Monday, August 30, 2010

Baked Chicken Chiles Rellenos

Prep: 35 min
Bake: 25 min
Oven: 375
Makes: 6 servings
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup flour
3 tbsp cornmeal
1/4 tsp ground red/black pepper, whichever you have on hand
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1 4 oz can whole green chile peppers, seeded and cut in half lengthwise (6 pieces total)
2 oz Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, cut into six 2x1/2 inch sticks
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or fresh parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter, melted
1, Place a chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a flat side of a meat mallet (or the side of an unopened canned good from your pantry), pound meat lightly into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap and put chicken on separate plate. Repeat with remaining chicken breast halves until done with all six.
2. In a shallow dish (pie tin), combine the flour, cornmeal, red/black pepper, and salt. Place egg in another shallow dish (pie tin); add water and beat lightly to combine.
3. For each roll, place a chile pepper half on a chicken piece near the top edge. Place a stick of cheese on the chile pepper at the top edge as well. Sprinkle with some of the cilantro/parsley and black pepper. Fold in the sides; roll up, starting from the top edge with cheese and chile pepper. Secure with wooden toothpicks.
4. Dip chicken rolls in egg mixture; coat with cornmeal mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with butter.
5. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 oven for 25-30 min or until chicken is no longer pink (170F). Remove toothpicks, or let your guests do that themselves. Just remember to warn them that they are there.
6. Enjoy!
Let me know what you thought of it after you made it!!!

The Final Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

The Final Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1 and 1/3 C butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 c Brown Sugar
3 eggs
1t Lemon juice
2t vanilla
1 1/2 t salt
2 t Baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
12 oz pkg Choc Chips

Mix butter and both butters until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Stir in Salt, soda and cinnamon. Add flour one cup at a time then add chips. Cook at 375 8 to 10 min.

Craison Salad

Craison Salad

Dressing

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red wine vinigar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar

Salad
1 bag Italian Salad
1 bag or head of iceberg lettuce
craisins
real bacon bits
Mozzarella Cheese
chicken-optional
carmelized Almonds
1/2 almonds

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c all vegetable shortening
1 cube butter-soft
1 tsp vanilla

Mix well

Add 4 cups powdered sugar. Mix after each cup. Once all added, mix in 2 caps full of milk. Stores in Fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Great for cupcakes, cake and sugar cookies.

Homemade Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup ( I got this from a friend Mom in high school. I loved it then and still do)
4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups hot water
1 tsp mapleine (maple flavoring)
Mix sugars and water and bring to a boil. remove from heat and add mapleine.

Buttermilk Scones

2 qt Buttermilk
2 pkg dry yeast (I believe a pkg is 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup warm water
2 T sugar
2 Eggs beaten
2 T Oil
1 1/2 T Salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
8 cups flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine all ingredients with half of the flour and beat until smooth. Add rest of flour and mix well. Let rise til double, punch down and place in the fridge overnight (do not leave out this step) Just before frying roll out in half inch thickness. Cut into peices about 2x2. fry in Oil about 375 degrees that is about 1 inch deep. do not freeze dough

Bread Recipe/Calzone

Bread Recipe (I use this for my calzones, french bread and pizza. You can use it for homemade buns and stuff too). You do have to have a bosch or Blendtec type mixer for this dough to turn out

10 1/2 cups flour
1 T salt
4 T oil or 3 quarter size drops of lethicin
1/2 cup sugar
3 rounded T. Yeast (I only use the Saf yeast found at like Macey's or Kohlers)
4 Cups Hot tap water

Mix all dry ingredients together then add the Oil/lethicin and water. Mix for one minute and then feel the dough to decide if it is too sticky or if you need to add water. (Sometimes depending on the weather I have to add a little more flour and sometimes a little more water. You just want the flour to pull away from the sides of the bowl). Anyway, mix another 5 minutes til it is all mixed well. Form into Bread loaves and let rise for 20 minutes and then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 4 loaves

So if you are doing calzones then I usually will make two loaves of bread and then set the rest aside til I am ready to make the calzones. So I roll out a ball of dough to a large oval depending on the size of calzone you make. I always make huge ones for the adults and little ones for the kids. Then on one half but about a 1/2 inch from the edges I put some Pizza sauce and then whatever toppings that you want all cut up then fold over and seal with pressing edges together with a fork and brush the top with olive oil garlic and italian seasoning ( I like to use the pampered chef one) and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes til they are golden brown.

Chocolate Snickerdoodles (Jess recipe)

Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Makes about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cream of tarter
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon


Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off. Blend flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, soda and salt into creamed mixture. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Combine 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Roll balls into cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork, the "criss-cross" design.


Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until set. Remove immediately.

Yummy Lemon Bars

Crust:
1/4 cup powedered sugar
1 c flour
1/2 c. butter

cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup flour press into greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Batter:
1 c sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 beaten eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice

combine ingredients, beating well. Pour over baked crust, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. sprinkle with powdered sugar

cool, then cut into bars.

Island Crock Pot Chicken

Island crockpot chicken

8 oz can pineapple chunks in heavy syrup
2 lbs chicken breasts)
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic minced
1 green pepper cut into squares
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions:
drain pineapple and reserve liquid. Put chicken parts in bottom of slow cooker. Mix together pineapple syrup, chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. Heat until brown sugar dissolves. pour over chicken. heat on high 1 hour. Add pineapple chunks, garlic and green pepper. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours (we did high for 4 hours). Half an hour before serving mix together corn starch and water add to slow cooker.

We served over rice and it turned out very good!
Garlic Parmesan Rolls (These Rolls are similiar to the rolls they serve at Red Lobster)

(this is the long method, if you want to do the short method like I did you follow the directions for the "fast method" on the back of the bag. After 30 minutes of rising that way spoon on topping and let rise in oven another 30 minutes.)

1 bag of frozen Rhodes Rolls
Let rise 1 hour

Topping:
1 cup mayo
1 cube butter, melted
dried parsley (as much as you would like)
4 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 small bag of grated parmesan cheese

Spoon mixture onto rolls after they have risen one hour. Let rise another 2 hours (unless doing the quick method)

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

16 oz can diced Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 cup sour cream
4 oz green chilies
Mix these ingredients in a blender and set aside. This will be the topping for the enchiladas.

4-6 Boneless chicken breasts (boiled and Shredded)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 of a medium yellow onion (chopped)

Shred chicken and mix together with cream cheese, salt and chopped onion.

Fry 10-12 soft taco size flour tortillas in vegetable oil until slightly browned on each side. Scoop chicken mixture in each shell and roll up. Place in 9x13 baking dish. Cover with pink sauce that was set aside at the beginning cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and top with Monterey Jack Cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

I like to serve these with Spanish Rice a Roni

Cafe Rio Salads

Cafe Rio Salads/Burritos

Meat:
2 1/2 lbs Pork Tender thawed (roast style)
***I am not a pork fan so I use 2 to 3 lbs of Chicken breasts instead depending on how many I am feeding. but follow everything else***

Mix:
1 1/2 C brown sugar with
1 1/2 C salsa (I like to use a fresh salsa out of the deli or veggie area and not a bottled one. I think they taste better)
1 can coke
(just do equal parts of brown sugar & salsa - how ever much you think you need/want)
Put pork in Crock-Pot and pour mixture over it. Cook it on low for 7 hrs (or until meat is cooked). Shred pork and cook an additional 30 min minimum. The pork will absorb all the juices.


Cafe Rio Rice
3 cups rice
6 cups water
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 onion chopped
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp. salt
Saute onion and garlic with the butter until the onion is soft. Add the rice and water and all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Salad Dressing
1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic ( I use extra garlic usually cause we like garlic)
3 tomatillos (skin off)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Put all ingredients into a blender. Chill before serving and it will thicken.

For those of you that haven't had a Cafe Rio Salad.......Serve in a bowl with warm tortilla. Layer rice, beans, pork, romaine lettuce, crushed tortilla chips, and dressing.