I ordered a similar sandwich at Starbucks a few years ago and decided I could make it at home. It's my favorite for a casual lunch or picnic. I really don't like cranberries, but love them on this sandwich.
Mayonaise
Jarred pesto
Deli turkey meat
Dried cranberries
Romaine lettuce
Ciabatta-type bread or rustic roll
Mix some mayo and pesto in a bowl to taste.
Cut the bread in half and place on a work surface, cut side up. Spread the pesto mayonaise on both sides and sprinkle cranberries on the bottom halves. Arrange the turkey over the cranberries and top with chiffonade lettuce. Top with other piece of bread and press to adhere.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Buttermilk Pancakes
I tend to buy a special ingredient for a recipe and then let the rest go to waste. I'm trying to find new recipes that will use up the ingredients I've already purchased. We had buttermilk left over from our Buffalo Chicken, so I found this recipe for pancakes. They were so yummy!
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
4 TB vegetable oil
Heat griddle on medium low heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, egg, and oil together in a separate bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Cook on the hot griddle, flipping when the surface of pancake becomes somewhat dry and when most of the air bubbles have risen, about 2 1/2 to 4 minutes each side.
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
4 TB vegetable oil
Heat griddle on medium low heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, egg, and oil together in a separate bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Cook on the hot griddle, flipping when the surface of pancake becomes somewhat dry and when most of the air bubbles have risen, about 2 1/2 to 4 minutes each side.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Boneless Buffalo Chicken
Nate is a Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wing connoisseur. He loves them so I really wanted to find a recipe to make them at home. We tried this one tonight and they were SO GOOD. He liked them better than any we've ordered in restaurants, which is high praise indeed. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
2 TB unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 cups vegetable oil
Combine chicken, buttermilk, and salt in a large ziplock bag and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine hot sauce, water, sugar, butter, and 4 teaspoons cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Whisk egg whites in shallow dish until foamy. Stir flour, baking soda, remaining cornstarch, and 6 tablespoons hot sauce mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss half of chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until oil registers 350 degrees. Fry half of chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined plate. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.
Warm remaining hot sauce mixture over medium-low heat until simmering. Combine chicken and hot sauce mixture in large bowl and toss to coat. Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side.
Recipe Source: Cook's Country Magazine
Serves 4-6
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
2 TB unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 cups vegetable oil
Combine chicken, buttermilk, and salt in a large ziplock bag and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine hot sauce, water, sugar, butter, and 4 teaspoons cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Whisk egg whites in shallow dish until foamy. Stir flour, baking soda, remaining cornstarch, and 6 tablespoons hot sauce mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss half of chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until oil registers 350 degrees. Fry half of chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined plate. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.
Warm remaining hot sauce mixture over medium-low heat until simmering. Combine chicken and hot sauce mixture in large bowl and toss to coat. Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side.
Recipe Source: Cook's Country Magazine
Friday, February 12, 2010
Blue Cheese Crusted Steaks
This is Nate's FAVORITE special occasion recipe (and what I'm making for Valentine's Day), always served with the Spinach Cheese Cakes. It's very strongly flavored, so I use a much smaller amount of the cheese topping on my steak.
The steaks will turn out fairly rare. If you prefer your steak more well done, leave them in the oven until they reach a higher internal temperature. The purpose of this method of cooking is to allow you to get a really good sear on the steaks without getting tough steaks by cooking them all the way through on the stovetop.
8 oz blue cheese
2 TB butter
1/4 Panko bread crumbs
2 tenderloin steaks
Preahet oven to 275 degrees. Pat steaks dry and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in the oven until they reach an internal temperature of 95 degrees, about 20-25 minutes.
Place blue cheese, butter, and Panko crumbs in food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Brown steaks on all sides until nicely seared all over.
Spread half of the blue cheese mixture onto each steak. Broil until topping is lightly browned and bubbly (a couple of minutes or so).
The steaks will turn out fairly rare. If you prefer your steak more well done, leave them in the oven until they reach a higher internal temperature. The purpose of this method of cooking is to allow you to get a really good sear on the steaks without getting tough steaks by cooking them all the way through on the stovetop.
8 oz blue cheese
2 TB butter
1/4 Panko bread crumbs
2 tenderloin steaks
Preahet oven to 275 degrees. Pat steaks dry and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in the oven until they reach an internal temperature of 95 degrees, about 20-25 minutes.
Place blue cheese, butter, and Panko crumbs in food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Brown steaks on all sides until nicely seared all over.
Spread half of the blue cheese mixture onto each steak. Broil until topping is lightly browned and bubbly (a couple of minutes or so).
Spinach and Cheese Cakes
Nate doesn't like the nutmeg in these, so I omit it when I make this recipe.
2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, 10 ounces each
3 TB olive oil (1 for onion, 2 to fry cakes)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Defrost spinach in microwave. Wring spinach dry by nesting in a kitchen towel and twisting towel over the sink until spiach has given off all its liquid. Place spinach in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped then transfer to a mixing bowl. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat; add oil and onion and saute the ontion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add onion to spinach in bowl and return pan to stovetop. Turn off heat.
Add remaining ingredients to spinach: bread crumbs, cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine mixture with a fork, then form into 3-inch patties. Set aside.
Add 2 TB oil to pan and set cakes in to cook. Work in 2 batches if necessary. Cook cakes 3 minutes on each side, or until browned.
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.foodtv.com/)
2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, 10 ounces each
3 TB olive oil (1 for onion, 2 to fry cakes)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Defrost spinach in microwave. Wring spinach dry by nesting in a kitchen towel and twisting towel over the sink until spiach has given off all its liquid. Place spinach in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped then transfer to a mixing bowl. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat; add oil and onion and saute the ontion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add onion to spinach in bowl and return pan to stovetop. Turn off heat.
Add remaining ingredients to spinach: bread crumbs, cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine mixture with a fork, then form into 3-inch patties. Set aside.
Add 2 TB oil to pan and set cakes in to cook. Work in 2 batches if necessary. Cook cakes 3 minutes on each side, or until browned.
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.foodtv.com/)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Carbonara Pasta
I made a recipe for Carbonara Pasta tonight that looked really good, but it wasn't great. Not nearly as good as a recipe I already had. So instead of posting the new recipe, I'll post the tried and true.
1 pkg. (7 oz) spaghetti
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. While pasta is cooking, cook bacon in saucepan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; drain. Drain fat from saucepan, reserving 1 TB in saucepan.
Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Storin in spaghetti, cheese, and cream. cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Toss with bacon.
*You can add 2 cups of cubed chicken if desired.
1 pkg. (7 oz) spaghetti
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. While pasta is cooking, cook bacon in saucepan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; drain. Drain fat from saucepan, reserving 1 TB in saucepan.
Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Storin in spaghetti, cheese, and cream. cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Toss with bacon.
*You can add 2 cups of cubed chicken if desired.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pesto-Presto Italian Flag Chicken
This was a hit. The only adjustment I made was to omit the pine nuts.
6 leaves fresh basil
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
2 TB pine nuts, toasted
1 block soft carlic and herb cheese, such os Boursin or Allouette
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
Prehead the oven to 450.
In the bowl of a food processor, combin the basil, parsley, pine nuts, soft cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, and some salt and pepper. Process into a smooth paste. Reserve.
Butterfly each of the chicken breasts and pount them out lightly in a plastic bag with a dash of water using a skillet or meat mallet. Divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four breasts, placing a scoop on one half of each breast. Fold the flap of chicken over to enclose the cheese mixture.
Transfer the chicken pockets to a baking sheet and lay three slices of tomato over each breast, overlapping them like shingles. Season with some salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Bake the chicken pockets until cooked through and light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelray.com/)
6 leaves fresh basil
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
2 TB pine nuts, toasted
1 block soft carlic and herb cheese, such os Boursin or Allouette
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
Prehead the oven to 450.
In the bowl of a food processor, combin the basil, parsley, pine nuts, soft cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, and some salt and pepper. Process into a smooth paste. Reserve.
Butterfly each of the chicken breasts and pount them out lightly in a plastic bag with a dash of water using a skillet or meat mallet. Divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four breasts, placing a scoop on one half of each breast. Fold the flap of chicken over to enclose the cheese mixture.
Transfer the chicken pockets to a baking sheet and lay three slices of tomato over each breast, overlapping them like shingles. Season with some salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Bake the chicken pockets until cooked through and light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelray.com/)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Grandma's Caramels
My grandma used to make these caramels and send them home with us. We always had a stash in the freezer. They're hardly diet food, but so delicious.
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp vanilla
Cook first 6 ingredients (sugar through whipping cream) slowly over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook to 248 degrees. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into buttered 9x13 pan. Cool and cut into squares. Wrap in waxed paper.
Recipe Source: Hazel Plack
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp vanilla
Cook first 6 ingredients (sugar through whipping cream) slowly over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook to 248 degrees. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into buttered 9x13 pan. Cool and cut into squares. Wrap in waxed paper.
Recipe Source: Hazel Plack
Tortilla Soup
This was a recipe from a viewer of the Rachael Ray show. She called it "White Chicken Chili," but really it's tortilla soup...so that's what I'm going to call it.
1 32-ounce box chicken stock
3 cans white beans, left undrained
5 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
1 16-ounce jar salsa
1 8-ounce block pepper jack cheese, grated
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Black or white pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely crushed corn chips
Sour cream, for garnish
Place all ingredients except the corn chips in a large pot over medium-high heat until cheese is melted. Add crushed corn chips and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Garnish with sour cream and serve.
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelray.com/)
1 32-ounce box chicken stock
3 cans white beans, left undrained
5 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
1 16-ounce jar salsa
1 8-ounce block pepper jack cheese, grated
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Black or white pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely crushed corn chips
Sour cream, for garnish
Place all ingredients except the corn chips in a large pot over medium-high heat until cheese is melted. Add crushed corn chips and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Garnish with sour cream and serve.
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelray.com/)
Thanksgiving Soup
This recipe is supposed to be a creative use of Thanksgiving leftovers. The original recipe had a separate recipe for the stuffing dumplings, but it was very time consuming and they weren't very tasty. I found that Stove Top was much easier and tasted much better. Using rotisserie chicken made the recipe even simpler. The first time I made this soup I used heavy cream as called for in the recipe, but it was too rich. We greatly preferred the second time when I used 2% milk instead.
2 TB butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
1 TB garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups rotisserie chicken, cubed
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste
1 box Stove Top dressing, prepared according to box directions
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray. Scoop prepared stuffing onto sheet using a large scoop or spoon (about 1/4 c each). Bake until brown, about 20 minutes.
Sweat onion, carrot, and celery in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle flour, thyme, and pepper over vegetables; cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
De-glaze with sherry and simmer until nearly evaporated, then stir in broth, chicken, and milk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes; season with salt.
Serve soup in bowls with one stuffing dumpling in the middle.
Recipe Source: Cuisine at Home magazineNew Blog
I decided to start a recipe blog. I'm always looking for new recipes to try for my family and am excited when I find a good one! I'm hoping to keep myself challenged to keep trying new things. Please send me any of your favorites!
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