Almond Danish Puff

Photo source:  Mr. Food

Pastry is one of my favorite things for a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee. Almond danish is my favorite! I'll have to figure out how to sneak in some cream cheese after I've made it once.

Click here to go to the Mr. Food recipe page.

Mario Batali's Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Photo source: The Chew ABC TV Show

The Captain and I love spicy texmex meals . . . this one doesn't look like it will disappoint us!

The recipe comes from Mario Batali from The Chew, so you know it has to be good :)

Source:  Mario Batali, The Chew TV Show

ABC no longer lists this recipe

Ingredients

10-12 peppers (either Hatch or Anaheim, 1 pepper seeded and chopped)

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion (peeled, sliced)
2 cloves garlic (peeled, thinly sliced)
4 teaspoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (plus more to taste)
1 can evaporated milk (13 ounces)
4 large eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups jarred salsa (divided)
10 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)
10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
sour cream (to serve)
raisins (to serve)
pecans (to serve)

Directions

For the Roasted Chile Peppers: 

Char the peppers, by putting them either over the open flame of a gas grill or under a broiler for a few minutes, turning them to make sure they don't burn. Put the charred peppers in a zip-top bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let steam for 20 minutes. The skins should easily slip off. Pull the stem off to remove the seedpod. Slit open the side of the chiles and scrape out the remaining seeds and veins. Discard the skins, pods, seeds, and veins. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, chopped Anaheim pepper, onion, and garlic. Add the chili powder, cumin, and salt to taste.

In a bowl, beat the milk, eggs, cilantro, and flour together.

Arrange half the chiles in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the ground beef mixture, half of the salsa, half of the cheese, the remaining peppers, the milk mixture, the remaining salsa and the remaining cheese. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges are brown. Turn on the broiler and put the casserole under the broiler for 6 to 8 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with sour cream, raisins, and pecans.

Tip: If you can't find Hatch or Anaheim peppers use poblano peppers.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tots Casserole

Photo source:  Betty Crocker

"Our favorite flavor trinity – chicken, bacon and ranch – comes together in this creamy, cheesy Tater Tots™ casserole that your family is sure to request again and again." Comment from Betty Crocker

This recipe sounds and looks delicious and easy!  Thanks to Betty Crocker for always bringing awesome recipes.

Click here to go to the Betty Crocker recipe page.

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Rice

Photo source:  Pati Jinich

Pati made this stew on her cooking show and I had to search for the recipe since it looked delicious.  

The recipe is versatile as far as using the seafood that your family prefers. When I get around to making this, it will include shrimp, fish and crab.

Click here to go to Pati's recipe page.

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

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.

This recipe is no longer available on the Betty Crocker website.  Scroll down for the recipe. 

Check out the website for more awesome recipes.

Photo and recipe source

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.

Cherry Dump Cake

Photo source:  Food.com

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!

Click here to go to the Food.com recipe page.

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

Photo source:  Pati Jinich

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.

Click here to go to Pati's recipe page.

Italian Crescent Casserole

Photo source:  Pillsbury

"Here's a casserole classic! The beefy, cheesy filling is topped with flaky crescents."  Comment from Pillsbury

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.  I'll post the recipe when I find it.

Click here to go to the Pillsbury recipe page.

Sicilian Meatballs

Photo source:  Ciao Italia -- Mary Ann Esposito

I grew up on sicilian meatballs and spaghetti prepared by my nana every Thursday night and Sunday dinner.  Her meatballs were different than the ones that Mary Ann Esposito made on her television program, like I never heard of raisins in meatballs.

After seeing the Ciao Italia television episode that included these meatballs, I had to look up the recipe to include on the blog.

Click here to go to the Ciao Italia recipe page.

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Foil Packs

Photo source: Pillsbury

"Wrap a handful of ingredients into a foil packet and toss it in the oven for a no-fail, all-in-one dinner. Bonus: Cleanup is a snap!"  Comment from Pillsbury

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

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

Click here to go to the Pillsbury recipe page.

Best Ever Cole Slaw

Photo source:  Chic-Fil-A

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.

Click here to go to the Chic-Fil-A recipe page.