Spicy Mixed Nuts

I love bar nuts.  No, not the people that hang out at the bar but the peanuts or mixed nuts.  Not many places even put them out anymore so I like to make them at home, just to snack on.  At midnight or two in the morning, not that I do that I’m just sayin’.

You’ll want to have some on hand for your next bonfire or card game or hey, even watching Duck Dynasty re-runs.  I guarantee they will be gone before the party starts to get too lively

They are quick, easy to make and you can buy a can of mixed nuts (check the date) at the dollar store.  Woot!  I love a cheap snack.  So let’s make a batch.  I mean who doesn’t love nuts right?

Spicy Mixed Nuts

2 T. melted butter
1 T. hot sauce (I used Frank’s original Red Hot)
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. salt (optional)
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. ground mustard
1 t. ground rosemary
1 1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1 can (9.5 oz) mixed nuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix the cayenne pepper, salt, garlic powder, ground mustard, rosemary and Old Bay in a small dish.  Whisk together.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a cup.  Add the hot sauce and the worcestershire sauce.

Put the mixed nuts in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the dry ingredients onto the nuts.  Pour the butter mixture over the nuts and stir until everything is coated evenly.

Spread nuts on a baking sheet.  Try to space them apart from each other.  You want your nuts spread out…ha!

Bake for 20-22 minutes, stirring halfway through baking.

These are not too spicy or hot in my opinion.  In fact, I would make them much hotter/spicier next time.  So, if you don’t like much heat, these would be perfect for you.  If you would like them hotter add more cayenne and less butter, more hot sauce.

Let cool for about an hour and store in an airtight container.  Have a great weekend y’all!

Crockpot Ham

I made this back in March.  I had ham from Christmas in the freezer and decided to make this recipe.  I printed it out last year sometime and there is just a recipe, no one to give credit to.  I will say that it was really good and they deserve credit though!

This was great on sandwiches.  The ham is pretty sweet so paired with a spicy mustard on whole wheat bread and some smoked gouda it was an awesome grilled cheese.  Like the bomb-diggity!  So good that I didn’t even take a picture, I was too focused on getting my grub on

I did get a picture of another dish I made with the ham though.  I’m not such a bad blogger after all…ha!

So here it is and it’s uber easy too folks…

Crockpot Ham

1 /2 – 2 lbs. cooked ham
2 1/4 cups apple juice or apple cider (I had juice on hand)
1 t. dry mustard
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. allspice
dash of nutmeg
1 c. golden raisins

Place ham into crockpot.  Add your dry ingredients.

Add the apple juice or cider.  It should just cover your ham, if not add more juice.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

I ended up making hash browns with ham and cheese topped with an fried egg for dinner with the leftover ham.  So good…mmm!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by

Garlic Soup

Have you ever heard of garlic soup?  Well, neither had I until I seen it in Food Network magazine.  I do love garlic, so I thought what the heck I’ll check it out.  It sounded like it would be a bit strong to me but it was surprisingly mellow and subtle.  The flavor was perfect.

It’s an excellent spring/summer soup.  Even though I know some of you don’t do the summer soup thing.  You can always save/pin it for cooler weather.  I just had to make it because I was very intrigued by the recipe.

As usual I cut this recipe in half so don’t let the pictures fool you.

Oh and here’s a little spring Robin who made her nest in an upstairs windowsill, she’s sitting on 3 eggs

Garlic Soup

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 small heads garlic, smashed and peeled, plus 3 cloves, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 c. dry white wine
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 1/2 c. water
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 piece parmesan cheese rind, plus 1/2 c. grated parmesan
2 c. cubed day-old crusty bread
1/3 c. sour cream
Fresh dill, for topping

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the smashed garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.

Add the wine, thyme, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste and the cheese rind.  Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 1/2 c. water and 2 1/2 c. chicken broth, reduce the heat to low and bring to a gentle simmer; cook until the garlic is very soft, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the bread and let soak for 10 minutes.

Remove the thyme, bay leaf and cheese rind from the saucepan; stir in the grated cheese, sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Transfer the soup to a blender in batches and puree until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the sliced garlic and a pinch of salt in a skillet over low heat; cook until the garlic is golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

Divide the soup among bowls.  Top with the fried garlic, some of the garlic oil and fresh dill.

Yield: 6 servings.  Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network Magazine April 2013.

*Notes ~ I used dried dill as fresh was not available.  Croutons work great in this recipe!

Next week I will also be posting on Tuesday and Thursday. Have a great weekend y’all!

Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread

I am not a baker.  Not by far.  I have made my friend Veronica’s beer bread a few times and have baked a few other things.  Baking is not my favorite though, it intimidates me!  All that measuring and stuff…lol  This was very close to Veronica’s recipe (which is wonderful) so I thought I would give it a shot.

I’m certainly glad I did because it was really good.  My husband ate almost the entire loaf, so that in itself is praise-worthy!  He is usually not a fan of much I make.  Weird man.

You don’t need a stand mixer to make this either.  I don’t own one so I am happy when I find a recipe, for baking, that doesn’t require one.  I have enough kitchen gadgets and because of my lack of baking, will not purchase a mixer.  Though if anyone wants to send me one I will not complain  I tease!

Let’s get baking…

Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 (12 oz.) bottle or can of beer
4 slices of bacon, cook and crumbled (or 1/4 c. real bacon bits)
2 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare bread pan by greasing with butter or spraying with Pam.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar with a whisk.  Make a well in the center.  Add bacon, cheese and full beer into the well.  Stir mixture with a spoon until well combined.

Pour mixture into prepared bread pan.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of  melted butter over the top.  Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until browned on top and loaf thumps when you tap the top.

Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool on wire rack.  You can brush with more butter if you choose.

Slightly adapted from here.

*Notes:  You can use any cheese that you prefer, monterey jack, colby or a mixture.  When I drizzled the last tablespoon of butter on top, I also sprinkled a little sea salt on it.  This made it almost taste like a cheesy pretzel bread…yum!!  Have a great day!

Shrimp and Crab Cannelloni w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

My favorite station on television is the Food Network channel.  I know many of you can relate.  I love it so much that my husband often times ‘threatens’ to change cable companies just to hear me beg…I swear!  If I get him to watch one or two shows that showcase ginormous, mouth-watering burgers and I promise to make them, I’m good for another few months

This recipe was featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives, my personal favorite show on Food Network.  If you watch this show you know they give you close to the recipe but, not the exact recipe.  Well, most of the time.  This is where I have fun trying to duplicate it.

Though I have not had the dish featured on the show, I can say this one that I recreated is awesomeness!  I think Guy Fieri should feature me or at least high-five me  Ha!

So let’s check out the shrimp and crab cannellonis. Oh and this recipe uses egg roll wrappers.  How cool is that?

Shrimp and Crab Cannelloni w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Filling:

One can (4 0z.) deveined, medium shrimp
One can (4.25 oz.) lump crabmeat
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 t. dried parsley or 1 T. fresh parsley
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
pinch each of salt and pepper
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Egg roll wrappers
Parsley and lemon for garnish

Sauce:

3 T. butter
2 c. heavy cream
2/3 c. pureed roasted red peppers
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced

Rough chop the shrimp.

In a large bowl mix the chopped shrimp, crabmeat, ricotta cheese, parsley, lemon zest, egg, parmesan cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well and put seafood mixture in a ziploc bag.

Cut the corner of the bag.  Squeeze shrimp mixture onto the edge of the egg roll wrapper.

Roll up the egg rolls and put two cannelloni, seam side down, into an oven proof baking dish.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put your sauce ingredients into a pan, except the parmesan cheese.  Heat on medium heat stirring constantly.  When warmed through, add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted and slightly thickened.

Pour sauce over cannelloni.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.  Top with parmesan, parsley and lemon wedges.

Yields: 6 cannelloni.
Serve with a side salad and enjoy

P.S. I usually post on Wednesday each week but, next week I will have a post on Tuesday and one on Thursday….just a heads up.  Have a great weekend y’all!

Chicken Teriyaki

I think I just might have the most chicken recipes ever.  I seriously can’t get enough of the bird.  At least the chicken bird, I get plenty of the other bird when I drive…ha!  I feel the same about seafood…can’t get enough of it.  Though my pictures don’t do the chicky justice it was darn good.  And you should totally make it!

This is another recipe from the Looneyspoons Collection cookbook.  The name of the cookbook alone fits me so well.  By the way if you own the book it’s page 159.

Though I didn’t grill this recipe that is what it says to do.  I’ll be getting the grill out soon, cold or not!  Plus, I think it’s time to make some more jerky, this time in the smoker.  It drives the dogs crazy smelling the smoker and knowing what’s in it.  They’re spoiled, they always get some jerky too

So let’s cook a bird shall we?…

Chicken Teriyaki

Marinade

2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 T. honey
2 T. ketchup
2 T. minced green onions (white and green parts)
1 T. grated ginger root
2 t. grated orange zest
1 t. minced garlic

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. toasted sesame seeds

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.  Place chicken breasts in a large ziploc bag, add marinade and seal bag.  Turn bag several times to coat chicken with marinade.  Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight, preferably.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove chicken from marinade and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center.  (You can brush the chicken with the extra marinade as long as you boil the marinade first to kill any bacteria).  You can also grill the chicken on a medium setting.  Basting along the way, you will have a much deeper color than I do.

Sprinkle chicken with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Yield: 4 servings.

Enjoy!  This is awesome the next day on a chicken sandwich….yum. Have a wonderful weekend y’all! xoxo

Green Chile Stew

Remember last week when I posted “I hope to get in my flowerbeds and work on them this weekend”?  Well, on  April 11th Mother Nature put a stop to that with an ice storm here in Michigan.  Here are some pics of the storm, if you’ve seen them on Facebook, just scroll down.

This is the front of my house, the vines look pretty cool!

Ice, ice baby!!

One more view, these are taken in color too.  It is just so gray out they all look black and white.  Crazy huh?

I will apologize in advance to my southern friends that are not into soup or chili at this time.  This girl needed something warm to eat!  I had a girlfriend over the day after the storm and we had this stew/soup with a side salad.  Perfect for this kind of day.  Luckily, I had power to even cook.  Over half of MI was without power and some people unfortunately still are without.

Enough ice talk, let’s get cooking…

2 T. vegetable oil
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, diced
kosher salt
1 large white onion, diced
1 1/2 c. diced Hatch or Anaheim chile peppers
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 (15 oz.) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
1 large bunch of cilantro, leaves chopped
2 T. cornstarch

My pictures may be deceiving as I cut this recipe in half, as usual.

Heat 1 T. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the pork with 1 t. salt.  Working in batches, cook the pork, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 T. oil in a skillet.  Add the onion, chile peppers, bell peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.

Add chicken broth and vegetables to a pot and bring to a low boil.  Add the potatoes, cilantro and 1 t. of salt.  Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

After 15 minutes add the pork and hominy. Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 c. of water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir into the stew. Cook for an additional 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender and stew has thickened slightly.

Serve and enjoy!

If you’re saying this isn’t ‘green’ well, you’re right and congratulations you’re not colorblind!  I cannot get Hatch or Anaheim chiles here so I went with habanero peppers for some heat (perfect!).  Since I cut it in half I only added one bell pepper and I picked a red pepper because they were more fresh than the green.  No fresh cilantro, so I used dried.

I also chose a pork tenderloin over the shoulder, only because I used half the loin for our lunch and the other half for my hubs dinner…he would never eat this soup/stew…lol!!  (It was sooo tender for this soup too).  I omitted the cornstarch step,  as I wanted it to be more of a soup.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine January/February 2013.
Yield: 8 servings

Enjoy your weekend y’all and stay warm!  You southern peeps…send me some sunshine!!

Chicken in Basil Cream (and Classic Caeser Dressing)

I posted this recipe back on MySpace, years ago.  Wow! Has that been awhile ago.  It is still one on my favorites to this day.  It is a true restaurant quality dish and also one totally worthy of serving to guests.  They will love you for it!

I personally would order this again and again.  This time I paired it with a salad and classic caesar salad dressing.  I hope you enjoy!

The chicken and cream dish is quite rich but, the salad lightens it up a bit.  The caesar dressing is one of my go-to dressings for sure.  The combination of the two together…hallah!

So, let’s get to it shall we…

Chicken in Basil Cream

1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. italian bread crumbs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
3 T. butter
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 jar (4 oz.) sliced pimientos, drained
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. minced fresh basil
1/8 t. fresh ground pepper

Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.  Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs.  In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken in butter on both sides until juices run clear, about 10 minutes.  Remove and keep warm.

Add broth to the skillet.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir to loosen browned bits. Stir in the cream and pimientos; boil and stir for 1 minute.  Reduce heat.  Add the Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper; cook and stir until heated through.  It will thicken slightly with the addition of the Parmesan cheese.

Pour over the chicken.

Yield:  4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home magazine.

As I said, I paired the chicken with a salad.  This is my favorite classic caesar salad dressing yet…thank you Pinterest  It is not the mayo based caesar dressing it is the classic kind, that I prefer.

Classic Caesar Salad Dressing

2 egg yolks
2 T. dijon mustard
6-8 anchovy fillets, minced.  (If you have anchovy paste use it!)
2 T. minced garlic
4 T. balsamic vinegar
3 t. lemon juice
dash of worcestershire sauce
2 c. olive oil (I used slightly less, like 1/4 c. or so)
1 c. Parmesan cheese

Place egg yolk, mustard, anchovies, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce into a blender or food processor.

Mix until smooth.  Slowly incorporate oil and cheese through the top.  Blend until smooth and refrigerate.

I’m hoping to finally get outside this weekend and work in the flowerbeds.  This winter has been way too long!  Have a wonderful weekend y’all!! xoxo

Asian Beef-Noodle Soup with Spinach, Mint and Basil

Yep, yep, I’m still on a soup kick!  It did warm up for about 2.5 days and now it’s cold again (frost last night!) so bear with me on the soup guys.  Besides, I love soup 365 days a year!  Who’s with me?

I won this cookbook from a friend’s blog, thank you Renee!  And I have used it quite a bit so far, I just need to get blogging so I can show you I’ve been using it.  This cook book is fun and whimsical, super-easy recipes and tips galore.  I love it!

So, let’s get onto the title recipe

Asian Beef-Noodle Soup with Spinach, Mint and Basil

8 oz. uncooked soba noodles, whole wheat fusilli/spaghetti, or rice vermicelli (I used whole wheat fusilli)
6 c. reduced-sodium beef broth
3 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. each reduced-sodium soy sauce, grated ginger root, sesame oil and freshly squeezed lime juice
12 oz. beef tenderloin (or flank steak) thinly sliced
3 c. chopped fresh spinach leaves or baby spinach
1/3 c. chopped green onions
1/4 c. each chopped fresh mint leaves and chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 c. bean sprouts

Chop your veggies as stated above.  Try not to eat too many.  Okay, maybe I only have that problem

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain, set aside and keep warm until soup is ready to serve.  I put my noodles in a ziploc bag with the called for sesame oil to keep them warm and non-sticky.

Cook beef in a separate skillet.  Cook for about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large pot, combine beef broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger root, sesame oil (if you did not add it to the noodles) and lime juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add spinach, green onions, mint and basil.  Simmer for 5 more minutes.  Taste soup and add salt and pepper, if desired.

To serve soup, place some cooked noodles in the bottom of a soup bowl.

(You can chop the noodles into shorter pieces if you used spaghetti).  Top with a few bean sprouts (I skipped the bean sprouts, not a huge fan) and ladle hot soup over the top.  Serve immediately.


Yield:  6 servings  (my pictures are for 3 servings, don’t be misled, I cut almost everything in half).  Recipe source:  Slightly adapted from: The Looneyspoons Collection Cookbook page 75.

Have a wonderful weekend y’all!!

Ham and Gruyere Pastry with Apricot Preserves

Another lucky find on Pinterest is this recipe.  I tweaked it a little bit because I cannot get fig preserves here and the original temperature was a bit too high, in my opinion.

I love a grilled ham and cheese as it is but this is a whole new delectable bite into a ham and cheese.  It has smokiness from the smoked gouda, the cream cheese and apricot jam just put it into creaminess heaven and the puff pastry is so light, flaky and buttery.

This is one I will make again and again.  It would be more of an appetizer but, I certainly made a meal out of it myself.  If you’re going for the meal, I would pair it with a light side salad with some hint of sweetness in the dressing.  Not that you asked

Let’s get to it…

Ham and Gruyere Pastry with Apricot Preserves

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 T. dijon mustard mixed with 2 T. apricot preserves
11 oz. shaved honey ham (one 9 oz. container and a bit more out of another is what I used)
1/2 lb. shredded gruyere cheese
1/4 lb. shredded smoked gouda cheese
4 oz. cream cheese (room temperature) mixed with 2 T. apricot preserves
1 egg, beaten with 1 T. water, for egg wash

Roll out the thawed puff pastry on a floured surface to measure a 10 inch x 12 inch square; place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush mustard mixture over pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge.
Top with a layer of ham, leaving the border; spread cream cheese mixture over the ham leaving the border.

Sprinkle with the shredded gruyere and smoked gouda.

Brush the border with the egg wash.  Add the second sheet of puff pastry (rolled out to the same size) on top of the cheeses.  Line up the edges and crimp them together with a fork, all the way around; joining the two pastries.

Brush the top with egg wash.  Cut three diagonal slits in the top pastry sheet to allow steam to escape.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.  (Note:  If the top starts to get too browned just lightly cover with a large piece of tin foil laid on top).

Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting. (I cut mine into 16 pieces).

This is delicious hot or cold.  My personal preference was heated though.

Recipe adapted from here.

Have a wonderful weekend y’all!