Category: MEMES & LINK PARTIES

CHILE CORNBREAD CASSEROLE ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

It’s not often I use a box mix for anything, but my ex-MIL gave me this recipe for cornbread years and years ago and it’s a no fail.  I added the chiles a few years ago and it has become a family favorite.

CHILE CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
15.25 oz. can white corn
4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained REALLY well
8.5 oz. can cream corn
8 oz. sour cream
1 large egg
1 box JIFFY (small blue box) Corn Muffin Mix
1/2 cup melted butter

  • Mix all together by hand.
  • Pour into greased 9×9 pan.
  • Bake 45 minutes at 350°.
  • If you are doubling the recipe, use a 13×9 baking pan and bake at 350° for 1 hour or golden brown and set.

HONEY LIME ENCHILADAS

Enchiladas are just something that I never grow tired of. For one thing, you can make them a bazillion different ways.  So I’m always excited when I see a new way to make enchiladas.  This time I needed something quick.  I had the chicken, I just needed stuff to put in it.  These were perfect.

The flavor combination of the honey, lime and chipotle is wonderful.  A lot sweet with a little spice for the tongue. 

This recipe made a lot, we froze one 8 x 8 pan so I have something to look forward to next month! 

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Adapted from TidyMom

2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained


6 tablespoons honey (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder


2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
6 ounces colby jack cheese (or whatever kind you’d like)
1/2 cup milk
18 -6 inch 100 calories whole wheat tortillas

  • Cook chicken, cool, shred.  Mix together the honey, lime juice, chipotle chili powder and garlic powder.  Add the chicken and black beans to it, stir and marinate in the frig for 30 minutes or more. 
  • I used a 9 x 13 pan and an 8 x 8 pan.  Pour a small bit of sauce on the bottom of the pans. 
  • Mix milk with the enchilada sauce. 
  • Lay out tortilla. Spread a small amount of enchilada sauce around on tortilla.  Place 1/4 cup of chicken/bean mixture on the tortilla, sprinkle with a bit of cheese.  Not too much as you want to save some for the top. Fold enchilada and place in pan. I got 12 in the 9 x 13 pan and 6 in the 8 x 8 pan.  Cover enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Or cover one pan with aluminum foil and freeze for another night. 

You could also use 3 – 8 x 8 pans with 6 enchiladas in each and freeze two of them.


Total calories = 4801 calories
18 servings = 267 calories per enchilada

BANANA SPICE CAKE

BANANA SPICE CAKE
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cups sour milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, sifted
2 small VERY RIPE bananas, well mashed
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • GREASE loaf pan or 8×8 baking dish.*
  • With a wooden spoon blend the butter, sugar and eggs.
  • Blend in bananas until well mixed.
  • Sift dry ingredients together.
  • Add dry ingredients and mix well with swift strokes.
  • Add vanilla and raisins.
  • Bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Immediately invert on to serving plate.
  • Wait 15 minutes for cooling.
  • Warm the maple syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  • Using a toothpick, pierce holes into the top of the cake.
  • Drizzle maple syrup over the cake and allow it to drip down the sides.

*Works really well in today’s decorative bundt style pans.

Recipe (page 142) adapted from ‘A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband’ by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron

I seriously adapted this one into a modern easy to use recipe.

Aloha Friday

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would participate and take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Today’s question is:
What is your favorite recent movie?

final blog signature. ♥

Jerk Chicken Wraps – Fire Day Friday

Ahhh, the holiday parties have passed but don’t look now…NFL playoffs are starting and tailgate parties are popping up.  

I know, chicken wraps can seem a little boring, but not these.  These wraps are packed with the bold flavors of Carribean jerk seasoning and are great portable “party food”. 

Jerk Chicken Wraps
Serves: 10 wraps

Ingredients

  • 4 ea chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 2 1/2 cups jerk marinade  (1/4 cup reserved for mayo)
  • 10 ea flour tortilla, burrito size
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 4 oz cheese, sliced thin (monterey jack, colby jack, or pepper jack)

For the spicy mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup jerk marinade

Instructions

  1. Marinade the chicken according to the marinade directions.  You can use a commercial brand, Walkerswood is a popular brand but I’ve never tried it.  I prefer to make my own with a blend of dry seasonings, onions, chilies, and liquids (recipe here).  
  2. Mix the mayo ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
  3. Preheat a charcoal grill to medium heat (350f).
  4. Grill 8-10 minutes a side or until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 160f.  
  5. Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before slicing as thin as you can across the grain.
  6. On each tortilla, smear 1 tablespoon of the spicy mayo to one side.  Top with two slices of cheese, a handful of lettuce, and several slices of chicken.
  7. Fold the top of the tortilla down, the bottom up and roll up burrito style. 
  8. Slice in half and serve.

Notes

  • You can cook the chicken a day in advance.  These wraps are delicious served hot or cold.
  • I use a lower grill temp for chicken because I don’t want the savory marinade ingredients to burn.  But if you like to grill at high temps and 4-6 minutes a side, knock yourself out.  
  • Also makes a tray of 20 appetizer servings.
  • I like to wrap ours in deli paper before slicing, it holds them together better if making a tray of them.
Jerk usually uses bone in chicken but tastes great on boneless chicken too!
Place to the side like this, fold top down, bottom up and roll left to right.

CHICKEN KIEV ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

8 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large whole eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
2 cups Panko crumbs + 1/4 cup for filling
1/4 bag frozen broccoli florets, chopped
salt and pepper to taste for chicken pieces
Safflower oil for frying

  • Combine butter, parsley, tarragon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
  • Fold in broccoli floret pieces.
  • Place mixture on plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll into small log; place in freezer.
  • Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Spray chicken lightly with water as well as the top of the plastic wrap. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Lay 1 chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap and place 1/4 of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in the center of each breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in ends of breast and roll breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter; roll very tightly. Repeat with each breast. 
  • Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to overnight.
  • Place egg and water mixture in 1 pie pan and 2 cups bread crumbs in a different pie pan.
  • Heat 1/2-inch of safflower oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees F.
  • Dip each breast in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. 
  • Gently place each breast in oil, sealed-side down, and cook until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. 
  • Remove to a cooling rack set in sheet pan and allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Nutty Brown Balls – Cooking with Chaya

I had two cups of leftover rice so I decided to mix some other ingredients in and bake myself brown rice balls. I knew right away, I wanted nuts and veggies, in this recipe so off I went to create. I did read a bunch of recipes for something similar, but when push came to shove, I used what was in my fridge and cabinets and did not worry about anything, I had read about.

Baked Nutty Brown Rice Balls 

2 cups fully cooked and cooled brown rice 
1/2 cup ground walnuts 
1 carrot, shredded 
1 zucchini, shredded 
1 onion, shredded 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/4 cup sliced green onions 
1 beaten egg 1/4 cup flax seed meal
  •  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
  • Combine all of the above ingredients. Mine did not stick well so I suggest either another egg or a little bit of liquid, added. Mix well. 
  • Fill 18 mini muffin cups with rice mixture. I used a tablespoon cookie scoop to get approximately the same size balls. 
  •  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 23 minutes. They brown a little. Remove from tins and serve. These have a nutty flavor to them. 

Baked Pears with Butterscotch Sauce–Save Room for Dessert

Baked Pears with Butterscotch Sauce
4 ripe but firm pears
1/2 lemon
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Scotch whisky (optional)
  • Heat the oven to 375°F.
  • Cut pears in half lengthwise and, using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the cores.
  • Rub them all over with the lemon half to prevent browning.
  • In a large (10-inch), heavy-based, ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and brown sugar and stir to dissolve.
  • Arrange the pears in the pan, cut side down, in a single layer.
  • Bake the pears uncovered, basting occasionally with the liquid in the pan, until they begin to soften and color slightly. Depending on the pears’ ripeness, baking time can range from 20 minutes to 1 hour (mine only took about 25 minutes).
  • Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Transfer the pan to a burner and boil the mixture left behind over medium-high heat until it reaches a rich, golden-brown color and smells like caramel, 2 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk the cream into the caramel until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt, and Scotch, if using. Serve the sauce over the warm pears.

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!