Sunday, May 22, 2011

Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup vegetable oil1/2 cup good ranc...h dressing 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary(i use fresh basil)2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon lemon juice1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste1 tablespoon white sugar4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breastsmix all top ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until sugar is disolved. Place chicken in a gallon size Ziplock bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Squish bag around until all chicken in coated. Refridgerate until ready to use at least 30 minutes. I usually do a couple of hours or overnight. Grill on the BBQ or in the oven on broil.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Bruschetta

Ingredients:
(Be Healthy/ Be Happy Blogspot)
1 baguette (10 slices per serving)
1 tomato
1 clove garlic
5 fresh basil leaves chopped
1/4 C toasted pine nuts
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste
fresh grated parmesan cheese to taste
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil To make:Dice tomatoes, chop garlic and basil and place in bowl. Add other ingredients and combine. I always sprinkle the sea salt and add the vinegar before I add anything else because I like the tomatoes to marinate for a minute in that combination, but that is totally not necessary. Slice your baguette into 1/3 inch slices and drizzle olive oil over their tops. Toast your bread until it's golden in color. I broil mine in the oven for just a minute or two. Top your bread with the delectable tomato combination and enjoy! I hope you love it as much as we do.

(*We made this bruschetta (for Sunday dinner). Quick, easy, & oh so delicious. I tripled everything except the olive oil & balsamic vinegar (I still only used 1/4 cup). You must use sea salt & cracked pepper. I also sprinkled parmesan cheese over the french bread before I broiled it. )

Zesty Marinara Sauce

Zesty Marinara Sauce
(Be Healthy/Be Happy Blogspot)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can (32 ounces) whole Italian plum tomatoes and their juices
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeseTo Make:
Heat oil in a large, nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Place tomatoes in a large bowl, reserving juices. Crush tomatoes using your hands. Add tomatoes and reserved juices to skillet. Stir in red pepper, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove sauce from heat, stir in cheese. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Recipe: Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8
var updatePrintLink = function(id, anchor)
{
var pl = jQuery('#pl_'+id);
var url = pl.attr('href');
if(url.match('#'))
{
url = url.split('#')[0];
}
pl.attr('href', url+'#'+anchor);
};

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page
Ingredients
1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
½ cups Sour Cream
1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
Serve with crusty French bread.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Shrimp Scampi w/ Angel Hair Pasta

Recipe: Shrimp Scampi
Pioneer Woman Cookbook
Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6
Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic Cloves, Minced Or Pressed
1 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
½ cups White Wine
2 whole Lemons
4 dashes Hot Sauce (I Used Tabasco; More To Taste)
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
8 ounces, weight Angel Hair Pasta
Chopped Fresh Basil To Taste
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
Preparation Instructions
Boil water for pasta; have it ready.
Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.
Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water.
Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.

Spicy Bow Tie Pasta w/ Broccoli and Sausage

Spicy Bow Tie with Broccoli and Sausagea goodLife {eats} creation
Pioneer Woman Cookbook
2 cups broccoli florets, cooked till tender crisp
1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in oil
2 cups mild italian sausage, about 2 links
1 red onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, more if you like
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces bow tie pasta, cooked according to package instructions
In a large saute pan, drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, cooking until browned on all sides. Remove sausage and slice into rounds. Return to pan. Add onion to the sausage and saute until the onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes, pasta, and broccoli. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with crushed red pepper. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
*Note: when I cook the pasta, I add the broccoli to the pot for the last 2 minutes to cook it.

Knock You Naked Brownies

Recipe: Knock You Naked Brownies
Pioneer Woman Cookbook
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 23 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 12

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page
Ingredients
1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
½ cups Butter, Melted
60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼ cups Powdered Sugar
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.
*Adapted from the standard/classic “Knock You Naked Brownies” recipe. These brownies don’t really knock you naked…but almost.

Bowtie and Asparagus Pasta

Anniversary Bowtie & Asparagus Pasta
This pasta was also served at our wedding luncheon. We LOVE this stuff! Is it the healthiest pasta? Hmmmm.. no. But it is oh so good! This is a great one for crowds or just for two! :) Tastes great with our Anniversary Paprika Chicken (click HERE).1 pkg. bow tie pasta1/2 c. (1 cube) butter (the real stuff)2-3 cloves garlic, minced3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese1-2 chicken bouillon cubes1 pint heavy creamsalt & pepper to taste10-15 spears asparagus, blanched1/2 c. bacon, crumbled1/2 c. toasted pinenuts (or to taste)Parsley, to tasteParmesan cheese, to tasteBoil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente. Do NOT over cook.In wok or heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and saute a minute or so.Add Parmesan Cheese and bouillon cube(s). When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream and salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley & Parmesan cheese and toss together. Serve immediately.

Paprika Chicken

Anniversary Paprika Chicken
(Fav Fam Recipes)
This dish was served to us at our wedding luncheon. We try to make it every year on or around our anniversary (thus the name...) We just had it last week (Happy Anniversary Sweetheart)! It has turned out perfect every time we have made it. This chicken is so tender and flavorful it doesn't need any kind of sauce or gravy. Serve with Anniversary Bowtie & Asparagus Pasta (click HERE).4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves1/2 c. Parmesan cheese1 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs (you can also use Panko bread crumbs and add Italian seasoning)1 1/2 cubes (3/4 cup) melted butterPaprikaCombine Parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs. Dip chicken breast in melted butter. Roll in crumb mixture until completely coated. Place in baking dish and sprinkle generously with paprika. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes @ 375 degrees - Do not overcook!