Thursday, December 25, 2008

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

Made this one Christmas Day in my brand new crock pot!!!

Ingredients:

2 c. cubed, uncooked chicken
2 c. chicken stock
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 /2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 c. finely chopped onion
2 bulbs garlic, finely chopped
Dash of green Tabasco sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 diced green peppers
1 tbsp. diced jalapenos
2 cans white beans (rinsed, drained, dried)

Directions:

In crock pot combine stock, chicken, spices, onion, garlic. Cook on low heat for 3 hours. Add beans. Cook 1 hour. Add peppers. Cook 1 hour. Add Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with saltines or corn bread!

Credits: Picture is from bfeedme.com

Citrus Cranberry Apple Cobbler

Citrus Cranberry Apple Cobbler

I made this for Christmas Brunch this year! It was QUITE delicious, and I will definitely have to make it again!

Ingredients:

4 medium sized apples, washed, cored, and sliced into 8 pieces each
1 lemon, juiced
1 c. whole, uncooked cranberries (fresh, please)
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 c. sugar (I used Splenda...but that's just me)
9 uncooked, fluffy biscuits (I tried to make mine fresh...awful. Just use Pillsbury).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix all apples, cranberries, lemon juice, spices, and sugar until all fruit is well covered. Place in a (beautiful, preferably) baking dish and cover with biscuits (make sure to leave some air holes in the top for bubbling over!). Bake on top rack for 30 minutes (make sure it bubbles before you take it out!). Serve with ice cream, and be amazed!

Credits: Photo from foodonthefood.com

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Bacon

Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Bacon

I made this dish for a dinner I hosted before a winter formal in high school. I was so pleasantly surprised with how it turned out (as were my friends), that it has become, I suppose, my signature dish and my favorite thing to make! Not exactly vegetarian friendly...oh well!

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenders (these are the long ones from the meat section...not something frozen)
2 c. prepared dressing (just prepare it however it says on the back of the box/bag)
8 strips of uncooked bacon (use real bacon...it adds so much flavor to the chicken)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F. Grease a baking sheet (or use parchment paper <-- easy cleanup!)

Pound the tenders until they are about 1/4 in. thick (or don't pound if they're already like this!). Take about 1/4 c. dressing (but use your own discretion) and form into a ball. Place at one end of tender and then wrap tender around dressing (and probably itself) until chicken is completely wrapped. Then, wrap 1 piece of bacon around each piece of chicken. Use a toothpick to hold everything in place. Salt and pepper as desired. Place on baking sheet and cook until chicken is light brown. Then, broil chicken for 10 minutes, or until bacon is crispy.

Note: This feeds about 4 people (if everyone has 2 tenders each).
Credits: Picture is from blogchef.net

Simple Salad Dressing

Simple Salad Dressing

My family has been making this salad dressing ever since I can remember. I used to HATE it...but I'm not sure that I liked anything other than Ranch. As I grew up the dressing grew on me, and now I use it on ever salad I make, along with as a marinade for chicken! Warning...the measurements are very subjective...so just use your eye and taste buds to tell what's right!

Ingredients:

Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Chopped Basil
Chooped red onions (or chives)

Directions:

Mix all liquid ingredients together. Add in all seasonings and onions. Whisk vigorously and enjoy!

Orzo with spinach and feta

Orzo with Spinach and Feta

Made this one day for the bf. It was a success.

Ingredients:

Water
1/3 c. olive oil
Salt
4 c. orzo
1 c. fresh, washed spinach
1 c. feta

Bring medium sized pot 1/2 full w/ water, pinch of salt, and 1/4 c. olive oil to boil. Add orzo and simmer until desired temperature. Drain and set aside.

Saute spinach in very little olive oil until cooked. Add to orzo along with remaining olive oil and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste (though I don't think you'll need much salt, with the feta!).

Credits: Picture is from foodtv.com

Crab Alfredo with Spinach

Crab Alfredo with Spinach

This was another one for the bf.

Ingredients:

Water
Salt
1/4 c. olive oil
1 lb. fettuccine
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 can crab
1 c. frozen spinach (either chopped or whole)

Bring medium sized pot 1/2 full of water, pinch of salt, and olive oil to boil. Break fettuccine in half and cook in simmering water until desired consistency. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in separate pan. Stir in flour and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Slowly stir in milk and cook until it begins to thicken on medium-low heat. When thickening begins, add cheese and continue to stir until desired thickness is reached (if sauce is TOO thick, thin down with more milk).

Add crab and spinach. Pour over pasta and top with more Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

Note: PLEASE do not use jarred alfredo sauce. It's awful.
Credits: White Sauce recipe inspired from about.com. Picture is from google notebook. I was too busy eating to take a picture.

Easy Spaghetti

Easy Spaghetti

Ingredients:

Water
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt
Handful of spaghetti
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 medium sized onion
1 tsp. fresh/frozen basil
1/2 jar of basic spaghetti sauce
1 c. cooked ground beef
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Fill a medium sized pot about 1/2 way with water. Add 1/4 c. of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, Break spaghetti in half and cover with water. Cover until you see the steam coming out from under the lid and then cook in medium-high heat until desired consistency. Set aside (covered).

Saute garlic and onion in 1/4 c. olive oil until the onions are transparent. Turn down heat to medium low and add spaghetti sauce. Add in basil and ground beef. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese!

Credits: Photo is from Ital Pizza (California) homepage. Taking pictures of spaghetti just never really works out.

Nutty Orange Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Nutty Orange Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. Grand Marnier
1 tsp. orange food coloring *for real. it seems like a lot, but most of the color will bake out.
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. very finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper (NOT wax paper, which I, unfortunately, learned is not at all the same thing!). You could also just grease the cookie sheets.

Beat eggs until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until fluffy. Gradually add in sugar (don't worry about it being grainy; it will cook out). Half way through, add food coloring and Grand Marnier. Seriously, don't worry about it looking super orange. It will cook out and will look fine! After all sugar has been added, fold in chocolate chips super carefully. Use the "Chocolate Truffle" teaspoon method of dolloping out the batter on the cookie sheets. Bake for at least 2 hours, or until they are to the crispy-ness that you desire!

Makes: about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
Credits: This recipe is inspired from the foodtv.com recipe from Emeril Live (Emeril's Pink Pigs). Image is from Alberta Egg Producers home page (not MY cookies...i'm photo challenged).

Chocolate Truffles


Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. half &half + 1/4 c. skim milk
3 tbsp. Grand Marnier

Toppings:

Unsweetened chocolate powder
Sugar (powdered AND regular)
Shredded coconut
Any other sort of cake decorations you may like! (sprinkles, colored sugar, etc.)

Directions:

Bring cream to a boil and then pour directly over chocolate chips. Cover and set aside until chocolate chips melt (stir after uncovering to make sure all chocolate chips melt). Stir in Grand Marnier and admire the pretty, shiny color! Re-cover and set in fridge until it hardens (you can also put it in an ice bath and stir until it's practically unstir-able!). Take a tiny ice cream scoop and scoop out truffles into little balls (you can also use two teaspoons; one to scoop, and the other to push off of the other spoon from the back). Run your hands under very cold water and roll the truffles between your palms until they are circular and smooth (you'll have to keep running your hands under water, OR you could put an ice bath in a small bowl next to you!). Then, place each of your toppings in a different dish. Roll the truffles around in 1 topping only until they are fully covered, and alternate!

Makes: about 10 truffles. Triple or quadruple this recipe if you're cooking for a holiday party!
Credits: This recipe was inspired from foodnetwork. com from the show How to Boil Water. Photo is from taste.com (not my actual tuffles...my photography sucks).