Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Baked Chicken Sandwich-CHRISTY

2 cups cooked chicken, cut in small dice
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
12 slices trimmed bread
6 eggs
3 cups milk
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
Almonds

Mix first three ingredients together and spread between slices of bread; place in 9x13 dish. Beat eggs, add milk, salt and pour over sandwiches. Let stand overnight. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Keep covered first 35 minutes, then remove cover, sprinkle almonds over top and continue cooking, uncovered, the remaining 15 minutes.

This is so good-odd looking but turns out wonderful. It was served at one of my wedding showers and is something I like to make when company is coming for lunch.

Garlic Cheese Grits-CHRISTY

1 cup quick grits
1 tsp salt
4 cups water
1 roll garlic cheese, cut up
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
Grated Cheddar cheese

Cook grits slowly in 4 cups salted water. Add cheese and butter. Stir in milk and eggs; mix well. Pour into greased casserole and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, top with grated cheese and cook an additional 5 minutes.

THIS IS SO FATTENING BUT SOOOOO GOOD

Oven BBQ Chicken-CHRISTY

3 tblsp. ketchup
2 tblsp. vinegar
1 tblsp. lemon juice
2 tblsp. Worcestershire
4 tblsp. water
1 tsp. paprika
3 tblsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper
2 tbslp margarine
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 2 1/2-3 pound chicken
Mix all ingredients. Dip chicken in sauce. Bake covered in aluminum foil at 500 degrees for the first 15 minutes and 350 degrees for 1 hr. Remove cover so chicken can brown, and cooked uncovered for 15 minutes more.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Easy Sticky Buns - KRISTAL

These are so easy to make and so very yummy:

1 1/2T unsalted butter, cold and thinly sliced into 10 pieces
1 medium banana, thinly sliced
1/2C pecans, chopped
2T brown sugar
1 tube of buttermilk biscuits

Heat oven to 375. Drop butter into the bottom of a muffin pan. Arrange banana on top, sprinkle pecans and brown sugar, and top with a biscuit. Bake until golden brown, for about 8-10 minutes. While still warm, place baking sheet over the muffin pan, flip, and tap out the buns.

Here's the outcome:

Saturday, February 16, 2008

(the BEST) Chicken Salad - Olivia

My mother in law and I hosted a baby shower for Brock's 1st cousin this morning. She made this chicken salad. It is EASY and sooo delicious (and I am a little bit of a chicken salad snob).

2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup mayo
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced seedless grapes
1 cup ranch style sliced almonds (by the salad stuff in the grocery)
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce

She used canned chicken and you couldn't taste a difference at all.

**DISCLAIMER: you might eat it all by your self in one sitting**

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup - KRISTAL

Best. Soup. Ever. And it's perfect for the fall and winter. It's a bit time consuming, but it makes a ton (3 qts.) so you can freeze some for later.

2T unsalted butter
2T extra virgin olive oil
4C chopped yellow onions
2T curry powder
5lb butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2lb sweet apples, such as McIntosh or Gala (4 apples)
2t kosher salt
1/2t black pepper
2C water
2C apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chucks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2C of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft (Chad had to cook it closer to an hour, but our pot wasn't quite big enough either). Process the soup through a food processor or with an immersion blender.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider/juice to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Thai Shrimp and Pork Ball Over Coconut Curried Rice - KRISTAL

Hi Ladies! This is my first post. ;) My husband does all of our cooking and he's amazing at what he does so I thought I'd share two of my favorite recipes of his. Enjoy!

This meal seems time consuming, but it really only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. And if you like Thai curry, you really can't beat it. I promise it's better than any takeout you could get.

16oz basmati or jasmine rice
4 scallions
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed, 2 chopped
4T tamari or soy sauce
1/4C cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Zest and joice of 1 lime
1lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1lb ground pork
6T vegetable oil
1t ground coriander
1/2t ground cumin
1T curry powder
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1C chicken stock
1C canned unsweetened coconut milk

Cook rice according to the instructions on the container.

In the bowl of the food processor, combine the scallions, half the grated ginger, half the chopped jalapeño petter, the crushed garlic, 3 T of the tamari, half of the cilantro and basil, and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl, and then process 1 minutes, or until finely ground. Add the shrimp and pork and process until the shrimp are ground into small pieces and the mixture is well combined but not so fine that it becomes a paste - about 1 minutes.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet with 4T of the oil. With wet palms, roll the shrimp-pork mixture into walnut-size balls and add to the hot skillet as you go. Don't move the balls until they are brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the balls and continue to cook, browing on all sides until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.

While the shrimp and pork balls and rice are cooking, start the coconut curry sauce for the noodles. Preheat a large skillet or soup pot over medium heat with the remaining 2T of oil. Add the coriander, cumin, and curry powder and toast the spices for about 30 seconds in the hot oil. Add the onions, carrot, bell pepper, the remaining ginger and jalapeño pepper, and the 2 chopped garlic cloves. Add a little more oil to the pan if it starts to look dry. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any spices that might be sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook the mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and the remaining tablespoon of tamari and bring it up to a bubble, then gently simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and taste and adjust for seasoning with either more tamari or a little salt. Add the remaining cilantro and basil and toss to combine.

Spoon rice into bowl, add shrimp and pork balls, and pour the curry over both.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Bread-CHRISTY

2 tblsp chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 can refridgerated French bread or pizza dough
2 tablespoons commercial pesto (Classico is good)
1/3 cup feta cheese
2 tbslp chopped olives

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll bread dough. Spread pesto over dough, leaving a 1 inch margin around edges. Sprinkle tomatoes, feta and olives over the pesto. Roll up dough tightly, pinching the edges together to seal. Place loaf on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until loaf is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Serve immediately.

I serve this with a salad and fruit.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta-CHRISTY

This is a Weight Watchers recipe.

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta-I use whole wheat
1 tblsp olive oil
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced and pitted kalamata olives-I also use the regular black ones
1/2 cup tomato and herb feta cheese-I sometimes used the reduced fat original feta
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil.

Cook pasta and drain. Combine pasta and oil in a bowl, toss well. Add other ingredients and sprinkle with basil.

THIS IS SO GOOD AND SO EASY

Skinny Chocolate-Chip Cookies-CHRISTY

These are a little healthier than the norm and SO GOOD.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter until well mixed, about 1 minute. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. On low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended. With large rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips. Refridgerate dough 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.

Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!