Monday, September 29, 2008
Almond Danish Swirls
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 8 oz. cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
Glaze:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 tsp milk
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until
fluffy. Fold half of the almonds into the mixture.
Separate 1 can of dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to
seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4 inch rectangle, and
spread each with about 2 tbsp of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4 inch
of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a
cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling. Place on
a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F whiles the rolls are chilling. Remove from the
refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2 inch apart on
ungreased baking sheets.
In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 tsp water. Brush over the
swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.
While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed
paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.
Makes 32 swirls
Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake
6 oz. pkg. Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
16 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained
1. Heat oven to 400. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package.
Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9 inch baking dish;
top with stuffing.
2. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy now or
cover and refrigerate. To reheat, microwave each serving on high 2 to
3 minutes.
Tip:
If using a deeper, narrower baking dish, increase baking time by 15
minutes or until cooked through.
Source: Kraft Food & Family Magazine, Fall 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Chicken and Biscuits
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
16 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup baking mix
3 Tbs. milk
1. Heat oven to 375. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square
baking dish. Add chicken, vegetables and cheese; mix.
2. Place baking mix in medium bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup sour cream
and milk; sitr until stiff dough forms.
3. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds over chicken mixture.
Bake 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture
is hot and bubbly.
Source: Kraft Food & Family Magazine, Fall 2008
Cheesy Chicken & Salsa Skillet
2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-1/4 cups Taco Bell Home Originals thick 'n chunky salsa
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips
1 cup Kraft 2% milk shredded reduced fat four cheese Mexican style cheese
1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray
on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in
salsa, corn and peppers. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 10
minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
3. Drain pasta. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with
cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 minute or until cheese
is melted.
Source: Kraft Food & Family Magazine, Fall 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Scalloped Chicken and Potatoes
Start to Finish: 55 min
Makes: 5 servings
1 box (4.8 oz) Betty Crocker® sour cream 'n chives sliced potato mix
2 1/4 cups boiling water
3/4 cup half-and-half or whole milk
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup Green Giant® frozen sweet peas
1 can (8 oz) Green Giant® mushroom pieces and stems, drained
1/2 cup Progresso® plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Heat oven to 450°F.
In ungreased 2-quart casserole, mix uncooked potatoes, sauce mix, boiling water, half-and-half, chicken, peas and mushrooms.
Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes, stirring once, until potatoes are tender.
In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients; sprinkle over potato mixture.
Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until light golden brown.
Tex-Mex Burgers
These burgers can be prepared ahead and kept in the cooler until
you're ready to barbecue. Serve them with corn chips and guacamole.
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
4 oz. can chopped green chiles, draied
3 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
6 sandwich buns
6 Tbs. sour cream
6 Tbs. salsa
6 lettuce leaves, if desired.
1. Heat grill. shape ground beef into twelve 3-1/2-inch patties.
Place 6 patties on waxed paper. Top each with one-sixth of the chiles
and one-sixth of the cheese. Place remaining patties over stuffing;
press edges to seal.
2. When ready to barbecue, place prepared patties on gas grill over
medium-high heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium-high
coals. Cook 10 to 15 minutes until meat is no longer pink, turning
once. Serve on buns with sour cream, salsa and lettuce. 6 servings.
Broiler Directions:
Prepare recipes as directed. Place patties on broiler pan; broil 4 to
6 inches from heat for 10 to 15 minutes until meat is no longer pink,
turning once. Serve on buns with sour cream, salsa and lettuce.
-Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks, June 1992 (#136)
Picnics & Potlucks
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Refried Beans Supreme
1 can (16 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Refried Beans
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped green onions
MIX beans and 1/2 cup of the cheese in 1-quart microwavable dish;
cover.
MICROWAVE on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through; stir.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Microwave, uncovered, 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
SPRINKLE with tomato and onions
4 servings
Olive Garden Fettucine Alfredo
8 ounces Cream cheese −− cut in bits
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese −− grated
1/2 cup Butter or margarine
1/2 cup Milk
8 ounces Fettuccine; cook −− drain
In large saucepan combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and
Milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Toss pasta lightly with
sauce, coating well.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Coconut Fried Shrimp with Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup orange marmalade
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Peanut oil, for frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup water
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Add all dipping sauce ingredients to a pot on a low temperature. Heat for 10 minutes, making sure you stir ingredients every few minutes.
In a large, heavy pot, heat 2-inches of the peanut oil to 325 degrees F.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes.
In a wide, shallow bowl, toss the coconut and bread crumbs together.
Put the shrimp into the batter. Remove the shrimp, 1 at a time, and dredge in the coconut mixture, pressing to help the coconut adhere. Fry the shrimp in batches in the hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Serve the shrimp with the dipping sauce.
Source: Paula Dean . . . Food Network
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Corn and Crab Chowder
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| DIRECTIONS: Cook the bacon in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a fork or kitchen tongs and drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic and cook in the hot bacon drippings until tender. Stir in the broth, seafood seasoning, potatoes and corn. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the crabmeat and cream. Cook for 5 minutes. Divide the chowder among 6 serving bowls. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of bacon. www.Swansonbroth.com. | |||||||||||
Cherry Vanilla Protein Shake
1/2 cup sugar-free cherry yogurt
4 ice cubes
1 dash water
vanilla extract (to taste)
cherry extract (to taste)
Liquify in blender!
The flavor varieties are endless . . . experiment with what you love :)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Speedy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients:
| 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed |
| 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free) |
| 1 cup Pace® Thick & Chunky Salsa |
| 8 flour tortillas (6-inch) |
| 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup |
Directions:
COOK chicken in nonstick skillet until browned and done, stirring often. Add chicken soup and 1/2 cup salsa. Heat through.
SPOON about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortilla around filling and place seam-side down in 2-qt. microwave-safe baking dish.
MIX cheese soup and remaining salsa and pour over enchiladas. Cover.
MICROWAVE on HIGH 5 min. or until hot.
Serves 4.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Banana Split Pie (low fat)
1 graham cracker crust
1 (4 oz.) pkg. sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2 c. low-fat milk
2 bananas, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 c. diet Cool Whip
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
Mix pudding with milk and beat until thick, pour into crust. Put
bananas over pudding. Squeeze pineapple to remove all juice.
Sprinkle on top of bananas. Cover with Cool Whip, sprinkle pecans on
top. Chill well.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Fruit Smoothies
1 C. vanilla-flavored fat-free soy milk or 1/2 C. vanilla yogurt plus 1/2 C. skim milk
1/2 frozen banana
1 C. frozen fruit: strawberries, blueberries, peaches, melon etc.
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
Place the soy milk (or yogurt/skim milk) and banana in a blender and mix until smooth. Add the frozen fruit and blend until smooth.
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When I'm seriously dieting, smoothies made with the powder form of Slim Fast are my primary meals. My smoothies are loosely based on this recipe with the following variations:
I use fat free half and half . . . makes a very creamy, rich tasting smoothie . . . add a handful of ice to the blender to make it thick like a milk shake.
For flavored smoothies, I use vanilla Slim Fast with fat free yogurt in my preferred flavor, add a handful of ice and fat free half and half. The yogurt makes it much creamier and provides a greater variety of flavors.
***********************************
Tropical Smoothie
Ingredients
6 oz. cold water
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
6 oz. vanilla or strawberry yogurt (for a creamy or more fruity taste)
1 banana, sliced
1/2 C. frozen mixed berries
Directions
Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth and purple.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Guide to Seafood
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Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_seafood_guide/0,3100,FOOD_27337,00.html
Shrimp Fried Rice
The few secrets for good fried rice are to use high heat, minimal oil, and add the rice little by little so that the pan's temperature stays hot. Using leftover rice is best—the dryness facilitates frying—but if you need to cook the rice first, dinner can still be on the table in minutes. Feel free to swap the shrimp with other proteins such as chicken or tofu.
About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.
Shrimp Fried Rice
- serves 2 -Ingredients
1 egg2 cups cooked rice
4 scallions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and grated
10-12 cooked (or uncooked) shrimp, deveined and chopped
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice from half a lime
Procedure
1. If cooking rice, do so first, then rinse well to cool.2. In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until just before it's about to smoke, then add the ginger, carrot, garlic, and three of the scallions. Stir constantly until just fragrant, only about 15-30 seconds at most.
3. Add the shrimp. If raw, stir until cooked through; if pre-cooked, move on to the next step immediately.
4. Add the rice, handful by handful, stirring constantly to fry.
5. Make a hole in the middle of the rice and crack the egg into it. Stir quickly but gently, incorporating more and more rice until the egg is well-distributed.
6. Add the soy sauce and lime juice, then season with salt and pepper (or more soy sauce). Top with the last scallion.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Strawberry Milk Shakes
I substitute no fat half and half for the milk and strawberry frozen yogurt and omit the sugar when I'm seriously dieting.
1 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh strawberries (or frozen)
Directions
Pulse all of the ingredients in a blender until the ice cream begins to break down, about 5 pulses, then blend on high until completely smooth.
Serves 4
A fabulous variation to this recipe to make an Orange Freeze . . .
use Orange Sherbet instead of ice cream, omit the strawberries
Make it richer by adding some vanilla ice cream . . .
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Cottage Cheese Fruit Salad
Here is the basic recipe . . .
24 ounces cottage cheese
1 (12 ounce)container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package orange flavored gelatin mix
2 (11 ounce)cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (20 ounce)can pineapple chunks, drained
Blend together the cottage cheese, whipped topping
and gelatin. Add the oranges and pineapple; mix well
and refrigerate until chilled.
Variations . . .
Strawberries with strawberry flavored gelatin
I love adding walnuts and coconut to any combination
(sorry, I don't measure - I go by how it looks in the bowl)
Fruit cocktail is excellent with any flavored gelatin
Experiment with different flavors and fruits
Friday, July 18, 2008
Chicken Parmigiana and Garlic Bread
Tyler's Ultimate is one of my favorite cooking shows . . . his meals are always practical, relatively easy and his presentation is awesome.
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| 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 bay leaves 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed Pinch sugar Pinch red pepper flakes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon water 1 cup dried plain bread crumbs 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced 1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil, reserve the rest of the basil for finishing the chicken. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm. Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, add the 1 cup parmesan, chopped parsley, and garlic powder Season with salt and pepper and stir with a fork until thoroughly combined. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once. Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and arrange the mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and remaining basil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.
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Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pocket Pies and Toaster Pastries
Usually I don't like to freeze foods, other than meat and seafood, but this is the type of food that is perfect to freeze. He demonstrated sweet and savory recipes . . . an excellent idea for leftovers (he put leftover beef stew in pocket pies as an example).
An excellent episode . . . sorry, but I usually don't like his shows, his personality is way too corny for me, but if you have Food Network on demand and this idea of pocket pies sounds good to you, look it up and watch it.
In the meantime, here are the recipes from this episode . . .
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| Pastry: 9 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 cups 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 1/2 ounces shortening, approximately 6 tablespoons 3/4 cup milk 1 egg mixed with 1 to 2 teaspoons water Vegetable, canola oil or butter, for frying Curried Mango Filling, recipe follows Add the shortening and knead it into the flour with your hands until it is crumbly. Add the milk all at once and mix in with a spatula until it begins to come together. Lightly flour your hands and the countertop and turn the dough out onto the countertop. Knead the dough ball, folding over 10 to 20 times. Using a rolling pin roll the dough to 1/3 to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut into rounds using a 2 1/4-inch ring. Roll each round as thinly as possible or to 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto the dough, brush the edges of half of the dough lightly with the egg wash, fold over and seal the edges together with the tines of a fork, dipping it into flour as needed. Gently press down to flatten and evenly distribute the filling and snip or cut 3 slits in the top of the pie. Dock pies that are going to be deep-fried, instead of snipping or cutting slits. To pan-fry pies, place a medium saute pan over medium low heat along with 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola oil or butter. Once heated, place 2 to 3 pies at a time into pan and saute until golden on both sides, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Allow to cool 4 to 5 minutes before serving. To deep-fry pies, heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or a large heavy pot to 375 degrees F. Once hot, add 1 to 2 pies at a time and fry until golden brown, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. To bake pies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place finished pies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. To make toaster pastries:
Divide dough in half and roll out to less than 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 4 inch by 5 inch rectangles. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto center of one piece of dough. Brush the edges with egg wash and top with second piece of dough. Seal edges by pressing together with tine of fork. Gently press down to flatten and evenly distribute the filling and dock the top of the pie. Repeat with second half of dough. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool completely and place into zip-top bags until ready to toast. The pies will not be brown until toasted. Curried Mango Filling:4 mangos, peeled and diced, approximately 2 cups or 12 ounces 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar 2 teaspoons curry powder 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice Place all of the ingredients into a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and place in refrigerator to cool completely before using as filling. For each pie place 1 to 2 tablespoons onto the center of the dough. Follow directions above. Yield: enough for 10 to 15 pies 2 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder Pinch kosher salt 10 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature Place the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and butter into a large zip-top bag and squish to combine. Cut a whole in 1 corner of the bag. For each pie, pipe 1 to 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the center of the dough. Follow directions above. Yield: enough for 10 to 15 pies | |||||||||||
My favorite food related links
- Betty Crocker.com
- Cajun Delights
- Cajun recipes
- Campbell Soup
- CDKitchen.com
- Cheap Cooking
- Chocolate and Zucchini
- Christmas Joy - Recipes
- Christmas recipes
- Cookies and Bars
- Cooking Channel TV
- Cooking with Puff Pastry
- Cooks.com
- Creole/Cajun Recipes
- Cuban Recipes from Marta's Kitchen
- Daisy Cooks! Latin recipes
- Damn Delicious Recipes
- Depression Cooking with Clara
- Eating Well
- Emeril LaGasse's Website
- Food Network website
- Food Wishes
- Foodbeam
- In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita
- Ina Garten's website
- Jacque Pepin
- Jane Doe Cooks
- Jenn Cooks
- Jiffy Mix Recipes
- Karen's Country Kitchen
- King Arthur Flour Recipes
- King's Hawaiian
- Kraft Foods
- Land O'Lakes
- Lidia's Italy
- Love and Homemade Recipes
- Mangia Bene Pasta
- Market Kitchen
- Martha White
- Mexican recipes
- MexicanRecipes.org
- Mr. Food
- Nick Stellino
- Nigella
- Old Farmers Almanac cooking section
- Old Fashioned Desserts
- Old Fashioned Recipes
- Pasta Grammar
- Pasta Recipes from Ronzoni
- Paula Deen Online
- Pillsbury
- Pork, Be Inspired
- Rachael Ray's website
- Real Baking with Rose
- Recipe 4 Living
- Recipe Lion
- Recipe Recommendations
- Recipes from old newspapers
- Sandra Lee - SemiHomemade
- Shrimp recipes/Southern Shrimp Alliance
- Stir the Pots
- Taste of Home
- Taste of the South
- That's My Home recipe website
- The Cookie Tin
- The Holiday Table
- The Pioneer Woman
- Tyler Florence's website











