Carnitas Nachos

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Angie

Nachos

Crockpots are awesome. They’re relatively low maintenance and fail proof. A win, win combination. Last Wednesday night, I stopped off at the store and purchased a 6lb. pork shoulder roast. I stabbed it with a knife all over, placed it in the crockpot and sprinkled about 3 – 4 tbsps. of the Tex-Mex seasoning I make and keep on hand for the ready, set it to low, turned it once in the morning before heading off to work and then didn’t mess with it again until dinner time on Thursday (and by messing with it I mean removing from the crockpot, shredding it, and serving it up). On Thursday morning, I brought out another crockpot added about 3 cups of dried pinto beans, chopped up some thick cut bacon, added some salt, filled with water and set that to low for dinner that night: carnitas, beans, tortillas, guacamole & chips. I knew we would have plenty of leftovers and I also knew exactly what I would do with them: Carnitas Nachos on Saturday night.

Saturday night, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees and lined a baking sheet with a layer of tortilla chips. I took a cup of the leftover pinto beans and pulsed them a few times in the food processor – instant refried beans. I spread them out on the tortilla chips, distributed the shredded pork meat, topped with Colby Jack cheese, then added some diced red onion and sliced jalapenos before popping it in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese was nice and melted. I then switched the oven off and turned on the broil for a few minutes. After removing it from the oven, I topped with fresh chopped Roma tomatoes and cilantro. I placed it in the center of the table and dinner was served. No plates, no fuss, no mess just pull from the baking sheet and eat.

Nacho

Posted in Mexican, Pork | Tagged | 1 Comment

Peppered & Parmesan Zucchini Rounds

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Angie

Parmesan Zucchini

Towards the end of summer, zucchini is one of those vegetables that, if not shredded and frozen, are hurriedly being used up. This is one of the ways I like to use them up. Chris and I are big fans, but it’s definitely one of those dishes that needs to be eaten right away; otherwise due to the water content of the zucchinis, they get soft and soggy and admittedly, downright gross. So timing is of utmost importance, but boy oh boy, these are so easy to prepare and quite tasty right of the oven. They make a perfect side veggie with a bit of a kick due to the pepper.

Ingredients:

  • 2 zucchinis, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • freshly ground cracked pepper
  • freshly ground salt (I used a garlic/ salt grinder)
  • fresh shaved parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a non-stick spray. Arrange the zucchinis on the baking sheet and top with generous amounts of fresh cracked pepper, apply fresh ground salt, or as we had on hand, a salt & garlic grinder, and top each round with a bit of fresh parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese has melted and become a light golden brown.

Posted in Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Holy Moly Chicken

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Angie

Holy Moly Chicken

Chicken is a staple in our house and I always make sure to have some hormone free/ antibiotic chicken in the freezer. We all like it and it’s diverse enough it can be prepared 1,000 different ways.

Ingredients:

For the spice rub:

  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup paprika
  • 2 tsps. Black pepper
  • 2 tsps. Salt
  • 2 tsps. Chili powder
  • 2 tsps. Garlic powder
  • 2 tsps. Onion powder
  • ½ tsp. cayenne powder

Mix brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Store in an air-tight container or keep in the freezer in a sealable plastic bag.

For the chicken:

  • 8 boneless/ skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 tbsp. of aforementioned spice rub
  • 1/2 cup 100% maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 8 strips thick sliced hickory smoked bacon
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

Using a medium size bowl, whisk together the spice rub, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. Wrap each thigh with a slice of bacon and lay in 9×13 pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Marinate at least 3 hours or overnight. Grill or bake uncovered at 375 degrees for an hour or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Source: http://bestoflongislandandcentralflorida.blogspot.com/2015/09/holy-moly-chicken.html

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Peach Dumplings

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Angie

Peach Dumplings

A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she had made these. They sounded so good that I asked for the recipe and she granted my request. I had 3 large peaches just begging to be used, so I halved the recipe & tweaked it just a bit.

Ingredients:

  • 3 peaches, peeled, pitted, & halved
  • pie crust
  • sugar
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×9 pan with non-stick spray; set aside. Sprinkle the peach halves with sugar after removing the pit. Take a bit of the pie crust and flatten it around the peach halves. There should be enough to cover it, but not too thick. Place the peach pit side up on the dough and bring ends together, pinching off any excess. Place each dumpling seam side down. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until dough is browned and flaky to touch.

Towards the last few minutes of baking time, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and bring to a soft boil, for 1 minute and remove from heat. Remove the dumplings from the oven and pour the syrup over the dumplings. Return to the oven for 5-6 minutes so that syrup will boil, foam, and crystallize on top of the dumplings. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before eating.

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Guacamole

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Angie

Guacamole

Confession: it has only been within the last year in which I’ve learned I like guacamole. Always when ordering Mexican, it has been “Sin crema y no guacamole, por favor.” Sometime last summer, Chris had a craving for it, bought some avocadoes, a packet of seasoning mix and mixed it all up. It smelled so good that I tentatively dipped, just barely, a bit of a chip into it. And I was sold. The seasoning mix we buy is a spicy mix, but the other day, we were out and the avocadoes were already halved and ready to go so I mixed in the following.

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocadoes, pitted and scraped
  • 2-3 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno, deseeded & chopped
  • juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • salt, for taste

Preparation:

In a small bowl, mash together the avocadoes and mix in the above ingredients.

Posted in Appetizers, Sides, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Tiramisu Bread

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Angie

Tiramisu Bread

What’s that? Tiramisu in bread form? Oh, yes! Count me in.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 8oz. mascarpone cheese
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. Amaretto
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • sweet ground chocolate powder, optional (I used Ghirardelli’s)
  • powdered sugar, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease, line bread pan with parchment paper so that it overlaps on the long edges of the pan, grease parchment paper; set aside.

In a large size bowl, beat together mascarpone cheese and sugar until light and fluffy; about two minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour, baking powder, & salt and beat until combined. Add the milk and stir until fully combined.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the unsweetened cocoa and espresso powder to break up any clumps. Add the Amaretto and stir until powders are dissolved. Add 1/2 of the white batter to the espresso mixture, add the powdered sugar, and mix until fully combined.

Spread half of the remaining white batter onto the bottom of the prepared bread pan. Then add half of the espresso batter onto the white batter, smoothing as you go, but being careful to not mix the two layers. Repeat the process with the remaining white and espresso batters. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, drag through the batter a couple of times to create the swirling effect.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with sweetened cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the ends of the pan and remove the bread by pulling up on the parchment paper on both sides. Transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.

Adapted from: http://www.jennifermeyering.com/recipes/tiramisu-bread/

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Peach Bread

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Angie

Peach Bread

Sometimes I have the most random thoughts upon waking. More often than not, it’s a random song lyric. Weird, I know. Last week, I woke up with the thought to make peach bread. Peach bread...I’ve never even had peach bread, let alone with all the recipe perusing I’ve done, can’t say I’ve even seen peach bread, but alas, it is what it is. A quick internet search and I found one that was suitable for the making. It’s the perfect kind of bread to complement the nearing of fall, reminiscent of summer and fresh peaches, but just on the cusp of autumn.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped peaches (the fresh ones at the grocery store weren’t ripe so the 15oz. can of peaches in the cupboard worked perfectly)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bread pan, and for the first time, I opted to line it with parchment paper with the edges hanging over for easy removal and none of the bread stuck to the bottom of the pan. Grease the parchment paper as well; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, & salt. In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs and then add in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just mixed. Fold in the peaches. Transfer to prepared bread pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the ends of the pan, remove by lifting the overhang of the parchment paper on both sides and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from: http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2010/09/20/peach-bread/

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Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Angie

Yellow Cake & Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

While grocery shopping the other day, Chris picked up a box of yellow cake mix, and requested I make it. I told him I would bake him one from scratch and to put the box back.

Ingredients: (For the cake)

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

(For the frosting)

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tsps. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. espresso powder

Preparation for the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degree. The recipe I used said to choose between a 9×13 pan, or 2 8 inch, or 2 9 inch pans so I opted for the 8 inch pans. Grease and flour, and tap the pans to remove excess flour off; set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Incorporate eggs one at a time, beating fully after each addition before adding the other. Repeat with the egg yolks.

In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder, and flour. Spoon half the dry ingredient mix into the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour in half of the buttermilk, stir, add in the remaining flour mixture, mix, and pour in the other half of the buttermilk, mixing to combine. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Divide the batter into the prepared pans. Since I selected the two 8 inch pans the instructions said to bake for 25 minutes (30 minutes for 2 9 inch pans & 35 minutes for a 9×13 pan). The pans were fairly full and I worried that they would spill over. They did not totally, but certainly baked out to the edges of the pans so that I had to trim it off. I ended up baking for 7-10 minutes longer before removing from the oven and allowing to sit for 8-10 minutes in the pans before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cakes have cooled completely, add the frosting.

Preparation for the frosting:

Add cocoa to a stand up mixer and run a whisk through it to ensure any clumps are broken up. Add butter and cream together until well combined.

Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by 1 tbsp. of milk. After each addition, beat on high for one minute, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Repeat process until all sugar and milk is used. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder. Blend well.

Note: this made so much frosting. It was only after the fact that I read through the recipe again that it noted it makes enough for 3 9 inch cake rounds. Nevertheless, I didn’t add all of the frosting and even so, we wound up scraping some of the frosting off. Both the cake and frosting were delicious. The cake was moist. In the future, I’ll use 2 9 inch cake pans and prepare about half of the frosting.

Source for the cake: http://addapinch.com/cooking/the-best-classic-yellow-cake-recipe/

Source for the frosting: http://addapinch.com/cooking/perfect-chocolate-buttercream-frosting-recipe/

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Chicken Pockets

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Angie

Chicken Pockets

This is one of those meals that looks rich and fancy  and time consuming, but it’s not! A few ingredients for this and that and you’ve got a delicious dinner in no time. These chicken pockets are fantastic tasting and you’d never believe there are only 4 ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pkgs. of puff pastry sheets, thawed
  • 4 chicken breasts, cut in half, pounded and thinned
  • Spicy brown mustard or Dijon Mustard
  • soft cheese like Brie or Havarti

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with one package of the rolled puff pastry sheet. Brush on a thin layer of either the spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard, add a chicken breast, folded in half, if necessary, and top with a slice of cheese. Add the other layer of the rolled puff pastry sheet on top. Cut between each section of chicken, securing the edges by seaming them together. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

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Spaghetti Pie

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Angie

Spaghetti Pie & SaladBack side of spaghetti pie

Finding something new to make for dinner that everyone will like lingers constantly in the recesses of my mind. I aim to please, most of the time. When I saw this video play on the Today Show, I was certain this would be a winner; after all, we’ve enjoyed Adam Richman since his Man Vs. Food days and we all like spaghetti.

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. spaghetti, cooked, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water reserved
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 2 small cans of tomato paste, divided
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups grated cheese blend of Parmesan, Asiago, & Romano
  • 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, reserving 1/2 cup
  • 2 tbsps. olive oil
  • salt, to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a springform pan or 10 inch pie plate with non-stick spray; set aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic. Add the ground beef and one can of the tomato paste. Add half of the reserved pasta water and stir well. Season with salt, to taste. Consistency should be like a thick Bolognese sauce. Add more cooking water as needed.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, add the spaghetti noodles, cheese blend, one cup of the mozzarella cheese, and one can of tomato paste. Stir well.

Starting and ending with the meat sauce, create layers of meat sauce, noodles, meat sauce, noodles etc., pressing down as necessary. Top with final layer of meat sauce and scatter the remaining mozzarella cheese on the top.

Bake the pie for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

The original recipe calls for 12 oz. of spaghetti noodles, 1 pound of ground beef/ turkey, and 3 eggs. Since we normally make spaghetti with 2 lbs. of meat, I upped the pasta and eggs. I baked in a springform pan to accommodate the extra. I forgot to place it on a baking sheet until the sauce drizzled out onto the bottom of the pan, burning it to a nice crisp resulting in me cleaning the oven the following day.

The results: Chris and I liked it. Bri said she liked it, but preferred meatballs. Leah, had some, but was simply not interested. We also barely made a dent in it, it was so dense and filling, and while we are usually good about leftovers, there was just too much so once again, the guys at Chris’s work reaped the benefits. Thank God for hungry guys to eat it all up. If/ when I make it again, I’ll stick with the original recipe of noodles, meat, and eggs. I think that a no meat version would be equally tasty, but I know there’s no way Chris would be game for that.

Adapted from: Today Food

Posted in Italian, Meat | Leave a comment