finely diced
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups low fat mayonnaise
1 hardboiled egg, chopped
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
Salt and pepper

Combine the diced tomatoes, chopped green onions, mayonnaise, and hardboiled egg in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Immediately before serving, pour the crushed cracker crumbs on top of the tomato mixture.

Alice Springs Chicken

2011-06-29T06:36:00.003-04:00

This will make your tastebuds very happy. Your nose will love it, too. Your waist, arms, and butt--not so much.

We don't go to Outback very often, but whenever we do, I get the Alice Springs Chicken. I know--it doesn't seem right to get chicken at a steakhouse, but seriously, what's not to love here? Chicken, mushrooms, bacon, cheese. More, please!

This recipe is from a cookbook my mom gave me a few years ago called Top Secret Restaurant Recipes. The only things I changed about it were shrinking the portion size, using a Mexican cheese blend instead of separate Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and omitting the parsley. I'll type out the entire recipe for you, though, so you can make and enjoy your own Outback treat.

And yes, I do notice the lack of color on this plate. We desperately needed a salad. But aren't my placemat, napkin, and dinner plate pretty?

Alice Springs Chicken

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms)
2 Tbsp butter
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Thoroughly combine the Dijon mustard, honey, 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken breasts, and marinate them, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Chill the remaining marinade until later.

After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 375. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. (If you don't have an oven proof skillet, transfer the chicken to a baking dish for baking.) Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the chicken in the pan.

As the chicken is cooking, in a small skillet, saute the sliced mushrooms in the butter.

Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the reserved honey-mustard marinade (not the portion that the chicken soaked in), being sure to save a little extra to serve alongside the finished dish.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika. Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, making an X, on each chicken breast. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Spread 1/4 cup of Monterey Jack cheese onto each breast, followed by 1/4 cup of Cheddar.

Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1/2 teaspoon of parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-06-28T08:17:00.000-04:00

Teak had a big weekend, so he got some good sleep yesterday. I like how his tongue is just barely out of his mouth.

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sliders

2011-06-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

In the July/August issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, she has several slider recipes, and it inspired us to come up with our own recipe. I read through them all and liked the idea of grilled chicken sliders, and I really liked how easily we could change the recipes according to our taste. You could add cheese and bacon (and I'm a little shocked now that we didn't), onions and peppers, different condiments, etc. You can also change the marinade, which would completely change the flavor of the chicken. (The chipotle flavor could have been enhanced in this recipe if I'd put added a pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but I didn't have any, so we just relied on the marinade.) We ate these with my favorite--sweet potato fries--and it was a quick and yummy dinner.

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sliders

1 lb chicken tenders
1/4 cup Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade
Lettuce
Tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
Dinner rolls

Marinate chicken tenders in Lawry's marinade for at least 30 minutes (the longer, the better). In a small bowl, combine the Ranch dressing and chopped cilantro; set aside.

When ready to cook, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Grill chicken tenders, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest briefly, and then shred the chicken with two forks.

Slice the rolls. Layer the chicken on the bottom half, and top with lettuce and tomato. Spread the cilantro-ranch mixture on the top half of the rolls, and place it on top of the slider.

Southern Tomato Pie

2011-06-23T08:09:00.000-04:00

Mmm....delicious. This recipe is adapted from Ezra Pound Cake's, and it's a delicious way to eat some fresh tomatoes. With fresh basil, sweet Vidalia onion, and a bit of corn, it's a celebration of summer vegetables and herbs.

The recipe calls for peeled tomatoes, so here's how you can do it: Bring a pot of water to a boil, but have a bowl of ice water ready. Slice a small X in the base of the tomatoes, and place them in the boiling water for no more than one minute. After the minute, using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes from the boiling water to the ice water for a few seconds. The tomatoes' skins will pull away easily.

The best way to serve this pie is with a serving spoon; don't even bother with a knife.

Southern Tomato Pie

1 (9-inch) deep dish pie crust
3-4 medium tomatoes, peeled
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Kernels from one ear of corn (or half of a small can of corn)
1/2 large Vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Pinch of oregano

Bake the pie crust. When it has finished baking, set the oven to 350.

Horizontally slice the tomatoes in 1/4-inch slices. Place them in a colander, and lightly sprinkle them with salt. Let them drain in the colander for 10-15 minutes. Then set the tomato slices on several paper towels, and set aside.

Prepare the onion and corn, if you haven't done so already.

In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses and mayonaisse, and set aside.

Arrange the tomato slices in the bottom of the pie crust; season them with salt, pepper, and a pinch of oregano. Layer half of the basil on top of the tomatoes, followed by the onion, corn, and the other half of the basil. Place the cheese/mayo mixture on top in large spoonfuls. Using a spatula, spread the mixture to cover the top of the pie.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-06-21T15:17:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from Teak and Buck's fishing trip on Saturday.

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken

2011-06-15T08:52:00.000-04:00

Get ready for another recipe just as easy and tasty as the Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken recipe from last week. Again, you just need chicken, your preferred seasoning, and a bottle of hot sauce (Tabasco, Louisiana, Texas Pete--whatever you like).

I tweaked this recipe from one I found on All Recipes to make it fit our personal preference. We like to cook with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can do this same recipe with wings or drumsticks. They aren't just like Buffalo wings, but they have a nice spicy taste (but not too hot).

If you want to use wings or drumsticks, the original recipe recommended using 12 drumsticks and the entire (6 oz) bottle of hot sauce. It also suggested that you heat the chicken for 15-20 minutes in a 400-degree oven once it comes out of the crock pot. If you don't have the time, or if you just don't want to, it really isn't necessary; the chicken is ready when it comes out of the crock pot. The oven suggestion is just to make it crispier.

Of course, they're even better when you dip them in Ranch or blue cheese dressing. We sliced them up and served them over a salad (with the Crispy Cheese Twists as croutons). I definitely recommend this recipe; it's so easy and good!

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken

2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
1/2 (6 oz) bottle hot sauce
1 Tbsp minced onion flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Place chicken in crock pot. Pour hot sauce over the chicken, and then season with onion flakes, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until tender. (Alternately, cook on high for 2 1/2 hours, and then place in 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.) Serve with Ranch or blue cheese dressing on the side.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-06-14T21:12:00.002-04:00

I was trying to get a photogenic shot of Teak, like this one.

Instead, I got more of them where he wasn't ready for the spotlight, like this one.

Happy 200th post!

Crispy Cheese Twists

2011-06-13T18:35:00.002-04:00

I love bread. I made the mistake of making these before the rest of the meal was ready, which of course means that we ate several of them without stopping. We discovered that, like most things, they're excellent with Ranch dressing or Marinara sauce on the side. These were relatively quick to throw together, and they were good breadsticks. If I do anything differently to them next time, I'll make them spicier--maybe with red pepper flakes or more ground red pepper; they weren't hot at all.

Crispy Cheese Twists

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 (10 oz) can refrigerated pizza crust
Butter-flavored cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425. Combine cheese, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Unroll dough; roll into a 12"x8" rectangle. Lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Fold dough in half to form an 8"x6" rectangle. Roll into a 12"x8" rectangle. Lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray, and sprinkle dough with remaining cheese mixture. Using fingertips, press cheese mixture into dough.

Cut dough into 16 (8-inch-long) strips. Gently pick up both ends of each strip; twist dough. Place twists 1/2" apart on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool on wire racks.

Ham and Wild Mushroom Quiche

2011-06-09T08:30:00.005-04:00

It's time for some healthy eating.

The big wedding is next month, and after last week's scare in an alterations shop where the seamstress took in my dress too much (she honestly did--I haven't gained weight), it's definitely time for healthy eating (which will be paired with my new running shoes).

This is a really tasty quiche, and it has healthy vegetables. It's good!

Ham and Wild Mushroom Quiche

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 pound lean deli ham, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

1 cup sliced sweet onion

1 cup sliced red bell pepper

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup shredded, reduced-fat, sharp cheddar cheese

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray the bottom and sides of a 10" pie plate or shallow casserole dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, and gently roll and shake the plate to distribute the crumbs over the sides and bottom.

Place the ham, mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper in the pie plate. In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork. Beat in the nutmeg, milk, cheese, and salt and pepper. Pour into prepared pie plate. Press the ingredients under the eggs with a fork.

Bake about 25 minutes, until the quiche is firm. Remove, cut in sections, and serve.

Teak Dog Tuesday!

2011-06-07T13:02:00.001-04:00

Honey Butter

2011-06-03T07:00:00.001-04:00

This was the perfect fit for our cornbread muffins from yesterday. Delicious! It would dress up any regular bread. This is Alton Brown's recipe, but I scaled it down from a pound of butter to a stick. You can make the amount that works for you, but I promise you that you want to make this. So quick and easy, and so very tasty.

Honey Butter

1 stick butter, softened
2 Tbsp honey
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Cut the butter into chunks, and mix it on low speed with an electric mixer to loosen the butter. Increase the speed to medium, and add the honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix until well combined, 3-5 minutes. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Sweet Cornbread

2011-06-02T05:00:00.002-04:00

It was not my plan to make cornbread this week, but I accidentally opened a can of creamed corn instead of whole kernel corn, and I couldn't let it go to waste. Luckily, I found this recipe, and it's instantly become one of Biz's favorites. I made them as muffins, but you could make it in a skillet or an 8"x8" pan.

This cornbread is good because of how sweet it is, and the creamed corn makes it really moist. This is very tasty, and it was pretty quick to throw together. We'll be making this again.

Sweet Cornbread

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, sour cream, creamed corn, milk, and butter, and mix into dry ingredients until just moistened. Pour into a greased muffin tin, and bake for 15-18 minutes. Serve warm.

1/4 cup sour cream

1 can creamed corn

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup milk

1/2 stick butter, melted