Mar 04

Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado Salad

Fresh, simple and delicious. A great compliment to any protein, this salad is perfect for any night of the week. The reason for soaking the onions in water is to remove some of the bite making them perfect for a fresh salad. If you like olives feel free to add them. Enjoy!

Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado Salad
1-1/2 C. of chopped tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded then diced
1 avocado, diced
4-oz. feta cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. minced red onion, soaked in water
1 handful parsley – about 2 Tbsp, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
8 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill

Chop tomatoes into a medium dice. If using grape or cherry tomatoes just cut in half. Add to a bowl. Peel and seed one cucumber and dice. Add cucumber, avocado, feta, onion, and minced parsley to bowl. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar and black pepper, and pour over salad. Toss gently so the feta and avocado don’t break up. Serve immediately. If you are not serving right away, keep the avocado aside uncut, and add before serving to prevent browning.

Feb 20

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken

What a great combo, honey mustard sauce and pretzels. Now combine those with chicken breast and you have a great dish for dinner. Pretzel crusted chicken with a sweet and tangy honey mustard sauce. Yum! The extra honey mustard makes a great salad dressing also. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken
2 C. panko crumbs
2 C. pretzel crumbs
1/2 C. olive oil
1/2 C. Dijon mustard
1/3 C. honey
1/4 C. water
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large, nonstick baking sheet or roasting pan.

In a large skillet over medium heat toast the panko crumbs until lightly golden, stirring constantly. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

In a food processor or a blender pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground (small crumbs with some small pretzel pieces) then add them to a medium bowl and mix with the panko crumbs.

In a bowl, whisk together the oil, mustard, honey, water and vinegar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the flavor to suit your own tastes by adding more mustard or honey.

Pound the chicken breasts out to an even thickness using a mallet. Season well with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl or dish, put the flour on a large plate and add half the pretzel mixture to a large, shallow bowl or dish ( add the remaining half pretzel crumbs to the dish as needed).

Dredge the chicken in the flour then into the dressing allowing excess to drip off then into the pretzel crumbs patting them on if needed. Place on greased baking sheet.

Bake 16-25 minutes depending on their thickness/size or until cooked through. Let the chicken sit 5 minutes before serving with the remaining honey mustard dressing.

Feb 12

Quinoa Chickpea and Avocado Salad

Simple, delicious, and so go for you! This salad, loaded with protein, fiber and healthy fats, can be a simple lunch, or served as a great side dish. I tend to use red quinoa in my cold salads since I think it has a little more texture to it, but you could use white or black if you choose. Enjoy!

Quinoa Chickpea and Avocado Salad 1 C. quartered grape tomatoes
15-oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 C. cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp. red onion, minced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, minced (optional)
1 to 1 1/2 limes, juiced
kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste
1 C. diced cucumber
4-oz. diced avocado (1 medium Hass)

Combine all the ingredients except for the avocado and cucumber, season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Just before serving, add cucumber and avocado.

Yields: 5 cups

Feb 08

Smoked Sausage

This is a great go to dish for us. I reduced the amount of cider vinegar by half from the original recipe. Great as a quick dinner, served with rice and a tossed salad. Enjoy!

Smoked Sausage
1/3 C. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 C. water
1/2 C. ketchup
1/8 C. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1-lb. smoked sausage, sliced

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in the water, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, mustard, paprika, salt, sugar, pepper and hot sauce. Add sausage.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Yields: 4 servings

Feb 02

Homemade Snickers Bar

Do you love a snickers bar? Here is a copycat recipe with only 7 ingredients that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Chocolate, marshmallow fluff, caramel and peanut butter all make these bars hard to resist. Enjoy!

Homemade Snickers Bar
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips, divided
7 oz. marshmallow fluff
1-1/2 C. Confectioners Powdered Sugar
11 oz. caramels
1 C. dry roasted unsalted peanuts
1/4 C + 6 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter, divided
1/4 C. heavy cream

Line an 11×7-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Place 1 cup of chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds and stir until smooth and combined. Microwave for a few more seconds if needed.Pour melted chocolate in prepared pan and spread evenly. Place pan in freezer for 2-3 minutes or until hardened.

Meanwhile, in a clean bowl place marshmallow fluff, 1/4 cup peanut butter and powdered sugar. With a wooden spoon or spatula stir until it forms a soft dough. (Can be done in a mixing bowl using dough hook as well). Remove “dough” from bowl and press with fingers on top of chocolate layer. Sprinkle peanuts on top, gently pressing them in.

In a small saucepan add the caramels and heavy cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted. Immediately pour over peanuts, spreading it all over with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for 5 minutes until set.

In a heatproof bowl, melt remaining chocolate chips and peanut butter. Pour over caramel layer, spreading evenly. Place pan in fridge for 10 minutes until chocolate is set. With a sharp knife, cut into bars.

Jan 08

Crispy Parmesan Baked Potatoes

You are going to love this simple, and delicious side dish. I have been making this dish for a while, but have had a hard time getting a good picture for this posting. They are just so good I wanted to go ahead and share them with you. I will keep working on a better picture. If you’d like you could serve these with sour cream sprinkled with chives. Enjoy!

Crispy Parmesan Baked Potatoes
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
8 small Yukon gold or red potatoes,
cut lengthwise in half
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cheese and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Dip cut-sides of potatoes in butter, then in cheese mixture. Place cheese-side down on baking sheet; drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Jan 05

Tarter Sauce

I found this recipe on-line a few years ago from O’Hara’s Brew Pub in Minnesota. I had to reduce the recipe since the original yielded 1-1/2 quarts of sauce! Simple to prepare, just remember to make a couple of hours before needed. Enjoy!

Tarter Sauce
1 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. sweet pickle relish
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. sugar
pinch of white pepper
pinch of ground mustard
dash of Worcestershire sauce

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Dec 20

Benne-maple Roasted Pecans

Benne means sesame and is unique to the Carolina’s since the colonial days. Here in South Carolina Benne wafers, a thin, crispy, toasted sesame seed cookie, are very popular. These pecans are slightly sweet, have a hint of salt from the soy sauce, and a sesame flavor from the oil. Very simple and quick to prepare, they are a great addition to your appetizer table. When placed in a pretty jar with a ribbon they could make a great hostess or teacher gift. Make these a few days ahead, and chill in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Benne-Maple Roasted Pecans
1/4 C butter
4 C. pecan halves, toasted
1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; stir in pecans and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until syrupy coating on nuts almost evaporates. Stir in sesame oil; remove from heat. Spread pecans in a parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cool completely.

Dec 03

Turtle Cheesecake Brownies

These brownies are so sinfully delicious! Brownies topped with cheesecake, and drizzled with caramel with pecans and chocolate chips sprinkled on top will surely impress. Great for entertaining, this recipe makes a 13×9 pan, which can be sliced into bite-size pieces or larger pieces and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Turtle Cheesecake Brownies

Brownies
1 C. butter
1 1/4 C. cocoa powder
2 C. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. flour

In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa and sugar. Add eggs. Add salt. Add flour to combine and pour into 9×13 pan lined with foil that has been sprayed with Pam. Set aside.

Cheesecake
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. sour cream
2 eggs

Mix the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer. Add sour cream. Add eggs one at a time and pour an even layer over the brownie mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then cool. While cooling add the toppings.

Turtle Topping
1/3 C. caramel sauce
1/2 C. mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. salted pecans, chopped

Drizzle caramel all over the cheesecake brownies. Sprinkle on chips and pecans. Chill for a few hours and cut into squares.

Nov 11

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

You probably already have the spices in your cabinet to make your own pumpkin pie spice. By making your own mix you can use the spices, like allspice and cloves, that typically just sit in your cabinet. This recipe makes 1 teaspoon, but is easily doubled or tripled to make 1 tablespoon or more. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground allspice or ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together which gives you 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.