Italian Sausage Bake May 11, 2010

Ive had this recipe saved for a little while. I found it on the blog, Fake Ginger. Ive made just a few small changes. The next time I make this, Ill probably add some bell peppers and some baby bella mushrooms. Feel free to experiment!
This meal is a great weeknight meal thats actually pretty figure friendly. It tastes like you’ve been cooking all day. It has a really rich, hearty flavor. The little garlic breads on top are a MUST!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb rotini pasta

1 lb italian turkey sausage, removed from casings

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 tbsp italian seasoning blend

1 ladle starchy cooking water from pasta

salt and pepper

1 cup shredded italian blend cheese

1 french baguette

3 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp italian seasoning blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water heavily and cook pasta to al dente. Before you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water for sauce.

In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add turkey sausage, onion, and garlic cloves to pan and cook until turkey is fully cooked. Pour in tomato sauce and add in 2 tbsp italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and starchy cooking water. Stir to combine. Turn off heat. Add mozzarella to turkey mixture and stir. Drain pasta and add to sauce.

Spray 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour pasta and sauce into pan. Slice baguette into thin slices.

In small bowl, combine the butter, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 tsp italian seasoning. Spread garlic butter on each bread slice. Arrange on top of pasta. Bake 10 mins. 

Source: http://www.amanda.fakeginger.com

Chicken Mole Enchiladas March 10, 2010

Wow! Ive totally been M.I.A for a while havent I? Im sorry! I promise I will start updating this thing on a more regular basis. I just couldnt seem to be able to get back into the swing of things after the holidays.

Have you guys saw the new show on the Food Network called Mexican Made Easy?? It comes on Saturday mornings at 9:30. The host is Marcella Valladolid. Its so nice to see a new face on FN. I love this show. If you havent saw it yet, you must.

This is the first recipe that Ive tried for Mexican Made Easy and I can tell you that I definately wont be my last. This meal is very messy once you start rolling the enchiladas but its worth every bit of it! I know it sounds a bit weird with the combo of some of the ingredients but trust me, its SOO good.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

olive oil

5 dried ancho chiles. stemmed and seeded

1/2 cup hot water

handful of tortilla chips

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 3/4 cups chicken stock – I used about 2 cups

3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp dried oregano

5.5 oz Mexican chocolate- I used 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12 corn tortillas, warmed

1/4 cup mexican crema

3/4 cup queso fresco

　

Directions:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Boil until cooked though. Cool and set aside.

For the Mole: Reconstitute the dried anchos by soaking them in 1 1/2-2cups hot water for 15-20 mins. Drain and set aside In a large saucepan, heat the oil over med heat. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute 3 mins. Then add garlic and cook 2 mins more. Transfer onion and garlic mixture to blender along with handful of tortilla chips, chicken stock,peanut butter, sugar, and oregano. Blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a med skillet and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate and cinnamon. Season the mole with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1 cup of mole for garnishing the enchiladas, the rest will be used for dipping the tortillas.

To assemble the enchiladas: Re-heat the shredded chicken if needed. Heat tortillas in microwave until warm (recipe calls for the tortillas to be dipped in hot oil and fried 2 mins to warm, I just microwaved to save calories/fat). One by one, dip warm tortillas into the warm mole (which should be right next to the pan for easy dipping) and place on a cutting board. Working quickly, put about 1/3 cup of chicken in the center. Roll the tortilla like a cigar. Place in serving dish seam side down. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and place them side by side. Pour the remaining, reserved Mole over the top, drizzle with a little mexican crema, sprinkle with queso fresco, and serve.

Complete Thanksgiving Meal November 29, 2009

Here is a pic of Jeremy’s plate of all the Thanksgiving food, except dessert. As you can see I also made gravy,corn (canned) and deviled eggs (my secret recipe, sorry!).

Caramel Apple Pie November 29, 2009

I also made this pie for Thanksgiving. This was the first pie I had ever made. The crust is super easy to make yet it tastes and looks like it took forever!  Im gonna be lazy though and just post the link to the recipe!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1932620

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie November 29, 2009

The only kind of chocolate pie I had ever had was the kind made with pudding from a box. Homemade chocolate pudding has a much richer, more chocolatey flavor. This pie is SOO good. I didnt make the meringue for this because Jeremy doesnt like it.

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2009/11/old-fashioned-chocolate-pie-for.html

Ingredients:

1 pillsbury pie crust

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp vanilla

2 tbsp butter

Bake crust as directed on package. Let cool.

In med-large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cocoa together using wire whisk. Add milk. Over med heat, cook, stirring constantly until heated through. Temper in egg yolks.  Stir constantly until thick. Add in vanilla and butter. Let cool. Pour into crust.

Sweet Potato Casserole November 29, 2009

This recipe is from combining several recipe that I found. It turned out very good and will definately be the one I use from now on. Its not overly sweet and the pumpkin pie spice really lets the sweet potato flavor shine through.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs sweet potato

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup half and half

 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tbsp maple syrup

pinch of salt

1 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheet with foil. Prick skin of the sweet potatoes with fork and roast for 1 hour. Peel and transfer to large bowl. Mash with potato masher. Add in everything except marshmallows and pecans. Stir to combine and pour potato mixture into baking dish. Bake 20 mins. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows and pecans. Bake additional 15 mins.

Cranberry Sauce November 29, 2009

I have no clue where I found this recipe but I had written it down sometime last year. If this recipe belongs to you, let me know so I can credit you.  This is my go to cranberry sauce recipe. I really hate canned cranberry sauce because of the weird can shape lol It grosses me out so I started making my own. Who would’ve known it was so simple!

Ingredients:

1 bag cranberries

1 cup sugar

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp orange peel, grated

1/8 tsp ground cloves

pinch of salt

Directions:

Combine everything together in med saucepan. Cook on med heat for 10-15 mins until thickened and sugar is dissolved. Transfer to bowl to cool and remove cinnamon stick.

 

Yeast Rolls November 29, 2009

I LOVE rolls but have never really tried making yeast rolls at home. I usually just buy those packages of frozen yeast rolls at the store! These are way better and worth every bit of effort it takes to make these. This recipe is from Katie Lee Joel’s cookbook, The Comfort Table.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup warm water

Two 1/4 oz packets of active dry yeast (41/2 tsp)

1 cup plus 1 tsp sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tbsp salt

1 cup cold water

1 cup boiling water

7-8 cups flour- I use self rising

Directions:

In small bowl, combine warm water with yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Set aside for 5 mins until mixture starts to bubble slightly.

In large bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, eggs, salt, and oil. Mix in cold water and then boiling water. Add yeast mixture and stir until combined. Slowly stir in 7 cups of flour, until incorporated.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Coat your hands with flour and knead dough 8-10 mins. If dough remains sticky, add up to 1 more cup of flour. When you’re done, dough should be stretchy like elastic. Put dough in clean large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Punch down dough. Grease two 12 cup muffin pans. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Using knife, cut dough into 24 equal pieces. Divide each piece into three 1 inch balls. Place each set of 3 balls into one muffins tin. Loosely cover and allow rolls to rise for 3 hours at room temp.

Thirty mins before baking, preheat oven to 350. Bake 15 mins or until golden.

 

Broccoli Casserole November 29, 2009

For the last few years broccoli casserole has been a holiday staple at my house. I use Paula Deens recipe. It turns out delicious every time!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/broccoli-casserole-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

2 10 oz boxes chopped frozen broccoli, cooked and drained

1 cup mayo

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese- I always use Cabot 75% Fat Free block cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 eggs, beaten

1 sleeve ritz crackers

2 tbsp butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13×9 pan with nonstick spray.

Combine everything except crackers and butter together in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into baking dish. Top with crushed crackers and dot with butter. Bake 35 mins.

Cornbread Stuffing November 29, 2009

Its not the holidays without stuffing. This is hands down my favorite stuffing recipe. It couldnt be easier to make.

Adapted from:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/neelys-holiday-cornbread-stuffing-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

5 sprigs fresh thyme, minced

5 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced

8-10 sprigs fresh sage, minced

3 tbsp butter

1 bag cornbread stuffing mix ( I use Pepperidge Farm)

2-3 cups chicken or turkey broth, depending on how moist you like your stuffing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.In large skillet, melt butter. Saute onion until soft. Add in herbs and cook about 2 mins. Pour stuffing mix into large bowl. Add in onion/herb mixture. Pour in broth until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer stuffing to casserole dish and bake 20 mins.