Saturday, November 24, 2012

Broccoli Cheddar Cornbread

Great homemade cornbread recipe!! Trick the kids into eating some extra veggies.

Ingredients

  • 2 (8.5-ounce) boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 (8-ounce) container cottage cheese
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Cheddar cheese
  • 1 stick unsalted butter or margarine
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed but not drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together all ingredients except 2 tablespoons Cheddar to create a batter in a bowl.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet melt butter. Saute onions and broccoli until soft. Pour batter over the vegetable mixture and sprinkle top evenly with remaining cheese. You can also place the ingredients in an 11 by 17-inch baking dish.

Bake in oven until golden, 30 minutes.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- Add some jalapenos to this and it adds an extra kick.

Cheese Stuffed Bacon Meatballs

I like a good meatball recipe, but this marinara is AWESOME!

Ingredients

Meatballs:
  • 8 to 10 slices applewood smoked bacon
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 package onion soup mix
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon beef stock
  • 8 to 10 bocconcini mozzarella balls
Marinara:
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped oregano leaves
  • 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

Directions

Meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the bacon slices on a sheet pan. Put in the oven and bake until crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan to a cutting board and chop. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, Worcestershire, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, black pepper, stock and the chopped bacon.

Form portions of the meat around bocconcini to make smooth balls. Arrange the meatballs on a sheet pan with a rack and bake until thoroughly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Marinara:

Add the oil to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano and pepper and saute for a few minutes. Stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes and the bouillon. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the pan to a serving platter and serve with the marinara sauce.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- You can buy the special mozzarella balls at Whole Foods, but save yourself some money and just cube a block of mozzarella into 1/4 inch cubes.

- The marinara makes A TON!! Be prepared to have something with marinara the next day too! :)

-

Friday, November 23, 2012

Chocolate Orbit Cake with Mixed Berry Sauce

WOW!! Was surprised how easy this dessert was and it was delicious. Did I mention we topped it off flaming strawberries. Super cool! Try it, you’ll LOVE it!

Chocolate Orbit Cake
(from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz)
makes one 9" cake

Ingredients:
1/2 pound butter, in small chunks
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
6 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the bottom of a 9" round pan with parchment paper and butter the bottom and sides.
3. Combine the butter and chocolate in a double boiler.  Cook until melted.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs.
5. Whisk in the melted chocolate to the sugar and eggs.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and place this cake pan into a water bath, with warm water reaching about half-way up the sides.
7. Cover tightly with foil.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake appears set and your finger comes away clean when you touch the center.
9. Remove from oven and water bath and let cool completely.


Mixed Berry-Cassis Sauce
Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen mixed berries

1/3 cup creme de cassis
1/4 cup sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 tspn cornstarch
pinch of salt

fresh fruit for garnish

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring often, until no longer frozen and very juicy.
2. Add in the creme de cassis, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.
3. When the liquid begins to simmer, spoon about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a small bowl.  Add the cornstarch to the liquid in the bowl and whisk thoroughly until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Return the cornstarch mixture to the berries cooking in the saucepan.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to boil for about a minute.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer until the liquid begins to be syrupy.  Remove from heat--serve warm immediately or reheat in microwave before serving.

Cut cake and serve sauce and fresh berries on top.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- We ended up using a bag of chocolate chips—72% cacao from Whole Foods for our chocolate.

- You get Crème de Cassis at the liquor store. (Can be used to make a delicious dessert cocktail too, google it!)

- The recipe called for all blackberries but we used mixed fruit and garnished with fresh strawberries. Including a hollowed out strawberry filled with Bacardi 100 alcohol on top that we lit on fire. SO COOL!!

** Original recipe from http://www.dessertsforbreakfast.com***

Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

This is a popular soup at Olive Garden and this is a pretty close copy-cat recipe. We actually made it with leftover turkey. Makes a FULL crockpot!

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
32 ounces chicken broth
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 (28 ounce) cans water
2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
10 ounces shredded carrots
6 medium sliced potatoes, peeled
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon instant minced onion
1/2 tablespoon paprika
5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese


Directions:

- Simmer first 6 ingredients until chicken breasts are tender; remove meat and let cool; drain the solids from the broth and put clear liquid back into the soup pot; chop up chicken into bite size chunks and put back into the broth.

- Add next 10 ingredients to the soup pot and simmer for 45-60 minutes. The potatoes should be fork tender but not mushy.

- Add the fresh spinach and stir; let it wilt into the soup for about 5 minutes.

- Add the cream cheese and the grated mozzarella to the soup pot. Stir frequently until the cheese melts. Be careful that it does not stick to the bottom.

- Ladle into bowls; serve with crusty bread.

 

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- We made this in the crockpot and cooked it all day.

- Added the beans without about an hour left and the spinach about 5 minutes before serving.

- Instead of mixing in the mozzarella cheese we just topped the soup with it.

*** Original Recipe from: www.food.com***

Scalloped Sweet Potato Stacks

If you like sweet potatoes you’ll love this recipe. If you don’t like sweet potatoes, you’ll love this recipe. It’s just that good. Cheese makes everything better!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
  • 1 cup (4 oz.) freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided OR Gruyère cheese
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • Garnish: fresh thyme
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Layer half of sweet potatoes in a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining sweet potatoes. (Potatoes will come slightly above the rim of each cup.)

2. Microwave cream, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. thyme at HIGH 1 minute. Pour cream mixture into muffin cups (about 1 Tbsp. per cup).

3. Bake at 375°, covered with aluminum foil, 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden.

4. Let stand 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around rim of each cup, and lift potato stacks from cups using a spoon or thin spatula. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish, if desired.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- We made ours with Gruyère cheese… found it at Wal-Mart. Added a nice rich flavor that mozzarella doesn’t have.

- We made these in a bendy silicone baking pan, made it easy to remove them from pan without breaking the stacks.

 

** Original Recipe from: http://www.myrecipes.com**

Pistachio Crusted Chicken

Super easy and quite impressive. Was surprised at the amazing flavor of this dish. Enjoy a new variation on chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups shelled pistachios
  • ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 4 TB. Dijon mustard
  • 4 TB. canola oil
  • ¼ cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, parsley, dill, etc.)
  • 1½ lbs. chicken breast cutlets

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with a piece of foil.
  2. Grind pistachios by pulsing in a food processor until medium fine. Mix the nuts with the breadcrumbs, and place in a shallow bowl. Add salt and pepper.
  3. Whisk the mustard with 2 TB. of oil, and the herbs in a separate bowl.
  4. Spread mustard mixture over both sides of each piece of chicken, and dredge in the pistachio breading to cover.
  5. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Add chicken breasts, two at a time (do not crowd), to the skillet, and cook until the coating turns golden brown on each side, flipping after 3– 4 minutes. Repeat for each piece.
  6. Place each browned chicken cutlet on the baking sheet, and bake to finish. Cook 7–10 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

  • We looked at 3 different specialty stores for shelled pistachios… ended up finding them at Wal-Mart. Who would of thought?!
  • Be careful not to chop your pistachios too fine. You do want some chunkier pieces in the crust.
  • We ended up using a little more oil in the skillet than it called for because we didn’t want the crust to stick to the skillet and peel off the chicken.

 

Potato Parsnip Pancakes

Super easy recipe, great side to eat with soup!

 

Ingredients

- 2/3 cup light olive oil or peanut oil, for frying

- 3 medium Idaho potato, peeled and shredded

- 1 small parsnip, peeled and grated

- 1 small onion, peeled

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped

- 1 tablespoon chives, finely sliced

- 1 tablespoon dill, chopped

- 3 tablespoons matzo meal, all-purpose flour, or cracker meal

- Salt and pepper

 

Directions

- Heat about 1/3 cup of oil over medium to medium-high heat.

- Drain the shredded potatoes and parsnip, pressing them down in a colander to get their moisture out.

- Place the mixture in a bowl; using a box grater, grate the onion directly into the potato mixture so the onion juices fall into the bowl as well. Add the egg, parsley, chives, dill and matzo meal to the bowl and season with salt and pepper.

- Combine and drop enough batter into hot oil to make 2 1/2-inch pancakes. Add more oil, as needed, and fry cakes in batches until deeply golden on each side.

- You will get about 16 pancakes. Drain cooked pancakes on paper towels and arrange on a platter.

 

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- Actually followed this recipe as written, but did cheat with some dried herbs instead of fresh!

Bacon Bleu Cheese Dates

OH MY GOODNESS!! Was at a party ate one of these without knowing what they really were… DELICIOUS!! And I didn’t even think I liked dates or bleu cheese. :) Super easy appetizer. Enjoy it for the holiday season!

Ingredients:

- 1 pound sliced bacon, cut in half

- 1 pound pitted dates

- 4 ounces bleu cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Slice dates in half, and open them up. Pinch off pieces of blue cheese, and place them into the center of the dates. Close the halves of the dates, and wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside. Secure each one with a toothpick. Arrange in a baking dish or on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease.
  3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bacon is crisp. Turn dates over after the first 20 minutes for even cooking.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- Let the dates rest out of oven to cool off before serving. They will be HOT!

- I had to broil them for a few minutes to get the bacon crisp. Just watch them carefully.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

I am always happy to find a new way to eat a vegetable. This one looked delicious (and cheap) so I gave it a try. YUM!! This will definitely become a repeat. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients:

1 t. olive oil

2 T. bacon bits

2 T lemon juice,

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 Cabbage head, quartered

Directions:

- Mix all ingredients together except cabbage.

- Place on piece of quartered cabbage on large square of foil, spoon about 2 tablespoons of mixture on top, making sure to get it in the nooks and crannies. :) Repeat.

-Wrap tightly in foil and bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- This would be super easy to do on the grill!

- Had this two nights since we had 4 pieces and there was no way my kids would eat it. I made it with different seasonings – with and without lemon juice and overall it was just good!! So, no matter what you actually use, the technique is just good for cooking cabbage!

- I cooked mine for about 20 minutes and it was still crunchy, the way we like it. So bake accordingly.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Sorry I haven’t been posting lately, things have been a bit crazy and the budget is pretty limited so haven’t been being to adventurous. BUT… here is one recipe I ran across and had all the ingredients to… well almost. And it was for the crockpot. Kid friendly… enjoy!

Ingredients

1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
1 (3 oz.) bag bacon pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

- Spray the bottom of your crock pot.

- Do the following layers in crockpot: tater tots, cheese, bacon, chicken (seasoned with salt and pepper), cheese, bacon, tater tots, cheese, bacon.

- Pour milk over the top.

- Cook on low for 4 hours—might need additional time if you started with frozen chicken pieces.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- Seriously?! The layer chart gave me a headache so I dumped everything in the crockpot—reserved out a handful of cheese for the top—and gave it a big stir. Really… is all that layering necessary… I think not.

- I didn’t have tater tots so used a bag of shredded hashbrowns instead… pretty sure my version was healthier.

- Needed more salt and pepper. (Probably b/c I used the hashbrowns instead of tater tots.)

 

** Original recipe from: www.thecountrycook.net **