Grilled Peaches

I had never tried this before, but my friend did it the other night and it was amazing. 
Cut peaches in half sprinkle them with a bit of sugar.  Throw them on the grill for a few minutes until tender, but not falling apart.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream on top.
YUMMY

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch salt
4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
Canola oil
Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl add the butter and stir until smooth. Add the cinnamon sugar, granulated sugar and salt and mix until combined.
Heat grill to high. Brush peaches with oil and grill until golden brown and just cooked through. Top each with a few teaspoons of the butter and garnish with mint leaves.

Green Enchiladas

Green Enchiladas

This is our new favorite enchilada recipe. These are jer's favorite enchiladas ever.

2 cups shredded chicken
2 green onions, sliced
3 T. cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 C. grated montery jack cheese
1 bottle of green salsa verde (16 oz) - I like the Herdez brand
2 T chopped green chilis
1/2 C. fresh cilantro
2/3 C heavy whipping cream
1/4 C. vegitable oil
Corn tortillas

In a bowl:
combine cooked, shredded chicken (I stick frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins in the crock pot with a little salsa verde in the afternoon and it works perfect for these), green onions, cream cheese, and 1 cup cheese. set aside.

In blender combine salsa verde, cream, chilis, cilantro.. blend until smooth.

In small frying pan heat small bits of oil and cook corn tortillas one at a time for about 10 seconds each - set on paper towel

Place chicken mixture inside tortillas seam side down in baking pan. Pour salsa verde sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes or so and bubbling..

I like to serve it with Mexican rice, and fresh avocado and tomato slices.

Enjoy!

EASY Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is my go to when I've got sick kids or we need a comforting and filling supper. I usually use rotisserie chicken when I make this, or any other leftover chicken I have on hand.  I sometimes even use canned chicken.  When I want to make it extra chunky I add the vegtables. Chicken soup really is a cure-all, especially when it can be made from start to finish in just over half an hour. Serve with biscuits or crispy crackers to sop up all the flavorful broth.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced (optional)
• 3 stalks celery, sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon & 4 cups of water or use Chicken broth
• 1 package linguine noodles
• 3 cups chicken meat, cooked and chopped into bite size bits
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 package chicken gravy mix (optional)
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. (IF ADDING VEGTABLES) In a large stockpot, melt butter with olive oil over medium low heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add Broth, cream of chicken soup  and chicken, turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Add egg noodles and cook for approximately 9 minutes, or until noodles are tender.
   Then add chicken gravy mix to thicken if needed.
   Serve.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lb stew meat (cubed beef) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion (thinly sliced) 1 cup carrots (chopped) 6 potatoes (cubed)

I bunch of celery (chopped) 1 bay leaf 1 package brown gravy mix 1 package beefy onion soup mix (optional) 2 tbsp flour

Directions

Place beef and flour in a plastic baggie, Shake.

Pour oil into a large stock pot or dutch oven, high heat.

Add beef cook until brown, stirring occasionally.

Add water, vegetables, bay leaves, soup & gravy mix

Bring to a boil.

Cover.

Reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender.

Discard bay leaves.

Serve

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds 

3 tbsp margarine/butter, melted 

1 tsp seasoning salt (Lawry's)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

Directions

Set oven to 275F
Mix the margarine, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl, until the pumpkin seeds are evenly coated with the butter, mix in the Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle the salt mixture over the pumpkin seeds.
Bake the pumpkin seeds for 1 hour, tossing every 15-20 minutes  until golden.

Sweet Asian Flank Steak

Sweet Asian Flank Steak

Ingredients

            Ingredients

            1/2 cup Soy Sauce

            1/2 cup Worcester Sauce

            1/4 cup Honey or Brown Sugar

            2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil (I use olive oil if I am out of Sesame Oil)

            2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger (I buy the tube of it from the produce dept)

            2 Tablespoons (3-5 cloves) Minced Garlic (again I buy the bottled minced Garlic)

            teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

            2 Flat Iron Flank Steaks

            Garnish: 2 Tablespoons Roasted Sesame Seeds and 2 Green Onions, slivered. OPTIONAL

Directions 

1. Gather all ingredients together – soy sauce, worcester sauce, honey/sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and flat iron steak.
2. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Place the steaks and marinade in a ziplock bag and chill in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours.
3. Grill steaks on high heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare steaks. DO NOT OVER COOK steak,  it will be too tough.  I prefer Charcoal for this recipe instead of propane,  you get a more smoky candy crust.
4. Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and green onion slivers on top to garnish.

Kebobs

This recipe is from my amazing friend at KITCHEN ADDICTION

I use Beef  or Chicken usually because everyone seems to prefer it in my family.  I always get requests for this recipe when I serve it

Ingredients

1 beef tip roast, pack of Chicken breasts  or leg of lamb

            2 or 3 large white onions, chopped

            6 to 8 cloves garlic (or more), chopped

            olive oil (preferably extra virgin)

            Kosher salt

            freshly ground black pepper

            skewers (metal are best, otherwise soak your wooden skewers for 30 minutes before using them)

            charcoal grill

Directions

First, prepare the meat. Cut into cubes about 1 1/4" across, carefully cutting away any connective tissue and fat (you won't need the fat for the meat to be tender). You should create three piles while cutting the lamb: one for kebab, one for gristle you'll throw away, and one for larger pieces of fat and scraps of meat. This will take a good amount of time, so make sure you set aside an hour or so for this.

In a bowl, place the cubed meat with the onions, garlic, about 1/3 c. of olive oil, plenty of salt, and a generous amount of pepper. With very clean hands, mix all the ingredients together, being sure to spread the onions, garlic, and olive throughout and kneading as necessary to coat the meat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least four hours, but probably not more than six. I'm sure it seems crazy, but this will tenderize the meat, as all of the acid in the onions go right to work. Note: if you're making chicken kebab, you'll only want to marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.)

As for the two remaining piles: throw away the gristle. Grind up the extra pieces of meat with some of the fat. (This can be done in a meat grinder or by whizzing it in your food processor.) Mix the ground meat with some diced bell peppers, diced onion, and diced flat-leaf parsley (known as keema). Season with salt and pepper and fry in patties.

Prepare your grill. While the charcoal is getting hot, skewer the marinated meat, leaving the onions and garlic aside.

Then, in a skillet, sauté the onions and garlic with a bit more salt over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized. Serve alongside the kebab.

Once the grill is ready, set the skewers over the heat and grill, turning a couple of times to brown each side. Check a couple of pieces and cook to desired doneness, medium in my case.

Let the meat rest for just a couple of minutes, then remove from the skewers and serve. It should be tender, flavorful, caramelized and smoky from the grill, and addicting

Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad

Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad

I just found this recipe for Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad. It is the best make at home version I have tried.

Chicken Stock :

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Sauce:

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup white vinegar

Salad

1 1/2 pounds mixed greens

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 pound snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch slices

3 carrots, julienned

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumbers

Asian vinaigrette, to taste

1 cup rice noodles, for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Pan Fried Chicken:

2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt

1 quart soybean oil

2 tablespoons Chinese Chicken Stock

1/2 cup Pei Wei Sauce

1 tablespoon chili paste

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. In a saucepan, simmer Chicken Stock ingredients over medium-high heat a few minutes until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. In another saucepan, repeat step with Sauce ingredients.

2. In a bowl, add salad ingredients (except rice noodles and cilantro) and toss to coat evenly with dressing.

3. Dust chicken cubes with seasoned flour and shake off excess. Heat soybean oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees, and fry chicken 2 1/2 minutes. When cooked through, arrange chicken on an oven-safe plate lined with paper towels and place in a warm oven.

4. In a wok or sauté pan placed over high heat, whisk together Chicken Stock, Sauce and chili paste. To thicken sauce, mix in cornstarch. Add chicken and toss until evenly coated with sauce.

5. Spoon hot chicken over salad, garnish with rice noodles and cilantro, and serve immediately.

Chocolate Raspberry Whipped Cream Truffle Cake

Chocolate Raspberry Whipped Cream Truffle Cake

this rec

yield: Serves 12

In this show-stopping dessert, moist chocolate cake is layered with a luxurious combination of rich chocolate glaze and raspberry whipped cream.

ingredients

Glaze

            1 cup whipping cream

            1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

            2 tablespoons sugar

            12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

            1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake

            2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

            2 cups cake flour

            2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

            1 teaspoon baking soda

            1/2 teaspoon salt

            2 cups sugar

            1/2 cup (1 stick) unslated butter, room temperature

            3 large eggs

            1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

            1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Filling

            1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons chilled whipping cream

            3 tablespoons powdered sugar

            3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

            2 cups fresh raspberries or frozen unsweetened, thawed, drained

            Additional raspberries (optional)

preparation

For Glaze:
Combine cream, butter and sugar in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla. Stir until chocolate melts and glaze is smooth. Let stand until thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Before using, whisk over low heat just until spreadable.)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with waxed paper; butter paper. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Remove from over water.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Mix in melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each. Transfer batter to prepared pans, dividing equally.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off waxed paper. Cool cakes completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature.)

For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until very firm peaks form. Transfer 1 1/2 cups whipped cream mixture to small bowl and chill. Fold 2 cups raspberries into remaining whipped cream mixture.

Cut each cake layer horizontally in half. Using large tart pan bottom as aid, transfer 1 layer to platter. Slide waxed paper strips under edges of cake. Spread 2/3 cup chocolate glaze over cake. Spread half of raspberry whipped cream over. Place second cake layer on work surface. Spread 2/3 cup glaze, then remaining raspberry cream over. Place atop first layer, using tart pan as aid. Top with third cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere (reserve fourth layer for another use). Smooth filling at edges of cake. Spread thin layer of glaze over sides of cake. Chill until glaze sets, about 10 minutes.

Spread remaining glaze over sides of cake. Spread or pipe reserved 1 1/2 cups whipped cream mixture over top of cake. Garnish with additional berries, if desired. Gently remove waxed paper from under cake. Cover cake with cake dome; chill at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Forgotten Cookies Recipe

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite cookies. It so hard to wait for the cookies to cook overnight, but it was so worth it the next morning when we’d have cookies for breakfast =)

Forgotten Cookies

Yield: 1 dozen

2 egg whites
2/3 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 to 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. With a mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until the egg whites become foamy.

3. Gradually add the sugar while you continue to beat the egg whites. Continue beating until the egg whites hold soft to stiff peaks.

4. Gently fold in the vanilla, chocolate chips

5. Cover a cookie sheet with greased aluminum foil. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.

6. Place the cookie sheet in the oven, and then turn the oven off. Leave the cookies in the oven overnight without opening the door.

Note: The cookies were too sweet for me with 1 c. of chocolate chips. I’ll probably back it down to 1/2 c. next time.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Quinoa and Black Beans
	Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 10

"Whether you're trying quinoa for the first time or just trying a new recipe for quinoa, this mixture of quinoa, black beans, corn, and spices will make this dish a new favorite."

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper salt and pepper to taste 1 cup frozen corn kernels 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.	Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.	Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Olive Garden Breadsticks

Olive Garden Style Breadsticks

Ingredients

1 tablespoon yeast

1 cup warm water

1tsp sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

butter and garlic salt to taste

Totally Excellent Breadsticks (Just Like Olive Garden)

1.    First put one tablespoon of yeast in the bowl of your mixer.

If you haven’t got a mixer, you can do this by hand, but if you do have a mixer, you might as well use it. I used to be afraid of making yeast breads, but now I’m not – I practiced and realized it’s not that hard after all. I also found out that bulk yeast at Costco is an AMAZING deal – you can get two pounds of it for $3. If you don’t have a membership, ask a friend to get some for you and pay her back, then keep the yeast in a Ziploc bag in your freezer, and only take out enough at a time to put in the little jar you used to buy yeast in, before you knew what a great deal the Costco yeast is. Still keep the little jar in the refrigerator.

2.    Next run the hot water in your sink until it’s pretty warm.

Like as warm as a really nice hot bath, but not so hot that you’d blister in there. I used to sit around with a candy thermometer testing water temperature to add it to yeast, but then I realized that was really not necessary.

3.    Anyway, get 1 cup (8 oz) of the really warm water and add it to the yeast. You can stir it a little if you want to, but don’t go nuts. The bubbles tell you the yeast is working its magic.

4.    Next, add one teaspoon of sugar to the yeast water.

That feeds the yeast. Then add one teaspoon of salt. I’m not sure why.

5.    Add two tablespoons of olive oil next.

You can use any type of oil, but I think olive oil gives the best flavor in this instance.

6.    Finally, add in two and a half cups of all purpose flour.

7.    Fit the dough hook attachment onto your mixer.

Or just mix it by hand if you have no mixer. But put a mixer on your Christmas list because mixers are very handy.

8.    Turn the mixer on low and mix it all up.

If the dough seems super sticky, and leaves a residue in the bottom of the bowl like you see above, add a little more flour (and by “little” I mean “a few spoons full” because you don’t want it too be too floury).

9.    Now you have a nice ball of dough.

10. Get out a baking sheet and put your silpat liner on it.

If you don’t have a silpat liner, add that to your Christmas list because they are very handy, and this time just grease your cookie sheet or spray it with cooking spray or something so the breadsticks don’t stick to the pan.

At this point, if you press the dough into a greased pizza pan, you could make pizza. Just bake it for 7 minutes at 450, take it out, add sauce and cheese and toppings, and bake it for an additional 8 minutes. Voila. Pizza.

But we’re not making pizza, we’re making breadsticks. Onward.

Separate the dough into eight balls. At this point you could make dinner rolls out of these little balls of dough, and they would be really good.

But we’re not making dinner rolls, we’re making breadsticks. Onward.

11. Roll each ball into a breadstick.

It’s just like playdough worms. They should really add this to those ridiculous posters claiming that all you need to know in life you learned in kindergarten. Kindergarten may not have prepared you for all of life’s complexities, but it did teach you to roll playdough worms and that is the operative skill to this part of the breadstick making.

12. Now turn your oven on to 450 degrees.

It takes a while to heat up to that point, but it gives your breadsticks time to rise a little. Just leave them on the counter and do something else, like making the rest of your dinner or washing the mixing bowl or something.

13. In the time it took to preheat your oven, your breadsticks have now risen a bit. Maybe not a lot of a bit, but enough. Put them in the oven for about 12 minutes until they are golden, but not too browned because you don’t want them to get too hard.

14. Take the golden breadsticks out of the oven, and grab a stick of butter with the wrapper still on. Unwrap part of it and rub it over the tops of the breadsticks (that keeps your hands out of the butter, and makes it easier to apply). Then shake the garlic salt over the buttered breadsticks.

15. Put the breadsticks into your serving receptacle and you’re done!

Breadsticks!

Just as good (if not better) than Olive Garden, and they barely cost anything! The instructions in this post probably make it sound pretty time consuming, but really it isn’t. It’s fast and easy and you’ll get great results.