Moroccan Meatball Stew with CousCous

Meatballs:
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 pounds lean ground beef
1 large egg

Mix all ingredients together and roll into large meatballs. Bake in the oven on 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Stew:
1 tsp diced garlic
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/2 jalapeno (finely chopped)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 bag of fingerling potatoes (cut into 4s)
3 stalks celery chopped
1 squash chopped
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
20 ounces of vegetable broth
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

In a pot (I used a dutch oven), heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and jalapeno and saute until tender. Add veggie broth, tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes, celery, and squash. Then add all the spices. Let simmer until potatoes are tender. Once meatballs are done, transfer them to stew just long enough to soak up the juices.

Serve over whole wheat cous cous. And sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro.

indian chickpea potato curry

I LOVE Indian food, but have a hard time getting Joe to eat it. I tried this dish at home and it was a big hit! It is a slow cooker dish (but only because they have you cook dried chickpeas in water for 6 hours to make them tender, so instead, I just used canned chickpeas). It is also a vegetarian recipe, but I used chicken stock for flavor and them added some shredded chicken for extra protein (and because Joe loves meat). I also tweaked the spices a bit, adding garam masala and cumin. You can also chop and add some jalapeno for more heat.

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cans chick peas
1 russet potato (diced)
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste (about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 and 1/2  to 2 chicken breasts (boil and shred with forks)

In a large stock pot of dutch oven, add the chickpeas, potatoes, and chicken stock.

In a skillet, saute the chopped onion and green pepper until tender and then add to the chickpea mixture.

Bring to a boil, add the coconut milk and all the spices listed above. Let simmer for 1 hour.

Boil 2 chicken breasts in water and shred them with forks. Add the shredded meat to the chickpea mixture. Stir well, let simmer for another 20 minutes and serve.

Best served with Basmati rice cooked with 2 tsp cumin seeds (I used my rice cooker and this came out great!) Sprinkle fresh chopped mint and cilantro on top to really tie the dish together!

Adapted from the Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker  (great cookbook!)

Next up, I'll be re-using my meat sauce from the other night to make some lasagna! With no boil noodles (my new favorite!)

slow cooker meat sauce

1 pd. ground sirloin
2 links Italian Sausage (cut out of casings)... preferably hot, but mild works as well
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
2 dried bay leaves
salt and pepper to season

In a large skillet coated with olive oil, saute the garlic, onion, and carrots. Once tender, place then in a slow cooker. Then, in the same skillet, brown the ground sirloin and sausage. Drain the meat in a colander and then place it in the slow cooker. Add the 2 cans of tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, about 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, 1 tsp oregano, and 2 bay leaves. Stir well.

Set to cook on low for 8 hours. At about hour 7, stir in some fresh chopped oregano. Serve with pasta and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

shrimp bake

So, last night Joe and I tried out a new recipe from Cooking Light.

3/4 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 roma tomatoes (chopped)
4 slices of french baguette (ideal if a little stale)
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup Parmeasan cheese (to sprinkle on top)
salt & pepper to season
butter

In a small baking dish coated with cooking spray, place the shrimp and tomatoes. (You can learn how to devein shrimp here.) Season with salt and pepper.

Grind the bread in a food processor until it is mostly crumbs. In a skillet with some butter and/or olive oil, lightly roast the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley until fragrant. Pour bread crumb mixture over shrimp and tomatoes. Then place a tab of butter on top and bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (until shrimp are done).

Serve with cous cous.

The verdict:  I was not a big fan. I thought it was somewhat bland, but Joe enjoyed it. Next time I would use canned fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of fresh for extra flavor. And added more cheese (maybe some mozzerella and parmesean).

red velvet cheesecake

Ingredients

• 2 rows of Oreo cookies
• 1/4  cup  butter, melted
• 3  (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2  cups  granulated sugar
• 4  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa
• 1  cup  sour cream
• 1/2  cup  whole buttermilk
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 2  (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring

Directions

Finely chop the 2 rows of Oreo cookies in a food processor. Stir together processed Oreo cookies and melted butter press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 325°.

In a stand mixer, beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Place in a water bath (a shallow pan with warm water 1/3-1/2 of the way up the springform pan). Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until center is firm. Remove cheesecake from oven and from water bath; cool in springform pan for 1 hour. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Garnish with cool whip and enjoy!

 

homemade oreos

Thanks to my friend Amy in Boston, I recently learned about Flour Bakery. Joanne Chang, Harvard alum, is the owner and pastry chef. She recently released a cookbook with some of the store favorites and I am dying to try all the recipes! My first attempt was the recipe for Homemade Oreos....yum!

Here is Joanne's recipe:

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 pinch kosher salt 

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until well combined. Whisk in vanilla and melted chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.

In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to blend them. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. The finished dough should feel like Play-Doh. Cover the dough with plastic, and set aside for 1 hour or until firm.

Place the dough on a long sheet of parchment paper. Use your hands to shape it into a rough log, about 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the parchment. Roll the parchment around the log. With your hands on the paper, roll the dough into a tighter log, keeping the diameter the same. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or until it is firm enough to slice without crumbling. Roll every 15 minutes to maintain its shape so it doesn't settle and sink.

Set the oven at 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the paper. Cut the log into 32 slices, each a quarter-inch. Set them on the baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, checking them often after 15 minutes, or until they are firm when touched in the center.Cool completely on the sheets. 

For the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on low speed for half a minute. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the milk and salt. The filling will look and feel like spackle. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on the flat side of 16 cookies. Press the remaining 16 cookies on the filling, flat sides against the cream, to evenly distribute the filling.

The review is that the cookies are VERY rich! But delicious. They are not as sweet as you would anticipate, but rather have a tiny hint of salty taste. A little labor intensive, but worth a try! :)

spicy moroccan meatballs with couscous

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large egg white
  

Sauce

• 1 whole red pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes (drained)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind (fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into meatballs.

Place on a baking sheet and bake the meatballs for 12 minutes. 

Chop the red pepper and place in a food processor to dice. Then add the whole tomatoes and dice. Finally, add the reminder of the ingredients, blend quickly and transfer to a dutch oven or stock pot on the stove on medium heat.

Place baked meatballs into the pot with the tomato sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes to get saturated in the sauce.

Serve over couscous if desired.

Adapted from Cooking Light.

Thomas Style Beef Stroganoff

So glad to be done with the snow here in Nashville (I hope). After sitting in nasty traffic for 2 and a half hours to get home from work (normally a 15 minute commute), I was really craving something rich and warm for dinner. Some serious comfort food. Beef stroganoff came to mind. I found a few recipes, but didn't really like any of them, so I just made one up from a compilation of different recipes I came across.

Ingredients:

2 tsp diced garlic
1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
1 package of beef stew meat (1-1.5 pound)
1 package of white mushrooms (sliced)

1.5 cups of Beef/Chicken Stock
1 packet brown gravy mix, 1 tbsp flour mix with a small amount of warm water (about 1/3 cup)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Worchester sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/4 cup light sour cream

Directions:

In a dutch oven, coat the bottom of the pan with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). Saute the garlic and onion until warm and add the mushrooms and beef stew meat. Let the meat brown and then stir and brown the other side of the meat. Then add 1.5 cups of beef stock (I didn't have beef, so I used chicken and that worked just fine). In a small bowl, mix a packet of brown gravy mix with 1/3 cup water and 1 tbsp of flour to thicken the sauce. Pour the mixture into the pan with the meat. Add all the other ingredients, except for the sour cream.

Cover the dutch oven and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour (to really let the meat get really tender). When you remove it from the oven, stir in the sour cream and serve over egg noodles!

flax seed granola bars

Before I got the flu, I was reading a lot about flax seeds and their "superfood" powers---antioxidants, amino acids, etc. and I decided to adapt an old granola bar recipe I had to be more healthy (cut out the chocolate chips, add in the flax seeds).

So, in a small saucepan, I melt 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/2 cup brown sugar until well blended and boiling lightly.

In a large bowl, mix:

• granola cereal
• rice crispies
• pretzels
• cranberries
• flax seeds (I used dry roasted since the raw can be too chewy and hard to eat)

Then pour the hot sauce over the dry mixture, mix well. Pour that mixture into a cookie sheet with a small rim and press, press, press into the pan. Then chill in the fridge and cut into bar shapes.

Yum!! They still satisfy the sweet tooth and you can feel good about it!

salted caramel banana pudding pie

So recently I discovered a new AWESOME Food Network show, Dessert First. In the first episode Ann made Salted Caramel Banana Pudding Pie and I was sold. Here is her recipe below. It is delicious!
I make the caramel sauce the night before and it makes enough for 2 pies, so I save half in the fridge for later or for ice cream topping!

Caramel Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

In a small saucepan, mix the water and sugar togther. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 to 10 minutes. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown--about 5 to 7 minutes and 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer. You really need a candy thermometer to get this right because it can burn QUICKLY past 350 degrees.

Turn off the heat and slowly add the cream. Stir and simmer over low heat, under the sauce is smooth.  Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature.

Next its time to prepare your pie crust and make the homemade vanilla pudding.

To prepare the pie crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put 45 vanilla wafers in a food processor and blend until the cookies are finely crushed. Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and 6 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl until blended. Firmly press it into the bottom, up the sides, and onto the lip of a greased 9-inch pie pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool until completely cool.

Vanilla Pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar and flour until all of the lumps are gone. Then whisk in the eggs, and egg yolks, and continue whisking until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk, and once this is incorporated add the remaining cup of milk. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat whisking constantly (I mean this), until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, and then stir in the vanilla. Set the pudding aside to cool and prepare to assemble your pie!

Assembly:

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup salted caramel 
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt
• Vanilla pudding
• Vanilla Waffers

Cut your bananas into slices (preferably aging bananas) and coat those with salted caramel and the 1 tsp salt.

Arrange some banana slices evenly over the bottom of the pie crust. Spread half of the hot, prepared Vanilla Pudding over the bananas, top with vanilla wafers, and more caramel-coated bananas.

Spread the remaining filling over the vanilla wafers, and caramel-coated bananas. I like to refridgerate it overnight or for at least 8 hours before serving so all the flavors can blend together. Then I top with Cool Whip and serve! YUM!

{image courtesy of Food Network}

grilled lamb chops with a mint-mustard sauce

Joe and I got a wonderful Bride and Groom cookbook from a friend of mine for our wedding. This was the first meal we cooked (adapted) from the cookbook. We were feeling very gourmet!

Sauce Ingredients:

3 tablespoons mint jelly
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil


Whisk together the above ingredients in a small sauce pan on low heat.


Season the lamb loin chops (bone in) with salt and pepper and oregano. I usually serve 2 per person since they are smaller. We grilled them in direct heat for about 5-7 minutes per side (medium well).

Right before serving, we poured the mint-mustard sauce over the chops.

We served the Mediterranean style dish with Israeli cous cous (pearled cous cous). Cook to instructions on the box. For our vegetable, we sauteed kale, grape tomatoes, and pine nuts in some oil olive and diced garlic and seasoned with salt/pepper.

scallion pancakes

These have to be one of the house girls favorite things this year. I make them to go with pineapple chicken or beef and broccoli, anything Asian inspired. This recipe is from a great book I use often, "Quick and Easy Chinese" by Nancie McDermott.

They literally have 4 ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup water

salt to season

sliced green onions

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and water. Stir well with a wooden spoon to mix it up and turn it into a soft dough.

Lightly flour a work surface and your hands. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then cover with the bowl for a 5 minute rest period.

Divide the dough into 3 portions (cut apart with a butter knife), leaving the other 2 portions covered while you work on the first. Roll the dough into a big pancake (6-8 inches in diameter), then sprinkle with green onions and salt. Then roll into a log...

Finally, roll the log into a ball and roll the pancake out flat again. The green onions will poke through the dough.

Use a small amount of oil or cooking spray to coat a large skillet and then place the pancake in the skillet to crisp on both sides.

I cut them into 4 pieces to serve.

white chicken chili

My friend, Liz, made this terrific recipe for our book club one night and I just loved it! This chili is so easy to make and just delicious.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped (or jarred minced garlic if you're feeling lazy)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon anise seed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 15 oz cans of white kidney beans (cannellini beans)
1 7-0z can of diced green chilies
1 can of yellow corn
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream

Garnishes:

Cilantro
Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large stock pot of dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, anise sees, and dried red pepper. Saute for 5 minutes then push the onions to the outer edges of the pot. Season the chopped chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Drain 2 of the cans of beans and add to the pot. Add the other can without draining. Add the chicken broth and cream. Simmer until chicken is cooked through-about 10 minutes. Then add the chilies and corn and let simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes.

I served the chili with grilled cheese sandwiches. I spread Sun Dried Tomato Pesto on the bread and used provolone cheese to dress them up!

Chipotle Chicken with Corn Salsa

Love this recipe! My friend, Diane, made this one night for book club and it was amazing! Can also be made with pork tenderloin.

Ingredients:

1 pd chicken breast or pork tenderloin, sliced into medallions
1 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder (or plain chili powder)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup canned yellow corn
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup picante salsa (I like to use the fresh Jack's salsa)
2 tbsp lime juice

Garnishes:
2 tbsp cilantro
1 avocado sliced
shredded cheese
sour cream
tortillas (warmed)
Note: A trick to warm your tortillas if you don't have a warmer. Place them on a plate and then plate a damp papertowel over top. Microwave for 1 min. The wet papertowl helps to "steam" the tortillas.

Directions:

Mix the chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt in a small bowl. After you have cut the chicken into slices, coat each side in the spice mixture. In a large skillet over medium heat, add some olive oil (about 1 tbsp) and then place the chicken medallions in the hot skillet. Let them brown on each side for 4-5 minutes.

Remove and place on a serving platter. Then pour the corn, salsa, lime juice, and green onions into the skillet and let simmer for 3 minutes. Pour the salsa mixture over the chicken and serve wrapped in tortillas with cilantro, avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese to garnish!

Spicy Meatballs with Mozzarella

This great recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via the Food Network.

Ingredients:

• 1 small (6-ounce) onion, grated
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 8 ounces ground turkey
• 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, 1/2 cup parsley, 2/3 cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the beef and turkey. Using your hands, combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly. Shape the meat mixture into 16 (1 1/2-inch-diameter) meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Make a hole in the center of each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella inside. Reform the meatball so that the mozzarella is completely covered with the meat mixture. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until cooked through.

I like to heat up pasta sauce (from a jar when lazy) and put the meatballs into the sauce before serving over pasta!

chicken tortilla soup

Ingredients:

2 boxes are chicken stock (32 oz each)

1 large cans of Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes (28 oz)

2 large cans of Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

1 small can of diced green chiles

1 can of whole kernel yellow corn

Fresh cilantro (1/3 cup chopped)

½ cup chopped yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic diced

Salt/Pepper

Olive oil

Shredded Mexican cheese

Chicken breasts (3)

2 avocados

Flour tortillas

Directions for the chicken:

Boil water in a medium pot. Once water has boiled, place the chicken breasts in the boiling water and let boil for 45 to an hour until the chicken is tender and falling apart.

Remove chicken from the water and shred it with 2 forks.

(You can also just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that meat for the soup.)

Directions for the soup:

Cut ½ of a medium onion into small pieces.

Chop the 2 cloves of garlic into small pieces.

In a deep pot, sauté the onion and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil until lightly brown.

In the same pot, add the 2 boxes of chicken stock, the cans of tomatoes, and diced green chiles to the onion and garlic mixture.

Let cook for 20 minutes at a low boil, then add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and chop up a handful (1/3 cup) of fresh cilantro to season the soup.

Let the soup cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.

Directions for the tortillas:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 5 or 6 flour tortillas in a stack and slice into long strips. Spread the tortilla strips out on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring the strips half way through. The strips should be crisp and brown.

Serve the soup over the shredded chicken and tortilla strips. Top with shredded cheese, avocado slices, and sour cream.

Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas

1 can black beans

1 large bag of shredded Mexican cheese

Directions:

Place 2 flour tortillas on a baking sheet. Spread cheese and black beans on one of the tortillas and only cheese on the other.

Place under the broiler on LOW and bake for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Then take tortilla with only cheese and flip it over and lay it on top of the cheese and bean tortilla. Broil for 3 minutes and then flip the entire sandwich over. Broil for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes before slicing it into 4 sections.

Repeat with any many tortillas as desired.

 

chicken florentine

This recipe is a new one I tried last night by Paula Dean. So, bring on the cream and butter. I adapted it slighty to make it lighter:

Ingredients:

*2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
*6 chicken breast halves cooked and shredded
*2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (Campbell Healthy Request)
*3/4 cup light mayonnaise
*1 cup light sour cream
*2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
*5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*1 teaspoon curry powder
*Salt and freshly ground black pepper
*1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
*1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
*2 tablespoons butter


Directions:
1. Thaw spinach and drain by ringing it out in a dishtowel. Put into a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken.
2. In another bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the spinach and chicken. Mix well with a spatula.
3. Place the mixture into an 11 by 7-inch casserole dish that has been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Dot with the butter.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until bubbly.

I served this dish with brown rice. It makes enough for 8 people.

cracker brittle

This is a super easy crowd pleaser:

Ingredients:
Crackers (Saltine or Ritz crackers-my preference is Ritz)

1 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup semisweet chips

1 cup Health Bar toffee chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place a layer of aluminum foil on a 1-inch deep cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and arrange a single layer of crackers on top of the foil.
• Combine butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes and then pour over the crackers.
• Bake for 5 minutes -- until the crackers float to the top.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. After the chips melt, spread evenly, and sprinkle toffee chips on top.
• Cool in fridge and then break into pieces.

very best strawberry cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 box strawberry cake mix

1 small box strawberry jello mix (3 oz.)

4 eggs (lightly beaten)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup mashed strawberries (fresh or frozen)

Icing:

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) (room temperature)

1 pack of cream cheese (8 oz.) (room temperature)

1 large bag of confections sugar (32 oz.) (more or less)

1/4 mashed strawberries

Directions:

Combine cake mix and gelatin powder in a large bowl. Beat in oil, eggs, water, and strawberries. Pour into 2 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost with cream cheese/strawberry icing. For icing, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until smooth and at consistency you prefer for icing. Add strawberries. Spread between cake layers, then frost top and sides. Enjoy!

sea salt caramels

I think these may actually be the best thing I have ever made. And I think they happened by accident!


I LOVE caramels. Especially sea salt caramels--the sweet and salty together is perfection. And dark chocolate makes everything better!
I came across this recipe online:
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
6 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp sea salt
1 lb bittersweet chocolate chips
Preparation:
1. Prepare an 8-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the cream in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup and honey and stir until it begins to boil. Periodically wipe down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
3. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 257 degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and stir in the butter, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of salt.
5. Pour into prepared pan and let set at room temperature until firm enough to cut.
6. Cut the caramel into small squares or strips with a chef’s knife.
7. Melt the chocolate and dip the caramels in the chocolate one at a time. Place them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or foil to set. While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle on the remaining salt and allow to set completely.
*My mistake was not owning a candy thermometer (add to wedding registry, check.) But with salty caramels calling my name, onward I went. I used the cold water test and just tried to judge the color and consistency, and they came out perfect! Now, a repeat attempt my prove futile, but I will report back!