These are a HUGE hit whenever I make them! This recipe was given to me by a co-worker when I was asking if anyone had any interesting appetizer recipes because I was tired of the same old things. I did a few modifications and it turned out awesome, I am always being asked for this recipe so here you go.
24 cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled (you can use an entire pound if you choose)
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 soft cream cheese (I use the kind in the tubs you buy for bagels)
1/4 C finely chopped green onion
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Wash tomatoes, cut them in half and core them; turn them upside down on a towel to drain out. While they are draining, mix mayonnaise and cream cheese; add green onion, parsley, and crumbled bacon. Mix till combined. Fill tomatoes with the mayonnaise mixture and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. I plate mine on a bed of leaf lettuce
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Shoestring Potatoes
This is one of my all time favorite potato dishes! It is a little time consuming (I never buy pre-shredded cheese and I normally add more so I grate for what feels like EVER) so I don't make it as often as I think about eating it, but when I do it is so worth the extra time!
Preheat oven to 450°
4 medium baking potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash of black pepper
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsely
1/2 C light or heavy cream or canned evaporated milk
Peel potatoes and cut into strips and put in a 9x13 baking dish. Dot the potatoes with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper, cheese, and parsley. Pour the cream or canned milk on top; cover with foil and bake for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 450°
4 medium baking potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash of black pepper
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsely
1/2 C light or heavy cream or canned evaporated milk
Peel potatoes and cut into strips and put in a 9x13 baking dish. Dot the potatoes with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper, cheese, and parsley. Pour the cream or canned milk on top; cover with foil and bake for about an hour.
Shrimp Dip
To start with, my husband does not like fish or seafood AT ALL, but for some reason, he loves this dip. It is simple to put together and super snackalicious!
1 8oz box cream cheese brought to room temp for easy mixing
1 small container of sour cream (I buy the larger containers and use approx a heaping cup)
1/4 to 1/2 C Finely diced onion
1 Tbsp garlic salt (or to taste)
Juice of 1 lemon (I usually just splash in some of my bottle lemon juice)
1 can tiny shrimp
Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add the onion, garlic salt, and lemon juice and mix well. Here is where I check to make sure that the consistency isn't too thick and add a little more sour cream if it is and also taste to be sure that I like the flavor and don't need to add any more garlic salt. Remember that you can always add more of something, but you can't take it out so adjust to your needs and if you want, start with a tsp of the garlic salt and go up from there(I really don't measure anything I just dump and taste). Drain and rinse the shrimp and fold them into the dip; be careful or you will break the shrimp open. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors combine and serve with Ruffles Potato Chips or I like it with Ritz crackers too. I guess it could be served with veggies, but at my house this is a naughty snack so eating veggies with it defeats our purpose. :0)
1 8oz box cream cheese brought to room temp for easy mixing
1 small container of sour cream (I buy the larger containers and use approx a heaping cup)
1/4 to 1/2 C Finely diced onion
1 Tbsp garlic salt (or to taste)
Juice of 1 lemon (I usually just splash in some of my bottle lemon juice)
1 can tiny shrimp
Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add the onion, garlic salt, and lemon juice and mix well. Here is where I check to make sure that the consistency isn't too thick and add a little more sour cream if it is and also taste to be sure that I like the flavor and don't need to add any more garlic salt. Remember that you can always add more of something, but you can't take it out so adjust to your needs and if you want, start with a tsp of the garlic salt and go up from there(I really don't measure anything I just dump and taste). Drain and rinse the shrimp and fold them into the dip; be careful or you will break the shrimp open. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors combine and serve with Ruffles Potato Chips or I like it with Ritz crackers too. I guess it could be served with veggies, but at my house this is a naughty snack so eating veggies with it defeats our purpose. :0)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Roasted Chicken
I like to cook a large meal on Sundays to ensure that I will have some leftovers to reuse throughout the coming week. Since I work fulltime, being able to put together dinner quickly Monday through Friday is a requirement with my small children. One of our favorites is super easy and really not time consuming at all. I like to use a large chicken (6 lb) or two smaller ones (3.5-4 lb) so we have enough leftovers...my husband likes to sneak late night meals out of the fridge when there is leftover chicken. :o)
Preheat your oven to 375°
Whole chicken with giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
5-10 & 1 more cloves of garlic just smashed slightly
1 small-med onion quartered
Cajun seasoning
Black pepper
1/4 C. melted butter
To "slightly smash" your garlic you just take the unpeeled clove and lay it on the cutting board and pound the side of your knife blade over it with your hand. This will remove the skin and break open the clove. Sprinkle a little Cajun seasoning and black pepper (not too much here) into the cavity of the chicken and then add the onion and 5-10 cloves of garlic. If you choose, you can tie with kitchen string the legs and wings to the body of the bird, I personally don't, I just tuck them under nicely when I put it in the pan, but if you like yours tied, now is the time to do that. Then coat the outside of the chicken with more Cajun seasoning and a little black pepper patting it in. Place the bird in your roasting pan, breast side down and if you didn't tie the legs and wings down, tuck them under to secure them that way. The actual cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken. The chicken is done if the legs move easily in the joint but the breast temp needs to read 165°-170° and the thickest part of the thigh 180°.
2.5 to 3 pounds - 1hr to 1hr 15min
3.5 to 4 pounds - 1hr 15min to 1hr 45min
4.5 to 5 pounds - 1hr 30min to 2hrs
5 to 6 pounds - 1hr 45min to 2hrs 30min
About a half hour into the cooking time take your last clove of garlic and put it in a bowl with the butter and pop it in the microwave to melt the butter and infuse the garlic flavor. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter now and then again about 20 minutes before it is done. Let the chicken rest out of the oven for about 10 minutes to redistribute the juices, carve and enjoy.
Once we are done eating, I like to go ahead and finish removing the remaining chicken from the carcass and put some aside for chicken sandwiches to be used for lunches and then chop a couple of cups worth for a quick dinner later in the week. It is easier to remove the meat while the bird is still warm than it is to do it out of the fridge when you need it. When I cook a 6+ lb bird, I normally have an additional couple cups worth of chicken that I chop up and freeze to be used up to 3 months later.
This recipe also works great out on the grill using your rotisserie! Mmmm... chicken out on the patio with some cool iced tea on a hot summer evening. Oh, I am ready for winter to be over!!!
*Note that Cajun seasoning does have a lot of salt content in it so there is no need to add any additional salt and it is a little spicy so watch use with tender stomachs, but even with my little ones, I am able to put it all over the bird and not have any problems, but you can just use salt and pepper if you prefer.*
Preheat your oven to 375°
Whole chicken with giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
5-10 & 1 more cloves of garlic just smashed slightly
1 small-med onion quartered
Cajun seasoning
Black pepper
1/4 C. melted butter
To "slightly smash" your garlic you just take the unpeeled clove and lay it on the cutting board and pound the side of your knife blade over it with your hand. This will remove the skin and break open the clove. Sprinkle a little Cajun seasoning and black pepper (not too much here) into the cavity of the chicken and then add the onion and 5-10 cloves of garlic. If you choose, you can tie with kitchen string the legs and wings to the body of the bird, I personally don't, I just tuck them under nicely when I put it in the pan, but if you like yours tied, now is the time to do that. Then coat the outside of the chicken with more Cajun seasoning and a little black pepper patting it in. Place the bird in your roasting pan, breast side down and if you didn't tie the legs and wings down, tuck them under to secure them that way. The actual cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken. The chicken is done if the legs move easily in the joint but the breast temp needs to read 165°-170° and the thickest part of the thigh 180°.
2.5 to 3 pounds - 1hr to 1hr 15min
3.5 to 4 pounds - 1hr 15min to 1hr 45min
4.5 to 5 pounds - 1hr 30min to 2hrs
5 to 6 pounds - 1hr 45min to 2hrs 30min
About a half hour into the cooking time take your last clove of garlic and put it in a bowl with the butter and pop it in the microwave to melt the butter and infuse the garlic flavor. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter now and then again about 20 minutes before it is done. Let the chicken rest out of the oven for about 10 minutes to redistribute the juices, carve and enjoy.
Once we are done eating, I like to go ahead and finish removing the remaining chicken from the carcass and put some aside for chicken sandwiches to be used for lunches and then chop a couple of cups worth for a quick dinner later in the week. It is easier to remove the meat while the bird is still warm than it is to do it out of the fridge when you need it. When I cook a 6+ lb bird, I normally have an additional couple cups worth of chicken that I chop up and freeze to be used up to 3 months later.
This recipe also works great out on the grill using your rotisserie! Mmmm... chicken out on the patio with some cool iced tea on a hot summer evening. Oh, I am ready for winter to be over!!!
*Note that Cajun seasoning does have a lot of salt content in it so there is no need to add any additional salt and it is a little spicy so watch use with tender stomachs, but even with my little ones, I am able to put it all over the bird and not have any problems, but you can just use salt and pepper if you prefer.*
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
It All Begins
To start with, I LOVE LOVE LOVE food!
I love to cook and then to eat. My stove is always in use. I enjoy cooking for friends and family and I like to try new and interesting recipes that I throw my own twist into. Since having kids, my baking skills have greatly improved, but I still much prefer to cook than to bake. The need for exact measurements tends to annoy me and I would much rather just be able to throw some of "this" and some of "that" into a concoction and see what comes of it.
I do have some killer (at least as far as my family is concerned) recipes (even baking) that I want to share. Some of these (okay a lot of them) are quick and easy and I attempt to keep them healthy. If any one has some twists they have done to anything I post, let me know. I would love to try out your ideas too! Also, I am ALWAYS looking for new yummy recipes, so please share!
I hope to inspire you all to break out those dusty pots and pans and get back to cooking good homemade meals and spending precious time with your loved ones. I am also, again, hoping to get some new ideas for my own home.
Enjoy!
Laura
I love to cook and then to eat. My stove is always in use. I enjoy cooking for friends and family and I like to try new and interesting recipes that I throw my own twist into. Since having kids, my baking skills have greatly improved, but I still much prefer to cook than to bake. The need for exact measurements tends to annoy me and I would much rather just be able to throw some of "this" and some of "that" into a concoction and see what comes of it.
I do have some killer (at least as far as my family is concerned) recipes (even baking) that I want to share. Some of these (okay a lot of them) are quick and easy and I attempt to keep them healthy. If any one has some twists they have done to anything I post, let me know. I would love to try out your ideas too! Also, I am ALWAYS looking for new yummy recipes, so please share!
I hope to inspire you all to break out those dusty pots and pans and get back to cooking good homemade meals and spending precious time with your loved ones. I am also, again, hoping to get some new ideas for my own home.
Enjoy!
Laura
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