Category: OKK MEMES & PRIOR CONTRIBUTORS

TIME TO TAILGATE!

IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!
We have decided to make a change this year in the way Tailgating Time will work. Instead of a new linky for each week we will be using the same linky to keep all the great recipes in one place. This will provide easy access to the recipes and create one big awesome recipe index collection. There is no limit to how many you add – of course we hope you will add a new recipe each and every week! Tailgating Time will generally be posted each week on Sundays at noon.

It doesn’t matter if you are a football fan or not, great party food is always a good thing. Bring over your grilled goods, chips and dips, appetizers, chili and chowders, cocktails, or any recipes that would be great for the football party buffet!

If any of you would like to host along with us you can click –> get the InLinkz code to add the linky to your blog too. You can post it once in awhile or every week during football season, that’s up to you. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment here to let us know you are co-hosting, and that you visit and comment on as many of the participants as you can. 
 We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!

TAILGATING TIME 2.0

IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!
We have decided to make a change this year in the way Tailgating Time will work. Instead of a new linky for each week we will be using the same linky to keep all the great recipes in one place. This will provide easy access to the recipes and create one big awesome recipe index collection. There is no limit to how many you add – of course we hope you will add a new recipe each and every week! Tailgating Time will generally be posted each week on Sundays at noon.

It doesn’t matter if you are a football fan or not, great party food is always a good thing. Bring over your grilled goods, chips and dips, appetizers, chili and chowders, cocktails, or any recipes that would be great for the football party buffet!

If any of you would like to host along with us you can click –> get the InLinkz code to add the linky to your blog too. You can post it once in awhile or every week during football season, that’s up to you. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment here to let us know you are co-hosting, and that you visit and comment on as many of the participants as you can. 
 
 We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!

Fire Day Friday: Wanton Wontons

One of the wonderful byproducts of grilling and smoking is that I usually have a little extra cooked pork, chicken, or steak left over. This week I had a bit of hickory smoked pulled pork. It wasn’t really even enough for two bbq sandwiches but it was enough for 8 appetizer servings of these fried wontons.
These slightly spicy wontons make great appetizers for a formal meal or as the star of a tailgating menu.
Wanton Wontons
8 servings (3 wontons each)
¾ cup shitake mushrooms, diced
¼ cup carrot, diced
¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp ginger, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
½ cup napa cabbage, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
½ cup pulled pork
3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp Sriracha sauce (hot chili garlic sauce)
Teriyaki sauce
24 wonton wrappers
Preheat a saute pan or wok over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil.
Add the mushrooms, carrot and saute for 4 minutes.
Stir the bell pepper, ginger, and garlic. Saute another 1-2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the napa, cilantro and pulled pork. Let the residual heat of the pan wilt the napa and cilantro for a minute.
Mix the sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha sauce. Stir that into the pan mixture.
Place about 2 teaspoons of the mix on each wonton wrapper. 
Wet two edges of the wonton wrapper. Pull one corner over to the other corner.   Seal one edge and work as much air out as possible. 
Seal the remaining edge. Repeat with remaining wontons.
Preheat a deep fryer or a deep skillet with oil to 350f. Add the assembled wontons 3-4 at a time and cook for 30 seconds. Flip them over and cook another 30 seconds or until golden brown.
Drizzle with terriyaki sauce, red pepper flakes and serve with a cold beverage.
The crispy crunchy shell and the spicy fillings will make you “wantin’ wontons”.  yeah, I know, that’s a bad pun.

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN BURRITOS

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN BURRITOS
corn tortillas
black beans, drained well
KNORR creamy rice mix
4 ounce green chiles, drained well
2 cups rotisserie chicken pieces
15 ounce can HATCH green enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cojack cheese
sour cream

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray a large baking dish.
  • Prepare KNORR rice mix as directed.
  • In a large bowl combine chicken pieces, black beans, green chiles, rice and 1/3 of the cheese.
  • Spread sour cream on each tortilla.
  • Add a scoop of the chicken mixture.
  • Layer in baking dish seam side down.
  • When baking dish is full, evenly pour the enchilada sauce over the enchilads.
  • Sprinkle cheese evenly over all enchiladas.
  • Bake 30 minutes.
  • Enjoy.

PUMPKIN BREAD, Molasses and wedding bands!

Rain is pounding on the roof and the sun porch, darkness has invaded our evenings until daylight savings time comes to play. And since I received a request, the only thing left to do was bake. You know they* say “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” so tonight I am making pumpkin bread! When Jim requested pumpkin bread the first cookbook I thought of was “The Wooden Spoon Bread Book”. I have used this book time and time again through the years.
Now you might be asking yourself how this could qualify as a “new” recipe for Make A New Recipe Tuesday, well let me explain. I had never made pumpkin bread with molasses before and let me tell you, it is wonderful! Second, this originally was a recipe that made one loaf and left half a can of pumpkin to be lost, so why not make 2 loaves and if that is too much for your family, you have a great surprise for the neighbor!

Pumpkin Bread
adapted from:  The Wooden Spoon Bread Book
350 degree oven
makes 2 loaves

The intro:  Some of my friends take a pumpkin from the field and cook it themselves. Starting from scratch has it’s virtues, but I personally make pumpkin bread with canned pumpkin. This is one case where I prefer for someone else to do the work.  (my thoughts, canned pumpkin is great to be able to make this wonderful bread, long after fall is gone.)

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each cloves, nutmeg, ginger OR 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

  • In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, whisk to mix well. Set aside.

2/3 cup oil
2/3 cu8p molasses
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin

  • In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients, beat well.
  • Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Divide between 2 loaf pans, bake 1 hour, or until tests done in your oven. Let cool 10 – 15 minutes, turn out to cook completely.
I do want to take this moment to apologize for being absent from here. Getting married has a ton of chores that need to be done, even if the ceremony will be small and family only. One of the chores we did get done, was to purchase our wedding bands.
My band has 3 diamonds, and Jim’s band is on order for size, with this one going back to stock, when we pick his up. One month and one day and counting………….

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop by.  I appreciate your time and your wonderful comments.

* do you know who they are?

You can also find me at MomsSundayCafe!

GREEN CHILI CHICKEN ROLL-UPS

GREEN CHILI CHICKEN ROLL-UPSadapted from Shay @ Paper Plates & China Jalapeno Popper Chicken Roll-ups

1 1/2 pounds of chicken tenderloins
8 ounces of cream cheese**
1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chilies, well drained
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
Bacon slices (same amount as tenderloins)
About 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke
toothpicks
Salt and Pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix cream cheese, green chilies, liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce together until well blended.  You can roast your own jalapenos if you’d like.
  • Spread about 1-2 Tablespoons of cream cheese mixture over one side of chicken tenderloin.
  • Roll each piece of cream cheese layered chicken up like a sleeping bag and then roll a bacon strip around it, securing it with a toothpick.
  • Spray a casserole dish with PURE. 
  • Layer any remaining cream cheese mixture in the bottom.
  • Top the chicken roll-ups.
  • Salt and pepper as desired.
  • Bake 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisp.

**I used philly cream cheese savory sauce because I was out of plain and it worked well.

      TAILGATING TIME 2.0

      IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!
      We have decided to make a change this year in the way Tailgating Time will work. Instead of a new linky for each week we will be using the same linky to keep all the great recipes in one place. This will provide easy access to the recipes and create one big awesome recipe index collection. There is no limit to how many you add – of course we hope you will add a new recipe each and every week! Tailgating Time will generally be posted each week on Sundays at noon.

      It doesn’t matter if you are a football fan or not, great party food is always a good thing. Bring over your grilled goods, chips and dips, appetizers, chili and chowders, cocktails, or any recipes that would be great for the football party buffet!

      If any of you would like to host along with us you can click –> get the InLinkz code to add the linky to your blog too. You can post it once in awhile or every week during football season, that’s up to you. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment here to let us know you are co-hosting, and that you visit and comment on as many of the participants as you can. 
       
       We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!

      PEANUT CRUSTED PORK CHOPS ~ Fire Day Friday

      I think it might actually be starting to cool off here.  Seriously… It might finally feel a bit like fall…. Wednesday was only a high of like 79!!  That’s huge considering that last week we were still at 100!!!  The excellent thing about living in Arizona is that I get probably some of the best weather for grilling all year long.  I definitely appreciate that fact.  And thanks to the wonderful weather, I tend to do as much grilling as I can throughout the year, not only to not heat up my kitchen in 110 degree weather OR just the fact that I can… no, I tend to do it because most meals made on it, are simple and ever so fast.  Yes, you can do things nice and slow on the grill… but with the kind of weeks I’ve been having lately… speed and simplicity (along with deliciousness) are what it’s all about it.  And this recipe does not disappoint… Trust me 🙂

      Peanut Crusted Pork Chops
      Adapted from BHG Grillin’ & Chillin’
      Printable Recipe 
      Ingredients:
      1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
      1/4 cup pineapple juice
      1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
      1 Tablespoon honey
      1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
      1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
      1/2-1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Cholula)
      1/3 cup finely chopped dry roasted peanuts
      2 Tablespoons dry bread crumbs
      1-2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
      1 garlic clove, finely minced
      4 pork chops (I used bone-in; about 1/4-1/2 inch thick)

      Directions:
      In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, pineapple juice, soy, honey, ginger, mustard, and hot sauce until well combined.  Place the pork chops in a resealable bag or shallow dish.  Pour the peanut butter mixture over, seal or cover, and place in refrigerator for 4 hours.

      Preheat grill to 375-400 degrees F.  In a small bowl, mix together peanuts, bread crumbs, parsley and garlic.  Remove pork from the bag/dish and discard marinade.  Place the pork directly on oiled grill grates over direct heat.  Allow to grill 4-7 minutes depending on how thick the chops are.  Flip pork and carefully (and evenly) sprinkle crust mixture on top, and press down with a spatula.  Cover and grill another 4-6 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.  Carefully remove from grill and enjoy!

      PAN SEARED CHICKEN TENDERS & TRI-COLOR COUSCOUS with COCONUT LOBSTER SAUCE ~ MARX FOOD CHALLENGE

      I ran across a MARX foods Recipe challenge – what fun!  I signed up and they sent me a box full of yumminess.  My box included tri-color couscous, coconut sugar, dehydrated lobster mushrooms, DeArbol chilies and Pasilla Negro Chilies.

      The rules are that I had to use at least two ingredients from my box to create a new recipe.  I really wanted to try and use all five ingredients, but was only able to work in four of them.

      Now for full disclosure. hubby hates mushrooms, especially cooked mushrooms.  He goes out of his way to avoid mushrooms.  He declared he would hate this recipe before its inception.  Seeing a pattern here?  I HAD to use the mushrooms just to prove him wrong, plus I LOVE mushrooms even more than he hates them.  This recipe is proof that you can mount your dislikes and change them with the right combination of ingredients.

      PAN SEARED CHICKEN TENDERS & TRI-COLOR COUSCOUS with COCONUT LOBSTER SAUCE

      2 pound chicken tenders
      3/4 cup chardonnay
      1/2 cup chicken broth
      2 tablespoons MARX coconut sugar
      1 dried MARX Pasilla Negro Chilie, chopped
      safflower oil
      salt and pepper to taste
      4 tablespoons butter
      3 tablespoons flour
      5-7 tablespoons heavy cream

      • Whisk together the chardonnay and chicken broth until well blended.
      • In a medium bowl combine mushroom pieces and chile pieces.  Pour the chardonnay mixture over the mushroom mixture.  Allow to set for 2-3 hours to rehydrate the mushrooms and chilies.  Stir them around every now and then so all surfaces are able to absorb the liquid.
      • When ready, drain mushrooms and chiles through a sieve, reserving the liquid.
      • Whisk coconut sugar into reserved liquid.  Set aside.
      • In a small food processor pulse mushroom and chile pieces into a fine grind.
      • In a medium sauce pan, melt butter.
      • Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until roux is a golden brown.
      • Gradually add the reserved liquid until well blended.
      • Add in the mushroom and chile pieces, stirring until well distributed.
      • Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
      • Simmer gently while preparing couscous and chicken.
      • Coat a large skillet with safflower oil.
      • While oil is heating, wash and pat dry chicken pieces.
      • Pan sear chicken pieces, salt and peppering as needed until golden outside and cooked through.
      • Pour 1 cup of couscous in a large bowl.  Pour 1 ¼ cups boiling water over top.  Cover the bowl and let it sit for five minutes, then fluff with a fork to separate the granules. 
      • Plate couscous in the in the center of serving platter.
      • Arrange chicken pieces around the couscous.
      • Spoon sauce over couscous and chicken.
      • Serve immediately.

      By the way, hubby who was so dead sure this recipe would suck gave it 2 thumbs up and then proceeded to eat it 2 nights in a row.

      SAUTEED CHEESE ~ COOKING WITH CHAYA

      This is a tasty creamy treat which I wish, I could take credit for.  I found the recipe on the blog of Girlichef, a place where you will find other outstanding recipes.  Heather even makes her own cheese.


      One look at this wonderful sauteed cheese and I just had to try making it.  I used four different kinds of cheese but only two of them, retained their shape.  The cheddar and goat cheese melted down into a delicious mush.  The other two stayed intact and were a real treat.  I would make even the mushy ones again; that is how good these are.

      Sautéed Cheese
      Ingredients:  
      Feta Cheese, Cheddar, Goat and Mozzarella
      brown rice flour  (try this with Panko crumbs)
      olive oil
      I used no seasoning with the flour, guessing the cheese was strong enough to hold its own which it did.

      Method:
      • Cut the cheese into slices 1/2 inch thick. 
      • Pour some flour onto a plate.  Dredge each piece of cheese in flour, shaking to remove excess and set aside for a moment. Place a large cast-iron (or nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat.  Spray on a thin layer of olive oil, and once it is very hot, add a few cheese pieces to the pan (being careful not to overcrowd) and brown for ~1 minute per side.   
      Heather  made sauces for these but I was too impatient to do this and ate them out of the pan. Heavenly.
      These are the cheeses that melted.
      These retained a shape.

      These are definitely a favorite of mine.
      My apologies about the photos.  I didn’t take any others and these are not the best.  Regardless, take my advice and try this.  I do want to find a way to make this in the oven, in order to eliminate the oil.


      Stop by my blogs and say, “hello.”
      Bizzy Bakes
      My Sweet and Savory



      CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE with BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

      Hi everyone, I’m the newbie here and am really excited to be the new dessert queen. Please be sure to also stop by and see me at my home blog, Paper Plates & China for more fun and recipes.
      I’ve been looking for a reason to try this much talked about cake and this seemed like the perfect time. It’s made with a cake mix, which usually isn’t my preference. I’m glad I didn’t let that discourage me from making it. The frosting is incredible! It will now be my go-to recipe for buttercream icing.

      Chocolate Chip Cake with Buttercream Frosting
      Chocolate Chip Cake
      1 Box White Cake Mix
      1 cup AP Flour
      1 cup white sugar
      3/4 teaspoon salt
      1 1/3 cups water
      2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
      1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
      1 vanilla bean scraped
      1 cup sour cream
      4 large egg whites (room temperature)
      1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
      • Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
      • Grease (2) 9-inch round pans
      • In a large bowl whisk cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt.
      • Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended.
      • Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove when inserted toothpick comes out clean.
      • Remove cakes from pans after about 10-20 minutes. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
      Vanilla Bean Buttercream
      3 cups of powdered sugar
      1 cup butter, softened
      1 vanilla bean-scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
      1 -2 tablespoons whipping cream
      1/2-3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
      • Mix powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy on low speed.
      • Add vanilla bean scrapings (or vanilla extract) and whipping cream. Start with 1 tablespoon and increase as needed for desired consistency.
      • Once cakes are cool, frost the top and sides of one layer. Stack the 2nd layer on top of first, frost the sides and top. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
      Recipe adapted from Recipegirl.com (wedding cake) 

      TAILGATING TIME 2.0

      IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!
      We have decided to make a change this year in the way Tailgating Time will work. Instead of a new linky for each week we will be using the same linky to keep all the great recipes in one place. This will provide easy access to the recipes and create one big awesome recipe index collection. There is no limit to how many you add – of course we hope you will add a new recipe each and every week! Tailgating Time will generally be posted each week on Sundays at noon.

      It doesn’t matter if you are a football fan or not, great party food is always a good thing. Bring over your grilled goods, chips and dips, appetizers, chili and chowders, cocktails, or any recipes that would be great for the football party buffet!

      If any of you would like to host along with us you can click –> get the InLinkz code to add the linky to your blog too. You can post it once in awhile or every week during football season, that’s up to you. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment here to let us know you are co-hosting, and that you visit and comment on as many of the participants as you can. 
       We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!