This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Deidre. I made this cake for Vaughn's birthday. It wasn't very pretty, but it tasted really good.
1 (20 oz.) package chocolate cake mix
1 (12 oz.) carton whipped topping
1/3 c. chocolate syrup
7 toffee bars (Heath or Skor) crushed
Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Prepare and bake cake according to package directions. Cool on wire rack. Freeze cake to harden. Carefully cut each layer horizontally to make 4 layers. In a bowl, mix whipped topping with chocolate syrup and 6 crushed toffee bars. Place 1 layer o cake on serving plate and spread with chocolate mixture. Repeat with remaining 3 layers. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle remaining crushed bar on top of cake. Refrigerate and then serve.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Fish Fillets with Lemon Sauce
This recipe was taken out of the April 2009 Runners World Magazine. I made it tonight for Vaughn's birthday and really liked it. It's also a really healthy meal and well balanced for athletes.
NOTE: Those are the original instructions. But I did it a little differently. I don't even know what lemon curd is, so I just made the sauce with whole milk, and one lemon zest and juice. It was strong, but really good still. Also, instead of frying the fish, I baked it in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes. Also, I know fish sometimes sounds intimidating, but you can just buy the raw fillets in the frozen section of the grocery store.
- 1 pound thin fish fillets, such as sole, halibut, or flounder
- 1 1/2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay (or other Cajun seasoning)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons water
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon curd
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 cups steamed brown rice
- 2 cups steamed broccoli
NOTE: Those are the original instructions. But I did it a little differently. I don't even know what lemon curd is, so I just made the sauce with whole milk, and one lemon zest and juice. It was strong, but really good still. Also, instead of frying the fish, I baked it in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes. Also, I know fish sometimes sounds intimidating, but you can just buy the raw fillets in the frozen section of the grocery store.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Skillet Jambalaya
This is from the same cookbook that Steph got the skillet lasagna out of. It's my favorite one.
If you can't find andouille, use tasso, chorizo, or linguica sausage. Serve with plenty of Tabasco. We like Old Bay Seasoning in this recipe, but you can use your favorite Creole spice blend instead.
1 pound extra - large (21/25) shrimp, peeled and devined
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 ounces andouille sausage, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/2 cups instant white rice
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 table spoons minced fresh parsley
Making the minutes count:
While the andouille and vegetables cook, mince the garlic and parsley.
1. Season Shrimp: Season shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Saute Sausage, Aromatics, and Rice: Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add andouille, onion, bell pepper, Old Bay, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add broth and cook rice: Stir in broth and bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
4. Cook Shrimp: Scatter shrimp over rice and continue to cook, covered, until rice is tender and shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Off heat, let rices sit for 2 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
If you can't find andouille, use tasso, chorizo, or linguica sausage. Serve with plenty of Tabasco. We like Old Bay Seasoning in this recipe, but you can use your favorite Creole spice blend instead.
1 pound extra - large (21/25) shrimp, peeled and devined
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 ounces andouille sausage, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/2 cups instant white rice
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 table spoons minced fresh parsley
Making the minutes count:
While the andouille and vegetables cook, mince the garlic and parsley.
1. Season Shrimp: Season shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Saute Sausage, Aromatics, and Rice: Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add andouille, onion, bell pepper, Old Bay, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add broth and cook rice: Stir in broth and bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
4. Cook Shrimp: Scatter shrimp over rice and continue to cook, covered, until rice is tender and shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Off heat, let rices sit for 2 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Santa Fe Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
Tonight was one of those nights when you flip through all the recipes you have and try and find something that you can make for dinner because you need to go to the store. This one was really good and easy.
Serves: 4
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 can corn, drained (we don't eat caned corn in my house, so I just used frozen)
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup salsa
flour tortillas
Cheese
Lettuce
Ranch dressing
Place chicken in crock pot. Mix corn, beans, and salsa together and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. When done shred chicken. Place in tortillas with cheese, lettuce and ranch dressing.
Serves: 4
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 can corn, drained (we don't eat caned corn in my house, so I just used frozen)
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup salsa
flour tortillas
Cheese
Lettuce
Ranch dressing
Place chicken in crock pot. Mix corn, beans, and salsa together and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. When done shred chicken. Place in tortillas with cheese, lettuce and ranch dressing.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Yummy Easy Southwesty Soup
Yummy Easy Southwesty Soup
Jud had me get this recipe from his friends Mom. We all really like it.
2 13 oz. Cans Chicken Breast (2 cups cooked, cubed)
2 Cans White Northern Beans (or do 1 white, 1 black)
1 scant Cup mild or medium salsa
2 Cans 12 oz. chicken broth
3/4 to 1 Tablespoon cumin
2 cups colby jack cheese (cheddar works great too)
Garnish with crushed tortilla chips
Just drain and rinse the beans, and add everything but the cheese and chips. Warm about 1/2 hour on medium-low heat, simmering and stirring occasionally. Turn it down if it starts boiling. Add the cheese at the last, and stir until it is mixed in well. Or you can sprinkle it on top. Then top with chips. Makes 6 generous servings.
Jud had me get this recipe from his friends Mom. We all really like it.
2 13 oz. Cans Chicken Breast (2 cups cooked, cubed)
2 Cans White Northern Beans (or do 1 white, 1 black)
1 scant Cup mild or medium salsa
2 Cans 12 oz. chicken broth
3/4 to 1 Tablespoon cumin
2 cups colby jack cheese (cheddar works great too)
Garnish with crushed tortilla chips
Just drain and rinse the beans, and add everything but the cheese and chips. Warm about 1/2 hour on medium-low heat, simmering and stirring occasionally. Turn it down if it starts boiling. Add the cheese at the last, and stir until it is mixed in well. Or you can sprinkle it on top. Then top with chips. Makes 6 generous servings.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Skillet Lasagna
This is a great recipe for company. It's pretty simple but looks really impressive. A word to the wise though. The recipe calls for a 12-inch nonstick skillet. I used my biggest frying pan and it over flowed, so consider cutting it in half if you don't have a big skillet. I got this recipe from my favorite cookbook, The Best 30-Minute Recipe, Amy gave it to me for my wedding and I love it because it explains everything!
Skillet Lasagna (serves 4)
For the jarred tomato sauce, we like marinara, but you can use whatever type you like. Any brand of curly-edged lasagna noodles will work here, but do not use no-boil lasagna noodles. If the pasta is especially dry and shattery, you may need to add extra water to the skillet while the pasta cooks. If you can't find meatloaf mix, use 1/2 pound of ground pork. 85 percent lean ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork. Like it spicy? Increase the amount of red pepper flakes up to 1 teaspoon. To make things go even quicker you can replace the mozzarella and Parmesan with 3/4 cup of shredded Itallian cheese blend.
1 pound meatloaf mix (see note)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 red pepper flakes
salt and ground black pepper
6 ounces curly-edged lasagna noodles
(8 noodles), broken into 2-inch pieces
1 (26-ounce) jar tomato sauce, such as marinara (about 3 cups)
2 cups water
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (see note)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (see note)
3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1. Cook and drain meat: Cook meat in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, breaking into pieces with a wooden spoon, until fat renders, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain meat and return it to skillet.
2. Saute aromatics: Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook over medium high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Simmer Lasagna noodles: Sprinkle broken noodles into skillet, then pour in tomato sauce and water over top. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Add cheese: Off heat, stir in half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and let stand off heat until cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.
Making the minutes count:
Mince the garlic and measure out the pasta while the meat cooks.
Skillet Lasagna (serves 4)
For the jarred tomato sauce, we like marinara, but you can use whatever type you like. Any brand of curly-edged lasagna noodles will work here, but do not use no-boil lasagna noodles. If the pasta is especially dry and shattery, you may need to add extra water to the skillet while the pasta cooks. If you can't find meatloaf mix, use 1/2 pound of ground pork. 85 percent lean ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork. Like it spicy? Increase the amount of red pepper flakes up to 1 teaspoon. To make things go even quicker you can replace the mozzarella and Parmesan with 3/4 cup of shredded Itallian cheese blend.
1 pound meatloaf mix (see note)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 red pepper flakes
salt and ground black pepper
6 ounces curly-edged lasagna noodles
(8 noodles), broken into 2-inch pieces
1 (26-ounce) jar tomato sauce, such as marinara (about 3 cups)
2 cups water
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (see note)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (see note)
3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1. Cook and drain meat: Cook meat in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, breaking into pieces with a wooden spoon, until fat renders, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain meat and return it to skillet.
2. Saute aromatics: Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook over medium high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Simmer Lasagna noodles: Sprinkle broken noodles into skillet, then pour in tomato sauce and water over top. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Add cheese: Off heat, stir in half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and let stand off heat until cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.
Making the minutes count:
Mince the garlic and measure out the pasta while the meat cooks.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Focaccia Bread
I used to work at a gourmet pizza place and have a load of great pizza receipes, but I'll start today with my favorite one. Its not pizza, but a bread that you rip pieces off and dip in oil and vinegar, marinara sauce, or ranch. It's super easy and a great (and fairly healthy) way to dress up a meal like spaghetti or lasagne.
Ingredients needed:
Rhodes Dinner Rolls
Oil (I like Olive, but any kind will work)
Rosemary
Fine/Coarse Kosher salt (you can use regular salt, but kosher salt makes it taste better in my opinion, plus its cheap to buy)
optional: Pesto sauce
I use Rhodes rolls, but any kind of frozen dough balls will work. There are two ways to construct the bread - as individual little ones, or rolled together as a big one. I like to do individual ones b/c then Brandon won't take all the deliciousness :). You can let the dough balls sit out all day to thaw and raise, or you can take as many as you want/need and microwave them for about two minutes, flipping them every 30 seconds or so.
1. Roll out your dough as individuals or a big ball.
When rolling, you want to make sure that the dough is thick enough that you can press down on it with a finger and you go through some dough before hitting the counter (um, thats not too clear - you just want it thick, but not too thick).
2. Place on a sprayed cookie sheet.
3. Then, using your fingers, press indents into the bread. It's not like a pizza so you don't have to give it a crust, just make sure that it looks all bumpy all over.
4. Take a spoonful of oil (I like olive, but any oil will work) and spread it around the dough. Not a whole bunch, but a good amount - you need it to give some flavor, plus it keeps the other things on the bread.
5. Take a large pinch of rosemary needles and crunch them up in your palm. Sprinkle over the bread so that there is a good spread all around.
6. Take a pinch of kosher salt (regular salt will work too, you just have to watch how much you put where) and put a smattering all around the bread. Not too much, just a good amount (if you like more salt, put on more, ect.)
7. Then bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or so. When they come out, they should look bubbly with some of the bubble tops golden brown, and the rest a nice cooked golden color. 8. Serve with pizza sauce or ranch.
Optional other way:
Another way to make these is to use pesto sauce. Pesto sauce is a mixture of basil, sometimes garlic, and oil. It's green, it smells really good, but when you use it it looks like bird crap or something equally nasty. But its delicious. And I'm positive it'll be at the grocery store.
When using pesto sauce, follow steps 1-3 the same, but instead of the other ingredients, just spread around a spoonful of pesto so there is a good amount everywhere. Cook the same until the edges are golden-brown, and voila!
Sorry these instructions aren't so exact. Basically, this is a "make it however you like it" sort of receipe. You can put garlic or onions or whatever on the focaccia to make it amazing for you. Good Luck!
Ingredients needed:
Rhodes Dinner Rolls
Oil (I like Olive, but any kind will work)
Rosemary
Fine/Coarse Kosher salt (you can use regular salt, but kosher salt makes it taste better in my opinion, plus its cheap to buy)
optional: Pesto sauce
I use Rhodes rolls, but any kind of frozen dough balls will work. There are two ways to construct the bread - as individual little ones, or rolled together as a big one. I like to do individual ones b/c then Brandon won't take all the deliciousness :). You can let the dough balls sit out all day to thaw and raise, or you can take as many as you want/need and microwave them for about two minutes, flipping them every 30 seconds or so.
1. Roll out your dough as individuals or a big ball.
When rolling, you want to make sure that the dough is thick enough that you can press down on it with a finger and you go through some dough before hitting the counter (um, thats not too clear - you just want it thick, but not too thick).
2. Place on a sprayed cookie sheet.
3. Then, using your fingers, press indents into the bread. It's not like a pizza so you don't have to give it a crust, just make sure that it looks all bumpy all over.
4. Take a spoonful of oil (I like olive, but any oil will work) and spread it around the dough. Not a whole bunch, but a good amount - you need it to give some flavor, plus it keeps the other things on the bread.
5. Take a large pinch of rosemary needles and crunch them up in your palm. Sprinkle over the bread so that there is a good spread all around.
6. Take a pinch of kosher salt (regular salt will work too, you just have to watch how much you put where) and put a smattering all around the bread. Not too much, just a good amount (if you like more salt, put on more, ect.)
7. Then bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or so. When they come out, they should look bubbly with some of the bubble tops golden brown, and the rest a nice cooked golden color. 8. Serve with pizza sauce or ranch.
Optional other way:
Another way to make these is to use pesto sauce. Pesto sauce is a mixture of basil, sometimes garlic, and oil. It's green, it smells really good, but when you use it it looks like bird crap or something equally nasty. But its delicious. And I'm positive it'll be at the grocery store.
When using pesto sauce, follow steps 1-3 the same, but instead of the other ingredients, just spread around a spoonful of pesto so there is a good amount everywhere. Cook the same until the edges are golden-brown, and voila!
Sorry these instructions aren't so exact. Basically, this is a "make it however you like it" sort of receipe. You can put garlic or onions or whatever on the focaccia to make it amazing for you. Good Luck!
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