Category: RECIPES

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BARS

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BARS
1 cup butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
¾ cup chunky peanut butter

  • Line a 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, and set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract over low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has completely dissolved.
  • Add the oats, cinnamon and kosher salt, cooking and stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes.
  • Pour half of the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  • Spread out the mixture evenly, pressing down.
  • In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and the peanut butter. Heat on high in the microwave, in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between each increment, until melted and fully combined.
  • Pour MOST of the chocolate mixture into the pan over the pressed oats, reserving about ¼ cup for drizzling.
  • Top with the remaining oats and drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate mixture.
  • Refrigerate AT LEAST 4 hours, but preferably overnight until set.

HEARTY TUNA CASSEROLE

HEARTY TUNA CASSEROLE
CASSEROLE
3 cups cooked and cooled egg noodles
1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup WHOLE milk
1/3 cup FINELY grated white cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons Duke’s hint of lime mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard (optional)
8 ounce can petite baby peas, drained well
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, lightly sauteed.
1/4 cup chopped roasted sweet red pepper or pimientos, drained
2 cans white tuna, drained well

  • Preheat oven 400°.
  • In a large bowl combine the soup, milk, mayonnaise and mustard if using.
  • Stir in drained tuna and red pepper.
  • Fold in noodles, cheese, peas and sauteed mushrooms.
  • Transfer to a greased 8×8 baking dish.

TOPPING
1/4 cup Panko crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon paprika
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Combine topping ingredients until well blended.
  • Sprinkle over casserole.
  • Baked uncovered 30 minutes until bubbly.

NOTE – Crushed potato chips (I like sea salt and vinegar) make a great alternate topping.

STONE FRUIT TOMATO SALAD

STONE FRUIT TOMATO SALAD serves 6-8

DRESSING
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon avocado oil
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oil.
  • Season to taste with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.

SALAD
2 peaches, chopped
3 plums, chopped
1 1/4 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 cup halved cherries
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup FRESH chopped parsley
3 LARGE green onions, sliced thin

  • In a large bowl toss together everything above.
  • Drizzle with dressing, tossing to coat well.
  • Let stand 5 minutes.

RUSTIC TOMATO TART

RUSTIC TOMATO TART
1/2 package Pillsbury pie crust or homemade
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons tomato or basil pesto
3/4 cup shredded Havarti cheese
1-2 LARGE heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch slices
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon FRESH thyme leaves
1-2 green onions, sliced thin

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Roll out pie dough and shape into baking sheet dimensions creating an edge.
  • Brush with oil and pesto of choice.
  • Sprinkle 2/3 of the cheese onto the crust.
  • Arrange tomato slices over the cheese.
  • Season with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
  • Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.
  • Garnish and serve.

CRACK CHICKEN CASSEROLE

One of my grandmothers used to say there were two ways to things – Her way or the wrong way. This “attitude” became a family “sore” spot a good deal of the time as there are always multiple ways to reach the same end results. For me it always seemed to resonate with recipes… LOL fast forward to this recipe and she was in my head about the best way to write this up.

There really are two ways to make this, the short way and the LONG way, which is my preferred method because I find it the most flavorful is to make the chicken in the slow cooker the day before you want to assemble the casserole.

Not much to look at, but SUPER delicious!

CRACK CHICKEN CASSEROLE (the short way)
8 slices thick cut bacon cooked crispy and crumbled
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or crock pot crack chicken)
2 cups dried egg noodles, cooked per directions on box and drained
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup red or orange pepper, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
1/2 cup Darigold Mexican sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (omit if using crock pot crack chicken)
1/3 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup corn chex, crushed
1/4 cup butter melted
2-3 green onions thinly sliced for garnish, optional

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine the bacon, chicken, cooked noodles, ranch seasoning, onion, red pepper, cream cheese, 1 cup of the cheddar, sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.
  • Spread into the baking dish.
  • Top with the remaining cheddar.
  • In a small bowl mix together the corn chex with the butter and top the casserole with this mixture.
  • Bake for 40-50 minutes until bubbly.
  • Let cool slightly, garnish with optional green onions and serve.

CROCK POT CRACK CHICKEN
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 package ranch dressing package mix
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar or cheese flavor of choice – Nacho, sharp, Vampire Slayer, etc…

  • Add chicken to crock pot in a single layer if possible.
  • Sprinkle with ranch dressing powder.
  • Place cream cheese block as a whole on top.
  • Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours.
  • Remove cover and shred chicken while stirring in cream cheese at the same time.
  • Add cheese and stir to mix.
  • Serve on buns, croissants, tortillas, in the above casserole or use it to make tacos next Taco Tuesday!

ZING ZANG BLOODY MARY BEEF TIPS

ZING ZANG BLOODY MARY BEEF TIPS
MARINADE
1 cup ZING ZANG Bloody Mary mix
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons pepperoncini juice
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds beef tips

  • Whisk together the 3/4 cup of the Bloody Mary mix, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of the pepperoncini juice and celery salt.
  • Add beef, turning to coat.
  • Marinade beef tips 4-5 hours in refrigerator, turning occasionally.

ASSEMBLY
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons WONDRA flour
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 SMALL Vidalia onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cups matchstick carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons QUALITY tomato paste
1 cup homemade beef bone broth
4-6 pepperoncinis

  • Add oil to enameled cast iron saute pan over medium high heat.
  • Drain beef tips of marinade. Discard marinade.
  • Add flour to a large ziploc bag.
  • Generously season flour with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Add drained beef to ziploc bag, shaking to coat pieces well with seasoned flour.
  • Shake off excess flour and add beef pieces to hot oil, searing all sides.
  • Remove beef from pan.
  • Add butter to melt.
  • Add celery, onions and carrots, sauteing until soft.
  • Add broth to pan, stirring to loosen any bits from the bottom.
  • Whisk in tomato paste, remaining Bloody Mary mix, remaining Worcestershire sauce and remaining pepperoncini juice.
  • Season to taste.
  • Add garlic and pepperoncinis to pan.
  • Return meat to pan, turning to coat.
  • Simmer 35-40 minutes.
  • Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

NOTE: Any heavy pan will work, but I prefer an enameled cast iron for its even cooking.

ASPARAGUS POCKETS

ASPARAGUS POCKETS

2 pounds thin baby asparagus, cut about 4 inches from the top
1/2 pound diced prosciutto
6 slices of smoked Gouda cheese
2 Sheets Puff Pastry Dough or pie crust
1 LARGE egg
2 tablespoons chopped FRESH Thyme
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Roll out dough.
  • Cut dough into 6 rectangles and brush with egg wash.
  • Cut 5-7 asparagus in half and lay evenly in the center of each pastry dough rectangle. Leave about a 1/4 inch of dough on each side.
  • Fold 2 slices of prosciutto into a fan and place on top of the asparagus.
  • Place 1 slice of smoked Gouda on top of the the asparagus and prosciutto.
  • Flip the bottom of pastry dough to cover the bottom half of the asparagus, and to create a pocket.
  • Pinch the edges.
  • Brush the whole pocket with egg wash and sprinkle with pepper.
  • Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

ENGLISH STYLE BAKED POTATOES

Hubby has been complaining for quite some time now that baked potatoes just don’t taste the same anymore. Then the other day I ran across an article that while I knew was probably click bait, I had to check it out anyway. And I’m glad I did. I did pick and choose the parts that appealed to me the most. You can read the whole article here.

The article states that “English Jacket Potatoes Are the Best Baked Potatoes”! And they are correct! I just love the name “Jacket Potatoes”, it’s just so British. I believe this recipe has come the closest to reviving what we were looking for in a baked potato – a crispy outside with a tender fluffy inside.

The article lists 4 specific keys to achieving the perfect baked potato. Turns out that it isn’t difficult at all to make that perfect potato.

1) Slice a BIG X 1/4 inch deep in the potato. Typically here in America we poke a few holes in them to allow steam to escape, but the BIG X makes a HUGE difference. I then rub the potatoes with melted butter and coarse flaked salt.

2) Bake them longer than you usually do. 1 1/2-2 hours at 350-400° (depending on potato size) instead of 1 hour at 425°. They won’t burn at this temperature and baking for this long means the skin will be so crisp that it’s practically like a crispy cracker.

3) At the end of baking time, remove potatoes from the oven and cut the X deeper into the potato and slightly push the ends of the potatoes inward to open them up a bit. Return them to the oven for 10 more minutes. This will dry out the inside flesh and fluff it up a bit more.

4) Take the piping hot potatoes from the oven and push open the crisp, perfectly salted skin and garnish with butter, sour cream, chopped chives, shredded cheese, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper… and whatever else suits your fancy. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

ORANGE LEMON PEPPER JELLY GLAZED CHICKEN with GRILLED PEPPERS

This can be done on the stove, but, tastes much better grilled.

ORANGE LEMON PEPPER JELLY GLAZED CHICKEN with GRILLED PEPPERS
3 limes, juiced for 2 tablespoons
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon FINELY ground coriander
1/4 cup avocado oil
4 Hatch chiles
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup hot pepper jelly
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup lemon curd

  • Whisk together the lime juice, pepper jelly, orange marmalade and lemon curd.
  • Generously season the chicken pieces with FRESH ground sea salt, black pepper and coriander.
  • Coat chicken pieces and Hatch chiles in avocado oil.
  • Grill over medium high heat 4-5 minutes per side. Start with top side down.
  • When you flip the chicken spoon, add the chiles to the grill and spread  a layer of the jelly on top of each chicken pieces before closing the lid.
  • Garnish with the green onions.

NACHOS CASSEROLE

NACHOS CASSEROLE adapted from LOU LOU girls

SAUCE
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons WONDRA flour
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (you can change this up be using a salsa verde sauce)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite salsa
1 1/2 cups homemade chicken bone broth*
1 teaspoon KINDERS taco seasoning
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the melted butter and flour.
  • Cook, whisking continually, until it begins to bubble; let it bubble for 1 minute.
  • Add the enchilada sauce, salsa, chicken broth, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
  • Raise the heat slightly and bring to a SLOW boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer while you prepare the meat.

FILLING
1 pound QUALITY ground beef
1/2 pound shredded chicken
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon KINDERS taco seasoning
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 can BUSH’s seasoned black beans, drained WELL
15-ounce bag Doritos nacho cheese flavored chips

1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese (pepper jack if you want a bit of a bite)
1 1/2 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Crumble beef into skillet along with the onions and garlic, cooking 5-8 minutes until crumbly and cooked through.
Add chicken pieces.
Drain off grease.
Stir in the beans, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add the simmering sauce and shut off the heat.
Mix together the cheeses in a medium bowl.
Stir in 1/3 of the cheese. Save the remaining cheese for assembly.

ASSEMBLY

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Gently break up the chips by crushing the bag slightly with your hands. Make sure not to over crush the chips; you’re looking for pieces, not crumbs.
  • Pour one third of the broken chips into the prepared baking dish.
    Top with a quarter of the beef mixture and 2/3 cup of the cheese.
  • Repeat, adding another layer of chips, beef mix and cheese.
  • Finish by adding the remaining chips to the top of the casserole.
  • Top with the remaining cheese.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove foil and continue to bake15-20 minutes more until bubbly.
  • Add toppings just before serving.

TOPPINGS (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup guacamole
1/4 cup sliced black olives
3 green onions, sliced
Crumbled Cotija cheese
Shredded cheddar
Hot Sauce, optional

NOTE: I use homemade bone broth. In the summertime my bone broth also contains lots of FRESH tomatoes that only enhance the flavor for the better.

 

MARMALADE CARROTS

MARMALADE CARROTS

5 LARGE carrots, sliced into rustic chunks
1 tablespoon butter
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons red chile flakes
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
scant cup homemade chicken broth

  • Whisk together chicken broth, vinegar, marmalade, chile flakes, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
  • Add carrots, sautéing 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add broth mixture, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until softened and well coated.

CHICKEN CAPRESE PASTA BOWLS

CHICKEN CAPRESE PASTA serves 8

12 ounces dry penne pasta
1 cup prepared alfredo sauce (homemade or store bought – your choice)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped basil
1/2 – 1 cup arugula
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup FINELY chopped sweet red pepper
1 cup mozzarella balls
2 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken breast for a quick meal OR 1 breaded chicken cutlet that’s been pan seared for the best flavor if you have the time

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large skillet over warm heat.

  • Stir in pasta sauce, rotisserie chicken pieces, tomatoes, basil pieces, Parmesan cheese and pepper pieces. If using a breaded chicken cutlet prepare it so that it is ready to be sliced just as the baking dish comes out of the oven.
  • Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish and top evenly with Mozzarella balls.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted.

  • Toss with arugula and a squeeze of lemon JUST before serving.