This recipe was really good. I served it over pasta. In place of the wine I used chicken broth.
Angel Chicken...slow cooker
http://cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com/2011/02/angel-chickenslow-cooker.html

You will need
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 8-oz. pkg. fresh button mushrooms, quartered

1 6-oz. pkg. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced

1/4 cup butter

1 0.7-oz. pkg. Italian dry salad dressing mix

1 10-3/4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 of an 8-oz. tub cream cheese spread with chives and onion

Hot cooked rice or angel hair pasta


melt butter in a saucepan....

add in italian dressing packet

stir in soup , wine and cream cheese until it combines and melts

cut up mushrooms (I used all button...because I had them)

mixture is combined...

place mushrooms on the bottom of slow cooker...top with chicken....pour sauce on top...
close top and cook on low for 5 hours.

Stuffed spaghetti squash

This recipe was delicious. I filled mine with ground bison, onion, garlic, squash, tomatoes, Italian tomato sauce, bread crumbs, mozzarella and parmesan.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

http://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/2011/04/25/sensational-stuffed-spaghetti-squash/

Recipe by Courtney

Ingredients:

* 1 spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise
* 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2 tsp minced garlic
* 1/2 cup diced onion
* 2 celery stalks
* 4-5 baby carrots (or one carrot)
* 1/2 cup peppers
* 2 slices turkey bacon
* 1/2 cup each, zucchini & yellow squash
* 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
* 1/2 cup Italian-style diced tomatoes
* 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
* 3/4 cup marinara sauce
* 3 tbsp Chavrie goat cheese
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
* parmesan cheese
* Salt, pepper, dried basil, or any other spices you enjoy

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Halve the squash length-wise and scrape out the seeds. Place the halves of the squash in a large pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil. Add celery, carrots, peppers, and turkey bacon softened. Add zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and spinach and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Scrape the meat out of the squash and place in a large bowl. Add the sauteed veggies, breadcrumbs, marinara sauce, goat cheese, and spices. Mix and return the mixture to the empty squash halves. Top with extra marinara, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is bubbling and melted. ENJOY!

Granola Bars

I love this granola bar recipe. I adapted it from a few recipes I found:

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. quick oats
1/2 C. Rice Krispies
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. canola oil
1/4 C. honey
1 egg


Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips). Once everything is combined gently fold in the choco chips.

Press the mixture into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.


Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Check them at 15. When they're slightly golden they're done. Let them completely cool then cut into bars.

Oven Egg Omlet

This was really good. We had it for dinner last week. I used bacon, cheese and green onion.
Oven Omelet Roll

1 cup milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
10 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and ground pepper
3/4 cup cooked ham, sausage, or bacon
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a jelly roll type pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the two shorter sides. Grease parchment paper. Do not skip the parchment paper on this recipe. You need it to roll the omelet.
In a bowl, whisk together milk and cornstarch. Add eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper; whisk to combine. Pour into pan. Sprinkle meat over top in an even layer.
Bake until edges of omelet are set, 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar; bake until cheese has melted, 2 to 4 additional minutes.
Beginning at one shorter end, lift parchment, and roll up omelet tightly,
peeling back parchment as you go.
Slice and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

This cake was really good and much easier than the process of making cinnamon rolls.

http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/07/cinnamon-roll-cake.html
Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla


While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Rigatoni Pie

I found this idea on pinterest. It looked like such a cool idea to make a simple dinner recipe fancy. It was really easy. Just make sure to put the spring form pan on a large pan with sides because the juices will leak out while baking.

Pasta Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 pound rigatoni
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground beef (I used ground sirloin)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can (28 ounces) good quality crushed tomatoes
Butter, for pan
Salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.

Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

Homemade Auntie Anne's Pretzels

I don't think these taste exactly like Auntie Anne's, but they're seriously good.

Homemade Auntie Annes Pretzels
Adapted From Korean American Mommy (http://www.koreanamericanmommy.com/2010/12/homemade-pretzels.html)
Makes: 10-12 large pretzels
Prep Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour and 20 minutes for rising
Cook Time: 10 minutes
http://www.sprinklesofparsley.com/2011/01/homemade-auntie-annes-pretzels.html

Ingredients
Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour

Baking Soda Bath
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda

Toppings
4 tablespoons butter, melted
rock salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons water

Directions
To prepare your dough, combine 1 1/2 cups of warm water and yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using a spoon, gently stir until your yeast dissolves. Then add your brown sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Add your all purpose flour and bread flour and using the paddle attachment, mix on low for about 10 seconds until combined. Switch your attachment to the dough hook and mix on high for 5 minutes to knead your dough. If you don't have an electric mixer, you can knead by hand. Lightly grease a large pot by brushing the bottom and sides of the pan with olive oil. Place your ball of dough in the center of your pot, cover it, and let it sit for 1 hour in a warm space to rise. I keep my oven at 350 degrees and place the pot on top of the stove.

Immediately after making your dough, prepare your baking soda bath in a large mixing bowl by combining 2 cups of warm water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Stir until dissolved and continue to stir regularly while the dough is rising.

Once your dough is finished rising and has doubled in size. Put your ball of dough on a pastry mat and remove a section about 3/4 cup in size. You can break off as large or as small of a piece as you like depending on the pretzel size you want to make. Roll your section of dough into a long 1/2 inch thick string of dough. The length will vary depending on how big you want your pretzel, but the thickness should be no bigger than 1/2 inch in diameter. When rolling the dough, I found it helpful not flouring my work surface and lightly wetting my hands with water (not soaking wet). To get the right shape, roll the dough up and down with your hands, all the while pushing from the center out to get a long and narrow string of dough. That's what worked for me, but you'll find a good rhythm of your own too I'm sure!

Once you have your long string of dough, bring one end to the center, letting it hang slightly over the edge. Then bring your other end over and weave it underneath the first loop to get a pretty knot. Then dip your pretzel into the baking soda bath water, making sure to hold its shape in place. Place it on a well greased cookie sheet, making sure to put them about 1 1/2 inches in between each other. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and let your pretzels sit for 15-20 minutes before baking to allow for a second rise. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, prepare your dipping ingredients. Melt about 4 tablespoons of butter. Then mix your sugar and cinnamon together if you're making cinnamon sugar pretzels. To make an icing glaze to dip your cinnamon sugar pretzels in, combine your powdered sugar and water together in a bowl. Mix until combined and set aside for dipping. When your pretzels are cool enough to handle, generously brush them all over with your melted butter. Then dip in your cinnamon sugar mixture until coated or sprinkle with sea salt. Serve your traditional pretzels with a side of mustard for dipping or serve your cinnamon sugar pretzels with icing.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

I found these cookies on pinterest, my new favorite obsession. They're good. Rich and yummy. You definitely don't want to over bake these.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided

3 large egg whites, room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (I used 2 cups)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 (I halved the sugar here) cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.


Yield: Makes about 18

divine-baking.com

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

My sister-in-law Holley who's an amazing cook recommended this recipe. It's really good! I didn't have lime leaf so I didn't add it, but I think it would have added a lot to it.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time: -- Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: --
Level:
--
Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
1 quart chicken stock, recipe follows
1 stalk lemon grass, white part only, cracked open with the flat side of a knife
3 kaffir lime leaves, fresh or dried, hand torn
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 small Thai chilies, halved lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, rinsed
4 limes, juiced
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
Bring the stock to the boil over medium heat in a soup pot. Add the lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, chilies, and garlic. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for 10 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.

Uncover and stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, mushrooms, lime juice, and chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat the chicken through; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into a soup tureen or individual serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro. Be careful to avoid chewing the lemongrass, ginger, or lime leaves.

Carrot Cake

This carrot cake is seriously the BEST carrot cake I've ever had. I just put it in a 9 x 13 pan instead of doing layers to save on time. The buttermilk glaze says to add the baking powder and then boil, but you should add it when you add the vanilla after you've taken the mixture off the heat, otherwise it will boil over the whole time you're boiling it.

Carrot Cake

Cake:
Ingredients
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
· 3 large eggs
· 2 cups sugar
· 3/4 cup vegetable oil
· 3/4 cup buttermilk
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· 2 cups grated carrot
· 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
· 1 (3 1/2-ounce) can flaked coconut
· 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
· Buttermilk Glaze
· Cream Cheese Frosting

Preparation
· Line 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.

· Stir together first 4 ingredients.

· Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cakepans.

· Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.



Buttermilk glaze:

Ingredients
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (don't add until after you add the vanilla and after the pan is off the heat or it will boil over!)
· 1/2 cup buttermilk
· 1/2 cup butter or margarine
· 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
· Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Southern Living

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients
· 3/4 cup butter, softened
· 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
· 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
· 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation
· Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

This is the recipe for Prince William's grooms cake. It was SOO good. It's more like a cookie than a cake. I got digestives brand tea biscuits at world market and they worked great. I melted the chocolate, sugar and egg over a double broiler for a little bit just until the sugar melted and I thought the egg was cooked enough. It doesn't say in the recipe to cook the egg, but I was feeding this to kids and didn't want to worry about the raw eggs sitting out for any period of time. I think next time I will make this in a square pan and cut it into smaller brownie like chunks.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake
Recipe courtesy of Darren McGrady
Oprah.com | April 28, 2011

Servings: Makes one 6-inch round cake (8 portions)
Ingredients
1/2 tsp. butter , for greasing
8 ounces Rich tea biscuits
4 ounces unsalted butter , softened
4 ounces granulated sugar
4 ounces dark chocolate , for the cake
1 egg
8 ounces dark chocolate , for coating
1 ounce chocolate , for decorating
Directions
To make cake: Lightly grease a 6" x 2 1/2" cake ring and place on a tray on a sheet of parchment paper.

Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture starts to lighten.

Melt the 4 ounces of dark chocolate and add to the butter mixture while constantly stirring.

Beat the egg into the mixture.

Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring because this will be the top when it is unmolded.

Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

To coat and decorate: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand while you melt the 8 ounces of dark chocolate.

Slide the ring off the cake and turn it upside down onto a cake wire.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and smooth the top and sides using a palette knife.

Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.

Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where the chocolate has stuck to the cake wire and lift it onto a tea plate.

Melt the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate and use to decorate the top of the cake.

Pho' and Fried Spring Rolls

My great friend Becky taught me how to make pho' awhile ago. I've made it several times since she taught me. Each time has been a little bit different. Some better than others. This past time I made it I really liked how it turned out, so I thought I better write it down! Thank you Becky!!

Pho
1 whole chicken, thawed
Beef soup bones (preferably with some meat on them)
3 T chicken bouillon base (if you don’t have base then you need enough bouillon to make 2 quarts of broth)
Large piece of dicon radish cut in half lengthwise
2 large onions peeled and cut in half
2 big pieces of ginger (6 inch pieces) cut in half lengthwise
3 bags of pho hoa (Chinese special spice, it’s a tea bag that has all the spices in it. You can also buy the spices whole in a bag, toast them and put them in cheese cloth to put in the soup pot.)
Package of rice sticks (pho noodles, you can get them in many sizes, I like the smallest size thickness)
2 cubes of chicken (pho ga) soup seasoning (like bouillon cubes)
2 cubes of beef soup seasoning (like bouillon cubes)
1 quarter size piece of rock sugar
Thai basil
Cilantro
Mint (optional)
Hoisin sauce
Siracha (chili sauce)
Lime wedges
Bean sprouts

Put the chicken and beef in a very large pot (I use my canning pot). Cover them with water, bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes then remove chicken and beef from the pot and wash out the pot. This removes the impurities from the meat and bones.
Put the chicken and beef back in the pot. Fill the pot with water. Leave about 4 inches at the top of the pot. Bring the water up to a boil.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil char the 2 onions, dicon and ginger under a broiler.
Once the water is almost to a boil add the charred vegetables, the bags of special spice, the cubes of beef and chicken seasoning and the chicken bouillon base. Bring the soup up to a boil and then turn it down a little so it’s still bubbling, but not at a full boil. Let the soup cook as long as you can, 6-8 hours or more. Leave it uncovered so it can cook down and condense the flavor.
Put the rock sugar in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Once the soup is done cooking pull the chicken and beef out. Shred the chicken and any beef there might be. Strain out all the veggies and seasoning bags and discard.
Cook the rice sticks in boiling water for 5-7 minutes depending on thickness of the noodle. Strain the noodles and immediately rinse under cold water until they’re completely cool. Set aside.
When you’re ready to serve heat the broth back to boiling.
Put the rice noodles in the bottom of your individual serving bowls. Put chicken/beef on top and pour the hot broth over.
Garnish to taste with basil, cilantro, mint, lime, bean sprouts, hoisin and siracha.

Fried Spring Rolls
1 lb ground pork
2 c diced napa cabbage
½ c grated carrots
¼ c diced green onion
3 cloves garlic minced
2 t grated ginger
I small bunch bean thread noodles, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes until soft, then chopped
6 wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated and diced
2 t fish sauce
¼ t ground pepper
1 egg
1 package of 25 spring roll wrappers
Nuoc cham sauce (recipe follows)

Mix all the ingredients except the wrappers and nuoc cham sauce in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Roll the mixture into the wrappers and fry until golden. Serve with lettuce leaves, thai basil, cilantro, mint and nuoc cham sauce. You wrap the spring roll in a lettuce leaf, top it with the herbs and dip it into the nuoc cham sauce.


Nuco Cham Sauce
¼ c sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c fish sauce
¼ c water
2 t chili garlic sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Okonomiyaki

My friend Ai taught me how to make okonomiyaki awhile ago. It was SO good! It's like a meat & vegetable pancake. There are 2 different styles of okonomiyaki in Japan. Ai is from Osaka, where they're famous of okonomiyaki, so this is an Osaka style recipe. You can buy okonomiyaki flour that has the nagaimo and other spices in it, but she showed us the scratch recipe.


Ai’s Osaka style Okonomiyaki

(Per person)
1 c cake flour (cake flour is lighter like Japanese all purpose flour)
2/3 c water
¼ c grated nagaimo (It’s a Japanese yam that is a raw egg consistency when grated)
1 egg
Whatever toppings you want:
Bacon, cabbage, green onion, cheese, thin sliced pork, yakisoba noodles, tenkatsu, shrimp, squid etc.
Okonomiyaki sauce
Japanese mayonnaise
Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Portion out a cup of the mixture into medium size bowls, one for each person eating. Add an egg to each persons bowl and mix it in thoroughly. Each person mixes their own bowl after that and can mix in, bacon, thin sliced pork, diced cabbage, green onion, cheese, shrimp, squid tenkatsu, (little fried tempura balls) or whatever else you want.
Once each person has mixed their bowl together you pour their bowl out into a hot oiled pan like you would a big pancake. You want a pan with a lid. Cover and cook until brown and crispy. If you want yakisoba noodles then put them on top of the pancake before you flip it so they will cook on the second side. Once both sides are browned and cooked through put it on a plate and serve it with okonmiyaki sauce and mayonnaise.

Bountiful Baskets

Kimchi

I just found this website dedicated to Korean Food. It's awesome!! I made this Kimchi this afternoon. SOO good. I've also made the bulgogi on the website. Very good also!

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi

Major Grey Chutney

I wanted to make the Mar-a-Lago Turkey burger that Oprah raved about but couldn't find Major Grey Chutney at any stores so I decided to make it! Definitely easier if you can find it somewhere but it was fun to make and the burgers were awesome!

Major Grey Chutney For The Mar-a-Lago Burger

Time 40 minutes Serves 12
Ingredients
4 cups prepared mango, about 5-6 medium
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup yellow onion, chopped coarsely
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup lime, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup gingerroot grated
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped orange
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup peeled, seeded and chopped lemon
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp. mustard seed
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
How to make it
Peel, pit and coarsely chop mangos. Measure 4 cups.
Fill boiling water canner with water. Place 6 clean half pint mason jars in canner over high heat.
Combine mangos, sugar, vinegar, onions, raisins, lime, gingerroot, orange, molasses, lemon, garlic, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves and all spice in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan, Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
Place snap lids in boiling water; boil 5 minutes to soften sealing compound.
Add cilantro during the last 10 minutes of fruit-vegetable mixtures cooking time!
Ladle chutney into a hot jar to within 1/2" of top rim (head space). Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula between glass and food; readjust head space to 1/2". Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Center Snap Lid on jar; apply screw band just until fingertip tight. Place jar in canner. Repeat for remaining chutney!
Cover Canner; return to boil, process 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 ft. Remove jars. Cool 24 hours, Check jar seals. Sealed lids curve downwards.
Store in a dark cool place!

Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney
Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill
Oprah.com | June 03, 2008 Comments (10) | Print


Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill
This pear chutney topping is the key to giving the Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger that extra zing.

Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients
1 Anjour pear , peeled and diced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups Major Grey's Chutney
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss the diced pears with the cinnamon and salt. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes.

Cool and mix with the chutney and currants or raisins.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger
Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill
Oprah.com | June 03, 2008 Comments (58) | Print


Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill
Oprah found a new favorite food when she tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. "I believe [it] may be the best turkey burger in the entire world," she says. The Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger will be permanently available at the Trump Bar and Grille in Trump Tower in New York City, open to the public for lunch and dinner. It will also be served during lunch in Chicago at Sixteen, the Trump International Hotel restaurant.

Servings: Serves 8
Ingredients
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples , peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 lemon , juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley , finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney , pureed
Directions
Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.

Make your own craisins!

A little time consuming, but delish!

Homemade Craisins


Ingredients
1 bag cranberries
1 Cup sugar
2 Cup water
Directions
Cut cranberries in half.

Add sugar to water in a small pan and heat until sugar dissolves.

Add cut cranberries to syrup and soak for 20-30 minutes.

Drain berries and add to dehydrator.

Dehydrate until they are dry.

Beef Vindaloo and Tandori Chicken

Both great recipes! I think the tandori chicken had a little too much spice (the taste of the spices, not heat, so I will scale the spices back a little next time). I love that you don't have to marinate the chicken overnight!

Goan Beef Curry with Vinegar: Beef Vindaloo
Recipe courtesy Aarti Sequeira

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 30 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, trimmed of all excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
Wet Masala (spice blend):

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 (1-inch) pieces cinnamon bark
6 cloves
4 peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, more if you're feeling feisty!
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1-inch thumb fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
1 serrano pepper, sliced in half
Kosher salt
Serving suggestion: Cooked rice and chapatis (whole wheat griddle bread)
Directions
In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, toast the cumin seeds, cinnamon bark, cloves, and peppercorns until fragrant, about a minute or so. Pour into a spice grinder, and process until powdered.

In a small food processor or blender, combine the toasted spice mix and rest of the wet masala ingredients. Process until smooth. Place a large, preferably nonstick pot over high heat, and add oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and serrano pepper. Stirring frequently, saute onions until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cook's Note: Don't let them burn! Turn the heat down to medium-high if they're starting to burn.

Add the ground wet masala, taking care because it will sizzle wildly, and steam up your glasses if you wear them. Stir quite vigorously, and turn down heat if it's bubbling too furiously. Don't wash the food processor cup yet. Keep stirring, with short pauses, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the masala comes together as one mass, about 2 minutes. Also, you may see little droplets of oil on the perimeter of the masala. That's a good sign!

Quickly add the meat, and stir, coating the meat in the masala. Stir and cook about 5 minutes until the meat browns.

Remember that dirty food processor vessel? Fill it with 1 cup of hot water (from the tap is fine), swirl it around so it picks up any leftover masala, and pour that into the pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt, stir and bring the curry to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes. Then cook with the lid ajar for another 15 minutes, to thicken the gravy slightly.

Check the meat at the end of the cooking time; it should be tender, and not chewy at all. Adjust salt if you like, and serve over rice over with chapatis (whole wheat griddle bread).


Tandori Chicken
from America's Test Kitchen
Equipment:

(2) Mixing Bowls
(1) Saute Pan
Chef Knife
Cookie Sheet or Sheet Pan
Aluminum Foil to line pan
Cooling rack or grated roasting rack

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (Cut in 10 pieces/Breast Cut in Half)
6 Garlic Cloves - minced
2 Tbsp Ginger - minced
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Garam Masala
2 Limes
1 Cup Yogurt
2 Tbsp Veg Oil
2 tsp Salt

Procedure:

1. Saute Pan, medium heat
2. Add veg oil - when shimmering
3. Add garlic and ginger - stir constantly to prevent burning - sweat 1 min
4. Add seasoning (cumin, chili powder, garam marsala) and bloom in pan for 1 min with garlic and ginger (stirring constantly)
5. Remove from heat - let cool in pan

1. Once cool, divide mixture between two mixing bowls.
2. To Bowl (A) add 2 Tbsp Lime Juice and 1 Cup Yogurt
3. Mix ingredients in Bowl (A)
4. In Bowl (B) add 2 T lime juice with mixture and 2 tsp salt. So both bowls get half of the mixture and 2 T lime juice. The only difference is one gets the Yogurt and the other the salt.

1. Cut Chicken into 8 pieces, then cut breast in half giving you 10. (Save wing tip and carcass for chicken stock)
2. Skin Chicken pieces except the wings (too much trouble)
3. Score one side of all pieces 1/8" deep with a sharp knife (this allows the rub to get deep in the meet AND gives you a beautiful char on the exposed areas - char equals flavor)

1. Place meat in Bowl (B) with the Salt and Rub.
2. Rub mix deep into the scored meat, coat completely
3. Marinate for 30 mins

1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. After 30 min marinade, pour contents of Bowl (A) into Bowl (B) with the meat.
3. Work Mix into and around meat
4. Give your rack a little spray with non-stick

1. Put dark meat scored side down on rack over tray and place in oven
2. Set timer for 22 mins
3. After 10 min have elapsed, remove rack, place breasts scored side down and back into the oven.
4. Your breasts need to come to 125 F and Thighs 135 F. You may have to pull one while the other cooks. Ideally they should temp out together.

1. Once timer goes off, and your pieces have arrived at proper temp, remove, set broiler to high, flip chicken and back in oven.
2. Anywhere from 8 - 14 mins under broiler depending on broiler, oven rack height, and desired char
3. We go six inches down from broiler element and watch those things like a hawk. Great to do when the kids are occupied or asleep.

Dark meat needs to be 175 F and Breast at 160 F. Tent and rest at least 10 mins for carry-over cookery.

Muffins anyone?

I guess I had a craving for muffins last night because I made pear, banana & chocolate!! The pear were very moist, you can't taste the pear, just the cinnamon. The banana is a great recipe from my mom. The chocolate ones are really good from a new blog I just found called Your cup of cake. They aren't dense like normal muffins. They're more like a cupcake texture.


Pear Muffins
from my friend Jen's friend (I will get more info)
2 (15oz) cans sliced pears, drained and mashed. (You can also use fresh pears that you've steamed)
2/3 Cup sugar
4 Tablespoons oil (I actually used unsweetened applesauce and it worked great!)
2 Eggs
2 1/4 Cup flour (all purpose, whole wheat or I use bread flour so the puff up a bit more than normal)
2 Teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon salt

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (for muffins) and around 1 hour for "bread". It makes 48 mini muffins or 1 9x9 pan of quick bread.

KAUKI INN BANANNA BREAD

2 c. sugar
1 c butter
1 c nuts
6 bananas(2 cups)
4 eggs well beaten
2 1/2 c flour
1 t salt
2 t soda
Cream butter, sugar and then eggs. Add mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients and do
not over mix.
Bake 350 for 45 min.


Costco-esque Chocolate Muffins

http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/03/chocolate-costco-muffins.html
Ingredients:
3 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup oil
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffins tins with liners.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs.
3. Add oil, milk, water, vanilla, and beat again.
4. Stir in sour cream, and then add cake mix, pudding mix and cinnamon. Do not over mix.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and fill muffin liners 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean OR the tops spring back.
7. Remove immediately from muffins tins and let cool for 10 minutes, then store in n airtight container. If the container steams because they are not fully cooled, don’t freak out, that just means they will not dry out.

Salade Nicoise

This salad from Melissa d'Arabian on the Food Network was filling and flavorful. I served it with fish instead of putting the tuna in the salad.

Salade Nicoise
Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: --
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
1 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
4 eggs, hard-boiled
2 (5-ounce) cans good quality light tuna in oil, drained
2 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 pound green beans, blanched
2 large red potatoes, cubed and boiled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon-Olive Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Directions
On a large platter, place the romaine lettuce and top decoratively with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle with Lemon-Olive Vinaigrette and serve.

Lemon-Olive Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon vinegar (recommended: white wine vinegar)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup briny olives from salad bar, chopped (recommended: nicoise)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar. Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk to create an emulsion. Add the thyme, olives, and salt and pepper, to taste. Let sit at least 10 minutes to marry the flavors.