Saturday, November 18, 2006

Chicken Salsa Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 green or red pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 zucchini cut into 1" strips
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1/2 cup salsa
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tortillas


Directions:

1. In large skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Saute pepper, onion, and zucchini for 3-5 minutes or until tender.

2. Remove from pan. Add remaining oil to skillet.

3. Cook and stir chicken until no longer pink. Add salsa and soy sauce and heat through.

4. Return vegetables to skillet and heat.

5. Meanwhile wrap tortillas in foil. Heat oven to 350 for 5-10 minutes.

6. Spoon mixture onto tortillas, wrap and serve.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Chocolate Nut Dipped Apricots

Ingredients:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate
15-20 dried apricots
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in microwave oven at medium power in 1 minute bursts. Stir between bursts as chocolate holds it's shape even after it's melted.
2. Dip each apricot into chocolate with a small fork.
3. Allow to drip then quickly roll or sprinkle on the pecans.
4. Place on waxed paper to dry.

Chocolate Spiders

Ingredients:

12 oz semi sweet chocolate grated, finely chopped or chips
5 oz chow mein noodles
1 cup salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
2. Melt the chocolate at a low temperature.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add noodles and peanuts. Fold until well coated with chocolate.
5. Drop by teaspoonful onto waxed paper baking sheet.
6. Chill until well set.

Peanut Butter Snowballs

Ingredients:

1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp margarine or butter
454 grams/1 lb/3 cups white chocolate wafers

Directions:

1. Measure sugar, peanut butter and margarine into a bowl, mix well.
2. Shape into 1" balls and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet.
3. Chill 30 minutes or until firm.
4. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave using only low to medium heat. Stir frequently from start to finish.
5. Dip balls into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to harden.

Beef and Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tbsp oil
1 1/2 pound ground beed, browned and drained
salt and pepper
1 lg onion chopped
1 can tomato paste
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp Sherry (optional)
1 can tomato soup
grated cheddar or parmesan cheese
1 tbsp oregano

Directions:

1. Toss cooked noodles in oil. Place in slow cooker.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese.
3. Stir thoroughly.
4. Sprinkle cheese overtop.
5. Cover and cook on low 4-8 hours, (high 2-3 hours).

From website www.justslowcooking.com

Slow Cooker Ribs

Ingredients:

3 lbs ribs
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce


Directions:
1. Combine onion powder, red pepper, cinnamon and garlic powder.
2. Rub on ribs. Place in slow cooker, pour in water, on low for 7-8 hours.
3. Remove ribs, pour out liquid, put ribs back in and pour on BBQ sauce.
4. Cook on low for 1 hour.

Strawberry Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
2 cups apple juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water (cold)
4 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

1. Blend strawberries and apple juice in blender until smooth.
2. In medium saucepan on medium, cook strawberry mixture, sugar and cinnamon. Stir frequently 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
3. Combine water and cornstarch. Add to hot mixture.
4. Cook for 3 minutes until thickened and clear.
5. Chill for one hour.
6. Pour into 8" pan and chill for three hours.
7. Break frozen mixture into chunks, beat with mixer until fluffy. Put in air tight container. Freeze until firm.

This will work with any seasonal fruit.

Lemony Biscotti

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Directions:
1. Mix first four ingredients.
2. In large bowl beat together next four ingredients.
3. Add eggs.
4. Stir in flour mixture forming a soft dough.
5. Divide into half making two 10" logs.
6. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes until lightly brown.
7. Let cool. Reduce the oven to 275.
8. Slice log rolls into thin slices.
9. Bake for 35 minutes until dry. Flip and bake 20 minutes more or until dry.

Mango, Strawberry, Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cucumber cubed
1 large mango cubed
8 cups mixed greens torn

Directions:

1. In large bowl mix ingredients.
2. Add fruit and toss.
3. Pour over greens on serving plates.

Cottage Cheese Herb Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 green onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp Worchestershire sauce
pinch of pepper
dash of hot sauce

Directions:

1. Blend cottage cheese and yogurt in blender until smooth.
2. Stir in rest.
3. Chill overnight.

Banana Berry Wake Up Shake

Ingredients:

1 banana
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
1 cup milk
3/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt (or berry flavored if so desired)

Directions:

1. In blender liquefy banana and berries with small amount of milk. Add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth. If too thick add more milk.

Serves 2.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Classy Chicken

This was one of the dishes brought to us after Brooklyn was born. For the first time in months I had seconds! It's so good.

Ingredients
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 tsp black pepper
3 tsp oil
2-3 cups of cooked rice
broccoli (to taste) cut up
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder or Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup grated cheese
bread crumbs

Directions
1. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and saute in oil over medium heat until white and opaque.

2. Mix soup, mayonnaise, curry or Dijon, lemon juice and the juice from the chicken in a bowl. Add a bit of water to dilute slightly.

3. Add a little of this mixture to the rice.

4. Arrange rice in bottom of 9 x 13" pan. Next do a layer of broccoli, then the chicken. Pour the soup mixture over this and finish off with a layer of cheese and bread crumbs.

5. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Nick mentioned after me making this that it would be better if the rice, chicken and broccoli were mixed together. I agree but it depends on your family's taste.

Compliments of Elaine Kelley.