Buffalo Chicken Salad

Photo Source:  Ellie's Real Good Food

Looks delicious . . . a salad version of Buffalo Chicken Wings.

Ellie’s Real Good Food is one of my new favorite cooking shows.  When I watched the episode that included this buffalo chicken salad, I had to save it so I can make it in the future.

Click here to go to Ellie's Real Good Food recipe page.

Pecan Cobbler

Photo source:  Plain Chicken

"Easy Pecan Pie Cobbler Recipe – THE BEST dessert ever! Magically makes an amazing caramel sauce as it bakes. Butter, flour, sugar, milk, vanilla, pecans, toffee bits, and boiling water. Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Can make it in advance and reheat it before serving. Perfect for the holidays!"  Comment from Plain Chicken

This pecan cobbler will be a regular for holiday meals and/or special times on our dessert table.

Click here to go to the Plain Chicken recipe page.

Caribbean Rum Cake

Rum cake has to be one of the best cakes ever.  

This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour website.    Click here to go to the recipe page and while you are there, check out their awesome recipes!

Hope you enjoy this special cake :)

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Photo source:  McCormick Spices

We love tortilla chips and are always happy to find tasty chip spread recipes.

This recipe and photo comes from McCormick Spices website.

The recipe no longer appears on their website.

Ingredients

Serves: 16
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons


1 pound green bell peppers
1 pound red bell peppers
1 pound plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon McCormick® Paprika
1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet™ Sicilian Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Cumin, Ground
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Red Pepper, Ground
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Red Pepper, Crushed
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Place bell peppers on large baking sheet and roast 30 to 40 minutes or until skins begin to blister.  Turn peppers after 20 minutes. Transfer to a large paper bag. Close bag and let stand 15 minutes or until bell peppers are cool enough to handle. Peel off blistered skin and remove tops, ribs and seeds. Coarsely chop bell peppers and set aside.

Make an X in the bottom of each tomato and place in saucepan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Transfer tomatoes to bowl of ice water with slotted spoon.  Peel off skin and coarsely chop tomatoes.

Place bell peppers, tomatoes and seasonings in skillet on medium-low heat. Cook 35 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are very soft and stir frequently so mixture does not stick to the bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and tomato paste.  Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened.  Stir in lemon juice.

Serve warm or at room temperature with pita, chips or crackers.  You can also refrigerate until chilled to serve cold.

Photo and recipe source

Taco Salad Casserole

Photo source: Taste of Home

Love these type of taco recipes, 

not only because they are quick 

and easy, but so delicious.

This recipe is from Taste of Home.

Click here to go to the recipe page.

Quiche Pastry Cups

Photo source:  Taste of Home

We love experimenting with puff pastry and love this clever idea of filled puff pastry cups!

Use the concept of the recipe and make it your own by using ingredients you and your family love.  A simple pastry cup filled with eggs and cheese would be awesome.

This recipe comes from the website Taste of Home.  Click here to go the recipe page.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping

Photo source:  Pillsbury

Oatmeal Cake is something I have not tried, but it looks delicious!

This recipe comes from the Pillsbury website.

Click here to go to the recipe page.

Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits Casserole

Photo source:  Taste of Home

Being a southern girl, grits is one of my favorite foods.  When I'm not hungry for a big meal, I'll make a bowl of grits and be totally satisfied.  You must try them if you have never had them!  They are delicious with fried eggs.

Love the concept of this recipe, but I would make some changes.  Velveeta is not a favorite cheese of mine and I would just use yellow cheddar cheese along with the white cheddar cheese.  I use yellow cheddar cheese (mild or sharp both work for me) in my grits often and they work very well together.  My meat preference would be breakfast sausage instead of bacon.

This recipe comes from Taste of Home.

Click here to go to recipe page.

Originally published as Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits in Freezer Meals Bookazine 2013, p17

Quick and Easy Apple Tart

I guess you could follow The Pioneer Woman's recipe . . . but make it easy for yourself and use this recipe as inspiration and use the frozen puff pastry with canned apple pie filling (Comstock is excellent).  Talk about some awesome convenience foods!

Ingredients

1 whole Sheet Puffed Pastry, Thawed And Cut In Half
4 whole Apples, Cored, Halved And Sliced Very Thin
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 dash Salt
Powdered Sugar, For Serving
Caramel Sauce, For Serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, and/or a sprinkling of powdered sugar. 

Photo and Recipe Source 

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken

Love this type of recipe where you can throw everything together and forget about it, leaving a delicious aroma as it cooks.

Many who reviewed this recipe were concerned about the lack of liquid and added chicken broth or salad dressing.  I would agree that adding a little chicken broth isn't a bad idea . . . neither is adding more onion and some fresh chunky sliced mushrooms. 

During the end step in the oven (I would use a normal oven temperature like 350 instead of broiling), I would take some of the juices and make a gravy.  I'd also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins which is my personal preference.  Use what you like and adjust the recipe accordingly.  

This recipe, from the Betty Crocker website, would be a great one for a beginner cook to try out and impress your guests who will think you worked in the kitchen cooking for hours.

Ingredients

1 large onion, halved, cut into thin slices 

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cut-up whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lb)



Directions

Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and place onion and garlic in slow cooker.

Mix thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl and rub each piece of chicken with the herb mixture. 

Arrange chicken pieces over onion and garlic.

Cover and cook on High heat setting 3 hours 30 minutes (or Low heat setting 6 to 7 hours) or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest pieces are cut to bone (at least 165°F).

Set oven control to broil and line broiler pan or cookie sheet with foil.  Place chicken skin side up on pan. 

Broil with tops 6 inches from heat 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown.

Photo and recipe source

Cherry Dump Cake

It doesn't get easier than dumping three ingredients in a pan and baking it.

Can't wait to serve it warm with some ice cream!

Gotta love dump cakes!

UPDATE

After making this dump cake, I need to make a few notes to add to the recipe.

First of all, after dumping all ingredients into the pan, stir until the cake mix is moistened.  We found that just dumping them into the pan left some spots "floury" after baking and left too many crunchy pieces throughout the cake.

Otherwise, the taste was excellent, but was very sweet and almost needs whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to offset the sweetness.

We really liked it and will be making it again!

INGREDIENTS

2 (20 ounce) cans cherry pie filling
1 (18 1/2 ounce) box chocolate cake mix or 1 (18 1/2 ounce) box devil's food cake mix, unprepared
3⁄4 cup butter, melted



DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dump cherry pie filling into 13 x 9 inch cake pan.

Spread out evenly in pan.
Sprinkle cake mix evenly over filling.

Drizzle butter over top.

Bake for 1 hour.

Serve in pan.

Photo and recipe source

Cobblers, Crumbles, Crisps and More from Martha Stewart

One of my fond childhood memories involves wandering around the woods by my house to pick blackberries.  We'd come home with a bucket of berries for my neighbor Dot to make her famous blackberry cobbler.  She would put the cobblers together with smiles and love, singing along the way . . . she was a special lady. Cobblers, crumbles and crisps remind me of her.

Martha Stewart has put together a collection of these wonderful recipes that remind me of those good old days.  Click here to go there.

Churros

I was first introduced to churros as a young adult while also discovering the joys of the flea market.  It was immediate love for the crunchy sweet treats that were drenched in sugar and cinnamon.  

The recipe and photo comes from Pati Jinich's website. After seeing her prepare the sweet treats on her cooking show on Create TV, Pati's Mexican Table, I had to find her recipe since I lost my recipe a long time ago and missed making them.

Check out her recipes for authentic Mexican food on her website and check out her show if you get Create TV.

Ingredients
Canola oil for frying, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon
2 cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Cajeta or dulce de leche optional dipping sauce



Directions
In a large, heavy and extended casserole, or cast iron, high-sided skillet, heat about 1 1/2-inches of canola oil over medium heat until the oil temperature reaches 350 degrees (or test with a piece of tortilla or bread; it’s ready when the oil bubbles actively all around it). It will take awhile to heat, so get this started before making the dough.

On a large plate, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, 1/4 cup oil, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. 

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Add the flour all at once, turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir vigorously until the mixture forms a dough as smooth as possible with no flour lumps. It will take about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or a churro press. Pipe the dough into about 6 to 8-inch pieces (or if you want to replicate a churro store, pipe a rope-like dough of about 24-inches) and carefully place in oil. 

Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp, flipping in between. Use tongs to remove them and place on a paper towel lined baking sheet or drying rack.

While the churros are still very hot, toss them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat. If desired, serve with cajeta or dulce de leche as a dipping sauce and Mexican hot chocolate on the side.


Recipe and Photo Source

Italian Crescent Pie

Love meat pies!  My mom makes one with cheddar cheese and green beans mixed in with the ground beef that was a much requested meal during my childhood.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion 

1 cup Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted tomato pasta sauce 

6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup sour cream 

1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury™ Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. 

Cook ground beef and onion over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; cook until thoroughly heated.

Combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream; mix well.

Pour hot beef mixture into ungreased 9 1/2 or 10-inch glass deep-dish pie pan or 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. 

Spoon cheese mixture over beef mixture.

Unroll dough over cheese mixture. (If using pie pan, separate dough into 8 triangles; arrange points toward center over cheese mixture, crimping outside edges if necessary.) 

In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over dough.

Bake at 375°F. for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Source

Sicilian Meatballs

Ingredients

2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup fresh grated Pecorino cheese with black peppercorns
1/4 cup finely diced onion
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1 large egg
1 clove garlic minced
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1/2 pound ground veal
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons currants or chopped raisins


Directions

Preheat oven to 350F

Lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a bowl soak the breadcrumbs in the milk; let stand a couple of minutes.

Mix in all remaining ingredients in order given and combine well.

Wet your hands and form mixture into meatballs then flatten slightly so they are disk shaped.

Place them on the baking sheet and cook until nicely browned; internal temp of 155F

Serve on bed of tomato sauce or just plain as a second course.



Recipe courtesy of CiaoItalia -- Mary Ann Esposito

This recipe is featured on Season 18 - Episode 1812.

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Foil Packs

Whether you make this meal in a foil pack or as a casserole, the prep is quick and easy, using a few different ingredients.

I would make this as a casserole by placing the ingredients in a casserole dish and bake covered in a 400 degree oven (which may need to be tweaked a bit).  The foil pack method is attractive as a no-mess alternative.

Many reviewers of this recipe used sliced potatoes instead of brocolli with great results.  Some used italian dressing instead of ranch.  Of course I would add fresh mushrooms!

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut in half lengthwise

1 cup ranch dressing

1 bag (12 oz) frozen broccoli florets, cooked 

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 6 sheets of heavy-duty foil with cooking spray.

Place 1 boneless skinless chicken breast half in center of each sheet of foil. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Top each with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing, 1/4 cup cooked Green Giant™ Valley Fresh Steamers™ broccoli florets, 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon crumbled cooked bacon.

Wrap each foil pack.  Bring 2 sides of foil up over chicken-broccoli mixture so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again.  Allow space on sides for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal. Place foil packets on ungreased large cookie sheet.

Bake 30 minutes. (Some reviewers reported having to bake longer for 50 minutes)

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Serve with additional ranch dressing, if desired.

The photo and recipe is from Pillsbury.com.

Best Ever Cole Slaw

Chick-Fil-A recently discontinued cole slaw from their menu.  It was a blessing in disguise since they also decided to release their recipe.

The Captain and I have made this cole slaw many times and it is THE BEST we have ever had!  Now we can make it anytime . . . and we do often!

The recipe is quick and easy to put together, but the wait time in the refrigerator is the killer.  Two hours!!  That is the only thing I don't like about this recipe.

Reprinted from: inside.chick-fil-a.com

Yield: 8 servings

Start to finish: 10 minutes

Approximate values per serving: 158 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated), 8 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 10 g sugar, 298 mg sodium

Ingredients

4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mayonnaise

20 ounces finely shredded green cabbage, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped carrots

Directions

Whisk vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt together until sugar is dissolved. 

Whisk in mayonnaise. Add cabbage and carrots. Mix to combine. 

Refrigerate 2 hours and serve.

Grilled Shrimp with Garlic

We have been experimenting with grilling shrimp, using different marinade and rub methods.  The results have been delicious and easy.  

Here is another grilled shrimp recipe that sounds spicy, yummy and easy courtesy of Bobby Flay and the Food Network.

Click here to go to Food Network's recipe page.

Pink Lemonade Stand Cake

Yummy lemon cake and cream cheese frosting!

This cake sounds super special and worth the fuss in making it.  I would not suggest this cake for a beginner baker.

Such a pretty cake!

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam, warmed
2 tablespoons thawed pink lemonade concentrate
2 tablespoons grenadine syrup
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

FROSTING:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons thawed pink lemonade concentrate, divided
Pink sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Line bottoms of three greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper.

Whisk the first five ingredients until blended in a small bowl . 

Cream butter, sugar and lemon peel in a large bowl until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. 

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition.

Transfer batter to prepared pans. 

Bake 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and lemon peel until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and 1/3 cup lemonade concentrate. If necessary, refrigerate until spreadable, up to 1 hour.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Brush 1 tablespoon lemonade concentrate over cake; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer; brush remaining lemonade concentrate over top.

Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Decorate with sprinkles. Refrigerate until serving. 

Yield: 12 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1 slice (calculated without optional decorations): 732 calories, 39g fat (24g saturated fat), 172mg cholesterol, 291mg sodium, 91g carbohydrate (68g sugars, 1g fiber), 7g protein

Source

Cream Cheese Frittata

Cream cheese in a frittata is something I have never heard of, but it sounds delicious!

Love the combination of ingredients, however, you can add or remove ingredients to suit your taste.  Adding sliced tomato sounds good to me!

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart, so it has to be a good thing . . .

INGREDIENTS 

2 teaspoons olive oil 

2 ounces mushrooms, sliced 

1 small red bell pepper, ribs and seeds discarded, chopped into 1-inch pieces 

1/2 small onion, finely chopped 

1 small garlic clove, minced 

3 large eggs 

1/4 cup half-and-half

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (1/2 bar), cubed 

2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup) 

2 slices white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup) 

Coarse salt and ground pepper


DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat oil over medium heat in a small (8-inch) ovenproof nonstick skillet. 

Cook mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, and garlic about 5 minutes, until almost tender. 

Transfer mixture to a bowl, cool slightly. (Reserve skillet.) 

Add eggs, half-and-half, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bread, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mixture in bowl . . . stir until combined. (There may be a few chunks of cream cheese remaining.) 

Pour egg mixture into reserved skillet; and bake until set, about 30 minutes. 

Heat broiler, and broil until top is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

SOURCE