Southwester Chicken Salad with 2 dressings

Southwestern Chicken Salad

For the chicken:

2 medium chicken breasts ( I used a pack of chicken tenders)

1 T Taco Seasoning

½ t cumin

¼ t salt

Juice of ½ lime

1 T of olive oil

For the Salad

Romaine

Avocado

Diced tomato

Black beans

Garbonzo beans

Corn

cilantro

Marinate chicken in zip lock bag for at least 30 minutes to overnight.  Cook chicken in skillet.  

Top with Cilantro lime vinaigrette or Creamy tomatillo or both.

Café Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

2 tomatillos

½ bunch cilantro

2 cloves garlic

½ jalapeno, deseeded

Juice of 2 limes

1 Tablespoons sugar

1 C Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing ( I used Newmans Own)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend together, no need to chop.  Refridgerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Overnight is best.

Café Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

2 Cups mayonnaise, not light

2 cups sour cream

½ bunch cilantro

2 Tomatillos

2 green onions, green parts only

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeno, deseeded

Juice of 2 limes

About 1 teaspoon salt…to taste

*Blend together and refrigerate

Cooking Club Feb 2019 Guacamole's

Pear Guacamole

4 Avocados

1 jalapeno, serrano or habenaro

Half squeezed lime

½ cup onion

Garlic salt and salt to taste

1 pear sliced and saute’d in butter

Gargonzola cheese

Strawberry Guacamole

4 Avocados

1 jalapeno, serrano or habenaro

Half squeezed lime

½ cup onion

Garlic salt and salt to taste

Gargonzola cheese

6-8 strawberries cut small

Balsamic glaze drizzled on top

Rosemary Focaccia Loaves

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

1 c. warm (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit) water

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh), divided
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 1/4-2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly. While the yeast is getting bubbly, combine 2 C of the flour, salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. rosemary, oregano and garlic powder.

Add flour mixture to yeast mixture along with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Mix well. (I put it in my stand mixer with the dough hook on). Slowly add remaining flour to make a very soft dough–try and resist the urge to add too much flour.  You want a soft, wet dough.

Cover and allow to rise 45 min- 1 hour or until double in size.

Lightly flour your work surface and transfer dough onto this surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a rounded loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Cover and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use remaining tablespoon of olive oil to brush over tops of loaves, discarding excess if you have any.  Sprinkle with remaining rosemary and some Kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden-brown. Serve immediately (if you can) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if you want).

Coconut Fruit Dip

½ c. cream cheese, softened
½ c. sugar
½ c. sour cream
½ c. sweetened shredded coconut

Mix together. Enjoy.

Tomato Bruschetta

3 lbs. of tomato
2 tbsp. of basil
2 tbsp. of Italian parsley
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 tsp. of capers
1 shake of red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
2 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar

Mix together (flavors blend if it sits in the fridge for an hour). Cut up a long baguette and broil butter, salt and pepper for a few minutes until toasty then rub with a garlic clove after they are out of the oven.

Bacon wrapped Jalapeno's

Preparation Instructions:
Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.

Cowboy Salsa

3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
4 Green Onions, chopped
1 c. frozen corn
1/2-3/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 c. black eye peas (drained and rinsed)
2 avocados, chopped (add before serving)
½ bottle Hendrickson’s dressing

Mix all ingredients, serve with chips

Best Bread Ever!

Haha. Well, since I didn't cook for cooking club this year, I guess I will post my favorite recipes from the last two years of hosting cuz I want a prize from Lisa. ;)


Jo's Rosemary Bread
1 c water
3 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs dried rosemary
2 1/2 c bread flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. (mine just likes wet ingredients on the bottom) Select white bread cycle, press start. You can also mix it in a mixer or machine, shape, let rise, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes (or more, depending on how you shape it) Another review of the recipe listed....
(1. yeast + 1/4 c. warm water, wait 10 min. 2. Add flour, salt, sugar, oil knead like heck. 3. Add the herbs & pepper [I used oregano instead of an Italian blend, and rosemary from my own garden] and knead some more. 4. Let rise an hour or so in an oiled, covered bowl in a warm place. 5. Punch down, let rise another hour. 6. Bake at 375 until browned. 7. Remove from oven, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.)Serve with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. YUMMY!

My Favorite Soup

Potato Corn Chowder
6 C water
6 medium potatoes (for thicker chowder, add a couple of extra potatoes)
1 med onion, chopped
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 vegetable bullion
1/8 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pepper to taste
4 c corn
1/4 c heavy cream
1 Tbs dill
sour cream

*bring water to boil
*add potatoes, onion, garlic and celery
*return water to boil then add bullion and seasonings
*cover and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 min or until potatoes are tender
*cool slightly then remove 2-3 cups of potatoes from stock and set aside
*blend remaining chowder in increments
*reheat over low heat
*add corn and reserved potatoes, simmer, but continually stir for 5 min to ensure that chowder does not stick
*add cream and dill and continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes
*serve with a dollop of sour cream

Dippety Doo Dah!

Pumpkin Spice Dip
1 8oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c brown sugar

Mix till smooth; serve with apple slices or ginger snaps.

Apple Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Cinnamon Chips

4 (7-inch) Flour Tortillas

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salsa

2 Medium Granny Smith Apples

1 Cup Strawberries, sliced

1 Kiwi, peeled and chopped

1 Small Orange

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons apple jelly

Preheat oven to 400. For cinnamon chips, lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over tortillas. Using a pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; place in single layer on a baking stone. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove to cooling rack.

For Salsa, peel, core and slice apples. Cut apples into quarters, and chop. Slice strawberries and kiwi and chop. Place fruit in a bowl. Zest orange and then juice orange and add to fruit. Add brown sugar and apple jelly to fruit mixture; mix gently. Serve with Cinnimon Chips.

Yield: 16 servings (3 cups salsa and 32 chips)

Romano's Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread

This is a copycat recipe of the bread served at Macaroni grill. It's really yummy dipped in olive oil & balsamic vinegar.

1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp rosemary (fresh is best)
2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

Place yeast, sugar, and water in a large bowl or food processor & allow mixture to become bubbly.
Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
Add one T of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Add more flour if necessary.
Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled in size.
Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 minutes.
Spray baking pan or cooking sheet with cooking spray. (Or, I like to put a little olive oil, & then sprinkle some corn meal on it to give the bottom a nice texture.)
Shape the dough into 2 small round oval loaves.
Sprinkle remaining 1 T of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.
Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake for 15-20 min., until lightly browned.

Balsamic Onion Blue Cheese Tarts

I am finally posting the appetizer from our February Cooking club. I thought it was so amazing that I have not been able to post this recipe due my slobbering problem. But its here now. I was looking at some pictures from the beginning of the year and saw these beautiful babes and new it was time to share what I know. I got this recipe from a cute little cookbook made by some ladies up at Suncrest, called "Peacocks on My Porch". These are talented ladies, and I am so happy I am privvy to their wisdom in the kitchen.
Balsamic Onion Blue Cheese Tarts 2 Lg. Onions, thinly sliced into half circles
1 1/2 T. Olive oil
1 T. butter
2 t. sugar
1 t. kosher salt
3/4 t. dry thyme
1 T. balsamic vinegar
5 oz. blue cheese
1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed.

Saute onions, sugar and salt in oil AND butter until softened and reduced, about 45 min. Stir in thyme and balsamic vinegar. Take onions off heat.

Take pastry sheet and roll out on floured surface. Cut patry into squares. Poke center with a fork and make it pretty by crimping edges. Top each pastry with 1 tsp. onion and small crumble of blue cheese. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp. LOVE IT!

I Artichoke You, Tyler Stillman for taking away my Virgin Lips Dip

I am posting in behalf of Amber who contributed this yummy dip to our cooking club this month. So needless to say, I didn't date Tyler Stillman but it sure sounds like Amber did or something close to it. It seems safe to say that Amber would rather have this dip on lips than Tyler Stillman

I Artichoke you, Tyler Stillman for taking away my Virgin Lips Dip

1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonnaise

1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c mozzarella cheese, cubed

1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1 package spinach, thawed and squeezed of its juices

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Place in shallow casserole dish. You can either bake dip for about 15-20 minutes at 325 or heat in the microwave for a few minutes. Serve with a variety of veggies or chips and crackers.

Chris Tingey Hummus Dip

I don't remember a lot about Chris Tingey. I think he was kind of non-descript. But this hummus is anything but non-descript. It is makes your mouth "tingle" because of the raw garlic in it- which is why Chris Tingey got chosen to represent this dish.

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 clove crushed garlic

5-7 fresh basil leaves

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. You can add more olive oil if it is too thick. Serve with pita chips or your favorite veggies.

Coconut and Mango Lassi's

I had fun making lassi's for the tried and true ladies.  We all were happy with the white grape juice sweetener, but most wanted plenty of it.  

I have been drinking coconut lassi's almost every morning since for breakfast.  I can't get enough of my tropical flavors lately.  

Mango Lassi

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped mango

4 Tbsp sweetener of choice

Dash of cardamom is good!

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend away!  

Delicious served over ice with a straw and a dash of cardamom on top!

Coconut Lime Lassi

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

Juice from one lime (optional---I think a tsp is a good way to go, as well)

2-4 Tbsp sweetener (honey is delicious, white grape juice is nice, too)

Cardamom, optional

Blend it up and serve over ice!  Heaven!

We had several ladies who enjoyed mixing the mango and the coconut lassi together.  

Thanks for the lesson on how to cut a mango, Kamille!  What a pretty centerpiece for a fruit plate!  My kids love it!

Xiau Long Bau

This dish was and is one of our favorite meals from Taiwan. We would eat these more than once every week with a side dish of cucumbers Chinese style. I got this recipe from a Chinese cookbook and I have made it my own. The best about this recipe is that you can purchase ALL ingredients at a regular grocery store. I encourage all of you to try this recipe out. It may be a little intimidating just because my bamboo steamer looks so ligit....well it is. But before I got the bamboo steamer (which you can buy online or at any specialty cooking store) I cooked these babies in my rice cooker using a tray in the top for steaming. Anyway....here is the recipe.

Xiau Long Bau

Meat Mixture

2 lb. ground pork

2 T. scallions

2 heaping t. fresh, diced (tiny) ginger

1 1/2 t. salt

3 t. soy sauce

3 t. sugar

3 T. Sesame oil

9 T. water

Mix together and let it sit while you make the dough. The flavors and smell will only get better and stronger as they gell together.

Dough

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 t. sugar

1 T. yeast

Stir together and let sit.

Then add

2 1/2 c. flour

Mix and let it rise.

Combine in a second bowl

1 c. flour

1 T. dry milk

1 T. shortening

3 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

Add to risen dough. I made this in my bosch and it made it very simple.

On a flat and floured surface put these little pieces of heaven together. Grab a little ball of dough and put some flour on the palm of your hand. Flatten dough on your hand into a nice flat circle. Put a spoonful of pork mixture in the center and close up. Place finished balls on a circular cloth. (about the size of your steamer)

Steam for 15 minutes over boiling water.

Eat, by dipping into individual sauce.

Sauce may include soy sauce, red vinegar, red chili oil and strips of fresh ginger. Mix together according to taste.

Grapefruit Slush

This dish is a palate cleanser. Meaning it makes your mouth prepared to taste all the food that is coming. I works best if it's served really tart, Grandma makes it with 2 cans grapefruit and puts in all the grapefruit juice. I like it better a little sweeter you can be the judge.

1 Can pineapple crushed or tidbits

1 can or jar grapefruit (jar is better because there is no skin in it but it's hard to find)

1 jar marichino cherries

1 1/2 C. water

3/4 C. sugar

Mix water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Pour all fruit and juices (EXCEPT GRAPEFRUIT JUICE) into a 9 x 13 pan and freeze for 24 hours. Chop it up and serve in cup with 7-up poured over the top. Best if cold canned soda - it is fizzier.

Halloween Creations for Next Year

Food to Spook your little Spooks!!!

Spiderweb - your favorite seven layer did put the crushed olives on top, put some sour cream in a zip-lock, snip the end off and Walah!!

Mummy toes - Cocktail Wieners (or whatever name they are) wrapped in tortilla strips with a little hit of BBQ sauce to look like a bloody toe.

Cut off Hand Punch (A Big Hit) - A bag of frozen rasberries, cranberry juice (1 to 1 1/2 C.), two packages of unflavored gelatin. Dissolve Gelatin in the juice add the raspberries. Pour into a rubber glove washed and turned inside out. Freeze for atleast 24 hours up to a week the longer the better. Cut glove off and put in punch bowl. You could make it really cute with gummy worms in the punch if you didn't wait to shop until Halloween and then the WalMart is all sold out.

Witch/Monster fingers - Breadsticks in a can, shape 'em over a wad of foil on a baking sheet, brush on egg with with a little green food coloring in it put on the nails (almonds) and sprinkle with poppy seeds. (These were the most work of everything and not as cute as they look in the picture.)Last, but not least - Deviled Eyeballs - your favorite deviled eggs, with a 1/2 of an olive and it's better if you have pickled red pepper slices, but I was to cheap to buy 'em so we did ketchup in a baggie and cut of the end to make 'em look blood shot. Enjoy!!!

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

For my very first post I thought I would bo seasonal and give you something to do with all those seeds.
Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup seeds, free of slime but don't wash
5 T sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
pinch cyenne
1 1/2 T. peanut oil
Bake seeds on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 1 hour at 250 degrees
In med bowl combine 3 T Sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and 2 T sugar, cook until sugar melts and seeds begin to carmelize, 45-60 seconds. Transfer to bowl with spices and stir. Let cool. Stores for one week in airtight container.