Coconut Chocolate Patties

This was an interesting recipe.  I had visions of what I thought this would be and turned out it wasn't. While they went at yesterday's all day scrap, I'm not convinced they were that good.

For starters, I forgot to add the almond extract. I think that flavor would have made a world of difference with these. I also expected them to be moister. If I made them again, I'd add some corn syrup to the chocolate to make it bind better.

Super easy and if you love coconut, then they're great. Just don't forget the almond extract.

Photo by Everyday Food

Coconut Chocolate Patties
Recipe from Everyday Food

• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 3 drops pure almond extract
• 3 3/4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread coconut in a single layer on parchment. Place in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to color evenly. Remove from oven; let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine toasted coconut, almond extract, and melted chocolate. Stir gently until combined. Press about 1 tablespoon coconut mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. Place in the refrigerator until cookies are set, about 20 minutes. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Buttescotch Peanut Bars

By far, of the desserts I made this weekend, this was the best.   It reminded me of a PayDay bar, which happens to be one of my favorites...just a tad sweeter.  When I make these again, I might consider using peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch, though I'm not sure how that would set up. Either way, make these bars.  You'll love them.  They're quick and easy, so what's stopping you.

Photo by Taste of Home

Btterscotch Peanut Bars
Recipe from Taste of Home
Yields: 4 dozen

• 1/2 c butter
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 c salted peanuts

TOPPING

• 1 package Hershey Butterscotch chips
• 1/2 c light corn syrup
• 2 T butter
• 1 T Water

 
Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with aluminum foil. Coat the foil with cooking spray; set aside.

In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Press into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes. Sprinkle with peanuts.

In a large saucepan, combine topping ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until chips and butter are melted. Spread over hot crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes longer or until topping is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Argentinean Skewers with Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce

Bobby Flay does not disappoint on this recipe. I was concerned about the steak sauce since it called for roasted red peppers, and we all know how I feel about bell peppers. But it was surprisingly good. 

The steak sauce has a BITE to it. If you're not a fan of horseradish, I recommend you not put in the full amount. Or do like I do and put in the full amount taste it. Remove the tears from your eyes. Add another T of honey and a T or two of ketchup.

I also warmed my steak sauce and boiled it down a bit to make it a bit thicker.

The steak marinate was fantastic. I'd do that again in a heart beat. Don't shy away from the two heads of garlic (that's two HEADs not cloves).  It flavors the steak nicely and doesn't have the overly garlic sting.

I also didn't do skewers. Too much work for the 4th of July. I just did a big honkin flank steak and it was perfect.

Lastly, I couldn't afford Sherry vinegar (Its like $8 a bottle) so I googled a suitable substitute.  A number of sources said red wine vinegar.  I took it a step further. I used 1/4 cup sherry wine and 1/4 cup red wine vinegar. 

Argentinean Skewers with Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce
Recipe from Bobby Flay (Food Network)
Serves 4

• 1 c packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 c packed fresh cilantro
• 2 heads garlic, unpeeled, halved horizontally
• 2 jalapenos, tops trimmed
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 18 ounces Sirloin , cut 1" dice

Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce Recipe

• 4 Piquillo peppers, drained and chopped (or 2 roasted peppers drained and chopped)
• 1/2 c sherry vinegar
• 3 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T prepared horseradish, drained
• 2 T honey
• 1 T molasses

6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes
 
Combine the parsley, cilantro, garlic, peppers and oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish, add the beef and toss to coat in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.

Heat the grill to high. Skewer 2 pieces of the beef onto 2 skewers so that the meat lays flat on the grill. Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper and grill until golden brown, slightly charred on both sides and cooked to medium-rare doneness, about 3 minutes per side.

Brush the green onions with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until slightly charred and just cooked through.

Serve skewers with grilled scallions and Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce.

For Sherry Steak Sauce: Place the peppers, vinegar, mustard, horseradish, honey, molasses, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Pasta Salad with Pesto

Pasta runs in my veins. I swear I must be Italian.  Or it could be I'm addicted to carbs. Huh! No matter, this was an easy and super delicious salad.  Try it.

I used cheese filled spinach tortellini instead of farfalle (bow tie pasta) because I wanted a bit more substance. And it was scrumptious!

Photo by Cook's Illustrated

Pasta Salad with Pesto
Recipe from Cook's Illustrated
Serves: 8

• 3/4 c pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb pasta (farfalle or tortellini)
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 3 c packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 c packed baby spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 1/2 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 6 T mayonnaise
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook pasta according to package. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain, rinse in cold water, and let dry.

Toast pine nuts and set aside.

In a food processor combine: 1/4 c pine nuts, garlic, basil, spinach, salt and pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Process until smooth. Add cheese and mayonnaise and process thoroughly.

When pasta is cooled, toss with pesto, remaining pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and as much reserved pasta water (one tablespoon at a time) to make a loose dressing.

Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip

I heart Pioneer Woman. Her recipes never fail me.  Someday I'm going to meet her and thank her for her wonderfully delicious recipes that are easy to whip together.

I made her Hot Olive and Artichoke dip for appetizers for the 4th of July.  It was a crowd favorite. I wouldn't change a single thing of this recipe.

Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip
Recipe and photo courtesy of Pioneer Woman

Serves 6

• 1 can artichoke hearts (14 Oz. Can)
• 10 whole black olives
• 8 ounces, cream cheese (1 Pack)
• 1 c mayonnaise
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c red onion, diced
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Cayenne Pepper (for Spice)

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 5 to 8 times until mixture is combined but not totally liquefied. Stir and check seasonings, then pour into a small casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Apple Crisp Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza?

And when you make it into an apple crisp you have a sensational dessert. 

I wouldn't change a thing about the recipe. I'd change something about the chef, me, but that's neither here nor there.  I neglected to peel the apples which made for tough cutting at times. So don't make my mistake.  But do make this pizza.

Apple Crisp Pizza

Serves 6

• Pastry for one pie crust (I bought pie crust. Its good and easy.)
• 2/3 c sugar
• 3 T flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 medium baking apples, peeled and sliced

• 1/2 c flour
• 1/3 c packed brown sugar
• 1/3 c rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 butter
• 1/2 c caramel ice cream topping or caramel apple dip

Roll pastry to fir a 12 in pizza pan; fold under or flute the edges.

Combine 2/3 c sugar, 3T flour, 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl. Add apples and toss to coat.

Arrange apples in a single layer in a circular pattern to completely cover pastry.

Combine the rest of the flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, cinnamon, butter; sprinkle over the apples.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until apples appear tender. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with caramel topping.

Serve warm and with ice cream.

Cajun Chicken Stroganoff

A simple and quite frankly a flavorful dish without heat.  When I hear the word "cajun" all too often the sensory of heat comes to mind.  While this recipe does have cayenne to it, it doesn't have the heat associated to it.

For once I, not only followed the recipe, but I wouldn't change a thing about it. Try it! You'll love it. This recipe will make it to next year's cookbook and will be in the "Jenn's Favorite's" rotation. That's HOW good it is. Oh wait, I did change it slightly.  I chose linguissa sausage instead of kielbasa.  I LOVE linguissa sausage and so an opportunity to impart it's flavor into a Cajun dish, I couldn't resist. I think I made the right choice.

I'd venture a guess that it's not necessarily low cal thanks to the sausage. The sausage gives such a distinct flavor that it really shouldn't be omitted. You can, however, use low cal sour cream. I did and you really can't tell.

Cajun Chicken Stroganoff
Recipe from Cuisine at Home Weeknight Menus Volume 2
Makes 6 cups of stroganoff & noodles

• 1 package dry wide egg noodles
• 1/2 lb kielbasa, sliced (I used a linguissa sausage and used the whole pound)
• 1/2 lb button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 1/2 lb chicken tenders
• 1/2 tsp EACH: cayenne, paprika, black pepper, kosher salt, dry basil leaves, dried thyme leaves and dried oregano leaves
• 2 T flour
• 1 T tomato paste
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• sliced scallions for garnish

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Sauté kielbasa and mushrooms in 2T olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until browned, 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Combine chicken with seasonings, toss to coat, then dust with flour.  Sauté chicken in same sauté pan in 2T oil (or use reserved oil given off by the linguissa sausage if you used it) over medium-high heat until nearly cooked.  Push chicken to one side of pan.  Ad tomato paste and garlic; sauté for 1 minute.

Deglaze the pan with sherry, simmer until nearly evaporated, then add broth, Worcestershire, and reserved kielbasa-mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half, about 5 minutes..

Off heat, stir in sour cream. Serve stroganoff over prepared egg noodles and garnish with green onions.

You will not be disappointed. And I promise you, the cayenne pepper does not produce any serious heat.

Panaeng Beef in Red Curry Peanut Sauce

I'm sure I've mentioned before I'm a big fan of red curry.  Such a nice subtle flavor without the danger of having your lips burned off by the heat. Although the heat is present, it doesn't have to hurt.

This particular recipe was just okay.  If I did it again I'd make some adjustments. I've put notes below where I would make changes.

Panaeng Beef in Red Curry Peanut Sauce
Serves 4-6

• 1 c unsweetened coconut milk ( I had light coconut milk in the pantry so that's what I used)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 lb boneless beef (like flank steak), thinly sliced crosswise into 2 inch strips
• 2 T panaeng curry paste or red curry paste (I used red curry paste)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 T palm sugar or brown sugar (I used brown sugar)
• 3 T ground or finely chopped peanuts or peanut butter
• 3 wild lime leaves, torn or cut in quarters or fine threads (optional) (Jenn Note: I have no idea what these are or where to get them.  I like the lime flavor with my curry so I just spritz a lime wedge over my dish after I served it up)
• A handful of Thai basil leaves

In a medium sauce pan, stir together 1/2 cup coconut milk and the water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.  Sprinkle in the sliced beef, stirring to keep the pieces from sticking together, and simmer 5 minutes, until meat is tender.

Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

With the milk/water mixture still in the pan, return it to a gentle boil.  Stir in the curry paste and cook to dissolve, 3-4 minutes. The mixture should be fragrant and smooth. Return the beef and any juices to the pan, add the remaining coconut milk and bring back to a gentle boil.  Add the fish sauce, sugar, peanuts and lime leaves, if using.  Stir well and simmer 3 - 4 minutes more, until the sauce is smooth.  Stir in basil leaves and remove from heat.

I served this over a bowl of jasmine rice.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

I have many, MANY casserole recipes. The problem is I'm not a leftover fan, AND casseroles often make a ton of food. So when I'm having several people over for nothing fancy I like to make casseroles.

Last night I made this Chicken Tortilla Casserole.  It was shockingly good.  Why do I say "shockingly"? Well for starters, I like chipotle, but often it over powers a dish.  I am tempted to cut back on it because of that. This time I didn't cut back and *gasp* followed the recipe.  The flavor would have been missing had I cut back. And there was just enough heat to make you realize there was some extra kick there without it burning your lips off.

Very flavorful and VERY easy. Try it! It'll feed a crowd.

Photo by Jenn Wraspir

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Recipe from Cover and Bake

Serves 6-8 easily

• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced medium (Yah, I so didn't add this ingredient - blech)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T flour
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped, with 2 tsp sauce (I removed some of the seeds too - just in case it was too hot)
• 2 (14.5oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I didn't have any pinto beans, but I had black beans - used them instead)
• 1 (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in small bite size chunks
• 1/4 c plus 2 T chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T lime juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 18 6" corn tortillas
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position. Preheat your oven to 300F.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper, cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and the onions are golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.  Add the chipotles and adobo sauce, beans, and tomatoes, simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 4 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro, the lime juice and pepper.

Taste your mixture and adjust seasoning.

Meanwhile, spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and lay on two baking sheets, some overlapping is fine. Bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes. Remove tortillas from oven. Increase oven temp to 450F.

Jenn Note: I didn't do that to the tortillas. I just used the straight out of the package and I'm not sure there would have been any difference. Because they were corn tortillas they weren't gummy or anything like that.

Toss the cheeses together and mix.

Assembling the casserole:  Spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture on the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.  Layer with 6 tortillas, overlapping and covering the entire dish.  Cover with 1 1/2 cups cheese.  Repeat with a second layer.

For your third layer, pour the remaining chicken mixture over the cheese of the second layer. Cut the remaining 6 tortillas in quarters (Jenn Note: I have no idea why they did this. It makes no sense to me and when I make this again I won't cut them in quarters). Spread the tortilla quarters over the chicken mixture. Cover with remaining cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling.  Hint - put the casserole on a baking sheet so if it flows over your oven will be saved. When it's done, cool for 10 minutes and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro before serving.

Grilled Salmon with Chili-Lime Sauce

I'm a big fan of salmon. And an even bigger fan of Asian flavors.  I have this cookbook called Quick and Easy Thai.  I'm made about a dozen recipes from this book and have yet to be disappointed.

This was a simple meal to put together. Easy ingredients that most grocery stores have.

It was a bit too salty for me. So if, when, I make it again I'd not add any salt to the marinade since the dark soy sauce has plenty. I also think the 1/2 tsp of pepper is a bit too much.  Could be because I made the full marinade and just had one piece of fish, so it was more concentrated - but still, it was really salty.

Photo by Jenn Wraspir

Grilled Salmon with Chili-Lime Sauce

Recipe from Quick and Easy Thai
Serves 4 to 6

Marinade

• 3 T coarsely chopped garlic
• 3 T coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 T dark soy sauce (you can use regular soy sauce if you don't have the dark)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt (again - I'd cut this out)
• 1/2 tsp pepper (I'd maybe to 1/4 tsp)
• 1 1/2 lbs meaty fish fillets, such as salmon, tuna, snapper, cod, halibut etc

Sauce

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 3 T freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 T sugar
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh hot green chilies - I used a Serrano
• 1 tsp finely chopped cilantro

In a food processor, combine the marinade ingredients. Pulse to make a paste.  Add fish. Marinate for 20-30 minutes covered and in the fridge.

To make the sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Grill fish or bake it at 425F until desired doneness.

Serve fish along side of the sauce.

I made white rice and used the sauce over the white rice.  Delicious!

Shrimp Rangoon

Often when the BFF and I go to Chinese restaurants we'll order Crab Rangoon.  A delightful combination of crab, cream cheese, and some other things...all put in a wonton wrapper and deep fried.  Delicious! 

Recently on Tasty Kitchen I encountered a Shrimp Rangoon recipe. I'm way more a shrimp fan than I am crab, so I knew I had to try it.  Last night I treated some guests to this appetizer and the general consensus was it was quite good.

Heads up though, this makes a TON of filling. I only made 20 for appetizers and have easily more than half left. The recipe on Tasty Kitchen has a dipping sauce to it. I choose to just use sweet chili sauce which was perfectly good.

Shrimp Rangoon
Recipe from The Tasty Kitchen

FOR THE RANGOON:

• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 T cilantro, chopped
• 2 T green onions, minced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 pound shrimp, par-cooked
• ½ cups water chestnut, chopped
• 1 egg white for wash - I didn't use an egg wash, I just used water to seal the wrappers with.
• 50 pieces wonton wrappers
• 1 quart Oil, for frying

Put softened cream cheese, cilantro, green onions, ginger, sugar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until just combined.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in shrimp and water chestnuts.

Using a pastry brush or a finger tip, put egg white on the edge of the wonton skin. Place one heaping teaspoon of shrimp mixture in the center of each wrapper, fold in half, pressing to seal the edges well.

Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with remaining wrappers and shrimp mixture.

Preheat oil in a heavy duty frying pan over medium-high heat until the thermometer reaches between 350 degrees F to 375 degrees F.

Fry rangoon in batches, 6 or 7 at a time, turning over a few times until both sides are crispy golden brown.

Drain rangoon on a wire rack. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Jalapeno Roasted Chicken

In all my life, I've never cooked a whole chicken. I'm not a fan of dark meat so cooking a whole chicken seems pointless to me and a waste.

I saw this recipe on Mexican Made Easy and knew I had to try it.  The combination of cilantro and jalapeno just made my mouth water.

Unfortunately, I didn't find those flavors very obvious in the finished product. The chicken was good, don't get me wrong, I just didn't get the flavor combination I was expecting.

Jalapeno Roasted Chicken
Recipe from Mexican Made Easy
Serves 4

JALAPENO PESTO

• 1/2 c packed fresh oregano
• 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 T unsalted butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed and seeded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

CHICKEN

• 1 roasting chicken (5.5 lbs)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 3/4 c dry white wine
• 2 pounds baby broccoli
• 1 T olive oil
• salt and pepper

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Jalapeno paste: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the oregano, shallot, garlic, butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the jalapeno, salt and pepper and process to form a coarse paste.

Chicken: Pat the chicken dry and then put it, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the chicken breast, legs, and thighs without detaching it. Spread half of the jalapeno paste under the skin. Put the rosemary and the shallots in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine. Spread the remaining jalapeno paste all over the exterior of the chicken. Pour the chicken broth and wine into the roasting pan.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes, adding more broth to the pan if it begins to dry out.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Arrange the baby broccoli snugly around the chicken on the rack. Drizzle the olive oil over the florets and season them with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast the chicken with the baby broccoli, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the chicken thigh, without touching the bone, registers 160 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Remove the roast chicken from the oven, tent it in foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Quicker Boston Baked Beans

Last Sunday was Sunday Dinner. I decided to ring in the summer season by having a BBQ.  I made burgers and guests brought misc items. 

I decided I wanted to make a go at making Boston Baked Beans. I found this recipe in Cook's Country and decided I might as well try it.  I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful this was. Beats canned beans by a mile in flavor and texture. Super easy, but does require some planning as it takes 2 hours to bake the beans.  I made the beans on Saturday and finished them off in the oven on Sunday.  They were the bomb!

Quicker Boston Baked Beans

Serves 4-6
Though I gotta say, I was feeding 9 people and we had some left overs.  If you aren't going to have a bunch of other items, then maybe the 4-6 servings is accurate.

• 1 pound dried navy beans, picked over and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 6 ounces salt pork, rind removed and cut into 1/4" pieces
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 cups water
• 5 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 T molasses
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• salt and pepper

 
Adjust oven rack to middle, preheat oven to 350F.

Bring 3 quarts of water, beans and baking soda to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer briskly for 20 minutes. Drain beans in a colander. Rinse beans and pot.

In clean pot, cook salt pork over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in water, beans, sugar, 1/4 c molasses, Worcestershire, 3 tsp mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

Remove cover and cook for another 30 minutes and beans are completely tender. Stir in remaining 1 T molasses and 1 tsp of mustard.

Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirl Pie

A couple of weeks ago I went to a friend's house for dinner. My job was to bring dessert.  Back in April when I was visiting the ParentalUnits Mom had made a peanut butter pie that was fantastic.  I didn't have the recipe, but I figured the Internet would.

I am not sure if this is the exact recipe, but it was close enough.  Super easy and SUPER delicious.  I think it'd be relatively easy to lighten up too. Use light cream cheese and light cool whip.  I chose to not add the sugar into the recipe. I figured it was sweet enough and I'm glad I didn't.

I did add chopped peanut to the topping too.

Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirl Pie
Makes 1 pie

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 c creamy peanut butter
• 2 c thawed Cool Whip
• 1 OREO pie crust (6oz)
• 1/4 c Hot fudge topping, warmed

 
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Whisk in COOL WHIP.

SPOON into crust. Drizzle with fudge topping; swirl gently with knife. REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm.

Cilantro Chicken and Spicy Thai Noodles

I love when I turn on the Food Network and whatever is being made sounds so good I just have to make it. That's what happened this weekend.  I was watching a show and the chef was making cilantro chicken...it looked so good on the grill that I had to make it.

Blueberry was over tonight and so I tried it out on her. The consensus is this is a 5 star recipe that must be made again.

Cilantro Chicken and Spicy Thai Noodles
Courtesy of Big Daddy, Food Network
Serves 4

Cilantro Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 T canola oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1/4 c cilantro
• 2 limes, 1 zested; 2 juiced
• 2 T Seasoned Rice vinegar

Thai Noodles:

• 2 T canola oil
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 c chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 1 T Thai green curry paste - I used red curry because I didn't have any green curry on hand AND I'm not a big fan of green curry.
• 1 T seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 scallions, white and green parts chopped for garnish
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup crushed roasted peanuts

 
For the chicken: Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive bowl and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Prepare a grill pan to medium-high heat and place the chicken thighs on the pan, cooking for 4 minutes per side.

For the noodles: In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add the canola oil. Add the ginger, lime zest and juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and chicken stock. Stir all to combine and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the curry paste, seasoned rice vinegar and scallions. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.

Place the noodles in a large serving bowl along with the carrots and crushed peanuts and toss well to combine. Add the cilantro chicken and serve.

The noodles were a bit too tangy for me, so I popped in a tablespoon on peanut butter.  That was delicious!

Fully Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

This past Sunday was the April Sunday Dinner. We had quite the motley crew at the gathering. Aside from eating I also challenged our adult brains with some creative Easter egg decorating. The outcome was a lot of really colorful hard boiled eggs.

For dinner this week I made the Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork, Fully Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole, baked beans and Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars. Guests brought other items that were delicious and fit with the meal perfectly.

First the Pulled Pork. I won't bother retyping the recipe on this blog. You can find it here.  I didn't use a full can of chipotle chilis because I knew I had several spice challenged folks coming. I only used 2 and think I should have used a couple more. There was ultimately no spice to it and no real flavor of chipotle.  I couldn't taste any Dr. Pepper flavoring either. The pork was good, don't get me wrong, but the flavoring I expected wasn't what I got.

As one of my side dishes I made a mashed potato casserole.  I've had this recipe since 2001 and have never made it. Super simple. And OMG sooo good. You really should try it.

Fully Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
(This is from memory)

• 5lbs russet potatoes
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 c milk
• 1 egg
• 1 c sour cream
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3/4 c green onions, chopped
• 2 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese

Basically make mashed potatoes. Boil your potatoes, mash them with the butter and milk. I start by adding the butter and mashing, then slowly add the milk in parts. I don't like overly waterly mashed potatoes. Once those are incorporated I scramble up the egg and toss it in. The original recipe called for 2 eggs, but I only used one and it was fine.

Once that's all mashed together and smooth, add most the bacon (keep some aside for topping), add most the onions (keep some aside for topping), add 2 cups cheese.

Mix. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

Put in a 3 quart baking dish. I used a 9X13. Top with remaining bacon, onions and cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

If sin were in the form of a cookie, this would be it. Such a sinfully easy recipe too. Almost too easy. I made these last night and could not believe just how good these were.  I'm usually a much more "by scratch" girl when it comes to cookies, but this recipe broke all my previous perceptions of simple cookies made of box cake mix.

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

The recipe says it makes 3 dozen. We got 2 dozen and 3 extra cookies. And that's with minimal eating of the raw cookie dough.

• 1 package Devil's Food cake mix
• 1/4 c water
• 1 egg
• 3T vegetable oil
• 36ish Rolo candies (Get extra if you have Blueberry helping you cook. I'm just sayin.
• Chopped hazelnuts

 
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, egg and oil. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls. Press a candy into each; reshape balls. Dip tops in hazelnuts.

Place 2-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until tops are cracked. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Country Pork Ribs

I'm sure I've mentioned before that my dad is an expert BBQ'er...his speciality, to me, was always his BBQ ribs.  We used to joke that his ribs would be my dowry.  Anyhow, I've tried, unsuccessfully, to BBQ ribs. I have no patience for it.  Until last night.

Last night I decided to turn the heat down and let the ribs cook.  I had two distractions; and my favorite taste testers, Claudia and Blueberry.  They both gave two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this recipe BTW. Of course it could be because I starved them...

Anyhow, enjoy.

Country Pork Ribs
Makes enough marinade for ribs for 8 people

• 1 cup grapefruit or orange juice (I used orange juice because it's what I had on hand. But grapefruit would be good with this now that I've tasted it)
• 1 c ketchup
• 1/2 c cider vinegar
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T prepared horseradish
• 2 T prepared mustard
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 pounds country-style pork ribs
• 1/4 c honey
• 2 T brown sugar

In a bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients; mix well. Pour 1-1/2 cups marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the ribs. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade from the ribs. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 20 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Baste ribs with some of the sauce. Grill 15-20 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, turning and basting occasionally. Serve with the remaining sauce.

Green and White Lightening Chunky Chicken Chile

I'm a big fan of tomatillos. Their tangy flavor with lime always reminds me of my days in Mexico.  Tonight's recipe calls for a green tomatillo salsa - store bought. And as I was dumping this store bought salsa into my pot of goodness I thought, "I totally could have made tomatillo salsa cheaper."

This recipe gets 5 stars on simplicity. Super easy to throw together. A little chopping up front and you're good to go. I'd put another can of beans in next time I make it. Seemed like there wasn't enough beans to me.  I'd also read the recipe and not dump the entire bottle of tomatillo salsa into the pot, but just put in the 1 cup as the recipe says. I almost burned my mouth off.

This recipe has potential to be warm. The salsa I did buy is mild, but it had a bigger kick to it then I thought mild would. So just be aware of the heat in this recipe.

Green and White Lightening Chunky Chicken Chile
Serves 4 (really it's more than 4 I think. You'd have to have 4 very starving people)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 cup tomatillo salsa (mild or hot)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans or 1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lime, juice of
• shredded Monterrey jack cheese or shredded Monterrey jack pepper cheese
• corn chips

Heat a soup pot over med-high heat with the vegetable oil; add in the chicken to the hot oil; season with salt and pepper.

Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often; add in onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and coriander; cook 3-4 minutes, continuing to stir.

Add in the tomatillo salsa and chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Add half of the beans; with a fork thoroughly mash the other half of the beans, then add to the chili. Simmer for 10 minutes; remove chili from heat and add in cilantro, parsley, and lime juice.

Serve each bowl of chili with a little shredded cheese on top; crush up some chips and stir.

Grilled Garlic Chicken (issahn style)

Right, so as I was saying, chicken has been boring me. I've been on a terror trying to find decent chicken recipes that are 1) efficient to make, 2) relatively inexpensive, and 3) good.  Last night the Thai Style Chicken was a nice change to boring old chicken.

But....let me tell you...THIS recipe will be a standard at Chez Jenn's.

Your nose knows.  The smell of this marinade spoke volumes of how good it was going to be.  Tons of garlic, so what's not to like, right?  Seriously though, this recipe was fantastic.

This gets the Jenn 5 stars.

Grilled Garlic Chicken
Serves 4-6

• 3T cilantro
• 3T garlic
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2T soy sauce (I generally use low sodium and add just a touch of salt. That way I control my sodium intake)
• 1T fish sauce
• 3T water (or more if needed)
• 3 lbs chicken pieces (again, I used chicken breasts. Cut them into chunks to skewer later)

Get out your little food processor. If you don't have one, that's fine just cut every really fine.
Put everything BUT the water into the food processor. Give it a chop.  Slowly add water in a tablespoon at a time. You're looking for a loose paste here - sorta the consistency of sour cream - that type of  loose.  Once you get the desired consistency, toss the chicken into a zip loc. Toss in the marinade. Make sure all the chicken gets some goodness on it. Toss it into the fridge to marinate minimum 1 hour - up to 4.

Bake, broil, or grill. I grilled again on a skewer and ...man.  I'm sure I'll smell like garlic for days.