Devilishly Delightful Deviled Eggs

Everyone has a recipe for Deviled Eggs - this is mine:

Devilishly Delightful Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs

1/4 c mayonnaise

1 t prepared mustard

1 t vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

green onions, diced very small

paprika

Peel your eggs and cut them in half lengthwise - remove the yolks. Put the yolks into a bowl and mash them with a fork - then add all other ingredients except paprika and combine. Use a small spoon to spoon a dollup of the mixture into each egg half.

Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and paprika. Chill before serving.

*If you like your filling a bit thicker - use less mayo

Cream Cheese Frosting

My foodie daughter will turn 5 next month and is absolutely obsessed with the "Big Top Cupcake" mold (as seen on TV) she has been begging me to get one for her birthday party - walking around the house quoting the infomercial "it's not just a boring old cupcake - it's 25 times bigger - for more fun!"

So, we went to Hobby Lobby today (with our 40% off coupon - b/c have you ever noticed that their baking stuff NEVER goes on sale?) Anyway... I wanted to try it out before Halloween and her birthday a few times (as you can plainly see - I have no decoration skills either - I'll need to work on that too!)

Today we made Pumpkin Spice sweet bread and decorated it with Cream Cheese Frosting - so delicious - I especially love that today just happens to be the coldest day yet - perfect!


Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.
In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing

My copycat of Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing:

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix (buttermilk recipe)

2 c mayonnaise

1 c buttermilk (*or sour milk)

1/2 t fresh cracked pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. refrigerate for at least an hour before serving - it needs time for all the flavors to marry.

*Sour milk. If you don't have buttermilk on hand (for any recipe) you can substitute the same measurement of buttermilk called for (in this recipe 1 c) regular milk and add 1T lemon or lime juice to it. In some recipes, using this substitute can make it a little tart - just balance that with a bit of sugar.

Roasted Butternut Squash

I posted this a while ago - but I grouped it in with a bunch of roasted veggies - this one is so good, I thought I'd give it a post all by itself.
Roasted Butternut Squash
2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into bit sized pieces
4 t butter
4 t brown sugar
Kosher Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Place butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Melt butter and mix with brown sugar. Drizzle that mixture over each squash. Season with salt and pepper – roast for 40 minutes, until fork tender.

*You want to make sure that even the biggest pieces are fork tender - the more tender - the better the taste.

Potato Ham Chowder

This one's a goody. I make a HUGE batch - have it for dinner the day I make it - then freeze a 'family sized' container of it for a future meal and I also freeze little 'single servings' for quick lunches or snacks. I just use a Texas sized muffin pan to freeze them into individual servings - you freeze 'em and then do a very quick dip into hot water to pop them out.
This recipe is so SUPER easy - anyone can make it and everyone will love it:)


Potato Ham Chowder
One package of 'Creamy Potato - Bear Creek Soup Mix'
8 - 12 cups water - depending on how chunky you want your soup - I do 12 cups
Diced Ham or Bacon (amount is based on preference)
15 oz corn (you can use either fresh, frozen or canned)
1 medium onion, diced
1 28 oz bag Ore Ida potatoes O'Brian
Cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste


I have made this two ways (because I'm crazy like that)
1. Make soup according to package directions - then add all other ingredients and let simmer for an hour or so (you need to make sure that the potatoes are soft and that everything is heated through).

2. While the water is coming up to boil, I put the potatoes, ham, corn and onions in a skillet and cook them until the potatoes are done. I can usually do this pretty close to the time it takes the water to boil. Then make the soup according to package directions and add in all other ingred and serve right away.

Just depends on your schedule - I usually make it the #1 way when I know I'll need time away from the stove but still need to have dinner ready at a decent hour (I'll make it and then head out to Scouts - when we come home dinners ready - don't worry - I don't leave the soup/stove unattended) but it can just sit there and get nice and yummy without anyone having to worry about it.

Southwestern Lasagna

This is SO good. I found the recipe for Southwestern Lasagna on Yummy Fun - and let me tell you - it was Yummy and Fun to see all the smiles at my table. Southwestern Lasagna – Yummy Fun8 small flour tortillas
3-4 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 sweet onion
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1 sm can diced green chilies (I puree these for the kids)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 C frozen corn
1 Can black beans
juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 C water (as needed)
1/4 or less chopped cilantro (to taste for garnish)
3 C monterey jack cheese - grated

Combine cooked chicken, onions, Rotel, green chilies and spices into a pan and saute. Let simmer until slightly bubbly. Then add corn, black beans and water if necessary to obtain an ever so slightly soupy consistency.

Lightly grease baking dish. In a 9x13" casserole dish (or 2 8x8's) Put a single layer of tortillas on the bottom. Scoop 1/2 chicken mixture on top of tortillas then with 1/2 monterey jack cheese. REPEAT. Then cut a couple of tortillas into small triangles, place on top of casserole and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Preheat oven 350, bake 20 minutes covered and approx 20-30 more minutes uncovered.

I was really curious how the 'triangle tortillas' would affect the dish. Would they be dry? Would they burn? Is that really a good idea? Turns out - the tortillas on top get nice and crispy and add a totally AWESOME layer of texture to the dish!

I served this with Avocado Dressing - as an homage to "Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls and Avocado Dipping Sauce" and it really hit the spot! I told my hubs where I got the recipe and the idea for the sauce and he had a great idea. Buy the smallest tortillas, fill them with the chicken mixture and cheese, wrap them up like little burritos - bake and serve as appetizers with the dipping sauce! BRILLIANT - I am definitely doing that for our next get together.

*I did a very few things differently. I totally spaced the lime juice - and it was still amazing - next time I make it I'll be sure to include it. I also didn't have frozen corn, so I just used 1 can of corn and I didn't add cilantro (my husband thinks it tastes like soap).

Avocado Dressing/Dip

I wanted to serve something on the side of the Southwestern Lasagna to as an ode to "Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls with Avocado Dipping Sauce" and this was the ticket baby! I sorta 'winged it' and didn't measure my spices - so tweak it to your preference. I was really pleased with how it turned out - the perfect compliment to the Southwestern Lasagna:)

Avocado Dressing/Dip
1/2 Avocado
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sour cream
1/8 t salt
1/8 t dried parsley
1/8 t onion powder
Dash dill weed
Dash garlic powder
Dash pepper

Blend all ingredients together (I use my immersion blender!) Refrigerate before serving to get it chilled and to allow the flavors to marry.

Artisan Bread

I can't believe I haven't posted about this recipe yet - I just double and triple checked - I have to apologize from keeping you all from this recipe - it's AMAZING.

If you really want to impress - make this - people will think you spent years working in a bakery - and it'll be our little secret that this recipe is probably the least labor intensive bread I've ever made (and that is saying something!)

The first time I made it - it turned out just like it did today - you can't go wrong with this one - whether it's your first time or your 100th!

I found this recipe 3 or 4 years ago and I make it all the time. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that it needs to rise overnight - so PLAN AHEAD:)
Artisan Bread
3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t instant yeast
1 1/4 t salt
1 + 1/2 + 2T warm water
Cornmeal

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Then add the water and stir until blended. Dough will be sticky and shaggy looking. (See? That will only take you 4 minutes) Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 18 hours at room temperature. *You'll know when the dough is ready - the surface will be dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour your work surface and place dough on it (I just flip the bowl over and it all slides out). Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a COTTON TOWEL (not terry cloth) with cornmeal. place the dough 'ball' seam side down on the cornmeal then cover with another cotton towel and let rise an additional 2 hours.

Half an hour before the dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6 - 8 qt. heavy covered pot (I use my cast iron pot) in the oven as it heats up.

When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Take the top towel off of the dough - slide your hand under the other towel and turn the dough over into the pot. It might look like a mess - don't worry.

Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes. Then remove lid and bake another 5 - 10 minutes until the loaf is beautifully browned.

When it's ready - plop that baby on a rack to cool and be careful not to go to far away - or it'll disappear!

*I usually make these loaves 2 at a time. The first one out of the oven is gone lickity split! I use the second one to give to a neighbor or use for sandwiches or baked fondue - mmmmm...

Broccoli Bake

Remember a few posts back when I blanched and then froze ALL that broccoli?

I thawed it out (in the fridge overnight) and made this little number with it. I didn't have any diced ham, so we just ate it 'veggie style' - it's great as a main dish or as a side.
Broccoli Bake
3 lbs fresh broccoli – blanched (or you can use 20 oz. chopped frozen broccoli, thawed)
2 cups cubed ham
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 medium onion, diced and sautéed (you can add them raw, but if you sauté them, that’ll take the ‘bite’ out of them)
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of (whatever you have on hand) soup
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c crushed Ritz crackers (about 2/3 of a package)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except broccoli. Add the broccoli and incorporate. Spread out in a 9x13 casserole dish (or 2 8x8’s like I usually do). Bake for 30 minutes – YUMMO.

*If you want it really creamy, add another can of soup.

Lazy Momma Dayz

My husband travels a lot - I know I've mentioned this too many times - but it's relevant. When my hubs gets home from being 'on the road' I love to have the house spik and span and the house smelling delicious. I'm just that kinda gal (and I love to eat delicious home cooked meals as much as he does!)

BUT - this post is about the Lazy Momma Days I have inbetween when my hubby is home and when I am only catering to my kiddos tastes and needs. Keep in mind that my kids are 6, 4 and 21 months old. Here are a few quick lazy meals that'll satisfy the kiddos and won't make you feel guilty.

Top Ramen - alone you're the bomb - if you want to kick it up a notch - here's an idea: make it the usual way - only you drain the water off like you would pasta. Add steamed veggies (usually broccoli and carrots - they take 10 minutes in the micro), a few cashews (protein) and your favorite Teriyaki sauce (Mr. Yoshida's at Costco rocks!) It's a (under 6 crowd pleaser - me not so much)

Mac N' Cheese with Hot Dogs: a classic. Self explanitory - dairy, protein, gooeyness - nuff said.

Pasta: There are 100 million things you can do with pasta. I pre-cook a bunch (look here) and the possibilities are endless. You can throw the pre-cooked pasta in the microwave with Alfredo Sauce (from a jar), spaghetti sauce (from a jar or homemade), pesto (from a jar or homemade) or as my son prefers - just with butter and a pinch of salt. Plus you can add any protein you have in your fridge to kick it up - HOLLA!

Believe me - make one of these ridiculously easy kid friendly meals and you'll be a hero - just like me.

Home Made Soft Pretzels

When I posted my Home Made Bagel recipe someone commented or whether or not I thought that recipe could be used to make soft pretzels - what a genius!! So, today I decided to test that theory.

I was alone in the kitchen and when I pulled them out of the oven - everyone came running. Jack had his plain (salted), Maisie had hers with ranch dressing, my hubs had his with mustard, I had mine with cream cheese and my baby had hers with butta. YUM.

As I mentioned before - I made 2 batches so I had 8 BIG dough balls - if you adhere to the recipe, you will have 8 small dough balls...

Roll it out nice and thin - Remember how big mine turned out - next time I'll roll them even thinner...

This is what they looked like right before they took their bath...

And the finished product - I've been saying they are huge - but I should at least mention that this isn't a dinner plate, it's a salad plate - they aren't THAT big:)

Homemade Soft Pretzels

4 cups bread flour *remember how I told you that using 'bread flour' is really important in certain recipes - this is one of them*

1 Tbls sugar

1 1/2 tsps salt

1 Tbls vegetable oil

2 tsps instant yeast

1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don't have to worry about soaking the yeast when you use instant yeast (most yeast sold these days is instant yeast). The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff, or you can't get all the dry flour incorporated. Plop the dough down onto the counter, and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth. Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls, and let rest for 10-20 minutes. *Since this is the first time trying this, I decided to use double the amount of dough per pretzel - so I only had 4 equal sized balls - and my pretzels turned out GINORMOUS. They were awesome, but next time I'll stick with the original recipe.

Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a long thin snake on the counter - remember they will be just about double the size you make them - so go thin. Then shape them into pretzels. Let your dough rest on the counter for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and grease a large baking tray lightly. You can just rub a splash of vegetable or olive oil and rub it around.

After the 20 minute wait, your pretzels will start to look puffy, and it's time to get them boiling! Add them as many at a time as you can to your boiling water without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil for another minute. *If you decide to 'go big' like I did - you'll need to boil them for about 90 seconds on each side* Take them out and set them on a cooling rack for a minute or two and then place them on your oiled baking tray. Repeat until all the pretzels are boiled. If you want to make traditional salted pretzels, sprinkle them with Kosher Salt right when you get them out of the water.

Bake them at 425 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes flipping them over half way through. Then feast on these delicious babies.

**One last tip. I made 2 batches because with they way I did them (the hugeinic way) I would've only ended up with 4 pretzels - and that just wouldn't fly around here. So - here's the tip - NEVER, EVER, EVER DOUBLE YOUR BATCH. The dough is so stiff you can't work with it. I made 2 batches - but I made them in seperate bowls - so if you are making them for a crowd - get out a bowl for each batch and get 'er done!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I have already used the Hatch Green Chiles in a couple of recipes - Hubs had them in his omelette, I made a little snack for us: fried up a tortilla (with butter) then spread the tortilla with cream cheese, sprinkled it with cheddar cheese, onions and green chiles. Pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds (so the cheese is all melty) then roll it up like a wrap and cut into bite size pieces...

My hair stylist gave me her Grandmothers recipe for Green Chile Enchiladas - and here it is...

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts - diced or shredded
1 medium onion, diced
Green Chiles - as many as you want
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
Tortillas
Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Dice Chicken and throw them in your pan with some EVOO. Season with Salt Pepper and Garlic Powder and cook until they are no longer pink. Add the onions and green chiles until they are soft then add the Cream of Mushroom Soup. Reduce heat and let simmer until incorporated and heated through.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan (or 2 8x8 pans) layer tortillas, then soup mixture, shredded cheese and repeat. Stick the casserole in the oven for about 10 minutes - until the cheese is melted. Enjoy:)

Hatch Green Chilis

The town of Hatch, New Mexico has been known as the "Chile Capitol of the World" for over 200 years. Hatch is about 3 hours from here. Every year around this time they have a "Chile Festival" we've been hearing stories about people that travel down to the festival, buy chiles by the box load and have them roasted there. On the way home, there are caravans of people on the side of the road having little fiestas and enjoying the chiles they just bought. The smell of the chile's are so overwhelming that they just can't make it the whole way home without eating some:)

I have always had a 'when in Rome' attitude - so when they started selling boxes of Hatch Chiles at our local grocery store - I bought one (30 freakin' pounds of chiles) it is such a big deal here that the grocery store will actually roast them for you on the spot...

This box was over flowing with chiles
This is what they look like after being roasted. You leave them in this plastic bag to let them 'sweat' for an hour or so.

We called my hubs good friend who is a Master Chile Dude and has been for the last 40 years to ask advice on what to do next. He advised us to put 5 -8 of them in Ziploc baggies and freeze them. Then, when we are ready to use them, just stick the bag in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and they are ready to go. YUM.

I am not a chile person - well, let me rephrase. I wasn't a chile person. I wanted to have some peeled and diced b/c I am making an AWESOME recipe with them tonight.

The chiles we didn't freeze went into the sink filled with cold water. When you pull them out, the skin practically falls off. Then we diced them and left the seeds in (this being my first time doing this I got the MILD chiles - to be on the safe side)

We couldn't resist the aroma. We pulled out some tortillas, spread them with cream cheese and sprinkled chilis on top - then we just rolled it up, cut it into bite sized pieces and went to town.

Man oh man these are good. Stay tuned for one (of the very many) recipes I am going to make with these babies!

Thai Chicken & Noodles

This is the 3rd recipe I have tried from 365 Days of Crockpot Meals (on our sidebar). I am 1 for 3. So far I have tried the "Crock Pot Garlic Lime Chicken" me no likey, the "Cafe Rio Chicken" total thumbs up and definitely recommend and now this recipe - again not my taste.
I ate my dinner (cuz I am PHAT that way) and my husband practically inhaled it - BUT - let's consider that he has been out of town all week and was very much looking forward to a home cooked meal - not exactly what I'd call 'discriminating' taste buds.

It may be because I have had such a craving for Asian food lately and that I was hoping this would feed that hunger. Maybe. 365 DOCM rated this at 5 stars - so maybe I'm crazy - I'll give you the recipe and you tell me what you think...

Thai Chicken and Noodles
1 1/2 lb chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips
1 1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
12 oz hot cooked vermicelli pasta
3/4 cup peanuts or cashews chopped
3/4 cup cilantro chopped
Directions: Place chicken, bell pepper, 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth in small bown until smooth. Turn slow cooker on High. Stir in green onions, peanut butter, and cornstarch mixture. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir well. Serve over vermicelli or Thai noodles. Sprinkle with peanuts or cashews.

*I want to know if anyone else has tried the crock pot recipes from 365 Days of Crock Pot Meals - I want to know what kind of luck you've had - let me know!

Choppin' Broccoli

I went to Costco over the weekend and bought a boat load of veggies. While I was unloading all the food Sweetness said - "are you having a party while I'm out of town?" Shoot! I forgot that he'd be gone all week. What to do...

I know better than to try and force feed 3 pounds of broccoli to my sweet children - but I hate to waste food! The solution? Blanching. My friend Dawn actually reminded me of this long lost treasure...

First - you get a large pot of water boiling. Put the broccoli in the boiling water and 'blanche' for 2 to 3 minutes.

Then, straight from the boiling water into an ice bath they go (use a slotted spoon to transfer them) Wait until the broccoli is cooled, and drain them.

At this point, you can set them aside until you are ready to eat. To reheat, just stick them in a saute pan with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) salt and pepper for about 1 -2 minutes - just so they are heated through.

Blanching ensures crisp cooked veggies instead of that mush...

OR, if you are like me and are trying to extend the life of your broccoli - put the cooled broccoli in a ziploc or air tight container - stick it in the freezer and it will keep for up to 12 months!

*I got all this information from my Barefoot Contessa Cookbook - I love that lady!

The Perfect Roasted Potatoes

I bought a cookbook titled "Roasting" by Peter Swann last week (clearance $2) and I've been pouring over the text and drooling over the recipes ever since. Roasting is one of the most basic no muss no fuss ways to cook something with mucho flavor and minimal effort (second only to using your crock pot).

Since we don't have taste-o-vision or smell-o-vision, I try to use descriptive words when posting recipes. I have used words like "Best Ever" "So Delicious" "Crowd Pleaser" etc. I have NEVER used the word "Perfect" to describe a recipe. I've been saving that word for this recipe.

***Life changing tip ahead - keep reading***

This morning I made these for our 'skillet type' breakfast. I'm not sure if you can tell - but they are about the size of a quarter - a small bite.

Next time I make them, I'll make them in bigger chunks - dinner style...

The Perfect Roasted Potatoes
3 lbs potatoes (any kind you like) peeled and cut into chunks
3 T EVOO
Salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. cook the potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water over medium heat, covered for 5 - 7 minutes. They will still be firm. remove from the heat. meanwhile, add the EVOO to a roasting pan (or cookie sheet) and place in the hot oven.

***Here it is. The best cooking tip I've heard of this year*** Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pan. Cover with the lid and firmly shake the pan so that the surface of the potatoes is slightly roughened to help give them a much crisper texture.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully tip the potatoes into the hot oil. baste them mto ensure that they are all coated with the oil.

Roast the potatoes at the top of the oven for 45 -50 minutes (the small potatoes I did this morning only took 35 minutes) until they are browned all over and thoroughly crisp. Turn the potatoes and baste again only once during the process or the crunchy edges will be destroyed.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the potatoes from the roasting pan into a warmed serving dish. Sprinkle with a little salt and serve at once.


For breakfast this morning we ate them completely unseasoned - I didn't even salt the water when I boiled them - and they were sooo good. The recipe calls for you to salt the potatoes when they are finished cooking - but I would suggest seasoning them right when you put them in the oven. They come out of the oven so crispy on the outside (soft and fluffy on the inside) that the surface of the potato isn't porous enough to accept seasoning.

The cool thing about this is that you can season these a million different ways - imagine the possibilities:)

Pizza Pasta

I can't remember where I saw this recipe - I am so bad at that. This recipe was very good - very family friendly. My sons favorite food is pizza. His least loved food group is protein. This dish combines the flavors he loves with the protein he really needs.
Pizza Pasta
8 ounces rotini pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef with onion until beef is brown. Drain. Combine beef mixture with spaghetti sauce, pepperoni and cooked pasta and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with mozzarella.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden.

*I had ground sausage (already cooked) in my fridge - so I added that as well.

This is a great 'inspiration' recipe. You can add whatever protein you want, as well as additional veggies if you'd like.

Cafe Rio Chicken

I added this picture 10/9/09 after making it again - I should've taken the pic with the final product (salad) but I didn't - just so you could see the basic ingredient and its potential in SO many dishes!!
Cafe Rio is one of my favorite Mexican joints. I have been making Cafe Rio Pork forever - it's one of our favorites - so when I saw this recipe for their chicken - I had to make it.

Saturday, I had a lot of errands to run and knew I would run out of time for dinner. So, I threw everything in the crock pot and went to run errands. When I got home, Sweetness and friends were in the garage brainstorming on one of our current projects. I walked into the house and this whiff of deliciousness filled the garage - lots of yummy noises and questions about what I was cooking... I went in and out of the garage several times (unloading groceries) and by the time I was done unloading, they had all planned a BBQ at our house b/c they couldn't resist! I had their mouths watering...

Everyone gobbled it up (kids included!) The adults had it as a salad and the kids had this as burritos or quesadillas. Yum. Super versitile - so impressive and the crock pot does all the work!I saw this recipe on 365 Days of Crock Pot Recipes.

Café Rio Chicken
5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thawed
8 oz Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
Mix all ingredients except the chicken in a bowl. Place chicken on bottom of a greased crockpot. Pour mixture in bowl over the top of chicken. Cook on high 5-7 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and reserve juice to pour over chicken when serving.

**As far as crock pot cooking goes, I like the marinade to cover the protein. With this recipe, I doubled the marinade/dressing so that the chicken would be covered. IT WAS GOOOOOD.

***I just remembered - I got this recipe from 365 Days Of Crock Pot Cooking (see our sidebar)

White Bread

I came across this recipe for basic White Bread a couple of years ago - I can't remember where. Anyway, since we moved from SLC to New Mexico - my kids constantly complain about the lack of white bread choices available. (In SLC - my kids fav white bread was Granny Sycamore's - I'm still looking for something comparable to that - if you have a recipe - I'd love to try it!)

In the meantime - this one keeps the kiddos happy...

White Bread
6 cups flour, more or less, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups very warm water, about 120°
2 tablespoons softened butter

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Beating at low speed, add the water and butter. Continue beating at high speed for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour and beat 4 minutes longer. Stir in 3 cups flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes,, or until dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour as necessary.

Place dough in a large buttered bowl, turning to butter top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place, free of drafts.

Punch dough down; knead until smooth. Cut dough in half, cover with the mixing bowl, and let stand for 15 minutes longer. Roll each half into a 12x9-inch rectangle. Starting with the narrow edge, roll up, turning ends under to make loaves to fit pans. Place rolls seam side down in greased loaf pans, 9x5x3-inches. Cover pans with clean towel and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.

Bake loaves at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped with fingers. Remove from pans to racks; brush with butter for a soft, more flavorful crust, if desired.
Makes 2 loaves.

Home Made Bagels!

This recipe deserves a Ferriss Beuller style "OOOOhhh Yeahhhh"

**I made these bagels again (b/c my picky eater ate them all in 3 days!) but this time I made them with BREAD FLOUR - as the recipe calls for - holy moly did that make a difference! Also, instead of spraying the baking sheet with Pam, I drizzled it with olive oil! You have to make these - for the love of Pete - make them right now!

In less than 90 minutes - I'm not lyin' folks! It's true. I have had the biggest craving for bagels lately - since (as I mention all the time) we live in the boonies. There just isn't a decent bagel place around - and that bread with a hole in the middle of it that they sell at the grocery stores - just doesn't cut it.

I searched online for an 'easy bagel recipe' and this is what I found - this awesome guy used to own a bagel shop - so he knows what he is talking about - and as far as sharing his knowledge (and 2am wake up call for who knows how many years) I think he rocks!!!

My pictures show my 4 year old - yes 4 year old - helping with the bagels - this is how easy this is!!
Rolling them out (like snakes) then smooshing them under your hand... See how imperfect they are? That's why they call it home made - made with love - by a Mama and her 4 year old daughter...

Boiling them here. Don't freak out if yours sink to the bottom - mine did. I let them sink to the bottom and about 20 seconds later scooped them off the bottom - then they floated and all is well...

Homemade bagel recipe
4 cups bread flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 Tbls vegetable oil
2 tsps instant yeast
1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don't have to worry about soaking the yeast when you use instant yeast (most yeast sold these days is instant yeast). The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff, or you can't get all the dry flour incorporated.
Plop the dough down onto the counter, and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.
Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
Pre heat your oven to 425.

Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a little snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant rolling hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll these two ends together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfectly circular bagel-to-be! This is the only part of the process that can take a little practice before your bagels will look really professional. Don't get discouraged if they don't look perfect, it just takes practice!

Let your bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and grease a large baking tray lightly. You can just rub a splash of vegetable oil and rub it around.
After the 20 minute wait, your bagels will start to look puffy, and it's time to get them boiling! Add them as many at a time as you can to your boiling water without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil for another minute. Take them out a let dry for a minute and then place them on your oiled baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.
Add the tray to the oven, and after 10 minutes, flip the bagels over, bake for another ten minutes; and they're done!
Let them cool for at least 20 minutes, get the cream cheese ready, and feast on what's got to be one of the best weekend brunch treats possible!
You can add any toppings you like to these. To make sesame, onions, poppy seed, caraway etc. etc. bagels just have a dry plate ready with the seed or spice topping spread out on it. After the bagels have come out of the boiling water, place them face down onto the seeds, and then place the seed side up onto the baking tray. Bake and flip as for plain bagels.

My hubs called me mid bageldrum - he asked what I was doing and when I told him he said "aren't bagels super tempermental and super difficult?" Well, yes, from everything I have heard - but not this recipe - believe me! If my 4 year old can do it - so can you:)

I called my hubs when they were done - just to brag (b/c I can with him, it's all good) he asked what 'kind' I made. I made plain this time b/c I honestly didn't know what to expect - this weekend, I'll get crazy. He also asked me to save him one - since he won't be home until Fri eve - I apologized in advanced and told him that our 6 year old (who eats like a bird and is the pickiest eater in the universe) ate 2 of them in a row - I had one, my 4 year old had one (she had to taste the fruits of her labor!) and my 18 month old snarfed one down. They'll be gone tomorrow. Luckily, they are so easy to make and they are made from stuff I already have on hand - these will take a permanent spot in my baking repertoir.

Mahogany Chicken

My cute friend Jenny gave me this recipe. She made it as the directions say except that she used bone in chicken legs - not 'wings' as specified. Her 3 boys couldn't get enough of them! I was over at her house while her hubs and 2 sons were eating dinner and with all the yummy sounds, I asked her for this recipe. She did it the right way and served it with a little sauce on the side. This recipe is intended for chicken wings - next time I have wings, I will definitely try this marinade on them. I didn't have any on hand and I thought this sounded delish (right up my hubs alley) and as I have said I try to cater to him when he is in town (he has been travelling A TON lately and will be out of town all week this coming week - so - I'm a sucker)
I served this with one of our family fav's Roasted Carrots , if you haven't tried roasted carrots or roasted squash - you are missing out! Your kids will LOVE these veggies - and I can guarantee they won't be feeding them to the dog!

Since I wouldn't be baking the chicken in it's juices in the oven (hubs prefers grilled chicken) so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and marinated them overnight in this sauce. It turned out very good - I can't wait to try this with wings! I think doing the sauce on the side as well (like Jenny did) is key - super delicious!

Mahogany Chicken
3 pounds chicken wings, split and tips discarded
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons chile sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Place chicken in a shallow, medium dish. In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, molasses, chile sauce, ground ginger and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large baking dish, arrange chicken in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 50 minutes, brushing with remaining soy sauce mixture often and turning once, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Yum. Nice and sticky, a little sweet and full of flavor - with the option of even more flavor if you add the sauce on the side.

Stuffed Peppers

Challenge completed successfully! This is my 3rd and final recipe with ground beef and onion for the week.
Stuffed Peppers
1 1/4 pounds ground beef (I also added ground sausage b/c that is how I roll)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 red bell peppers (I used green)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the ground beef, and cook until brown and crumbly. Pour off excess grease, then stir in garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Cook and stir until the onions soften just a bit, about 3 minutes. Stir the cheese into the mixture, and set aside.
Cut the tops off of the peppers, and remove the veins and seeds. Fill each pepper with the ground beef mixture and pour in some of the chicken broth. Place into the cups of a muffin tin, and replace the tops. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes.

*I served this with Green Chili Cornbread - with a twist. I cheated. I used my favorite dry cornbread mix then just added green chilis, cheddar cheese and creamed corn. Yum.

Ground Beef and Ricotta Pie

On with the challenge... I compiled a family recipe book 2 years ago. I asked everyone in my family to contribute if they'd like. I got this recipe (stemming from that request) from my sister in laws Mother, Eleanor. Eleanor is a fantastic, gourmet cook. Anytime I see her I get to feast on her creations - and they are always so wonderful. This is one of her top 5.

I really like this. It's hard to think outside of the box with ground beef - but this is a good alternative to hambergers or Mexican food. I also love that it has so many veggies into it!

2T EVOO

1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
14 oz can diced tomatos
2 T Worcestershire
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
2 c Ricotta
1 T oregano
1/3 c Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. heat large non-stick skillet over high heat. add oil onion and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add carrot and celery and cook 3-4 minutes. add meat, breaeking up and lumps with wooden spoon and cook 8-10 minutes or until browned. Add tomatoes, Wsauce, salt andpepper and simmer for 15 minutes or until the mix is thickened. Spoon mixture into an 8x8 casserole dish. Mix ricotta, mozzarella and oregano together and spoon over meat mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is golden.

*The original recipe adds 2 eggs to the cheese mixture - but I left it out because my kids have egg allergies.

Buffalo Wings - 2 ways

We made wings 2 different ways for a tappas event this weekend. We made buffalo wings with Honey Chipotle Using the recipe here - These were my favorite - yummy - see by the time I realized that I should take a picture - there were only 2 left!!
We made these with the Hot Sauce I made the other day - they were good too:)

You can use both of these 'sauces/dressings' for pretty much any protein - yeah baby.

Yummy Gummy In Your Tummy

I made home made Gummy candy today - check my blog to see how to make them - they are super easy and fun!
www.viettiview.blogspot.com

Home Made Hot Sauce

I have a cayenne plant in my back yard that is on fire - pun totally intended. When we planted the garden - my husband insisted we plant cayenne and jalapeno peppers. Now that they are ready to pick - I had no idea what to do with the cayennes - especially that many of them!
I decided to make hot sauce. It was really easy and the hot sauce turned out great - and I am not a hot sauce kinda girl. I found the recipe here.

Home Made Hot Sauce
1 or two handfuls of cayenne peppers
Apple cider vinegar
Tomato paste
Lemon juice (optional)
Kosher or Sea Salt

Remove stems and caps from peppers and chop into 1 inch lengths
Place into a saucepan and add enough vinegar to just cover the peppers
Simmer covered for 30 minutes, until the peppers are extremely tender
Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place peppers and vinegar into a food processor and process until smooth (I LOVE my immersion blender!!)
Taste on a starchy carb (corn chip, bread, rice) or a cucumber slice
Add salt to taste
Add tomato paste for sweetness as well as to temper the heat to your desired taste
Add lemon juice if desired

Tomorrow at the store, I'm going to pick up some buffalo wings - and we'll whip us up some hot sauce n' wings!! Stay tuned...

*I am chicken, so I added 1/2 can of tomato paste before tasting it. I ended up using the whole can of tomato paste and about 1 T of lemon juice. It has good heat - but isn't scorching hot.
**Have a glass of cold milk nearby just in case. If you are like me - you'll need it. It has been scientifically proven that milk is the best thing to curb heat:)

Quick Meat Loaf and Mashers

My husband has been out of town since Monday. He travels a lot - but every once in a while he will call on short notice to say he'll be home for dinner:) I love that. I didn't expect him home until tomorrow night. When the phone rang at 5:00pm he said "hey - I am going from one end of the state to the other - so I am going to come home for dinner (it's on his way) - any chance you can make meatloaf and roasted garlic mashers for me? I'll be home in 30 minutes - and I can only stay 1 hour before heading out again" Hmmmm... I really wanted to make him what he wanted but my meatloaf and roasted garlic mashers take an hour to make.

I figured I could do it in half an hour if I made a few adjustments - basically just cutting the cooking time in half. I made the same recipes I always do (except for the roasted garlic of course). I'll let you in on my 'quick method' after I list the recipes.

I got this meatloaf recipe from my hubs Mom - who doesn't cook much - and who didn't give me measurements so bear with me.

Grandma's Meatloaf (modified slightly)

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

3 squirts mustard (I use yellow and I know how vague 'squirt' is but you can do it)

3 squirts ketchup

1/2 pack of saltine crackers (crumble them in your hands)

Salt

Pepper

Onion salt (I use chopped onions b/c I am an onion FREAK!)

Garlic Powder

Worcestershire sauce

2 eggs (which I eliminate b/c of the egg allergies in my house)

All seasonings are to taste. Mix all ingredients together, form into a 9x13 pan. bake at 350 degrees for 45 min - 1 hour.

*Quick method. Recipe above - divide into 6. I use a Texas sized muffin pan - spray with Pam then put the 6 portions in the 6 muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Mashers

Potatoes (any kind you like)

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Salt

Pepper

3 heads of roasted garlic

Milk

Peel and cut potatoes. Boil until fork tender. Drain potatoes and add all other ingredients and blend with your hand mixer until it's the consistency you like.

*Quickify - I used small red potatoes washed them, but didn't peel them. I quartered them (so they would cook faster) then followed the rest of the directions and instead of roasted garlic I used garlic powder. Start to finish 25 minutes.

Sweet Potato Fries

I made these the other night (shown with the Key lime Chicken). These are really easy and delicious! This served 5 of us (including 1 baby) and I went back for seconds!
Slice 2 large sweet potatoes into steak fry size. Cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 - 3o minutes. Salt right out of the oven - to bring out the sweetness.

I also made Brown sugar butter as a dip. Softened butter, brown sugar - mix:) You could also make butter and cinnamon sugar too! Yummmm

Key Lime Chicken

This recipe was featured on the front page of All Recipes submitted by Tina B.
Key Lime Chicken
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
In a shallow container, blend soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, lime juice, and garlic. Place chicken breast halves into the mixture, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Discard marinade, and grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

Comments and Feedback

Krystal and I started this blog to share our ideas with eachother - and it's taken on a life of it's own. I have made all the food I post - and thought it was good enough to post. But since we all have different tastes and preferences - give us feedback! All comments are welcome - the good, bad and the ugly.

I will try to give better feed back as well:)

Eggs Benedict

I am going to try to be better about posting pictures with my posts - it is so helpful to know what it's supposed to look like and whether or not you want to eat it... I'll try...

On to the food... My hubs has been out of town for the last 2 weeks M-F so on the weekends, I've been trying to cater to his tastes. His favorite breakfast is Eggs Benedict. I've NEVER made it before. Poached eggs are totally intimidating (or so I thought). But, with my little theme lately - I gave it a shot - and totally used 'cheats' to help me through my first try.
Eggs Benedict

Canadian Bacon (store bought)

Hollandaise Sauce (bought a dry packet)

Eggs

White Vinegar

English Muffins

3 pans!!! I know - but it was leaps and bounds easier than I thought it would be. Follow the tutorial for poached eggs (below). Follow directions on the Hollandaise package. Put the Canadian bacon in a skillet and heat them up. Put your English muffins in the toaster then butter them lightly.

Assembly: English muffin, Canadian Bacon, Poached Egg, Hollandaise Sauce - delicious!

I found this tutorial on Poached Eggs here. Following these steps - I was amazed that I successfully poached 2 eggs to perfection my first try.

Perfect Poached Eggs Tutorial
Use a sauce epan that is at least 3-inches deep so there is enough water to cover the eggs, and they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Also make sure your pan is wide enough to hold all the eggs you will be poaching. You don't want them to stick together. Working with the eggs one by one, break or crack each egg onto a saucer, ramekin, small cups, or bowls. Place all cups of eggs so that they are convenient to the stove.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer before cooking. Add a couple of teaspoons of white vinegar (this will help the egg stay together).

Slip eggs carefully into slowly simmering water by lowering the lip of each egg cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. Let the eggs flow out. Don't put too many in the pot at one time. Immediately cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Don't disturb the egg once you have put it in the water!

Set a timer for exactly 3 minutes for medium-firm yolks. Adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on firmness desired. You can test for softness/firmness by lifting an egg on a spoon and gently pressing a finger on the yolk.

Remove from water with slotted spoon. Remove each egg in succession after they have each cooked for the doneness you want. Lift each perfectly poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any water clinging to the egg drain off. Drain well before serving.

Ranch and Bacon Pasta

We had friends over for a BBQ last night - we decided to have people over at the last minute. I decided to make my cheater kid friendly pasta. I call it a 'cheater' because it comes from a box - then I just throw in a few fresh ingredients to up the yum factor... 1 Box of Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Ranch & Bacon pasta 1 box of cherry tomatoes Cubed cheddar cheese Bacon Crumbles Cook pasta and make dressing according to package directions. Throw in all other ingredients - mix well and chill for at least an hour before serving. *I do this with all the Suddenly Salad varieties. They have another one we really like "Creamy Italian" to this one I add mozzerella chunks, diced pepperoni and cherry tomatoes. Mmmmm.

Chipotle Grilled Chicken

Hubs has been on a ‘chipotle’ kick lately. When he is in town – I try to make dinners extra special and cater to his preferences. I found this recipe on AllRecipes – they give you the option to type in any ingredients you want – any ingredients you don’t want and even use ‘key’ words. I searched ‘chipotle’ ‘chicken’ and used the key word ‘grilled’ and I ffound this at the top of the list.

I used this exact recipe for 2 bs chicken breasts. On the other 2 bscb – I did this recipe except that I left the chipotle out (was worried that it may be too spicy for the kiddos). I tried both with and without chipotle. Without was okay – the kids liked it. With Chipotle was very good. The chipotle didn’t add any heat (I hate when the heat/spice overpowers all the other ingredients) what it did was add another layer of flavor – I kept commenting on that. So even if you don’t like spicy food – try this – and just don’t baste the chicken while grilling.

Chipotle Grilled Chicken
Marinade:
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I actually used Tabasco brand Chipotle sauce – a few good dabs will do ya)
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt to taste

Chicken (original recipe calls for drumsticks – but as I said – I used bscb)

Place the chipotle peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, cumin, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, honey, vinegar, and olive oil into a blender. Puree until no pieces of garlic remain. Pour 1/4 of the marinade into a small dish and set aside. Rub a pinch of kosher salt into each chicken drumstick and place into a resealable plastic bag. Pour in the marinade, shake, and seal. Marinade at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade.
Cook the chicken legs on the preheated grill until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 8 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Once the legs are completely cooked, baste well with the remaining marinade, cover the grill, and cook and additional 2 minutes per side to glaze.

*I used this strictly as a marinade – we didn’t use it to baste the chicken while grilling.

Croutons

I have made croutons a few times - and not been totally happy with any that I've made... until today. What made the difference? THE BREAD! This is so easy it's crazy. I had some ciabatta that was going to go bad soon (I bought the bag of individual sized ciabatta rolls from Costco - but any ciabatta loaf will do).

Ciabatta bread

EVOO

Fresh cracked pepper

Kosher salt

Garlic powder

Cut the bread into 1"cubes(ish). I got a large bowl out and put all the spices in with the EVOO and mixed it around a bit. Then I threw the bread in (right before I was ready to put them in the oven) and tossed them in the dressing (with my hands) then put them on my baking pan (covered with aluminum for easy cleaning). Bake them at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes - or until they satisfy your personal crunch factor.

You can store them in an air tight container for up to 1 week.