Playing with Brie

So recently a firend introduced me to baked brie. I love it and with so many different possiblities for what one could do with this kind of recipe, it got my creative cooking juices flowing. This weekend I decied to play around with a wedge and see what different combinations I could come up with, here are a few.

Basic Recipe

1/4 a wedge of Brie Cheese from a wheel
Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a baking dish that is easy to clean and place Brie and topping in dish, cook for 8-10 minutes until cheese is bubbling.

Topping Ideas -
Carmel Sauce with Pecans (our favorite)
Apricot Jam with Red Peppers
Rosemary, Olive oil, and Walnuts
Roasted Red Peppers and Garlic
Sun dried Tomatoes and Basil

Serve with mini toasts, baguette slices, and fruit. Enjoy!

Busy Summer

It has been such a busy summer that finding the time to post has been really hard. I have been grilling up a storm and eating tons of great salads. I have also rediscover doing some things semi-homemade. One of my new favorites is to use store bought humus and serve that with veggies and grilled meats. I have also been playing around with Chinese cooking. I have lots of posts back logged, but I figured that I will give a preview of some of the recipes to come.

Fine Fried Chicken
Spanish Sandwiches
Mrs. Dash Grilled Chicken
Green Herb Salad
Super Simple Cukes
Char

Cinco de mayo with Uncle Ben's

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a package of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice. It had been years since I have tried any Uncle Ben's product and I was not sure what to use it for. I decided to save it for today and make some Mexican style rice in honor of Cinco de Mayo. So, here is the recipe and I am happy that I got a chance to try a great new product too. I really did like the flavor of the rice, the nutritional value according to the package is much better than other Uncle Ben's products, but I am not used to the flavor of any rice other than good old white cali rose rice cooked in a rice cooker.  Happy eating and I hope that you give this product a try.

1 package of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice

1/2 of Jarred Salsa (I like Pace)

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

Cook rice according to package, add in salsa, chili powder, and cumin, stir and mix well, add in black beans, tomatoes, and onion. Stir well, and serve with chicken, steak, pork, or fish. I recommend either of these recipes: Carne Asada, Tequila Lime Chicken, Mexican Chicken

Orecchiette with Braised Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Italian Sausage

Last night for dinner I thought that we would try something new. That new thing was broccoli rabe and cooking with anchovies. I have never had the rabe before but figured that I would like it since  I love most leafy greens. This one did not disappoint. I have some issues with canned fish of any kind and I will sometimes use anchovy paste, but touching those little hairy things and watching them cook, I was not so sure about. I decided to give it a try and I reviewed a ton of recipes and came up with this delicious meal. I hope that you will go out of your comfort zone like I did to make this and give the recipe a try. Happy Eating!

Orecchiette with Braised Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Italian Sausage

1 bunch of Broccoli Rabe, stems trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound orecchiette pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Sweet Italian-style sausage, casings removed (I prefer turkey or chicken sausage for this recipe)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, minced

3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry

a Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the sausage, breaking it up into pieces with a spoon, until browned and juices form, about 12 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl and cook the orecchiette according to package directions. In the same pan that you cooked the sausage in add olive oil and heat to medium high. When the pan is hot add in garlic, onions, anchovies, and pepper flakes. Cook until the anchovies break up and the onion and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes. Rinse the Broccoli Rabe and add to the pan. Cook stirring frequently until the broccoli rabe is wilted and tender around 10 minutes, add to the sausage in the bowl. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl with the sausage and broccoli rabe, stir to mix and top with cheese.

Quick, Easy, Healthy Side Dish

So over the weekend I had a great group of friends over to help get the house painted. To show my appreciation for all of their hard work I made dinner for everyone after we were done with the painting. One of the things that I made was a great healthy side dish that is really easy and quick to make. I hope that you give it a try.

Wild Rice Salad

1 package of Mahatma Long Grain and Wild Rice
1/4 cup of chopped green onions
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 cup of toasted chopped walnuts or pine nuts
4 tablespoons of orange juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Let rice cool slightly and mix into the bowl with other ingredients. Serve warm or chilled.

Super Food Day 5

Keep it super simple with a spread featuring some classic Antipasto items. This is so easy because all you have to do is open some packages and spread out the items on your favorite serving trays. I like to serve Genoa salami, mozzarella cheese, a few kinds of olives, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, and some different kinds of crackers and breads. The best part about this is that clean up is simple and so is restocking.

Super Food Day 4 - Game Day Chili

Super Easy Chili


I recently was sent some free samples on Pace salsa and I thought that as a game day chili pace would make this recipe quick and easy. All I needed to do was add some jalapeño, diced onions, and garlic and I was good to go. This makes a great addition to game day as you hardly have to do a thing.

Pace Black Bean Chili

2 pounds of ground beef

2 tablespoons Worecestershire Sauce

1 onion diced

2 gloves of garlic diced

2 diced jalapenos

8 tablespoons of chili powder

1 large jar of Pace Salsa, your choice in heat

1 can of black beans



Heat a large pot on medium high and brown ground beef. Season with Worecestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Once the meat is browned add in onion, garlic, jalapenos, and chili powder, cook for 3 to 5 minutes then add in salsa and beans. Cook on low for about 30 to 40 minutes serve with corn bread and enjoy.

Super Food - Day 3

Today's recipe is actually one of my husband's we call it the Devil's Balls or Heuevos Diablo. These spicy deviled eggs are a great game time snack and really pack a punch.

12 eggs
4 tablespoons of mayo
2 serrano peppers, deseeded and diced
4 tablespoons of hot sauce, like tapatio
1 tablespoon of pico de gallo seasoning (available at most international stores)

Place eggs in a pot and fill it halfway with the water. Bring the water to a boil on high heat, and then turn the stove off right away. Set the timer for 11 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to scoop the eggs out of the hot water and a mixing bowl. Run cool water over them until they're comfortable to handle. Roll each egg on the cutting board to crack the shell, and peel the shells off. Make sure you clear all the little pieces of eggshell out of your work area, so they don't accidentally end up in the food. Dump the water out of the mixing bowl. Cut each egg in half lengthwise, and then scoop the yolks into the mixing bowl. Set the egg whites aside. Now add the mayonnaise, hot sauce, seasoning, and serranos to the yokes. Mash and stir with the fork until you have a fluffy mixture. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the filling back into the egg whites. Sprinkle paprika or more Pico De Gallo seasoning on the deviled eggs if you like the way it looks.

Super Food Day 2

I am stuck, I do not know which recipe I should share with you today, do I give wings or do I give you the dip that everyone asks me for the recipe for, or do I give you something else all together. I think that I will give you the dip. Trust me on this one, if you serve this buy extra crackers this will be a hit, you may even want to double the recipe if you are going to be having lots of people over. The best thing about this recipe is that it is super simple and can be served warm or cold!

Jalapeno Artichoke Dip

1 can on artichoke hearts, drained
1 tablespoon of mayo
1 8 oz. package of fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of pickled jalapeno slices, drained (adjust for your desired heat level)
1 Package of BIG wheat thins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a food processor pulse until mostly smooth but with some chunks of artichokes. To get larger chunks, place everything but artichoke hearts in processor, blend then add artichokes and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Place mix in oven proof dish bake for 30 minutes, serve or chill and then serve with wheat thins.

7 Days of Super Food!

It is that time of year and while I could care less about the teams playing, I still love having friends over and sharing great food and fun while watching football and maybe even more importantly for me this year great new commercials. So in honor of the Super Bowl I am doing my first annual super food countdown to game day. Each day for the next seven day enjoy a great recipe that will be sure to score a touchdown with guests at your game day party. Today's recipe is a a spicy red pepper hummus. This is super easy to make and the level of heat can easily be adjusted to suit your taste buds.

Spicy Red Pepper Hummus

 3 cups of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons of Tahini
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper
a dash of paprika

Place all ingredients but olive oil in food processor, turn on and add olive oil until mixture is smooth. Serve with pita chips, slices of cucumber, cheery tomatoes, and baby carrots.

Breakfast Muffins

One of my favorite things to cook up for breakfast is a breakfast muffin. This is a great brunch food and the possibilities are endless for what you can put in. All you need is a package of  Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and your favorite breakfast items. In my house this is scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take a muffin pan and spray some Pam into the tin. Unroll your dough and place a square in each muffin base so that the largest part of the dough is in the bottom of the tin. Top with some bacon, eggs, and cheese then fold the rest of the dough over the ingredients so that all the filling is covered with dough. Place in the oven for about 18 to 20 minutes and serve. I tend to serve these with my version of these Homefries. Hope that you find your family's favorite breakfast muffin.

Rena's Spring Frittata

So this is much more of a spring recipe, but with the winter weather wearing on me, I am really in the mood for some food that brings the warmer weather and fresh flavors of spring to mind. This recipe is from my "sister" Rena who has made this for me a few times and after begging for the recipe this has become a favorite in our house. This frittata is great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a quick snack. Give it a try and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Rena's Spring Frittata:




6 eggs, scrabbled

1 cup fontina cheese - shredded

1 lb small potatoes sliced thinly

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 bunch of chopped asparagus

1 1 1/2 cups chopped ham



in fry pan cook potatoes and onion on medium/low for 45-60 minutes or till tender, turn up heat to brown for 5-10 minutes - remove potatoes from pan and set aside. Saute asparagus and ham for 5 minutes, add the potatoes mixtures to the pan. In a bowl beat eggs and fold in the cheese - now pour over the potato /asparagus mixture in fry pan and let set for 7-10 minutes, then finish it in the oven at 350 for 5-10 min.

Dinner Dilemmas

So here is the deal, I think that I have become a little lazy in my cooking (and my blogging too), lately it has been really hard to come up with something to pull together that will please my husband, the almost 2 year old, the 6 year old, and myself. Perhaps it is the lack of wonderful farm fresh vegetables that I get from the Farmer's Markets near me, or could it just be that while spring has sprung, I am not finding a way in which to add some spring to my cooking?
Tonight's dilemma is split chicken breasts....
I have the package defrosting, but I am not sure if they will be ready to cook any time soon as at last check they were pretty frozen still....
The other issue is that I have no idea what to do with these breasts.....
So off I head to google to see what others have done with this cut of meat. Well I like that the lady over at $5 dinners makes them into boneless skinless breasts, that at least gives me some more options, but I really don't know if I want to the work.... While I am cruising different ideas I have a moment of clarity, MY BASE!!!!
My base you are thinking, what in the heck is this lady talking about, please let me tell you....

Base for Almost any Meal Recipe
1 24 ounce can of diced tomatoes, partially drained
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 sprigs of fresh thyme, (more if you like)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of dry white wine or vermouth
1 to 2 cups of chicken broth
Optional: 1 finely grated carrot

In a large skillet heat olive oil and add onion and garlic sautéing for 5 to 10 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add in carrot if using, wine, broth, thyme, and tomatoes, simmer for 20 minutes to let flavors combine. From this point, you can add the base to pasta, through in some shrimp, beef, or chicken and simmer until meat is cooked through. I have used this base for beef shanks, shrimp, and now split chicken breasts. If the tomato base starts drying out just add some more wine or broth. Yummm....

Chicken Stew/Cassoulet

I love the flavors that go into the traditional french cassoulet, but I never have all the pork products needed to make it, so instead I play around and today is no exception. Chicken and prosciutto are the meats today, and while I have no served it up yet, the smell in the house is wonderful to all expect the almost six year old.



Chicken Cassoulet



1 3 lb package of boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1/2 lb of prosciutto, browned

2 small onions, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 tablespoons of diced celery leaves

8 sprigs of thyme

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 box of chicken broth

1 can of great northern beans, rinsed and drained



Take all ingredients and place in a crock pot, cook on low for about 6 hours or until chicken is falling apart. Serve in a bowl with crusty bread and a nice white wine, enjoy.

Enchiladas

My family and I are huge fans of chicken enchiladas. I love it because it is an easy meal to make ahead and it is a great use of left over chicken. My kids like all the gooey cheese, and my husband just likes eating some kind of Mexican food. Without further ado, here is the super simple recipe....

2 chicken breasts, shredded
1 or 2 chopped Serranos
2 cans of enchilada sauce
1 brick of Colby jack, shredded
1 package of corn tortillas
1 tomato, diced
2 green onions, chopped
sour cream

Take your shredded chicken and place in a bowl, add in serranos, and pour about 3/4 of can of enchilada sauce over chicken and peppers. Mix and set aside. In a small pan, heat up about 1/4 teaspoon of oil. Pour remaining 1/4 can of sauce into a shallow baking dish (depending on how many enchiladas I am making I use 9x13 or 8x8). Take one tortilla and dip both sides in sauce and place in heated pan until sauce is fired in to tortilla. When the tortilla is fried up, take about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture, some cheese, and roll up in the tortilla, like making a wrap. Place prepared enchilada back in baking dish and repeat until chicken mixture is gone or baking dish is full. Open the other can of sauce and pour over the top of enchiladas, cover with more cheese and either cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to cook, or cook at 350 for around 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with sour cream, tomatoes, green onions.

Single Serving Asian Chicken Salad

I am cleaning up my computer, and I found this recipe hiden amount other documents. This was one of my first recipes that anyone ever asked me to share. I hope that you enjoy this easy single serving salad.

Asian Chicken Salad


1 to 2 cups of red cabbage
1 or 2 carrots
1 green onion
1 chicken breast
Soy Vay Cha-Cha Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing
A handful of peanuts
Some sliced almonds
Some chow mien noodles (optional)


Dice cabbage and place in large bowl, wash carrots and peel into the cabbage bowl, cut green onion and add to cabbage. For quick cooking boil chicken breast, shred and add meat to cabbage mixture For more a flavorful version marinate chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and green onion for a half hour and then grill to desired doneness. Dice meat and add to cabbage… Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and add nuts, before serving add crispy chow mien noodles or sesame sticks. For an added bit of fun add Madrin Oranges too.

The Wonderful World of Wraps

Continuing on the lunch theme, let's explore the wonderful world of wraps. Wraps are one of the easiest things to put together for lunch, the possibilities of fillings are only limited by your imagination. Breads used can be any tortilla, flat bread, lavash, and even lettuce. The key is to use a base that helps bind the sandwich together, and to leave a 1/2 inch of topping free wrap. Let's take a look at some variations of the wrap....

Rare roast beef, tomatoes, spinach and cream cheese
Turkey with chive cream cheese.
Hummus with roast lamb, red onion, and cucumbers
Salmon and cream cheese with cucumbers and red onion
Turkey with cranberry butter, stuffing, and cheese
Chicken with Cesar and romaine
Pesto, provolone, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes
Cream cheese, avocado, black olives, walnuts, tomato, lettuce, and sprouts
Pasta sauce, pepperoni, and cheese
Brie, spicy mustard, sprouts, and turkey
Pesto, prosciutto, and roasted red peppers
Buffalo chicken, blue cheese, and lettuce or celery chopped thin
Grilled chicken, pepper jack, and salsa

I could keep this list going, but I think that you get the idea, play around with flavors that you like, experiment with different breads, and find what works for you. These are great for kids as they are visually appealing when sliced into little pinwheels. I hope that you give the wrap a try and find your own favorite.

Quick and Easy Pasta for Kids

There are some days when I am not in the
mood to eat at the same time as the kids
are. On those days I struggle to find something healthy and wholesome for the kids. Here is what I came up with one night, that received raving reviews.

Whole Wheat Pasta
1 apple peeled and diced
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1 package of Green Giant's New Immunity Blend

Cook pasta and veggies as directed. Mix cooked vegetable with drained pasta, add in apple and extra cranberries, serve.

Fried Goodness

Really it does not get much better than this, deep fried jalapeno slices. Can we say best bar food ever, if only someone at a nearby bar would catch on to this. I would be there just for these. I could be served Pabst with these and be a happy camper. I was first introduced to these tasty morsels at Adam's Ribs (for information and location check out http://www.adamsribs.com/). I was in Maryland visiting family and we headed over to Adam's for a relaxing meal. We ordered their onion loaf as an appetiser and littered among the the onions were some fried jalapenos. I told everyone I knew about these and received the news that Chili's now has these with their new onion ring like appetiser. So i figured that these could not be that hard to make, and guess what this was the easiest few minutes I ever spent cooking.

Fried Jalapeno Sliced

1 cup of flour

a paper bag

salt and pepper

canola oil or other non olive oil of your choice

pickled jalapeno slices

Add two inches of oil to a heavy bottomed skillet and heat on medium/medium high. If you have a candy thermometer you are looking for a target temp of 350 F. While oil is heating remove desired amount of jalapenos from your jar (or use serranos if you tried out my recipe for pickled serrano slices) and place on a paper towel. Gently pat dry attempting to remove as much moisture as possible. Place flour in a paper bag and season with salt and pepper. Place jalapeno slices in bag and shake so each slice is lightly coated. Remove slices from bag and if oil is ready, add to pan and fry for three minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and serve. Make sure to have some nice cold beverages on hand for your guests.

It is getting HOT in here

I buy most of my peppers at an Asian Market near my house. This is the only place I can get serranos, but they sell them by the pound. I have no clue what to do with a pound of peppers when all I need is one, so I tend to give them to neighbors or throw them away. Well this time I tried something new, serrano slices, this was an daring experiment on my part since I have never pickled anything before. Once again the wonderful people on the web helped me find a way to do this. I spent about an hour looking at the various recipes for pickling hot peppers and wound up making my own. If you are stuck buying your hot peppers in bulk or you find that store bought jalapeno slices are just too mild for you, this is the recipe for you....

Pickled Serranos

2 1/2 cups of vinegar (I used white distilled)

2 1/2 cup of water

2 Tablespoons of Kosher salt

4 cloves of garlic

1 pound of serranos, cleaned and sliced

2 tablespoons of black peppercorns

In a medium sauce pan add water, vinegar, salt, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. While brine is coming to a boil add serranos to a sterilized canning jar. When brine has reached a boil, pour over serranos making sure to cover all with liquid. When jar cools place in fridge and DO NOT OPEN for 1 week. Serve and enjoy, slices can be kept refrigerated for up to 6 months.