The Totally Not Gourmet Chef

UFC Fight Night Food: Salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:24:00 +0000

This is always a favorite at our fight nights with the guys & the girls. However, the girls just don't tend to shovel it in like the guys do.

Homemade Salsa
Ingredients:
1 can Hunts diced Tomatoes (drained well)
2 large Tomatoes diced
Cilantro, chopped (to taste)
About a teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 Green Pepper, chopped
1/3 White Onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped well

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Ta Da!

Seriously, how easy is that?
First, let me say I'd rather use fresh tomatoes, so if you get a chance, great... but using a portion of the canned makes the prep work much easier, that's for sure!

I split mine between two containers and added the Jalapeno to one container so I have a hot and a mild. All of these ingredients are to taste and playing around with it a little, you can find your favorite combination.

All I can say is... delish!

Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:27:00 +0000

I choose this stew tonight because it's been rainy and dreary almost all week and I wanted something a little spicy, a little warm and a little comforting. This fit the bill perfectly for all of those things. It was a huge hit with everyone in my family.

The recipe calls for fennel but notes that you can substitute diced onions for the fennel - which I did only because I didn't feel like going out for fennel, the rest of the ingredients I had on hand.

Also, I doubled the recipe, my family eats large portions so it worked out that the double recipe made enough for four of us with just a bit left over.

Tuscan White Bean And Sausage Stew
Courtesy of Pampered Chef.

3/4 lb hot Italian sausage
2 medium carrots
1 medium bulb fresh fennel (I used 1 medium onion chopped)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cans cannellini beans
1 package fresh basil

Remove casings from sausage. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2 inch nuggets.
Place sausage into large sauce pan or skillet (with high sides) and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
As sausage cooks, peel carrots. Chop carrots and fennel and add to pan and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until the sausage is no longer pink and vegetables begin to brown.
Stir tomatoes, broth and garlic into the sausage mixture. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot.
Simmer stew, uncovered10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender. As stew simmers, chop basil. Remove from heat, stir in basil and serve immediately.

Also a few additional notes. I had to cook my sausage a bit longer to get fully cooked, my times were more like 10-12 minutes. Additionally, I probably needed to let the stew simmer a tad longer because my carrots were still a little tough, cooked but tough.

This was simple but has a very complex taste, don't skimp on the basil, it totally tops your taste buds off!

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:34:00 +0000

This recipe is from Kraft Foods and on their site is called PHILADELPHIA New York-Style Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

and it's as easy as pie (or cake) to make!

Here's what you need:

1 C. HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

5 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 C sugar

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 C BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

4 eggs

1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides.

Here's how I make my graham cracker crumbs... I don't usually buy them, I just roll them with a roller pin until they are fine enough.

Mix cracker crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 min.

BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.

Pour over crust. Gently drop small spoonfuls of jam over batter; swirl with knife.

BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Lift cheesecake from pan with foil handles before cutting to serve.

Monday Night Football 7 Layer Taco Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:23:00 +0000

I got this recipe off of Allrecipes a while back and really haven't had a chance to make it for any reason, until tonight. As a lot of the comments on the original recipe says, it was a huge hit. I did alter mine slightly so look after the recipe to see what I did differently.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
* 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
* 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
* 1 large tomato, chopped
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 bunch chopped green onions
* 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
* 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
* 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

I don't use the lettuce or the salsa. I add additional tomatoes to substitute.

Party Recipes On The Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:56:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaVery frequently, we host a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Fight Night and we invite a bunch of guys (and girls!)over to watch the fight.

This is my testing ground. I always try out new recipes on them! I usually do appetizers, finger foods and drinks. But, this of course varies with my mood and what I feel like experimenting with.

Tomorrow night is fight night! I'm thinking because Antonio Nogueira vs. Frank Mir is the main event I'll do something spicy. Nogeuira is from Brazil and Mir is just hawt! So, there we have it!

Be expecting some new recipes I've tried!

Green Bean Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:07:00 +0000

Who can go through the holidays without making green bean casserole? Well, I did. Until this year. Last week I found this recipe for green bean casserole on one of my daily sites I visit. It looked good and I had all intentions of making it, exactly as it was posted.

However, that all changed when I got to the grocery store and realized I forgot the list of ingredients I needed for it. Luckily for me, I found a recipe for it on French's French Fried Onions can!
And this is how it went...

Campbell's Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk (I used skim milk)
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions
Directions
Mix soup & milk. Add black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-qt. casserole.
Bake at 350°F for 25 min. or until hot.
Stir. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 min.

Serves 6.

How'd it turn out? Great! I've seen the recipe with soy sauce added but I am almost positive I wouldn't like it. I think I want to find another recipe for it that isn't so "creamy". I love green beans when they are firm and rich with flavor a little more than I like them all creamy. This was great nonethless!

Christmas Eve Breakfast Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0000

Traditionally, I read about people doing "Christmas Morning" breakfast casseroles so they can enjoy the morning and not worry about cooking. Well, considering that we don't even get to think about breakfast until 9am on Christmas morning, I've decided I'm going to make my breakfast casserole on Christmas Eve morning, when I will have a larger group to cook for and less time to do it in.

So, let's get to this wonderful "Awesome Breakfast Casserole" that I found on SparkPeople. For those of you who've never heard of SparkPeople, it's a great website for anyone looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Best of all, it's free. Go check it out and if you sign up, use me as a referral and add me as a friend, my user name is akaJonna.

Awesome Breakfast Casserole

Submitted by CJCERTS

An easy and tasty casserole for any meal! It also reheats well in the microwave.

Ingredients

1 12 oz. package Jimmy Dean 50% less fat Pork Sausage
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (lowfat)
1 cup Heart Smart Bisquick mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups skim milk
4 eggs

Directions
1. Brown sausage and drain.
2. Arrange cheese and sausage in bottom of a greased 9x13 pan
3. In separate bowl, beat milk, eggs, Bisquick, salt, and pepper, until smooth.
4. Pour mixture over cheese and sausage.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CJCERTS.
Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 178.2

Total Fat: 9.1 g
Cholesterol: 96.0 mg
Sodium: 546.4 mg
Total Carbs: 9.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 13.9 g

The really awesome thing about SparkPeople is that they give nutritional information and allow you to add the recipes to cookbooks you store and then auto add them to your nutritional information very easily! I've found a number of recipes on there that I'm saving in a "to try" folder, that you can check out.

My Love for Freezer Burns

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Freezer Burns combines two loves of mine. First, my love of microwaved food. Second, my love for watching online videos.

It's a better pair than red wine and chocolate!

I can't remember exactly how I found out about it, but I'm almost positive someone posted something about it on Twitter and so of course I had to check it out. Then, I found the Freezer Burns guy on Twitter too!

So, one day (about 13 days ago from today), I send a tweet to @FreezerBurns

And then guess what I see today in my tweet-stream?

So, of course, I had to check it out! Like you can too, if you just click here!

See, this is just yet another reason why I love the internet so very much. First, I find these ridiculously fun sites where people are doing things I'd love to be doing but just didn't know I'd love to be doing it, but then when I interact with them, guess what?

They interact BACK!

FreezerBurns.com has just jumped super high on my list of sites I love.

And no, he's not sending me boxes microwave food or even his cool shirts he wears for posting this.
Again, just part of the internet I love - passing on things I love by word of mouth... er, word of keys, hmm.. word of blog? Whatever.

Go check it out!

Because Everyone Loves Hot Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:38:00 +0000

With the weather cooling and the leaves falling, who can resist a nice warm cup of hot chocolate? So, go to your pantry and find that little box, tear open one of the packets and dump that chocolate smelling stuff into your cup and add hot water.

Yeah, didn’t sound so good to me either.

Don’t get me wrong, I go for the whole instant hot chocolate thing when in a pinch or when I’m lazy (usually the latter), but if you want real, warm, frothy, tummy warming, mind at-easing, make you want to wear cashmere sweaters and fluffy slippers kind of good hot chocolate, you must try the recipe below for Raspberry Hot Chocolate.

Raspberry Hot Chocolate

2 cups cream
1 cup milk
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1 cup raspberries
whipped cream

In saucepan combine cream, milk, and sugar until hot, but do not boil. Add chocolate and butter and reduce heat to simmer. Stir until chocolate is melted. Puree 1 cup raspberries and pour into the mixture, stirring until smooth. Pour into mugs and garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

For those of you, who may not enjoy the berry addition to it try this traditional recipe for Luscious Hot Chocolate.

Luscious Hot Chocolate

1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Heat milk, half and half, both chocolates, and sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat until chocolates melt and sugar dissolves. Pour half of the mixture into a blender and mix until frothy. Return to the saucepan and add vanilla. Stir briefly and serve.

Recipes provided by LDSLiving

Kraft's Simply Sensational Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:46:00 +0000

Kraft's Food & Family Magazine is a great source of quick, easy and delicious recipes for me. So, it's no surprise this is from their Holiday 08/Winter 09 edition. I had planned to start taking pictures of each step (and continue doing so for all future recipes) but after 45 minutes of searching for the camera, I gave up and just started. I found out later that my husband had taken it to the football field with him. So, next time!

The pro's:
It's fast!
It's easy!
It's deeeeelish!

The con's:
They go so fast!

So, here's the ingredients!

Simply Sensational Truffles
-- 2 1/2 packages (20 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

-- 1 package (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

Melt 8 chocolate squares. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy; stir in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm.

Shape into 36 balls. Place on wax paper-covered tray.

Melt remaining chocolate. Use fork to dip truffles; return to tray. Decorate, then refrigerate 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.

Decorations: Top with finely chopped Planters Cocktail Peanuts or sprinkles. Or, coat truffles with powdered sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder instead of dipping in chocolate.

Here's what I found. I used the 8 squares of chocolate to make the truffles, but I only used 7 more blocks (instead of 10) for dipping. Also, the time for the chocolate and cream cheese to harden seemed to take about an hour or so - I learned this through trial and error after trying to form balls after 30 minutes and then get getting gooey globs of chocolate. Don't rush that or your truffles won't look very pretty.
Also, instead of dipping into the chocolate, as it seems when my truffle hit the warm chocolate it would start melting, I just used a spoon to dip the chocolate back over the truffle, which worked wonderfully!
And another suggestion for decorating, use white chocolate to decorate on top of the dipped truffle, or dip completely in white chocolate. Also, I used Pampered Chef's Sweet Caramel sprinkle to top the dipped chocolate.

Enjoy!

Easy Layered Taco Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:14:00 +0000

I found this recipe in the Fall 2008 Food & Family magazine that Kraft puts out. It sounded easy and decent enough so tonight, we tried it.

Easy? Yes.
Delish? Not so much.
Did my somewhat-picky eater of a child eat it. Sure did!

This is just about one step up from Hamburger Helper, and the only reason it gets to be one step up (instead of down) is because you pop it in the oven and walk away, as opposed to having to stir and watch it. It's one step up from Hamburger Helper instead of equal, because the salsa in it gives it a nice kick that most Hamburger Helper never has.

So, if you want something really easy, that kids will eat, carry on!

Easy Layered Taco Bake
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients:
1 package (7.25 oz) Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 package (1.25 oz) Taco Bell Home Originals Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup Taco Bell Home Originals Thick 'N Chunky Mild Salsa

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare Kraft Macaroni & Cheese as directed on the package. Cook meat with taco seasoning.

Layer seasoned meat, macaroni & cheese and salsa in 8-inch square baking dish.

Bake 20 minutes.

Homemade Starbucks (kind of)

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:36:00 +0000

As you can tell from my Kahlua post, I'm a coffee drinker. I broke my Starbucks, Bella Latte, Hub City Coffee habit a while back, but I still prefer to drink better coffee than Folgers or Maxwell House (that is unless I'm supplying it for the office).

So, I found this little gem of a recipe, and I would love to give credit where credit is due, but honestly, I copied it down and now have totally forgotten where it came from. Instead of scraping it due to lack of credentials, I feel obligated to share because it sounds great.
No, I haven't tried it yet, but I will.

Mexican Hacienda - Hot coffee with chocolate and brown sugar and other spices.
Mixing your spices before you brew can add flavor so easily. This is a particularly sweet way to serve up a cup of coffee, with generous amounts of chocolate and brown sugar.
Ingredients:

* 125ml ground coffee
* 80ml chocolate syrup
* 1 tbs cinnamon
* 250ml milk
* 60ml brown sugar
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:
Before brewing, combine coffee, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brew however you like. In another small saucepan, heat brown sugar, syrup and milk. Stir until sugar is melted and dissolved. Pour sugar mixture into hot coffee, and add vanilla.

So, the key to making your coffee flavored without using heavy syrups is to mix the coffee grounds and the spices BEFORE brewing. I would have never thought of that.

Cinnamon Watermelon Rind Pickles

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:57:00 +0000

Tonight I’m venturing into completely new territory. Not only am I trying a brand new recipe of a dish I’ve never tasted before but I’m also trying a new technique which I’ve never done before.

I am attempting to create pickled watermelon rind. First, I’ve never tasted it, but I’ve heard and read through other blogs that apparently if it’s done right, it’s extremely tasty. I’ve found three, very different recipes, and I choose what honestly just appealed to me the most. The first recipe I found was from About.com and probably is the one I should have tried, but I couldn’t get past the mustard seeds. The second recipe is truly intriguing and I would love to try it some time but I really wanted to try this recipe this weekend and getting ingredients such as pink peppercorns wasn’t exactly convenient. I decided to go with the third recipe because it was easy and was the most detailed on the process.

However, I did deviate from the recipe slightly, and not really on purpose. All the recipes, although they don’t specifically state it, assume you are using red watermelons. Considering all of them said to cut away the pink flesh. Well, I picked up yellow watermelon. Yes, I know the difference and I certainly can read labels but my husband really wanted to try it, so I figured, “hey, what the heck!” So, I’m going with yellow watermelon.

I had to alter the recipe because I had no where near the amount of rinds that it called for, so hopefully I’ll get to fill an entire quart jar.
I’ll post the recipe in its entirety and then post my changes at the end.

Cinnamon Watermelon Rind Pickles
Makes about 4 to 5 (16 oz) pints

You will need:
16 cups sliced peeled watermelon rind* (about 2 medium)
1 cup pickling or canning salt
8 cups cool water, divided
6 cups granulated sugar
4 cups white vinegar
3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
4 to 5 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

*To prepare watermelon rind, remove dark green peel from watermelon rind and discard. Cut rind into 2- x 1-inch slices.

Directions:
DAY 1
1.) LAYER watermelon rind and salt in a large crock, glass or stainless steel bowl. Add 4 cups of the cool water. Place a large clean inverted plate on top of the rind and weigh down with two or three quart jars filled with water and capped. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

DAY 2
1.) TRANSFER rind to a colander placed over a sink. Drain and rinse in cool running water. Drain and rinse again. Drain thoroughly.

2.) COMBINE rind with remaining 4 cups cool water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently until rind is fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3.) COMBINE sugar, vinegar and cinnamon stick halves in a clean large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, until cinnamon has infused the liquid. Add drained rind and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, until watermelon is translucent. Discard cinnamon sticks.

4.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

5.) PACK hot rind into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jar to cover rind leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

6.) PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Now, the changes I made:
I used only 6 cups of rinds because I only had a small watermelon. Because of that, I cut everything in half except the water amount to boil the rinds in, as 4 cups didn’t really cover the rinds, so I boiled the rinds in 6 cups of water.
The other change I made was to use 3 cups of vinegar instead of 2 (which would have been cutting the recipe in half) as again, it wasn’t covering all the rinds.

Ok, so I'm about 12 minutes away from actually getting the rinds into jars and packing them in the fridge. I know you can store them in the pantry, but something about watermelon (or rinds for this matter), just doesn't' seem right being eaten at room temperature. So, after the jars cool, I'll put them in the fridge and then when I get around to testing them, I'll be sure to post!

The Kahlua Experiment Update

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:57:00 +0000

Today as I was transferring my homemade Kahlua that I made last weekend into smaller jars, I just so happened to accidentally taste it. Being that the huge container it was in was taking up entirely too much space in my refrigerator and wasn't really made for holding things of the sort (as it was originally my pasta container!), I transferred my 9+ cups of homemade Kahlua into actual mason jars.

Of course, while transferring them I had to check the consistency of the Kahlua with a spoon, to see if the honey had actually thickened it up some. While checking the consistency, I really needed to smell the coffee concoction because I needed to see if it had changed, or something. So, while taking a big whiff, the spoon somehow ended up in my mouth and I must just say this.

I will indeed me making this again! Although it's only been 6 days since I made it, the flavor has definitely changed. It's gotten much deeper, the coffee is still the predominate taste but the honey is really coming through as well. I'll be very excited to taste it again next week and then try the final product in 30 days!

The Kahlua Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:44:00 +0000

Saturday night while most of my house was watching a great fight between GSP and Fitch, I was in my laboratory (read: kitchen) experimenting with my latest, most scientific concoction (read: homemade Kahlua).

I won't know the results of this experiment for another 28 days, however, I am having a very positive vibe about this. I did something totally unorthodox and actually taste tested my concoction before sealing it and storing it away for it's "setting" process. And I'll be damned, it tasted like Kahlua. So, I'm only certain that the "setting" of it will make it that much better.

So, let's get into the nitty-gritty of this fabulous recipe, shall we?

I carefully documented everything as far as ingredients and procedure went, because if this turns out to be something fabulous, I most definitely want to recreate it!

1/5 gallon Grain Alcohol
8C Water
2C Dark Brown Sugar
1C Honey
½C Instant Coffee (Don’t buy generic)
6 Tbsp Vanilla (Use real bourbon vanilla, not the imitation crap)

Heat water, sugar, and honey until melted.
Add coffee crystals and simmer 30 minutes.
Cool to 110 degrees and add vanilla.
Let set for at least 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add alcohol and stir well.
***Do Not Bring To A Boil***

After I was done I took a small taste just to see if it even resembled Kahlua and guess what? It did! So, hopefully within 2 weeks to 30 days (depending on how long I can wait), we'll see how good it is!

Quck & easy hors d'oeuvres

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:54:00 +0000

Last night was a typical UFC fight night in our house, it was filled with friends, family and food. I usually do some fight night food just because it gives me a chance to either try new recipes and get feedback (from entirely too honest people) or to put together my true-blue-favorites (for when I'm all needy for compliments).

Last night I did a little mix of new and old: "Best Bacon Dip Ever", "Wasabi Ham Rolls", "Bacon Ham Rolls", and "Fire Bites".

Ready? FIGHT! Oh wait, I mean COOK!

The "Best Bacon Dip Ever" I have to credit to my husband, he threw this together as a last minute dip and it turned out to be a popular choice.

Ingredients
1 tub Sour Cream (16 oz)
1/2 cup Fine chopped Green Onions
1/2 cup Bacon Bits or Crumbled Fresh Cooked Bacon
1/3 cup Finely shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions
Mix all the ingredients and chill! How easy is that?

We served the dip with both tortilla and regular ruffled chips. I preferred the tortilla, but it seems to go well with either.

The "Wasabi Ham Rolls" and the "Bacon Ham Rolls" are a GREAT recipe in my eyes because it's so quick and easy. You can make them fancy or plain and you can fix them shortly before or the night before. It just gives you so many options and you can change up the filling to your liking that this is an hors d'oeuvre that you can totally customize depending on your mood. I've always gotten compliments on this one and I'm going to explain a few was to change or dress it up.

Ingredients
1 package Oscar Myer Ham (thickly slicked squares), sliced in half
1 package Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Bacon Bits or Freshly Cooked Bacon Crumbled
1/2 cup Finely chopped Green Onions
Wasabi, to taste
Toothpicks

For Wasabi Rolls, mix softened cream cheese and Wasabi. I used an entire tube in mine because I know that myself and my guests enjoy the punch of Wasabi. I suggest you taste this as you mix in and find your perfect mixture.

For Bacon Rolls, mix softened cream cheese, bacon bits and chopped green onions.

Directions
I spread a small block (about 1 inch by 1 inch) on one end of one slice of halved ham and then roll and hold closed with a toothpick. However, my mother usually will spread the mixture over the entire slice and then roll so it gets the layered roll look to it. That's just a preference. She goes for look and I go for ease.

Variations
The mixture can be a mixture of almost anything. Another popular mixture is cream cheese mixed with shredded cucumber and a little garlic. Let your imagination go with these, you can come up with some great variations to serve.
Also, you can fancy the ham rolls up by slicking the ham in half with a crinkle cutter instead of a regular knife. It gives it a very pretty edge on one end.
And in addition to toothpicks, you can sub them for slivers of carrot. I've run into a problem with that because I can't seem to find the perfect size to spike the roll with. It's either too small and can't penetrate the skin or it's too big and just creates a huge gash in it.

My "Fire Bites" are a fan favorite and I wish I would remember to make them more often because I forget how much I (I mean others!) enjoy them. They really aren't quite as hot as they sound but depending on the jalapeños you choose, they could really have a kick!

Ingredients
12 Jalapeños Halved (to make 24)
1 package Cream Cheese, softened
12 pieces of Bacon, Halved (to make 24)
Toothpicks

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 (for a light or thin baking sheet) or 375 for a darker sheet or stone.
After halving the jalapeños, remove the seeds and clean the core out. Be careful, you may want to wear gloves while doing this.
Fill each jalapeño with cream cheese. Wrap the jalapeño with a halved piece of Bacon and hold it in place with a toothpick.
Cook at one of the above temperatures (depending on the type of baking dish you use), I use a stone bar pan for mine. Cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on how crisp you want the bacon. I suggest not letting it get too crispy or you will loose a lot of flavor.

Let cool and serve!!

There you have it!! Super easy hors d'oeuvre for any occasion!

Rocky Road No-Bake Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:13:00 +0000

I will start this recipe off by saying, do not over chop your peanuts and chocolate. I did and basically after mixing it all together, I didn't get the real chunky-ness that I should have within the pie mix. Also, I wouldn't recommend using a stand mixer, no matter how low of a setting. I think I would have gotten the desired look if I would have just stirred things in instead. However, I think I can safely say that the taste is perfect. It tastes so much like rocky road ice cream!

So without further a due, I'll post the recipe, compliments of Kraft Foods.

Prep Time:
15 min

Total Time:
4 hr 15 min

Makes:
10 servings, one slice each

Ingredients:

3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

3/4 cup JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows

1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS COCKTAIL Peanuts

1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)

MICROWAVE 1 of the chocolate squares in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and milk in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Gently stir in whipped topping, marshmallows and peanuts. Coarsely chop remaining 2 chocolate squares; stir into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until set. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

See the picture below to see my finished product: You really can't see the great color it has!

Homemade Kahlua

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:13:00 +0000

I was intrigued today while talking to someone who mentioned that they make their own infused alcohol - such peach vodka, cherry brandy, etc. Not just "flavored" but infused. I think it's going to be something I definitely try, but before jumping into the big stuff, I'm going to try doing some homemade Kahlua.

I've found two variations, one semi-easy and one semi-easier. I plan on making both this weekend. Both recipes say to let it sit for 30 days to age, so I'm going to post the recipe this weekend as I make it to document the process, but the "Kahlua Taste Off" won't be for another 30 days.

So, stayed tuned for this Saturday!

Drinking is cooking! Sort of.

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:11:00 +0000

I've found a small little trick this summer to make my water way tasty without having to carry little packets of powder around. All you need is your freezer and some fruit juice.
Freeze ice cubes (or in my case the ice sticks that fit great into water bottles) half with water and half with fruit juice. Want it even better? Instead of juice use fresh squeezed fruit. Lemon, Lime, Orange, whatever!

Drop it in your bottle frozen like you would your little powder and viola... and good for you! (although watch the calories on some of the sweeter juices). As it melts you get juicy goodness.

Sure, it's easier to carry the little powder in your purse but trust me, this tastes way better! (Or maybe I'm just hyping it up because I think it's so much fun). You'll never know till you try it!

Asparagus

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:48:00 +0000

At one point, if I even mentioned asparagus in my house, the only thing I heard were groans and moans from my husband. Needless to say, he's not a fan.

But I've managed to change that and so can you with this great spring/summer grilled asparagus.

Here's the ingredient list:

Asparagus
2 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)
About 1 cup Olive Oil (per asparagus bunch)
Pepper to taste

So here's the deal when choosing asparagus, it's in season from spring until summer, so it's perfect grilling weather! You want firm, straight spears with closed tips. Also make sure that the bottoms (where they've been cut) aren't overly dried out.

To Prep: Wash the spears well and cut off any tough parts on the bottom of the spears. Toss your olive oil into a zip lock bag and add your asparagus. I like to close the bag up at this point and make sure that the spears are nicely covered in oil by shaking the bag around. Re-open the bag and add your garlic and your pepper to taste. Re-seal and shake making sure the mixture has coated the spears.

Now, Grill! Grilling is the simple part. I usually grill mine for about 5 minutes, or until they start to get slightly tender, but not so soft that they lose shape.

I also save my mixture from my bag and drizzle it over the asparagus once I take it off the grill.

How easy is that? If you try it, comment and let me know how you like it!

Tuna Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:13:00 +0000

You'll have to forgive me for not giving credit where credit is due, but I honestly can't remember where I found this recipe at. Obviously, not online or I would have it bookmarked.
This turned out much better than I thought it would because as much as I like tuna, I'm not usually a "fish cake" kinda gal. Even saying "fish cake" kind of creeps me out a little.
Also, I was really nervous at how the husband and 2 year old would take to it as both are very picky eaters. Strike that, the 2 year old is, the husband only uses that excuse when I cook things like Rainbow Roasted Pepper Soup (otherwise known as the Soup incident).
But to my surprise both the husband and child (especially the kid!) loved them, so I'm noting this as a kid friendly recipe as well.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cans (6oz) tuna in water, drained, flaked.
1 package (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken.
1 cup Kraft shredded mild cheddar cheese.
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup Kraft Mayo Real Mayonnaise.
2 Tbsp. Claussen Sweet Pickle Relish.
3/4 cup water

Directions
Round up all ingredients ahead of time. using Stove Top Stuffing in this recipe gives it a perfectly seasoned taste.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 10 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Scoop tuna mixture, using 1/3 cup for each cake, into a skillet in batches. Try using an ice cream scoop to make evenly portioned cakes.
Gently flatten cakes using a spatula.
Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Makes 6 servings, 2 cakes each.

Number of Servings: 6

Black Bean Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:53:00 +0000

I found this recipe on the Food Network website and changed it up a little to my own liking and it turned out to be a huge hit!

Slightly spicy, fresh and perfect for a hot summer evening. Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts to change the flavor.

2 cans Black Beans, drained
2 cans Yellow Sweet Corn, drained
1 cup Red Onion, diced
1 cup Green Onion, chopped
1 cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
Fresh Cilantro, chopped, to taste (I used a handful in mine)

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour (or more) before serving.

Blue Moon Burgers

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:23:00 +0000

So, I dipped into a a recipe book that I received as a gift during Christmas, Rachel Ray's Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook. I decided one Friday night that I would try out a new type of burger because well, in my house, burgers get boring.

So, it was a "Blue Moon Burger" night.

The recipe calls for exact measurements, I found it much more easy and to my liking to just wing it.

Ground beef
Blue Cheese, block
Red Wine (dry, not cooking wine)
Romaine Lettuce
1 Red Onion
Kaiser Rolls
Salt
Pepper

Make patties to your liking. I made mine about 3/4 an inch thick, and because you are going to stuff the center of these, thin patties will not work. In each patty create a small pocket in the center and stuff the pocket with a "hunk" of blue cheese. Add more or less to your liking. Fill a small dish with your red wine, enough to lay the patties in and have the bottom saturate. As your patties marinate, slice your red onion into small circular slices and clean and break your romaine lettuce apart.
After marinating for about 15 minutes, salt and pepper the patties (I actually forgot about mine and let them soak for 15), and then hit the grill. I would highly suggest you only cook them to a medium rare or a medium at the very most or you will lose quite a bit of the flavor of this great burger. The cheese should be slightly melted, but not enough to really get gooey. The entire burger should carry the flavor of the cheese.
Remove from the grill, place on your roll and top with a slice of onion and lettuce and serve. No mayo or ketchup necessary!

Enjoy!

Blackforest Trifle

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:14:00 +0000

I have to give credit where credit is due, and oh boy, is credit due!
The Blackforest Trifle recipe was given to me while hosting a Pampered Chef show at my home a month or so ago. I'm a Pampered Chef addict but that's for a different blog all together!

I've made this once again after the show and the recipe has been a huge hit with my family, in fact my mother has taken it and pass it on to a few of her friends as well! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 box Devils Food Cake (I used Betty Crocker)
1 can Cherry Pie Filling
1 tsp Almond Extract
1/2 cup Cherry Flavored Juice (I prefer Juicy Juice)
2 boxes White Chocolate Pudding
2 cups Milk
8oz Cool Whip
1 Hershey's Chocolate Bar (no almonds)

Bake the Devils Food Cake according to box and let cool completely. Cut the cake into bite sized cubes.

Mix together: cherry pie filling, almond extract, cherry flavored juice.
Mix together: white chocolate pudding, milk and fold in cool whip.

Layer in a trifle bowl (or any other decorative see-thru bowl: cake, cherry mix, pudding mix, grate chocolate on top of the cool whip.

Optional: You can garnish with cherries and additional chocolate.

Either serve immediately or you can chill for a few hours.

Chicken Pot Pie (Success!)

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:43:00 +0000

MmmMmm Perfect Pot Pie.

I typically don't find recipies that are all that appealing from Kraft Foods but I have to admit, this was a winner.

One recipe change I would make in the future is to elliminate the Zesty Italian Dressing and just cooking the chicken in seasonings of your choice. It gave it a much too sweet taste that I could have done without.

One piece of advice, when working with the pastry puff, be very careful when unfolding it, if it rips, take the egg and brush it on and press the pastry back together.

So, without further adue.. I present to you a very hearty, stick to your ribs, family favorite:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Heat dressing in large skillet. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 min. or until cooked through. Stir in vegetables, soup and VELVEETA. Spoon into greased 9-inch square baking dish.

UNFOLD pastry sheet; place over chicken mixture. Fold under edges of pastry; press onto top of baking dish to seal. Brush pastry with egg. Cut several slits in top crust to permit steam to escape.

PLACE dish on baking sheet. Bake 30 min. or until deep golden brown. Let stand 5 min. before serving.