Filetto di Pomodoro (Tomato Sauce)

Gina shared this lovely tomato sauce recipe on her Weight Watchers blog in February of ‘09.  I just got around to making it last week, and you’ll see why on Monday ;)

Her friend’s recipe does call for Tuttoroso imported tomatoes, but I was unable to find those in my local grocery store.  Thus, I used San Marzano tomatoes.   I also halved the recipe.  Additionally, in the small amount of cooking that I’ve done, I’ve also found that adding more carrots to a tomato sauce helps with a sweeter taste.  Thus, at the end, if you’d like the sauce a little sweeter, you might try adding more carrots before trying to add some sugar.  Just a Krista Kooks suggestion.

This is a fabulous tomato sauce, and I think you’d be hard pressed not to love it!

Ingredients
Servings: 4
1 (28 oz) can San Marzano tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 large onion finely chopped
1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/4 cup fat free chicken stock
fresh basil

Directions
Saute garlic in oil, add onions and carrots and saute on medium-low for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer 45 minutes on low.

Add fresh basil last 10 minutes (herbs will become bitter if cooked more than 20 minutes). Julia always adds herbs into the sauce near the end.

Taste for acidity, if sauce is a bit tangy (acidic) then add 1 tbsp of sugar. For a calorie free way to cut the acidity in the sauce add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

Johnny Garlic's Grilled Peppered Steak with Cabernet Balsamic Sauce

So, somehow we obtained more wine than we can handle in our household, and I really needed some recipes to use it all up.  I just don’t drink that much wine, although I do enjoy a few sips every now and then.  Most of you already know I’ve made quite a few Guy Fieri recipes lately, also.  This recipe used up a whole cup of wine and allows me to make a really great flank steak.  I was so excited about this recipe, and rightfully so: this steak was absolutely delicious!  We don’t have a grill, so I had to cook these on the stove and used a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak or tri-tip, cut into 8-ounce pieces
4 tablespoons black peppercorns, lightly cracked
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

Preheat grill to high heat.

Cut flank steak into 8-ounce portions and lightly tenderize with mallet. Dust with crushed black pepper and kosher salt. Press salt and pepper into steak with the palm of hand. Transfer steaks to a baking dish and place in the refrigerator. Let marinate for 4 to 8 hours.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil and onions and lightly saute until onions are caramelized. Add garlic and cook until garlic begins to turn brown. Deglaze with wine and balsamic vinegar. Add sugar and let simmer and reduce for 20 to 30 minutes until mixture reduces to 3/4 cup.
Place steaks over a hot grill. Move once on first side to mark the steaks, cook for 5 minutes and flip, again only moving once to mark steak, cook for 4 minutes. When desired doneness is achieved, remove steaks from grill and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes.
Strain wine mixture and return to heat to reduce for 5 more minutes or until thick syrup is created. Serve with the steaks.

Tyler Florence’s Sautéed Shrimp

Well, I think I may have used to many shallots in this recipe as it was hard for me to even taste the shrimp!  That said, less shallots in this recipe would have made this perfect.   It’s really easy to make, too!

Tyler Florence’s Sautéed Shrimp

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup chicken broth
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Put the flour on a plate and season with a healthy amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to combine evenly. Dredge the shrimp in the seasoned flour to coat all sides.

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat until butter stops foaming and just starts to turn a light brown. Add the shrimp, and give it a toss, saute for 5 minutes until the shrimp is firm and there is a crispy coating on the outside. Remove the shrimp to a side plate and cover to keep warm.

Put the pan back on the heat and add the garlic and shallots. Cook and stir for 1 minute until soft. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth, give it a stir and let it cook down for 1 minute to thicken slightly. Put the shrimp back in the pan and coat in the lemon sauce. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars

First off, Happy Anniversary to my fabulous sous chef :)  Two years and counting!
Man, I can go from diet friendly to diet enemy in just one post.  Eh well.  Chocolate is my friend and never my enemy; what are you going to do?

These didn’t last long in our 2 person household!  I actually tried to make them SOMEWHAT healthy by using this type of peanut butter: Natural Jif Creamy Peanut Butter.  No trans fat and lots of protein!

Ingredients

1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (11.5-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Beat peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat in flour and salt. Stir in 3/4 cup morsels. Spread into ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining morsels. Let stand for 5 minutes or until morsels are shiny; spread evenly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

I didn’t add chocolate chips on the top as the recipe called for, but I’m sure that would add more to your taste if you wanted to do so.  We liked them as is :)

Chicken Ropa Vieja

I know a lot of you that follow my blog (or check it every so often) are going to LOVE this one!!!  Gina at Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes posted this recipe earlier this year in January.  Henry and I got to try it earlier this month.  Since it’s a slow cooker/CrockPot recipe, I got to smell this one in the house most of the afternoon, and man it was tantalizing. 

Once the chicken was ready, I shredded it with two forks.  I also prepared some canned black beans with some latin spice as well as the Chipotle Rice to serve the chicken on.  Similar to Gina, I wanted some Chipotle type dinner right at home :)  I, too, love me some Chipotle!

Ingredients
Servings: 4


3 chicken breast halves
1 small onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
reserved broth
1 tsp cumin, or more to taste (I like a lot)
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Place chicken, onion, tomato, carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic into crock pot. Add water to cover, and set to high for 4 hours until the chicken is tender. If cooking on the stove, cook on medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Place the chicken into a bowl and shred it into strips using a fork; set aside. Reserve the liquid.


In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, green peppers, and red peppers. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, tomato sauce, white wine, and about 3/4 cup of the reserved broth to create a nice sauce. Season with cumin, garlic powder salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes more adding more broth and seasoning if needed. Makes 4 cups.
So easy for those of you who are gone most of the day working :)  Your family/spouse will love you!

Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing

When the sous chef and I got married 2 years ago (March 22nd is our anniversary!), one of the salad dressings at our wedding was Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette.   Here’s a couple pics from that lovely buffet :)Photo Credit: Exceed Photo

Caterer: Behind the Bash

Venue: Briscoe Manor

While I don’t expect to ever be able to match the delicious dressing the chef made, I did try to make something similar because my sous chef LOVES it!  This recipe for Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing was a pretty good one, and I even made it for my in-laws the next time we went to see them.

It’s somewhat difficult to give you a good picture to accurately represent just how delicious this salad dressing is, but all I can do is try for you :)

Serving Size: About 1 cup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tomato juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes
Salt to taste

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a shaker bottle, and shake well. Drizzle over salad.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Turkey is an ingredient my sous chef is always a fan of me using instead of beef or chicken, if possible.  Thus, Laura’s recipe for Turkey Enchilada Casserole seemed like a fabulous option to try.  I did add some things to her recipe, but it’s been a while since I made it.  Thus, I’m going off of my memory on reciting this recipe :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast (Krista Kooks used closer to a pound)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend

1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 can (20 oz.) red enchilada sauce

Salt

12 corn tortillas (6 in. wide)

2 cups shredded reduced-fat jack cheese (8 oz.)

Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, stir turkey, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, Mexican spice blend, Chili powder,  and green chiles until turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cut tortillas in half. Arrange a fourth of the halves evenly over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart casserole, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas, then top with a third of the turkey mixture and a fourth of the remaining enchilada sauce, spreading each level. Repeat to make two more layers of tortillas, cheese, turkey mixture, and sauce; top with another layer of tortillas and sauce, then cheese.

3. Bake in a 425° regular or convection oven until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

We were both very impressed with this recipe, and it definitely has a home-style taste to it.  Hope you enjoy also!

Beef Fajita Crescent Braid

Wow, I know I’ve been out of touch for a while, but I can assure you I have still been cooking!  I’m finally sitting down to catch you up on some of the things that have been ‘kooking’ in my kitchen :)

Recently, fajitas were very on sale at our favorite grocery store (HEB), and I cooked the entire package one day for lunch.  Of course I cannot eat several pounds of meat in one meal for myself, so I decided to browse around for a way that I could use up the rest for dinner when my sous chef came home.  While this recipe didn’t call for beef, I decided to adapt it to work for beef.

Beef Fajita Crescent Braid
Adapted from Chicken Fajita Crescent Braid

INGREDIENTS
2 cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent rolls
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 to 1/2 pounds of freshly cooked Fajita meat
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green or red bell pepper strips (2x1x1/4 inch)
1/4 cup your favorite salsa 
2 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)
1 egg white, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a baking stone.

2. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper strips, chili powder, cumin, mexican spice blend, salt and garlic; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Add in freshly cooked fajita meat; cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, making sure vegetables are tender and meat is cooked to your desire. 3. Layer each crescent as shown in the picture above on a cookie sheet or baking stone.  Spoon fajita mixture in 4-inch strip lengthwise down center of dough. Top with salsa;  sprinkle with cheese. Alternately cross strips over filling; press edges to seal. Brush with egg white. 4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. The sous chef very much enjoyed this recipe!  I think that because this recipe has ingredients he’s a little more accustomed to, he wasn’t so bewildered to eat it :)  I can imagine this would be huge kid favorite especially if you served it around Halloween and called it something ‘Mummy’ like.  Right?!

Crock Pot Tamale Pie

I must have bookmarked this recipe MONTHS ago, and I finally remembered to buy all the necessary ingredients at the grocery store. How fabulous does it sound to have a tamale pie in your mouth that no less comes from a ...dare I say it...crockpot?! I rarely find anything that tastes bad from a crock pot/slow cooker, so why not?!

Beantown Baker was fabulous enough to have tried Stephanie O'dea's recipe, and you can find BB's recipe and take here. Note, per Stephanie, this vegetarian meal can easily be made into a meal with meat if you so desire (aka my sous chef's desire).

Ingredients

Cornbread topping
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

Filling

1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can drained corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the filling ingredients--cheese, too!-- and stir well to distribute the spices. You will not be able to stir this again, so please check to see that the spices aren't in a clump anywhere.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. When finished, pour evenly over the filling, spreading with a spatula if needed.

Cover and cook on low for 4-7 hours or on high for 2-4. (Krista Kooks was able to have this cooked on High in about 2-3 hours)

I really think adding a small can of green chilies would be great for this recipe. Additionally, the sous chef and I felt that the topping was a little bland. Perhaps some added sugar and slight tweaking of the topping would be better. All in all, this was a good dinner, but it’s not overrated in our household. It’s impressive enough to me though that there’s hardly any fuss, and you can just come home and serve this up :)

Cajun Chicken Alfredo and 100th Post!

I can't believe it's true, but this is really my 100th post! I'm extremely excited to share this delicious recipe that the sous chef and I shared with friends who both raved about this pasta. I think all of us went back fro seconds...I think. Oh wait...did I say four of us shared this recipe?! I meant 4 and one on the way!

Nope, it's not me. Our guests are expecting :) Anyway, this recipe continues in my Guy Fieri recipe week.

Ingredients

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme's Chicken)
(Krista Kooks made her own blackening spice)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.


When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
As I've mentioned in previous recipes that require a spice mix, I really think you should just make your own. If you bought a blackening spice, there's always that chance that you'd use the spice for the one recipe and forget about it. Plus, with this recipe, so much of the spice is needed that you'd probably have to buy more than one container depending on it's size. Thus, just do a google search for a blackening spice that you like, and make one cup of that to work for this recipe.

Each of the four of us were RAVING about this recipe, and my sous chef is dying for me to make it again. I hope the pictures do it justice because it's delicious!

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Mmmmm, orange chicken at home. Chinese takeout at home! If you haven't visited Stephanie O'dea's slow-cooking blog, you might want to take a browse through. She made a goal to cook via a slow-cooker for one year. She did it and was so successful that she made a cookbook out of it!

This orange chicken is one of her recipes, but I actually found it via Sweet Tea in Texas.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt (If you are using iodized salt, I'd suggest using 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Directions

Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won’t need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you’d like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.


Here are the suggestions that I would have:

If you like ORANGE chicken to taste like orange, then don't do a thing. This is the perfect recipe for you. I've read comments on several different blogs, and those who love orange flavor for their orange chicken love the taste of this recipe.

If you are expecting your orange chicken to taste more like Panda Express or perhaps your favorite Chinese restaurant, then there needs to be some changes made to this recipe. This recipe needs 6 ounces of orange concentrate, but perhaps 4 ounces of orange concentrate and 2 ounces of soy sauce might get you closer to the Panda Express type taste. I also think adding 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger might be a nice addition as well.

I think You're Gonna Bake it After All had a great perspective on this recipe.

Additionally, I used a larger Crock Pot, and this really only took about an hour and half to cook. This isn't a recipe I'd prepare before work; just wait and do it as soon as you get home.

Roasted Corn Quesadillas

I think it will become quite evident that I went on a Guy Fieri kick for about a week. I don't care though because everything of his that I made was FAB-U-LOUS! These Roasted Corn Quesadillas were so much better than any chicken and cheese or beef and cheese quesadillas for sure. Not to mention, they are vegetarian for anyone that is interested (unless eating beans goes against that....I can't remember)!

There's so many positive things...errr, ingredients...to this recipe! They all combine together to make one filling and satisfying meal :) I love that kernel corn is part of these quesadillas as well as black beans.

Ingredients

1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 cup sour cream
3 ears white corn on the cob
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 cup black beans
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (Krista Kooks used Red Gold canned tomatoes because they are delicious!)
2 tablespoons diced roasted red bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves, divided
6 ounces Jack cheese, shredded
6 ounces Cheddar, shredded
8 medium flour tortillas (Krista Kooks used H.E.B.'s Homestyle Tortillas per the sous chef's instructions)
5 tablespoons, sliced scallions (Krista Kooks left these out)

Directions

Preheat grill to high. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix diced chipotle, lime juice and sour cream, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Over medium flame or on a grill pan, roast corn. Let cool and cut kernels off cob.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, jalapenos, red onions, and black beans. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, corn kernels and roasted bell pepper. Stir and saute for 3 minutes and add salt, pepper, cumin and 3 tablespoons of cilantro.

Remove the pan from heat and let rest.

Evenly distribute mixture, the remaining cilantro and cheeses among 4 tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas.

Place tortillas on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes, until cheeses have melted and the quesadillas are warmed through. Cut each into 6 pieces.

Serve with chipotle sour cream garnished with scallions.

I will tag this as an appetizer, lunch or dinner item because you could really use it for any of them :)

Is your mouth watering?

Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango Salad

Party

In

My

Mouth!

I wish I had discovered this before our wedding because I would have asked Behind the Bash to serve it. This fabulous salad recipe tastes so fresh yet has a kick of spice and some crunch from the onions and bell pepper. As my sous chef and I sat down to dinner to eat the Caribbean Chicken with this fab side dish, he laughed at me as I could not stop ohhhhh-ing and awwww-ing about how delicious this was. Unless you are allergic to some part of this recipe, you must make it! Whatever it is you are allergic to, leave it out and make it anyway. I'm serious!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil (Krista Kooks just used olive oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears) (Krista Kooks used frozen corn)
1 large ripe mango (about 1 pound), peeled and diced
1 15-ounce or 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (Krista Kooks used green bell pepper)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 small canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (see Ingredient Note), drained and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl. Stir in mango, beans, onion, bell pepper, lime juice, chipotle, cilantro, cumin and salt.

Ingredient Note: Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos with a fiery taste that are canned in adobo sauce. Look for them in the Hispanic section of large supermarkets and in specialty stores. Are you making this yet? If not, why are you still at the computer?! Get up! Go make this now!

Caribbean Chicken

Mouth. Watering.

This chicken is soooooo delicious! I paired this chicken with a unbelievably delicious salad, which will come next, but this chicken needs it's own post and attention.

Note: This chicken does need to marinate for 4 to 8 hours, but it's very worth the preparation, which is by no means difficult. The recipe instructs you to pour all of the ingredients into a food processor, but, if you know me, you'll know what I used instead.

;)

My Magic Bullet! Man, so so easy!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice, fresh
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves
2 tablespoons jalapeno, seeded, diced
2 teaspoons freshly grated or chopped ginger
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts, bone and skin on
Lime wedges

Directions

Puree all ingredients except chicken in food processor. Add marinade and chicken to re-sealable plastic bag, mix thoroughly and let marinate, refrigerated, for 4 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat grill to high, remove excess marinade from chicken and place on grill. Grill each side of chicken for 3 to 4 minutes then place on a pan and finish in the oven for 15 minutes.

Squeeze a lime wedge over each piece of chicken and serve.
The sous chef and I definitely enjoyed this chicken all the way through the leftovers :)

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake

It doesn't happen very often, but I was really craving a cake recently. I wasn't interested in heading to the store for any ingredients. I just wanted a basic cake with some creamy frosting. I was confident I could find something I liked to match those cravings!

I did find a tasty recipe on Dinner & Dessert for this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, and I had everything on hand to make it! From the sound of the ingredients, I knew it would very very rich, and that's exactly what I was looking for.

As mentioned on Dinner & Dessert, there was not enough batter in this recipe to spread across three 9x2 pans, so I decided to just put this in one 8x8 pan.

Cake Source: Death By Chocolate Cake via Culinary Concoctions by Peabody and Dinner and Dessert

2 ounces unsalted butter

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar

3 ounces creamy peanut butter

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup peanut butter chips or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F.

Grease two 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans. Line your bottoms with parchment. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the peanut butter chips and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 22 minutes. If you have 4 inch diameter tart pans like I used, it takes the same amount of time to bake the cake, if not a few more minutes. Use a knife to see if it is done.

Frost tops and sides of cake with frosting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Frosting Source: adapted from CD Kitchen

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup cocoa

16 ounces powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

Combine butter, milk, and cocoa in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth.

My sous chef and I also shared this with a couple of friends, and we all thought it was delicious! Granted, as I mentioned, this is extremely rich, so this cake goes a long way. You don't need a large piece to satisfy your appetite, but it is certainly delicious!

Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole

Am I doing better? I'm trying not to make it 2 weeks again before you see another post from me :)

As I browsed for recipes one day involving stew meat (they had it on sale at H.E.B.), I was surprised to find this recipe for Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole. I just was not expecting to find anything Tex-Mex when I started searching for stew meat recipes. Now, as you look at this recipe, you'll notice that, unless you were out say...chopping trees all day, there's really no health value in this recipe. That said, I still thought it looked good. Plus, I don't make a lot of Emeril's recipes, so I thought this would be fun to try.

Ingredients

Yield 6 servings (Krista Kooks was able to make 8-10 servings from this recipe)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound ground beef (Krista Kooks used Ground Turkey)
1 pound diced stew meat
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste (Read this on Tomato Paste)
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
3 cups beef stock
10 flour tortillas
2 cups grated Medium Cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the diced meat and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste. Stir in the tomatoes and stock. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chili mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay two tortillas on top of the chili mixture. Sprinkle the top of the tortillas with the Cheddar and Jack cheese. Repeat the layering process until all of the chili, tortillas and cheese are used. (The final layer should be cheese) Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before slicing.

Ooeey gooey goodness!

This was one of those recipes that was great as leftovers, that's for sure. Also, I didn't read the comments on this recipe before making it, but it definitely taught me to read the comments before making a recipe, if comments are available. A lot of people suggested using corn tortillas instead of flour; I can definitely see that being tasty, but I liked it just fine with flour. The reason for wanting corn tortillas has a lot to do with the meat mixture being soupy;flour tortillas soak up that juice a lot quicker making the casserole soggy. Well, I saw that one coming while making the recipe, so I strained the meat mixture as I spooned the mixture into the pan. Thus, our casserole wasn't soggy. Also, my sous chef and I didn't think this mixture was very "Tex-Mex" as there wasn't the same sort of spice as you would expect from tex mex. I think some red chili pepper flakes or fresh jalepenos or something should be added to the meat mixture.

Otherwise, this is a yummy and tasty family recipe!