Sweet & Sour Chicken

I love the fall....and everything fall-like. I love the scents & flavors of fall...warm & spicy. I love the change of color on the leaves. I love the foods of fall....pumpkins, apples, turkey and cranberries and hot cocoa & apple cider! I love the way the weather changes as the heat of summer fades into the cool, brisk, sunny days.....

And then reality hits and I realize I'm in FL and that just doesn't happen here! This time of year makes me so homesick....and I think I am more so this year because I haven't been home since last summer and it is the longest I have ever been away since I moved to FL. I am uber jealous of my friends who have gone apple & pumpkin picking....and doing other fun fall things....and of the weather they are having.

It's this time of year that I love to incorporate the foods of fall into my cooking (even if the temp is still 90 degrees outside). So when I saw this recipe, I had to try it. It's Sweet & Sour Chicken made with Apple Cider and Raisins. I was not disappointed. Great flavor...and the chicken came out perfect!



Sweet & Sour Chicken:

Ingredients
1 3 1/2-to-4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound shallots, halved
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Dust the skin side with flour. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and pour off the excess fat. Tuck the shallots under and around the chicken and cook until just golden, about 2 more minutes.

Push the chicken aside, then stir in the tomato paste and thyme and cook until the paste darkens, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar, apple cider and raisins, bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken until just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a heatproof serving dish and return to the oven (turn the oven off). Bring the sauce left in the pan to a boil and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat and whisk in the butter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Bacon Egg & Cheese Soup

Over the weekend I received my new Food Network Magazine (thanking my sister, again, for my subscription). There were a couple of really good looking recipes in it this month. The weather here in FL is finally starting to cool off a bit, so I can make things like soups and stews that just don't work in 95 degree heat with 90% humidity. Well this one caught my eye and it surely didn't disappoint! I'll spare you the visual of me licking the bowl....

The only thing I did differently is add an extra clove of garlic.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Soup

½ lb slab or thick cut bacon, cut into ¼ inch cubes
4 slices of rustic Italian Bread, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 Tbsp of EVOO
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 ¼ cups of grated parmesan cheese, plus 1 small piece of rind
4 tbsp fresh parsley, torn
1 large eggs

Preheat oven at 375. Cook the bacon in a medium pot over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, then discard all but 2 tbsp of the drippings from the pot. While the bacon cooks, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil on a baking sheet and season with salt & pepper. Bake until golden & crisp, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic to the bacon drippings and cook until slightly golden (careful not to burn), 1-2 minutes. Add broth with 1 ½ cups of water, the parmesan rind and 2 tbsp of parsley; season with salt & pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Adjust the heat so the broth is barely boiling. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and gently slip into the broth. Poach until just set, about 2 minutes. Transfer the eggs to individual soup bowls. Stir 1 cup of parmesan cheese and the remaining parsley into the broth and season to taste. Ladle the broth into the bowl and top with the croutons, bacon and sprinkle remaining parmesan.

From Food Network Website:

Cheesey Chicken Enchilads w/Mexican Rice

Wow, it's been a few weeks since I posted something new. I'm not sure if that's because I haven't made anything new (whoopsie) or if because I've been trying to get back into the swing of cooking since being on vacation....and failing miserably. I keep saying I really need another 2 hours in a day...but unfortunately if that were the case, I'd probably get stuck working longer.


For tonight's dinner I have two recipes (trying to make up for lost time?? LOL).


Cheesey Chicken Enchiladas w/Mexican Rice


For the Enchiladas:

1 can of cream of chicken soup
½ cup of sour cream
1 cup of pace picante salsa
2 tsp of chili pepper
2 cups of chopped cooked chicken
½ cup of shredded jack cheese
6 tortillas
1 small tomato – chopped
1 green onion, sliced

Stir soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder in medium bowl

Stir one cup of the picante mix, chicken and cheese in large bowl

Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. Roll up tortillas and place seam side up in 2 qt shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mix over filled tortillas. Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 40 mins or until enchiladas are hot & bubbly. (Add extra cheese if wanted.) Top with tomato and onion to serve




For the Mexican Rice:


1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic - diced
1/2 small small onion, diced
2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3 ounces canned diced tomatoes (I actually used Rotel)
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock


In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and saute until translucent.


Pour the rice into the pan and stir to coat grains with oil. Mix in cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and chicken stock. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cook at a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

The enchiladas were delicious....and the rice was really good, but a tad too spicy. I think I'd want to play with it a bit. I'm sure it was the Rotel that did it. Maybe next time just diced tomatoes. Hmmm. Either way - I topped it off with a yummy margarita! I love me some mexican! :)

Bacon Wapped Chicken stuffed with Blue Cheese & Pecans

The hubby and I just came back from a week long cruise and it was wonderful having your every whim catered to. I miss our dining room servers and room steward already. Oh well...vacation is over and it's back to the routine. Which means back to cooking our own meals. Trying a new recipe tonight....which I saw Rachael Ray make just before we left and made sure I book marked it. As usual, I tweaked it a bit. I removed scallions and added a tiny bit of brown sugar as it brought out the sweetness in the toasted pecans.

I think I'm on a Blue Cheese kick this week as almost everything I have made has had something with blue cheese in it. hmmm....

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Blue Cheese & Pecans

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1-2 tbsp of brown sugar
4 slices good-quality center cut bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper. Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Mix the blue cheese crumbles with the pecans and brown sugar. Cover the seasoned chicken cutlets with blue cheese mix in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Melt the butter in the same skillet pan the chicken was seared in over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock. Let thicken a minute then whisk in the half-and-half and grain mustard, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to warm.

Halve the chicken and stack to show off the center. Set chicken in gravy or pour over top. Serve with rice and greens, if desired.

Beurre Blanc Success!

This past Sunday afternoon was spent, with a good friend, enjoying a chick-flick double feature at the movies. It promised to be a fun afternoon filled with laughter and tears and oh boy, did it deliver.

The first movie on the agenda was Julie & Julia. There was no doubt that I would love this movie, being the foodie that I am. But I had no idea how much this movie would draw me in, make me laugh and inspire me. I have never heard of the Julie & Julia project, nor do I have a copy of the book or the cookbook Mastering The Art of French Cooking.

For those of you who have not seen it, the movie focuses around a young NYC woman who is a struggling writer in a dead end job. She seems to enjoy, and know, her way around the kitchen and decides to cook every recipe in the above mentioned, Julia Childs' cookbook and started a blog about it. Meanwhile, the movie flashes back to the life of Julia Childs and how she came put herself through a predominantly male cooking school, teach and then write the book. Both woman lead a very parallel life, nearly 50 years apart....and both succeeded at their dream, through food.

Well....I came home from the movies and spent the next few hours looking up Julie's blog (both her current one and the one that inspired her book turn movie. I have added Mastering The Art of French Cooking to my "must have" list of cookbooks. And, just today, the same friend who shared this experience with me gave me the book that launched the movie. I cannot wait to read it!

In the meantime, I was inspired to try to make a Beurre Blanc Sauce, which is a french sauce made with mostly butter and is excellent over seafood and vegetables. I have never done a Beurre Blanc sauce before and understood it to be quite tricky. Too much heat....or not enough stiring...and the sauce can break in an instant and leave you with a buttery mess. Some recipes call for adding cream right before the butter to help the butter "blend" better. I think that's cheating. So I searched for Julia Childs' recipe and was pretty sure I found it.

So tonight's dinner was.....Lemon Pepper Fluke with Beurre Blanc and Roasted Broccoli. The sauce was nothing short of amazing. Rich...creamy....tangy....lick-the-sauce-pan goodness!

Beurre Blanc

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp finely minced shallots
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 lb chilled butter (2 sticks) cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Put the wine, shallots and vinegar in a small heavy saucepan. Boil over high heat until reduced to nearly 3 tbsp. Reduce the heat to medium-low (I actually took it off the heat for a few minutes and let it cool a bit). Add the butter, one piece at a time, whisking constantly until it melts before adding the next. Be patient - it is worth it! Season with salt & pepper. Strain (optional....I did not) and serve immediately.

The Lemon Pepper Fluke was easy and you can use any white fish. Pat fillets dry and season with a lemon-pepper seasoning. Saute in a little butter or olive oil and drizzle sauce over the fish to serve.

I have to say - I even amazed myself with this one!! Enjoy!

White Chocolate Coconut Brownies

I was in a baking mood last night. Found this recipe online and it originally called for pecans, I used coconut instead. I think next time instead of vanilla extract....I would use coconut to enhance the coconut flavor. I think an almond extract would work well too.

The texture of these are much lighter than a traditional brownie...a little buttery and almost cake like. Very good!

White Chocolate Coconut Brownies

Ingredients
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
8 ounces white chocolate pieces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water (double boiler), melt the remaining stick of butter with the white chocolate. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the flour, vanilla, and salt and mix well. Fold in the pecans and the melted white chocolate.

Spread the brownie mixture in the buttered pan and sprinkle the chopped semisweet chocolate over the top. Bake until firm, for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack before cutting into squares.

Parmesan Crusted Pork

WOW.....is all I can say for this one!

Atleast, once a week I like to try brand new recipes. I picked up some pork loin cutlets that were on sale last week and I was looking for something to do with them. I stumbled upon this recipe and I can't wait to make it again. Next time, I think I would try it with tenderloin medallions, but really you can use anything from pork chops to pork loin chops to tenderloin.

This has great flavor and the lemon gives it an added zing and makes it refreshing! Oh...and did I mention it was quick? This only took me 20 mins to throw together and with a bag of steam fresh green beans (which I also like with a little lemon)....dinner was ready in no time!

Parmesan Crusted Pork

2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs (I actually used Panko breadcrumbs which I seasoned myself with dried parsley, garlic powder, salt & pepper)
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, pound to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick (As mentioned, I used pork loin cutlets)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Whisk the eggs in shallow dish and place the bread crumbs in another shallow dish. Place the cheese in a third. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper. Coat the pork completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the pork into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork , in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates, sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and serve with lemon wedges so each person can squeeze onto pork as served.

Mom's Fish Cakes

My parents have had a boat since I was a small child and I practically grew up with a fishing pole in my hand. Unfortunately, there are some fish that we love to catch, but hate to eat. Bluefish, Striped Bass & Mackerel come to mind.

A few summers ago, my mother played around with a recipe for fish cakes as a way to use these "fishy" fishes in a way that makes them edible. She tweaked it here and there and this is the final result.....and they are YUM-O There are really no measurements, so use your best guesstimate (I'll put in parenthesis what I used). And you really can use any kind of white fish.

Mom’s Fish Cakes

1 medium onion, diced (1/2 large onion)
1 red pepper, diced (1/2 pepper)
1 or 2 stalks celery, diced (2 small stalks)
1 to 2 eggs (2 eggs)
bread crumbs (approx 1 cup)
mayonnaise (approx 3 tbsp)
dijon mustard (2 tbsp)
red hot sauce or old bay seasoning (large pinch of old bay)
fresh parsley, chopped (tbsp dried)
fresh, uncooked fish filets ( have used striped bass, fluke and tilapia), diced

Saute the onion, red pepper & celery in a little olive oil until tender. In the meantime, in a large bowl whisk the egg(s) and add the bread crumbs, mayo, mustard, red hot sauce and parsley. Add the vegetables and fish. Shape into cakes. It is best to make these either the day before or first thing in the morning that you plan to cook them. The longer they set the better they will hold together when you cook them

Brown them in a saute pan with some olive oil and then place them in a 350 oven for about 10 to 15 minutes to finish them. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Zucchini Bread

*sigh* The smell of fresh baked zucchini bread is floating through my house and with it brings back memories from my childhood. Zucchini bread was a summer staple in my our house growing up. Dad always planted zucchini in the garden so we had more than we knew what to do with. Mom would make zucchini bread for everyone we knewa nd there was atleast a loaf or two in the house for us.

My recipe for zucchini bread is atleast 3 generations old....and probably even older....handed down from my Dad's side of the family. And although I don't grow my own zucchini, the bread tastes just as good (and is a tad nostalgic).

Zucchini Bread:

3 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
2 cups flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Beat 3 eggs until thick and frothy, gradually add 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil & vanilla and beat well. Stir in 2 cups of zucchini, loosely packed. Add 2 cups of flour, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of baking powder. Stir until well combined. Add 1 cup of nuts (if using).

Divide batter evenly into two loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

For Christmas, one of my friends gave me a cast iron dutch oven (Thanks, Cammy!). I had never had one and wanted one for a while. I cannot say enough how much I love it and love cooking with it. I've done everything from fried chicken to an amazing apple crisp to soups and stews, etc. I've always wanted to do braised short ribs and with the weather being kinda rainy here today...it seemed like a good idea.

I used my favorite red wine: San Sebastian Vintner's Red. It is a local FL wine made from Muscadine Grapes (the only grapes native to FL). We mulled this wine around the holidays and served it warm and it is fantastic. Their Vintner's White is just as good! If you ever get to St. Augustine, I recommend a stop at their winery. You can also check out their sister winery Lakeridge Winery , which is located in Clermont, FL.

So this was my first try at making short ribs. We both really liked this recipe (and my hubby is PICKY)! I'll definitely make it again (probably once in the fall as it felt more like a cool weather dish). The sauce is a little greasy, so if you want to serve it on the table use a gravy separator to remove the grease.


Braised Beef Short Ribs

A few tablespoons of olive oil
4 pounds beef short ribs (approx 6 ribs to serve 2-4 people)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 & 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 - 2 & 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
Zest of 1 orange
Salt & Pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat about 2-tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Season the short ribs well with salt and pepper. Over medium heat, brown ribs for 5-6 minutes on each side. You will need to do this in batches. Remove the browned short ribs to a plate and repeat with remaining ribs. I was able to do 2 per batch.

Once ribs are done, add onion, carrots, garlic, celery, and salt and pepper to the Dutch oven and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. (As a side note...I removed a little of the oil/fat in the pan and let it cool slightly as to not burn the veggies...the oil was really hot). Add the tomato paste and wine to the vegetables and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Return the browned short ribs and any juices that have accumulated back into the Dutch oven. Add orange zest. Cover with a heavy lid and place in the oven and braise for 3 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Once the ribs are tender, remove the ribs to a platter. Taste for seasoning. Remove bay leaf & thyme. Add salt and pepper, to taste. I made a cheesy garlic polenta and served the ribs over the polenta, garnishing with the parsley.

My dutch oven is 5qts and although it's large enough to make meals for the two of us, if you wanted to make a larger version of this you could easily do in a larger pot.

Also - I wanted to thicken the sauce a bit, so I made a slurry with corn starch and water and added it to the sauce before serving. Just put it on a warm burner and let it thicken a bit while you make your sides.

Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken

Wow! I was a big skeptical about this recipe (made it for the first time tonight). I was worried it might be too sweet or just not "go"....but Wow! It made a GREAT sauce for the chicken....the perfect mix of sweet and savory. The garlic is cooked slowly so it becomes soft and buttery. My hubby practically licked the plate. And the best part - it's easy! All of these items are staples in my house so I could make it at any time!

Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients:
4-6 cloves of garlic...roughly chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless/skinless chicken (breasts, tenders or even thighs will work)
4-5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Salt & Pepper to season chicken
Chicken Grill Seasoning

Season both sides of chicken with salt & pepper and grill seasoning. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and allow to slowly cook (approx 4-5mins) and then add chicken to garlic and butter. Cook thoroughly on each side (depends on size and cut of chicken). When chicken is fully cooked, top each piece with a sprinkle of brown sugar and allow it to melt into the chicken (about 5 minutes). This will make a fantastic pan sauce as it mixes with the butter & garlic. For the last few minutes I continually tossed the sauce over the chicken as it was cooking.

The grill seasoning was not in the original recipe.....I added it because I thought it sounded good and I really liked the way it came out so I would do that again. A little goes along way so you just need a few pinches. I also added more garlic than the original recipe called for because we love garlic.

Serve with your favorite veggies (I bet the sauce would be excellent over cooked carrots).

Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes

Bryan and I absolutely LOVE buffalo chicken wings. This gives you all the ingredients and flavors of wings, without the fatty fried wings. Serve with a salad or home made coleslaw.

Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joe's

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb ground chicken or turkey breast
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce (I like Frank's Red Hot)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
4 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
blue cheese crumbles


Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook approx 5 minutes until softened. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more as sauce reduces & thickens. Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese.

Approx 4 services. Recipe can easily be doubled to serve 8.

Pineapple & Cheddar Stuffed Cheeseburgers

I first stumbled across this recipe a few years ago and my first thought was "Well that's interesting...." But we were amazed when I made it that we liked it so much. I have since made some minor tweaks to it and it has become one of our favorite burgers! It makes some HUGE burgers...but they are oh so good!

Pineapple & Cheddar Stuffed Cheeseburgers

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (or half of a medium onion)
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp bbq sauce
1 can of crushed pineapple
shredded cheddar cheese
grill seasoning
salt & pepper
cheddar slices (optional)

In a large bowl combine ground beef, chopped onion, ketchup, bbq sauce, grill seasoning and salt & pepper. Form six patties...as large as possible without being too thin.

Drain crushed pineapple and mix with shredded cheddar. Take one of the burger patties, top it with the pineapple & cheese mixture and top it with another patty. Press ends of the patties together to form one larger burger.

Grill until desired doneness...topping with additional slice of cheese if necessary & serve on a bun with traditional burger toppings.

You can also use blue cheese for this instead of cheddar.

Chicken Panini's with Shaved Apples & a Balsamic Reduction

This was a great quick dinner tonight! Love the cheese and the apple with the balsamic sauce!

Chicken Panini's with Shaved Apples & Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients:
4 chicken cutlets
Brie (or cheese of your choice)
1 Granny Smith Apple
Balsamic Reduction (recipe to follow)
French Bread (or similar)

Season chicken cutlets and saute in a large pan over medium high heat until cooked. Cut bread in 4 sections and slice each section. Spread balsamic reduction over the sliced french bread. Top with cheese and then chicken. Using a vegetable peeler, shave apple into thin slices and spread over chicken. Top with other half of bread and grill on a panini press.

If you don't have a panini press, you can toast bread before assembling sandwich.

Balsamic Reduction:
1/3 Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tsp Honey

Mix together ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid reduces to approx 1/4 (about 3-5 minutes).

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Thank you to my friend Brandy....this is mostly her recipe with some minor tweaks. They came out great! You could also use hoisin sauce instead of the peanut butter & brown sugar for a slightly different taste.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 lb ground chicken
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
½ onion – chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 small can of bean sprouts
1 small can of sliced water chestnuts
¼ cup sesame oil, plus two tbsp for sautéing chicken
½ cup Soy sauce
2 tbsp Asian chili sauce
¼ cup Rice-wine vinegar
3 tbsp Peanut butter
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 head of bibb/butter or iceberg lettuce


Separate lettuce leaves…rinse and pat dry.

Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in large skillet. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Add Chicken and let cook for a few minutes. Add carrots and cook down a few more minutes. Add remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, chili sauce & rice wine vinegar and brown sugar. Continue to cook down. Add cabbage, bean sprouts and water chestnuts and cook for a few more minutes. Add peanut butter & lime juice and toss until peanut butter is melted and incorporated.

Use lettuce leaves like a taco shell….fill with chicken mixed, fold and enjoy!

Summer Party Beverages - Bonus!

I should have posted these a week ago. We spent 4th of July on the beach with some friends (and my sis who was visiting from NJ) and had a great time! As you can imagine, FL in July is HOT....so besides staying in the water as much as possible, one wants to keep themselves refreshed. I made these two tasty tropical beverages to do so. I had to alter the measurements as I made a gallon of each and since I didn't write down what I did....I will just give you the individual drink recipe:

Fuzzy Buccaneer:

Ingredients:
Ice
1 1/2 oz Peach schnapps
3 oz Orange juice
1 1/2 oz Rum
Mixing instructions:
Mix 1 part rum, 1 part peach schnapps, and 2 parts O. J. and shake. Pour over crushed ice. Also makes a great frozen drink when blended like a frozen daiquiri

Absolute Heaven:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Absolut Mandrin
Fill Pineapple juice
1 splash Cranberry juice
Ice
Mixing instructions:
Add ingredients and shake over ice.

Lemon Pasta

Getting back to the grind after being on vacation for nearly 10 days is tough. Today was my first day back at work, so dinner tonight will be easy (and a favorite in my house).

Lemon Pasta:

1-2 shallots – chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic – chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 Lemons, juiced.
½ - ¾ cup of white wine
Sprinkle of flour (less than a tablespoon)
2 tablespoons of butter
Olive oil (EVOO)
Parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
Angle hair pasta (approx half a box) cooked al dente

Heat large pan over medium heat. Coat bottom of the pan with olive oil and melt butter. Sauté shallots and garlic in the butter/EVOO. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Continuing sautéing until soften. Sprinkle flour over and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, continually stirring. Once flour mix turns a light honey color, add whisk in white wine and then add lemon juice. Let come to a simmer. Added chopped fresh parsley (or dried) and salt & pepper to taste. Add pasta and toss to coat. (Makes 2-4 servings)

You can also saute some shrimp with this (which I think I am going to do tonight). Very quick...easy....yummy!

Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce

I guess you could say this is semi-homemade.....but oh so good!

Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 inch piece of fresh ginger (grated)
2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of curry powder
2 tablespoons of veggie oil
1 package of Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce
1 can of Coconut Milk
1 tsp of chili paste

Cut chicken breasts into bite size chunks. Mix grated ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, curry powder and oil in large zip lock bag. Add chicken. Marinate for atleast an hour.

Mix contents of peanut sauce and coconut milk & prepare according to package instructions. Add tsp of chili paste (or more if you like more heat).

Heat large skillet on medium high. Saute marinated chicken until cooked.

I usually also make some jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. I arrange it so the rice is in the middle of the plate, surrounded by broccoli and then place the chicken on top of the rice and spoon sauce over.

This is an easy meal to make even after a long day at work....Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Bourbon Glaze

Really easy recipe tonight....it's a new one for me and we are looking forward to trying it! Will post a review after I make it.

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Bourbon Glaze:

1 Pork Tenderloin (1 large or 2 small)
2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup bourbon
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Rub pork tenderloins all over with crumbled dried sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and bubbling. Add pork tenderloin and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until thermometer inserted into pork registers 150°F, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to platter; cover to keep warm.

Whisk 5 tablespoons maple syrup, 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Set aside. Add bourbon skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet; add maple syrup mixture and turn pork in glaze just until coated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer pork to cutting board. Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup into glaze. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour glaze over sliced pork and serve.

Kicking things off with a favorite!

Welcome to my new & improved blog! Ok, Ok...it's been ages since I've been on here. So many friends and family have asked for recipes as I post what I am cooking nightly....I thought this would be a good place to do so. I love reading others food & recipe blogs and trading secrets. I will try to post pics when I can.

I am going to start off with a favorite. I double puffy heart LOVE Ceasar Salad! My mother's recipe for home-made Ceasar dressing is second to none. It has me so spoiled, that I refuse to order it in a restaurant any longer because nothing compares to it and I'm always disappointed.

Ceasar Salad:

9 drained canned anchovy fillets, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (depending on how much garlic you like – I’m a 3-4 kinda girl)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut into bit-size pieces
1 large head radicchio, cut into bite-size pieces
4 garlic cloves, flattened, peeled
3 large Portobello mushrooms (about 3/4 pound), stems discarded, caps sliced crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/3 cups grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)

Combine minced anchovy fillets, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard and minced garlic in small bowl. In a slow stream, whisk the 1/2 cup olive oil (it’s a work out for your wrist). Set in fridge until ready for use.

Combine romaine lettuce and radicchio in large bowl & set aside.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add flattened garlic to skillet and cook until brown, about 4 minutes. Discard garlic. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

Add dressing to salad and toss to coat. Mix in cheese. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among plates. Top with mushrooms, and/or your favorite home made croutons and serve immediately.

** DO NOT omit the anchovies. Yes, they are gross. Yes, I hate them too. But trust me, the dressing is not the same without them. If you don't like handling the fillets.....you can substitute with anchovy paste.

You can omit the mushrooms if you’d like…I don’t always make it with it and it is just as good.