Tuesday, December 21, 2010

.green beans.

The perfect side dish, to any holiday meal. Enjoy!



Ingredients
1 bag of green beans
4-5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

Preparation
Put all ingredients in a pan heated to medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

.homestyle turkey.

This was my first thanksgiving married, but actually my second time cooking thanksgiving by myself. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com (LOVE). This recipe was super easy and yummy. Perfect recipe for the first timer!



Ingredients
1 (12 pound) whole turkey
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups warm water
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons seasoning salt

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets, or add to pan if they are anyone's favorites.
Place turkey in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat.
In a medium bowl, combine the water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey.
Cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). For the last 45 minutes or so, remove the foil so the turkey will brown nicely.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

.tex-mex corn chip chili.

I love chili and this recipe was so simple and tasty! I found it in Rachael Ray's magazine. Great for those cold rainy nights :)



Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
one 15-ounce can black beans
one 15-ounce can pinto beans
one 10-ounce can tomatoes
one can green chiles
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
12 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
one bag corn chips, such as Fritos

Preparation
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the beans, with their liquid, and the tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the cilantro, then top with the cheese, cover and let stand until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Place a handful of corn chips in each bowl. Top with chili and serve.

Monday, December 13, 2010

.spinach & artichoke dip.

Another amazing dip that I have made several times already. Served with a french baguette :) Enjoy! (excuse the bad picture, I realized I hadn't taken one after it was already half eaten..opps!)



Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup canned chopped jalapeno peppers, drained
1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the green chiles, Parmesan cheese, artichokes, peppers, and spinach. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until slightly browned, about 30 minutes.

.jalapeno popper dip.

Found this wonderful recipe on a blog and just can't get enough of it! Really does taste like a jalapeno popper. Enjoy :)



Ingredients
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeƱo peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeƱos, and shredded cheeses. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches).
In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.

Monday, December 6, 2010

.artichoke chicken 2.

This is my second artichoke chicken recipe, but completely different than the first. I found this in Rachael Ray's magazine. I actually like the first one better because it has cheese (my fav) but this recipe is much healthier! See which one you prefer!



Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 chicken thighs
salt
1/2 pound orzo
1 can of artichoke hearts
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill (i used dried dill and it was just fine)
1 onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 jarred hot cherry peppers, thinly sliced, plus 2 TB of their liquid (I couldnt find these so I used pepperoncini peppers)

Preparation
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt, place in the skillet skin side down and cook until golden-brown, about 7 minutes on each side; transfer to a place. Reserve the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook the orzo until al dente, about 5 minutes. Add the artichokes and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons dill.

In the reserved skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the chicken drippings over medium heat until softened, 7 minutes. Add the wine, chicken broth and cherry peppers and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining dill and hot pepper liquid. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer until heated through, 1 minute. Transfer the orzo to a platter and top with the chicken and sauce. Enjoy!

.tuna casserole.

I know this picture is not the most flattering, but it really was delicious! The hubby absolutely loved it, which made me proud because I just tossed together this meal because I was too lazy to make something fancy. So quick and simple. Enjoy!



Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles (or other pasta that you prefer)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen green peas (I prefer green beans, so I cut them up and used them instead)
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup panko or breadcrumbs
Pepper to taste

Preparation
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, 1 cup cheese, peas,pepper, tuna, soup. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and top with bread crumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is bubbly.