Texas Caviar

I am such a huge fan of Mexican food!  It is my go to for dinner, snacks and just about anytime!  I came across this recipe and couldn't get enough! I found the recipe here. And no, it doesn't have fish eggs in it!

Texas Caviar

1 (15 oz) can black eyed peas for black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

1 jalapeño (2 if you want it spicer)stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 T fresh squeezed lime juice

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t paprika

1/8 t pepper or cayenne if you like the heat

Whisk together oil, lime juice, paprika, salt and pepper.

Toss all the other ingredients together in a bowl.  

Pour the dressing on top and toss until mixed together.

Serve with tortilla chips!

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs

In the never ending quest to make something new for dinner, I occasionally come across a recipe that everyone in my family likes.  Ok, lets be honest, it rarely happens that EVERYONE in my family likes what I make for dinner but when it does happen it definitely becomes blog worthy!  So here you go, a recipe EVERYONE in my family likes!  Hooray for me! Here is where I found the recipe, I changed it a bit.

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs
(makes about 20 meatballs)

1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 T butter, melted
1 egg
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T dried oregano
2 t dried basil
salt and pepper
20 small mozzarella cubes (I cut string cheese into 4 or 5 chunks)

Preheat oven to 400.  In a small bowl, combine panko, butter and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese.  Mix until evenly coated with the butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg.  Add the chicken, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, the other half of the parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands.  Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Place a couple of Tablespoons of chicken mixture into each well.  Place a chunk of mozzarella into the center of each and press down slightly and then cover with the chicken mixture.  Sprinkle the top of each chicken mound with the panko/parmesan mixture lightly pressing it into the meat.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the panko is lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through.  Let it rest for 5 minutes after taking out of the oven.  Serve with noodles and your favorite marinara sauce.

*These would be great served with just marinara as an appetizer

Kale Chips

I have seen these all over the internet lately and since we LOVE kale in our house (we even grow it in our garden), I just had to give them a try.  They have been given the stamp of approval, even by my 4 year old! They are quick and easy and super tasty!

Kale Chips


1 bunch of kale, washed and dried
1-2 T olive oil
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350. Once the kale has been washed and dried, remove the big stems and tear the kale into large pieces (the size you want your chips to be).  Toss the kale with the olive oil until it is coated.  Place the kale in a single layer on a cookie a sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt, be careful not over salt it, a little goes a long way!  Bake the kale at 350 for 15-20 minutes until the kale is crunchy.  Serve warm or cold, be careful the kale is super delicate.

Perfect Guacamole

This is the ONLY recipe you will ever need for this!  It is beyond delicious, perfectly simple and oh so fresh! We LOVE Mexican food at our house!  And good guacamole tops the chart! My husband and I often wonder why it is so many restaurants serve nasty guacamole when it is so easy to make!  The hardest part is finding GOOD avocados.  Once you have that handled, well the rest is just too easy!

Guacamole

4 ripe avocados*

juice of 1/2 a lime

1/4 cup salsa, the fresher the better!

garlic salt, to taste

In a bowl mash up the avocados with the lime juice.  We used a potato masher, if you want it smoother and creamier, use an electric mixer.  Stir in the salsa and garlic salt.  

To pick perfect avocados, buy ones that are hard and let them soften on your counter.  They are ripe when the are still firm to the touch but have a little give to them.  If you try and buy them ripe, they are usually over ripe or bruised.  We store almost ripe avocados in our fridge and they ripen a lot slower.  Let them come to room temperature before using, it will make them easier to mash.  

Storing left over Guacamole is tricky, we have found the best way is to press plastic wrap to the top of the leftovers in a bowl removing all the air bubbles. Like when you press plastic wrap onto the top of pudding to prevent a film from forming.

Lettuce Wraps

I LOVE these!  They are a copy cat of P.F. Chang's, which are to die for.  These come pretty close.  Besides, who doesn't love a healthy, fun way to spice up chicken for dinner?  I got this recipe from my A-mazing sister who (I think) found it online.  So, thanks Abby! Now you won't have to continue to send me the same recipe over and over...

Lettuce Wraps

3 frozen chicken breasts

1 lg. carrot

8 whole mushrooms

3 green onions

1 red bell pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 can water chestnuts- drained

2 T oil

1/4 t. sesame oil

Iceberg lettuce

rice noodles (optional for more crunch)

Boil chicken in water with a pinch of salt and a clove of garlic. Once it is cooked through,

finely chop it.  Finely grate carrot and mushroom.  Finely chop bell pepper, onion and chestnuts. Set aside.

Mix Sauce ingredients

1/2 C water

1/4 C sugar

2T rice vinegar

1 t. sesame oil

1 t. sriracha, this will NOT make these spicy.  Double this for more kick!

1/2 C soy sauce

1/2 t. fresh ginger or 1/4 t. powdered ginger

(Double the sauce so you have some for dipping!)

Now, heat 2 T oil and 1/4 t sesame oil in a large skillet. Add onion, mushroom and red pepper.  Cook 2 minutes to soften.  Add sauce and chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minute until almost all the liquid is absorbed.  Add chestnuts and carrots. Stir to combine.

Serve in the crunchy inside pieces of iceberg lettuce.  Add the rice noodles, if you are using them. Dip in the extra sauce!

 * I will use Low-sodium soy sauce next time, I like to have a little more control over the saltiness without losing the flavor.

Caprese Salad Skewers

I have seen this salad pop up all over the internet. I love that these are bite sized and individual.  Besides they are so easy and beautiful.  I have made them a couple of times now and they are always a hit.  The last time was for this Fall Baby Shower I put on with my BFF Abby.

Caprese Salad Skewers

Cherry tomatoes

fresh basil leaves

fresh mozzarella (I used and LOVE these little marinated mozzarella balls.  I found them at my grocery store.  The brand is Galbani)

balsamic vinegar

toothpicks

sea salt (optional)

fresh ground pepper (optional)

Place a tomato, basil leaf and mozzarella on a toothpick and repeat until you have the desired amount.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

(If you don't use the marinated mozzarella, you may want to sprinkle the skewers with sea salt and fresh ground pepper)

Day 107 - Kale Chips



Today I baked Kale chips.  I cannot tell you how often I have seen them on different blogs and yesterday I saw them on Sylvie's blog Gourmande in the Kitchen.  She talked about taking the kale chips one step further and made kale powder.  I had never had kale and actually never really paid attention to it until my daughter wanted me to pick some up for her about a month ago so she could put it into a green drink.  I really had no interest in it, so I didn't even taste it.
What convinced me after seeing Sylvie's blog were her photographs.  Her pictures are absolutely beautiful, so you should take a look-see.
You know how when something comes up in your life or your attention is drawn to something in particular then all you seem to do is notice it or that this "thing" keeps popping up out of nowhere?  This is how it's been with the kale since I bought it for my daughter.  I've seen it EVERYWHERE. 
Ok, maybe not everywhere, but in a lot of places.

Baked Kale Chips

1 large bunch of kale
small amount of olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Wash kale thoroughly to remove any dirt in crevices.
Spin in salad spinner until dry.  Remove any excess water with a towel.
Gently tear away leaves from inner ribs and set leaves aside.  Discard ribs.
Using a small amount of olive oil on fingers, massage it onto the kale so that it is covered, but not to the point of dripping.
Place kale leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes until dry and crisp.

I really had no idea how these were going to taste, but I was pleasantly surprised! 

Well, except where I went a little overboard on the salt.  Blech!

They had a really neat texture and I liked the way they crumblemelted (yes, it's all one word because that's what they did, they crumblemelted) in my mouth.

Then I ate another one, and another one.

And another one.

And I thought, this is just like that Lay's potato chip commercial "betcha' can't eat just one".  But these are WAAAYYYYYYY healthier.

I like that.

I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4.  My eldest daughter (who's more of a health nut than her siblings), and I really liked them and thought they should earn 3 rolling pins.  The other two children, who would much rather prefer I make sweets, were not too fond of them.  Well, not everyone has the same taste.

A healthy snack and very easy to prepare.  Explore the possibilities of kale powder at Gourmande in the Kitchen!

Thank you all for reading!

Happy baking!

Restaurant Style Chicken Nachos

I am a huge fan of mexican food in general, but nachos {Good Nachos} top my list. I made these on a whim to copy our favorite Mexican restaurant and they were so yummy! I need to put them on here so that I will remember to make them again! This is more just a list of ingredients because you can make as big a plate of these as you like!

Restaurant Style Chicken Nachos

Chicken, cooked and shredded

green enchilada sauce

cheddar cheese/jack cheese

refried beans

tortilla chips

sour cream

salsa

guacamole

Preheat your oven on broil. Place an oven rack about 10 inches from the top of the oven. Cover a pie plate or cookies sheet with foil and pile on some tortilla chips. Cook shredded chicken in enchilada sauce in a sauce pan until warmed through. Heat up refried beans (I like to add a little enchilada sauce and shredded to these). Put dollops of beans all over the chips. Next add the chicken in the same way. Top with lots of shredded cheese. Place the nachos in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and starts to bubble. Top with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa. We like to gather around and eat off of the same plate just like at a Mexican restaurant!

*You could totally use any kind of meat: shredded beef, shredded pork or make it vegetarian and just use beans!

Day 16 - Corn Crisps

     In a word, bizarre.  That's what I made today, something that tasted bizarre.  I'm using this recipe book quite a bit, but it has a lot of good things in it.  This one though just didn't make the cut.  Once again, this one comes from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, pg. 73; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred a. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

 Corn Crisps (even the name is a little weird to me.)
     3/4 cup water
     2 tablespoons butter
     ½ cup yellow cornmeal
     ¼-½ teaspoon salt

     Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  Butter a cookie sheet.  Bring the water and butter to a boil in a small pan. 

Quickly stir the cornmeal and salt and mix well.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes.  I took them out after 10 minutes and there was a bit of smoke that accompanied them on the exit from the oven because of the buttered cookie pan.

     This recipe was short, quick and to the point.  I don't think they get any easier than this.  But I know there are some that taste much better.  I like cornmeal in other things, not in these crisps.  This was listed in the Nibbles section of Appetizers & First Courses with popcorn, sugared nuts and some other things.  My children tried it and really didn't like it either.  Definitely not an after school snack here and I really wouldn't make it to serve to guests.  The rating for this:  one rolling pin.
     Happy baking!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These little yummies are so easy and such a fun party food. I used ready made and frozen Italian meatballs from Sam's Club and these literally took about 3 minutes to throw together and then about 2 hours in my crock pot! My kids thought they were great too!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1(15 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vinegar or cider vinegar

1 T molasses

1 t Dijon mustard

1/2 t chili powder

25 frozen Italian meatballs (or homemade meatballs, cooked through)

Mix all ingredients in your crock pot, except meatballs, until smooth. Add meatballs and cook on low for at least 2 hours (or until meatballs are heated through). You can just let these babies simmer while you party on!

Day 14 - Cheese Straws

     This recipe is from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, pg. 66; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher Alfred A. Knopf, division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.  Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.... Remember that song?  Yeah, that's the topic for today's recipe.  Things that make you go hmmmm...Cheese straws.  I was looking forward to having them and was thinking they might be a good snack when the kids came home from school.  They can still have them, but I don't think they're going to like them.  Kind of blah and the ingredients did NOT come together as they were supposed to.  I have no idea where this went awry.  I checked, double checked, triple checked and checked yet again as I was going through the process, but the outcome was BLECH!  I find it extremely odd that it didn't turn out unless something was missing from the list.  I can count on one hand in all the years that I've been reading recipes that they didn't work.  I'm not saying that I'm the greatest chef, cook or baker, but darn, I CAN follow a recipe.

     Cheese Straws

     ¼ pound butter

     2 cups flour

     ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

     1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

     Salt to taste

     

     Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Cream the butter until light; add the flour, cayenne, cheese, and salt.

   

     Knead until dough forms a ball, then roll out on a floured board or pastry cloth.

     Cut into strips 5 inches long and 3/8 wide.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 6 minutes, until golden.

     I had the ingredients in my Kitchen Aid and when I saw that the dough wasn't coming together as it should (after (I kid you not) a good twenty minutes of "kneading"), I started kneading it with my hands.  That wasn't working either.  The dough was just coarse and not sticking together.  So, I added teaspoons of water until I thought it looked like it would stick - 5 to be exact.  I didn't want to add too much.  It stuck it together a little better, but you can still see from the picture when it was on the board that something just wasn't right.  I rolled it out the best I could and baked about a dozen or so to see how they would be.  Nope, not happening.  Bummer.  I decided to not even bake the rest because the product had no taste and was, as my husband said,  "blah".  I'm not educated enough in the science of food; acids, bases, ingredients that should be added to MAKE A DOUGH STICK TOGETHER to know what will and will not work.  Sorry for yelling.   I'm thinking I might need this book.  Happy baking!

Pizza bites

I found this recipe over at Our Best Bites. I did mine a little differently, but they are the same idea. My kids thought these were pretty cool! What kid (or adult, for that matter) doesn't love finger food!

Pizza Bites

Pizza dough*

Ranch dressing (already made up)

mozzarella cheese, cubed into 1/2 inch cubes

olive oil

Italian seasoning

garlic powder

Parmesan cheese

*You can use whatever pizza dough is your favorite. I used this one. I doubled the recipe and it made about 24 bites.

Roll out the pizza dough into an rectangle about 18 inches by 6 inches. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 24 squares. In the center of each square put 1 to2 teaspoons of ranch and the same amount of cheese (about 4 cubes). Gather up the edges and seal the dough so none of the innards leak out. Place these seam side down in a greased pie plate or similar dish. Brush the tops with olive oil and then sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden and the dough is cooked. Serve with marinara sauce or ranch dressing for dipping.

You can really fill these bites with anything you would put on a pizza...pepperoni, pineapple, bell peppers, etc.

We even filled a few with a big marshmallow and a few chocolate chips. When they were cooked I drizzled them with some icing, YUM!

Day 3 - Pepperoni Bread

     Since I've been telling people that I've decided to bake something everyday for 365 days and write a blog about it, I've received various comments.  Some have been related to weight: "How much weight do you think you'll gain?".  As I wrote on Day 1, that was one of my initial thoughts, too.  My thirteen year old son's response was, "Are we going to get fat?!".  This came from a child whose Phys. Ed. teacher suggested the best way to ever punish him would be to make him sit still for 10 minutes straight.  It's not happening.  And hey, just because I make the food doesn't mean we have to eat it!  We could just "taste" it as Winnie the Pooh says about honey.  Ok, I know that's not realistic.  I know that I need to refrain from overindulgence which of course, is easier said than done.
     Segue into my stepping on the scale this morning.  Though I won't tell you the exact number (because it's a known fact women don't like to discuss their weight), I will tell you that it is more than the 98 lbs. I weighed in high school and less than the 151 lbs. I weighed while carrying each of our children.  I have decided that I will keep track of weight gain and or loss and provide weekly updates. As of now, I have no current exercise regimen, but know it could prove to be extremely important and alas (sigh), for overall health reasons I should be doing it anyway.  This will be a challenge in itself and may need to be a separate blog.  I suppose Baking 365 is better than a Frying 365.  Any takers for that blog?
     Pepperoni Bread
     Tonight it's Pepperoni Bread for dinner!  Both the kids and my husband love this and it is so easy.  We eat it at least twice a month and I always make it to take to parties because everyone loves it and it's a great finger food, especially for those Superbowl parties.  This is my own and I've made a few changes to it over the years and have tried it different ways.  Today I made my own dough (a first!) since I'm doing a blog about Baking, I figured I should probably be as true to it as possible and I was thrilled that the Fleischmann's Pizza Dough yeast didn't require a rising time.  I have used Pillsbury French Bread loaves, but wasn't nuts about the taste.  I've gotten good results with packaged bread dough or pizza dough I've gotten from grocery stores, but the only place I can find it around us is at Trader Joe's.  However, they sell one with herbs in it that's really good!  The best results are with pizza dough from restaurants.  If you have a favorite pie place ask them if they sell it to you.  Usually they'll be happy to.  There's a great pizza place that we fell in love with up near my daughter's college and I asked them if they sold their dough.  They charged me $5 per bag which I thought was worth it because it saved me the trouble of making it and I LOVED the taste.  I have this habit which drives my kids nuts when we go out for pizza.  When I get down to the crust, I tear it open, stick my nose in it and take a deep whiff.  Aaaaahhhhhhhh, it's so awesome!  Many times I've heard from the kids as they're rolling they're eyes, "Here she goes again.".  It's a ritual, what can I say?  So if you find a place you like, ask to bring some home.  We also like to have a cruet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing for a sauce to dip it in.  It's so yummy!
     Preheat Oven to 375.
     Ingredients:
     2 Pkgs. Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
     8 oz. Pepperoni
     8 oz. Provolone Cheese
     3 Tbs. Butter (melted)
     1 Tsp. each of Basil and Oregano
     2 Tbsp. Shredded Parmesan

     Mix pizza dough according to directions.

     I had mixed only one package, but realized it wasn't enough to feed a family of 5, so used a 2nd one.  And, doesn't it figure you make dinner and then the teenagers tell you they already had plans.  That's alright, it's Saturday night.
     Place dough on well floured surface and use rolling pin to form rectangle.  Sometimes this part isn't so easy for me, it's never really a complete rectangle as you can tell from the picture, but the good thing is, it doesn't have to be.  Make sure dough is not rolled too thin because it will tear apart as you roll it up.  While rolling out the dough, I'll put the butter in the oven to melt it.  Just remember that it's in there or you'll burn it (as I did tonight).

     Starting at short end of rectangle, place row of pepperoni on end.  Cover with cheese slices.  I split the Provolone in 1/2 because it's easier when rolling.  Take edge of dough and roll tightly over pepperoni and cheese until covered.  Continue process until end.  I can usually get four to five rows of meat and cheese before I finish depending on the rectangle size.

 

Use rimmed cookie sheet and spread light coat of butter on bottom.  Place bread roll in pan seam side down otherwise it will split open (ok, it still does sometimes anyway, but it helps).  Baste loaf with remaining butter.  Sprinkle with Basil, Oregano, and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

 

    Enjoy and happy baking!

Bean Dip

This bean dip has been a staple in our house since I was in high school. It is quick, easy and oh so good! My kids love this as a snack and can devour the whole thing in a matter of minutes. This is also a really good way to dress up plain old refried beans as a side dish.

Bean Dip

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

1/2 cup of your favorite salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

Mix together the beans, salsa and cheese in a sauce pan and heat until the cheese is melted, stirring to keep from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the cheese is melted, remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve warm with chips or as a side dish.

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is another recipe from my sister-in-law. I absolutely LOVE spinach and artichoke dip and this is my favorite recipe for it! It makes me like it even more that it doesn't have mayonnaise in it. Not that I have anything against mayonnaise but putting it in desserts and eating it in a big glob on top of crackers or bread just makes me want to gag. It is a mental thing. Anyway, you won't miss the mayo one bit in this, it is wonderful!

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1-10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2-8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper until combined. Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbling.