Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

This pasta dish is simple, flavorful and one that everyone loves.  Served with a nice vegetable this is a perfect busy weekday dinner.

The ingredients:
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. rigatoni, penne, or ziti pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (2-ounces) cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
Directions:  In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. When done, remove bacon until cool enough to handle and roughly chop.  
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done.  

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan.  Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add the Parmesan cheese, eggs, pepper, and crushed red pepper and whisk until blended.  

Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot.  Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat.  The hot pasta will cook the eggs.  Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water until desired consistency is reached.  

Enjoy!  




Recipe courtesy of Recipe Shoebox

Cashew Chicken

I found this great new food blog called the Brown Eyed Baker.  There are some amazing recipes and this is definetly one of them.  A very quick and easy recipe with lots of flavor.  I added lots of extra veggies because I like it that way and everyone enjoyed it.

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry sherry (or cooking wine, or omit)
2 teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
3½ teaspoons cornstarch, divided
Coarse salt
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup unsalted cashews
2 green onions, white and green parts divided and thinly sliced

**I also added chopped zucchini, broccoli and carrots.  You could really add any veggie your family likes.

1. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the sherry, ginger, and 1½ teaspoons cornstarch; season with coarse salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Set aside.

3. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the skillet and cook the remaining chicken (reduce the heat if the chicken is over-browning). Transfer to the covered plate.

4. In the same skillet, add the remaining teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the cashews, garlic, and green onion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Whisk the sauce again to combine and add to the skillet along with the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Serve over rice or noodles and top with the green onion greens.

Coconut Chicken and Rice

I wish I could remember where I got this recipe, but I cant, sorry!  Shawn doesn't really like coconut and I really do like coconut so I like to find ways to sneak it in to recipes :)  This recipe is great.  The combinations of breadcrumbs and coconut makes for a nice tasting and crispy crust.  The sauce is great with a little bit of sweet and spicy.

Coconut Chicken

4 chicken breasts (sliced in half, so you have eight  "thin" breasts), slightly pounded

Salt and pepper

3/4 to 1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko)

3/4 to 1 cup unsweetened or unsweetened coconut--I used sweetened.

2-4  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil -- Depending on your pan, you may need to add more oil so the chicken doesn't stick.

Apricot Pineapple Preserves Sauce

1-1/2 cups apricot pineapple preserves (I just used apricot preserves)

2 can diced chilies (4 oz.)

2-4 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2-4  tablespoons chicken stock

Garnish

4 scallions, whites and greens sliced

Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of each halved and pounded chicken breast.

Have 3 dishes for coating the chicken. One for flour, one for the beaten egg (also include a splash of water to thin it down), and the last dish for the breadcrumb and coconut mixture, which should be mixed evenly.

Heat the olive in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat each piece of chicken first in flour, then in egg, then in the breadcrumb and coconut mixture. Pan fry until deep golden in color on each side and the chicken is done.  You may need to add  extra olive oil so the chicken won't stick.

In a separate sauce pan, over medium heat, stir together preserves, chilis, vinegar, and chicken stock. Reduce until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken over rice, topping it with the Pineapple Apricot Sauce. Sprinkle green onions for garnish.  I add some fresh steamed broccoli and it was a perfectly balanced meal.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

This recipe is from the Recipe Shoebox and I've found lots of good recipes there.  We really liked these enchiladas and I believe there were originally found in the Food Network magazine.  They have such a great flavor and a great little kick.

We went a little over kill of the feta (that was husbands job), but it was still delicious!

1 small red onion, halved
1-1/2 lbs. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1-2 serrano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of sugar
Corn tortillas
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for greasing
3/4 cup feta cheese or queso fresco (I used feta cheese)


Directions:  Preheat the broiler.  Slice half of the onion into thin rings and set aside.  Place the other onion half, tomatillos, and serranos on a foil lined baking sheet and broil until the vegetables are soft and slightly brown, 7 - 10 minutes, turning as needed.  Transfer the vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add broth and puree.  Season with salt and sugar. 

Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered.  Toss the chicken with 2 cups shredded cheese  and chopped cilantro in a bowl.  Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla and roll up.  Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9x13-inch baking dish and brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.

Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  Return to oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3-5 minutes.  Garnish with onion rings, feta cheese, and any remaining cilantro. (NOTE:  We skipped the raw onion rings, since I knew my kids wouldn't touch them.  I don't recommend skipping the feta cheese.  I loved the flavor it added.)  Makes 6-8 servings.   Enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken, Lo Mein, and Egg Rolls

Recently we had a family dinner with lots of Chinese Food.  I've had requests for the recipes, so I thought it easiest to post them here.  There are many other asian/chinese recipes on this blog that are also equally good.  Here we go....

Kung Poa Chicken

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ounce hot chile paste
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
• 4 ounces chopped peanuts

1. To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
3. Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

**I actually doubled the sauce, because we are sauce people, and I would definetly recommend doing that because it really doesn't make much sauce.

Vegetable Lo Mein

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell peppers
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large wok or saute pan. Stir fry mushrooms, carrots, peppers, onion and garlic until tender. Stir in bean sprouts and green onions; cook one minute. Mix cornstarch and chicken broth in a small bowl and add to stir fry. Stir in hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
3. Add cooked spaghetti, and toss. Serve immediately.

**We didn't really love the hoisin sauce in this recipe (the anise spice in hoisin sauce tastes like black licorice).  So, if I made it again, I would definetly leave that out.

Egg Rolls

1 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 quart peanut oil for frying

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 ounces shredded carrots

8 (7 inch square) egg roll wrappers

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

1. Season pork with ginger and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Heat mixture in a medium skillet, stirring, until pork is cooked through and no longer pink. Set aside.
2. In another large skillet heat oil to about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) or medium high heat. While oil is heating, combine flour and water in a bowl until they form a paste. In a separate bowl combine the cabbage, carrots and reserved pork mixture. Mix all together.
3. Lay out one egg roll skin with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cabbage, carrot and pork mixture on egg roll paper and fold corner up over the mixture. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to roll. Brush a bit of the flour paste on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.
4. Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or rack. Put on serving plate and top with sesame seeds if desired.

**We had a few leftover egg roll wrappers and I wanted something sweet the following night.  I mixed up some cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, and blueberries and put in the middle of the egg roll wrapper and fried it.  I sprinkled (really more like dredged) them with powdered sugar while they were still hot and they were delicious.  You should try that also :)

All recipes courtesy of allrecipes.com

Chocolate Crinkles

I've been making a lot of treats lately for school parties, family parties, holiday junk, etc.  Here is another classic family favorite.

Mix together:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Add in 4 eggs, one at a time until well blended
Add 2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix in:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix dough together and let chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.
Take out and roll into 1 inch size balls.  Roll balls generously in powdered sugar.
Bake on ungreased pan at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Red Lentil Soup

The technical name of this soup is "Kermizi Mercimek Corbasi", but Red Lentil Soup sounds so much more approachable!  My husband and I ate a version of this a few weeks ago at a Turkish restaurant and it was divine.  I'm always looking for ways to cook with lentils as well.  I used green lentils when I made this and it tasted great, but perhaps red lentils would have made it look a little more appetizing?

Anyway, here it is.

1 cup red lentils
1 medium size onion
1 carrot
1 tbsp tomato or pepper paste (or you can do half&half)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed pepper or red peppercorns - actually, that makes it quite spicy.  You'd be ok with 1/2. 
6 cups of chicken stock

for the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 tbsp sweet or spicy paprika

-Sautee the onion and carrot with 1 tbsp oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the paste and cook for a couple of minutes, and add the rest of the soup ingredients.  Cook until lentils are mushy - maybe 20 minutes?

-Blend in a blender or, even better, with an immersion blender

-Before serving the soup, heat the oil in a skillet and when it's hot add the paprika. Stir for 5-10 seconds. Pour a couple of scoops of the oil+paprika sauce on the soup bowl. (This might be a nightmare with kids - you could skip this part if you like)

-Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on top.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is perfect for a nice fall dinner.

1 butternut squash
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups water
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 T. salt
red pepper flakes (just or pinch or two depending on how much of a kick you want)

Peel and remove seeds from squash.  Dice into small pieces.  Put squash, onion, garlic, butter, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes in pan and saute for 10 minutes.

Add water and simmer until squash is tender.  Stir in cream cheese until blended and then blend.  I just used my immersion blender, but if you don't have one you can transfer to blender and puree until smooth.

Serve and Enjoy!

Soft Yummy Caramel Corn

I made this the other night for a Girls Night and it so quick and easy.  There are lots of caramel corn recipes, but this is the soft, gooey, sticky kind that we really like.

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, except for the vanilla.  Cook until soft ball stage or around 220 degrees.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Pour over three bags of popped microwave popcorn.  I always try to go through the popcorn and remove all the seeds that didn't pop because no one likes chomping down on a hard seed.  This recipe really is so easy and I usually have all these ingredients on hand.

I also used this same recipe for Caramel Apples last night, but just cooked the caramel until it was around 245, medium almost hard ball stage, so the caramel was more firm.  Then we rolled the apples in crushed candy bars and drizzled with chocolate (I took the picture before the chocolate drizzles while they were cooling).

Egg Noodles

I made these yesterday to go with some chicken noodle soup and hmm!  They were good.  They are also SUPER easy.

Ingredients

2 2/1 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tb butter

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
3. Allow to air dry before cooking.
4. To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.
   
   To store them you can let them dry out completely and keep in an air tight container or freeze them.  Oh, they were the perfect thing to come home to on a rainy day. 

Smoothies

We have gotten into a really bad habit around my house.  Every night right before bed we have a big bowl of popcorn, nachos, or smoothies (last night we even had all three).  The kids love it and wait anxiously for that time of night.  So I thought I should post my smoothie recipe.  One of my three children HATES fruit, but he loves smoothies (he must not realize there is fruit in it).  The fun part is with this recipe I can use any kind of fruit that I want.  We've used blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches and mango and combinations of them together as well.  They all turn out great with this recipe.

1 cup frozen fruit
1 banana frozen (you can use not frozen also, it just makes the smoothie not as thick)
2 T. honey
1/4 vanilla yogurt (or whatever you have on hand)
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup milk
1-2 T. milled flax seed

Blend in blender until smooth.  I don't like my smoothies very thick, so you can actually drink them, so at the end if it looks too thick I just add more milk.

I'm don't like to measure things much when I'm cooking (it drives my husband nuts), so you can't really screw up this recipe because I'm sure I have put too much of something and not enough of the other a few times, but it always tastes good.

It is even a good for you by adding the milled flax seed.  I am hoping to try disguising a handful of spinach in the smoothies soon. I'm hoping nobody will notice :)

Crockpot Cuban

You got to try these.  So simple and tasty!

3-4 pound Beef Roast

Garlic Salt

Salt

Pepper

1-16 oz. Jar sliced Pepperoncini

Sliced Muenster, Swiss, or Havarti cheese (we used swiss)

Mayonnaise

Sliced Dill Pickles (we used Spicy Famous Dave Pickles.  Don't leave out the pickles.)

Honey Dijon mustard (optional)

Rosette Sandwich Rolls

Season the roast with salt, pepper, and garlic salt, brown on all sides, and place in a crock-pot. Cover with the pepperoncini (and liquid). Cook all day on low, until beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Shred meat and keep it in the juices. Serve on buttered, toasted rolls. Top with cheese and melt under the broiler if desired. Serve with mayo, and pickles.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

I was craving a Key Lime pie the other night.  This recipe is so simple and you can't really go wrong with it.  I whipped this together in under 20 minutes and then refrigerated for a few hours.


1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (1 package of crackers)

1/3 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 (14 ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk

1 cup key lime juice or regular lime juice

2 eggs

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into a pie pan and bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Then let cool. Mix together the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Then fill the pie shell. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Once cooled refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Top with whip cream.     

Raspberry Lemon Limeade

Homemade lemonade is great in the summer.  Here is a recipe with a little twist to regular lemonade that we had with dinner the other night.

6 lemons, juiced

2 limes, juiced

1 cup sugar 

6 cups water

1 cup fresh raspberries

Combine the liquids and the sugar until it dissolves and then add the raspberries. Let it sit several hours or overnight because it gets better with age.

Sweet & Spicy Cucs

I grew up eating this snack during the hot summer months. It has mixed reviews among my family members, but I think its great.  It is perfect if you like spicy/vinegary snacks that are healthy.

1-1/2 lbs cucumber (about 3 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c rice vinegar, seasoned or regular

1/2 c water

3 Tbs sugar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbs minced red onion

  

Place cucumber slices in a colander sitting over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss well.  Let sit for 1 hour refrigerated.  While cucumber slices are draining, prepare marinade below.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and red pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to a 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes).  If for some reason you boil for too long, just add a little water until you have 1/3 C. Remove reduction from heat and add onion.  Let mixture cool to room temp.  (** I don't always have the patience to wait until the marinade reduces.  So, I often just turn the heat on long enough to melt down the sugar, heat up the pepper flakes, and get everything nice and mixed.)

When the cucumbers are done resting, combine with the vinegar reduction.  This can be served immediately, but I love to leave it in the fridge for a couple hours and get them crispy and cold.