Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites It isn’t often that my husband, Jon, is influenced by a food in such a way that he feels the need to recreate it. These Jalapeno Bites are an exception. He came home one day from work, raving about an appetizer his friend Adam brought in. Cream cheese filled jalapenos. I’ll be honest – I’m not a fan of spicy foods, and hot peppers have never really been my thing. That is, until I got a bite of one of these bad boys. The overall experience isn’t all that hot. I think he really hit the mark. Give it a try at your next gathering or tailgate party – you’ll have some impressed eaters! makes 24 8 ounces cream cheese, softened2 teaspoons onion powder2 teaspoons garlic powder1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon Old BayPinch of Salt12 Jalapenos, halved & seeded24 – six inch pieces of bacon, uncooked Preheat oven to 350F. Combine cream cheese and spices in small bowl. Until next time, have a great day!
Grilled Cheesy Apple Pie Chicken Burger « Smoked 'n Grilled Well, my wife has done it again. She’s just a fountain of creative recipes! She has more recipes right now than I have time to prepare and photograph. Nope, that’s definitely not a complaint! This chicken burger is so tasty with the sweet spices combined with diced apples and sharp cheddar cheese. Ingredients 1 lb. ground chicken breast 1/2 apple (chopped fine) 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg salt to taste Preparation 1) Mix all the ingredients together except the salt. 2) On a medium hot grill, cook them to your liking. Makes 4 servings. 10 Tips For An Awesome Vegan Thanksgiving The key to successful vegan cooking is not to try to replicate meat and cheese dishes with fake no-meat products. Really, if you are craving turkey, or meatballs, or macaroni and cheese, why eat the Quorn or Boca version, or the homemade fake equivalent? No, the goal of vegan cooking is to prepare dishes that don’t use meat and cheese products, but instead bring out the rich and satisfying flavors and textures of the ingredients that you are using. So bring on a vegan Thanksgiving, where you can do just that! Here are 10 tips to ensure that you have an awesome Thanksgiving celebration: * Know Your Guests. * Be Prepared For Kid Guests. * Keep It Simple For Kids. * Substitute Vegan For Non-Vegan Ingredients. *Make A Schedule. *Dish Labels. *Make It An Environmentally Friendly Meal. *Bring-a-Dish. *Celebrate The Homemade. * No More Tofurky. * Prepare Tasty Beverages. Happy Thanksgiving! Related Care2 Coverage 12 Famous Vegans And Why They Made The Switch To Be a Feminist is To Be a Vegan
how to make balsamic strawberries I should probably call this post “How to Make Macerated Balsamic Strawberries,” but I’m not a fan of the word macerated. Yeah, because I’m just that mature. I’m posting these to go with the Eton Mess I posted yesterday, but I’m a huge fan of balsamic strawberries anyway, whether I’m eating them alone, on top of a Pavlova (which is, let’s be honest, just a tidier version of Eton Mess), in a strawberry shortcake, or my favorite way: on top of vanilla ice cream. In the picture, you can see I am starting with frozen strawberries. Now naturally, you can use either frozen or fresh—it’s whatever you have or whichever you want, really. To macerate strawberries, you simply sprinkle a little bit of sugar over the berries and let them sit awhile until their juices start to get friendly with the rest of the strawberries. balsamic strawberries 1 pound strawberries, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar
Spinach Artichoke Soup How awesome is spinach artichoke dip? Right? Back in the day, my best friend and I used to make a spinach artichoke dip in a bread bowl for every party we threw, so we spent many a night in our early twenties staying up all night, talking and eating the dip leftover from the party. I was thinking about those parties a few days ago, and how my hair was the same color as Gwen Stefani’s and how much we loved listening to Outkast and how she had pictures of Adrien Brody on her refrigerator. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve thrown a party and even longer since I’ve had spinach artichoke dip. This soup came together very quickly with some basic ingredients I had in my pantry and fridge. This soup is ridiculously, addictively delicious. Ingredients for the cream 1 can of great northern white beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons white miso ½ tsp mustard powder for the soup Instructions
Beef Stroganoff (Russian Style) When it’s cold and dreary outside I seem to think of beef, and this Russian style Beef Stroganoff is a recipe that I have loved for a long time. It has more than enough creamy sauce to cover the noodles and the flavor is right on! I always hope there is enough left over for my lunch the next day. The recipe is easy to double and quick to make. I actually made this a couple of weeks ago and as I write this, I’m ready for more. Pinterest Ready Pictures Beef Stroganoff (Russian Style) 1½ pounds beef filet mignon salt and pepper 1 Tbsp oil (your choice) 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided 1 Cup chopped onion 4 large cloves garlic, minced ½ pound portobello mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin ½ pound shiitake or white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin ½ Cup dry white wine ½ Cup beef broth 2 Cups sour cream 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard cooked egg noodles, (about 8 ounces dry) for serving. Cut the filet crosswise into 1 inch slices, or use filet mignon, and cut slices into ⅓ inch strips. Like this:
5 Delicious Ways To Eat Vegetables For Dessert Could it be the answer to every parent’s dream, a way to get vegetables into a growing child? NPR reports that chefs are adding vegetables to dessert. The trade magazine Food Technology describes dishes such as “celery sorbet with celery salad, goat cheese mousse balls, macerated figs and balsamic vinegar at Del Posto in New York; sweet corn crème brulée with popcorn shoots and candied bacon at Tilth in Seattle; and a candy cap mushroom ice cream sandwich.” It sounds like just another fashionable food trend but, as Food Technology‘s associate editor, Karen Nachay, notes, chefs who are cooking with seasonable goods from local farms are trying to use up excessive supplies of one ingredient or another, rather than consigning them to the dumpster. Even more, there are nutritional benefits to eating vegetables for dessert that go beyond getting some extra zucchini into your little ones. Johnson emphasizes that “moderation is key” in offering vegetable-laden desserts to children. 1. 2. 3. 4.
summer 2012 Watermelon Fruit Leather Watermelon Fruit Leather Easy homemade watermelon fruit leather. Just two ingredients! A great snack or addition to school lunches. Growing up I pretty much devoured boxes of fruit roll-ups, as I’m sure many kids did back then. They were hard to resist. If you asked me 10 years ago if I’d ever make my own fruit leather, I might have laughed. One day at the grocery store, the watermelons were practically screaming at me to buy them. Easy two ingredient watermelon fruit leather (aka fruit roll-ups), perfect for lunches or snacking! And don’t forget to make some delicious watermelon sherbet with some of the leftover watermelon juice! Yield: 2 trays Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 3 hours, plus Total Time: 3 hours Easy homemade watermelon fruit leather. Ingredients: 8C watermelon, cubed 2/3C granulated sugar Directions: Line two baking sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper. Puree watermelon, draining through cheese cloth, set over a mesh strainer. More recipes to try:
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce -... - Blogs & Forums Hello, foodies… I posted 10 incredible pumpkin recipes yesterday in my blog and I’ve decided that some Pumpkin Risotto is in my future this weekend. Or should I make Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce? But let’s have a pumpkin refresher course, shall we? So how do you make pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins? But is fresh puree really better than canned? If you’re cooking with canned pumpkin puree and have some leftover, try adding it to your oatmeal, pancake batter, or even Greek yogurt. Are you ready to tackle those pumpkin recipes? Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter SauceServes 4–6 Ingredients: 2 (9-oz) packages of premade butternut squash ravioli, cooked according to package directions1/4 cup butter1 cup heavy cream1 Tbsp chopped sage1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese1/2 tsp salt1/4 tsp black pepper1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted Preparation: Melt the butter in a large skillet heated on medium heat. Keep it flavorful!
Crispy Baked Eggplant Fries with Marinara Dipping Sauce (aka Eggplant Parmesan Fries!) After the recent extraordinary success of the crispy baked portobello mushroom fries I was thinking about what other vegetables could be turned into fries and with the abundance of cheap eggplant these days, it seemed like the perfect candidate to try next! I was a bit worried about using eggplant to make fries as eggplant can have a lot of moisture, and no one want soggy fries, but given how addictively good roasted eggplant is, I just have to give it a shot! Once again the recipe for the eggplant fries is extremely quick and easy! You really just need to slice the eggplant, coat it up in the breadcrumbs, parmesan and seasonings and bake it until crispy. Serve with some marinara sauce and turn it into a light meal. This recipe appears in the Game Day Party Food eCookbook along with 19 more of the tasiest snacks on Closet Cooking and 5 all new drool inducing treats! Crispy Baked Eggplant Fries with Marinara Dipping Sauce (aka Eggplant Parmesan Fries!) Servings: makes 2 servings Directions
Loaded Baked Potato Rounds I really wanted to call these rounds of potatoes, Chips. I know they aren’t chips-chips because the potatoes are not crunchy, but they look like chips. And if I ever had to tell you what my favorite potato chip flavor was, I would say Loaded Baked Potato Chips. Ever think about that; what would be your favorite chip flavor? But, like, one that is not out there, yet. I would pick Roasted Red Pepper (Ajvar) and Loaded Baked Potato. So, Loaded Baked Potato Rounds it is. I love these little nibbles. This is a delicious snack that comes together in all of 30 minutes. Loaded Baked Potato Rounds Ingredients 4 medium sized red potatoes or new potatoes, washed, sliced into thin rounds, about 1/4-inch thick (I use a mandolin to cut even rounds) olive oil sea salt freshly ground peppercorns 5 or 6 strips of bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled shredded monterey jack cheese shredded cheddar cheese sour cream (optional) Instructions Preheat oven to 375.