Chocolate Mint Oreos

In the winter, my dad told me about this chocolate treat & I made them with Hershey's chocolate.  Then I saw them at a Super Bowl party & they were made with Andes Mints.  Stephen loves chocolate & mint, so I thought this would be a fun anniversary treat for him.

CHOCOLATE MINT OREOS

1 package Andes Mints

1 package Oreo Cookies

Unwrap mints (this is the only slightly time-consuming thing in the whole recipe)

Put mints in a double boiler to melt.

Once mints have melted, use a spoon to dip an Oreo in the chocolate.

Move Oreo around so that it is covered with the chocolate

Put on wax paper (on a plate or container) and repeat with other Oreos

Put plate or container in fridge (or freezer) to cool

This recipe makes about 14 covered Oreos

Tilapia Veracruz

I found the recipe for this meal on the back of a Kraft cheese package!  I thought it sounded yummy, so I gave it a try.  It really was easy to make, tasted good, and it gave me lots of ideas for future dishes I could  make based on this one.  While this recipe calls for sun-dried tomato dressing, I'd love to try a lemon-based vinegairette next time and see how that goes.  This dish was definitely a winner!

TILAPIA VERACRUZ

1/2 cup sun-dried tomato dressing

2 T. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 tilapia fillets

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives, halved

1/2 cup cheddar/monterey jack cheese

Mix dressing and lime juice

Place fish in a baking dish and drizzle with 1/2 the mixture

Toss the tomatoes and olives with remaining dressing mixture

Bake fish at 400 for 20 minutes

Take out and top with remaining dressing mixture and cheese

Bake 5 minutes or until cheese has melted

Mediterranean Chicken

I tasted this scrumptious dish last weekend at the beach while celebrating my friend, Gretchen's upcoming nuptials.  Gretchen's friend Blythe created this herself and it is so yummy.

 MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used strips)

1/2 bottle Annie's Natural Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (I accidentally used the whole bottle & it was fine)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

feta (about 3/4 cup)

Marinate chicken in dressing for at least 30 minutes (I put it in a Ziploc bag to marinate in fridge for a few hours)

Add onion, pepper and feta to marinated chicken and mix ingredients (I added ingredients to the bag & "smushed" it all around in the bag.)

Pour into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil

Cook at 400 for 15 minutes.

Uncover dish and cook for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly

Chicken Parmesan

I've had this recipe for a while...not sure where I found it.  It is absolutely one of the best and easiest recipes I make.  

CHICKEN PARMESAN

1 c. Italian breadcrumbs

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

2-3 skinned, boneless chicken breasts

2 eggs whites, lightly beaten

1 T. EVOO

1 jar pasta sauce

1 c. shredded mozzarella

1/4 c. grated parmesan

Combine breadcrumbs, flour and pepper

Dip each chicken breast in egg whites

Coat each breast with bread crumbs

Cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat (2-3 minutes on each side)

Place chicken in lightly greased baking dish

Top with sauce & cheese

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Granola

This granola recipe was given to me by my dear friend Cara's mom, Paula.  During Cara's wedding festivities, her mother treated us to delicious yogurt parfaits that included this homemade granola.  Due to my peanut allergies, good granola is hard for me to come by, so this has been a regular staple in my breakfast (and snacks) for 4 years now.  Paula's recipe includes 1/3 cup toasted almonds, but I make mine without the almonds & sometimes add other goodies like raisins or dried apples.

GRANOLA

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/4 cup honey, warmed to liquid

4 T butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and any other ingredients (almonds, raisins, etc.)

In a glass measure, warm honey until it is no longer viscous (about 20 seconds in microwave)

Add melted butter to honey and stir

Drizzle the honey-butter over the dry ingredients and mix to combine

Spread the mixture on a baking sheet

Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes until granola is golden and crunchy, stirring once

Cook time will depend on your pan and oven

Don't over cook, it will still be gooey, but will dry crunchy (this is the key and takes a little trial & error)

This time I made two batches- one with dried apples & one without

Blueberry-Banana Pie

This is my mom's recipe.  I have no idea where she got it, and I'm not sure she knows either!  As a child I was not a fan of bananas or blueberries, but I've always loved this pie!  It's an easy, summery pie that is a little bit messy, but well worth the tastiness!

BLUEBERRY-BANANA PIE

1 deep-dish frozen pie shell (or a pre-made shell is fine too)

2-3 bananas, sliced

1 c. pecans, chopped

8 oz. cream cheese

2/3 c. sugar (or Splenda)

1 small container Cool Whip

1/2 can blueberry pie filling

Bake pie crust and let cool

Line with sliced bananas

Sprinkle with pecan pieces

Cream together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy

Fold in Cool Whip

Pour mixture into crust

Top with blueberry filling

Lemon Risotto

I tasted this dish last weekend at a wedding shower.  The hostess, Tammy Clark presented this dish inside   lemons & it was so yummy.  I couldn't wait to make this for our moms on Mother's Day.  It is not a difficult dish to make, but it is time-intensive. So, I won't be making it frequently, but it's definitely worth the time & effort ocassionally.

LEMON RISOTTO

4 cups chicken broth
1/2 c fresh lemon juice

3 T unsalted butter
2 large shallots, diced
1 1/2c Arborio Rice
1/2 c dry white wine
1/2 c  and 2T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c mascarpone cheese
zest of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground pepper
2T parsley
 

In a medium sauce pan, bring broth and 1/4 c of the lemon to a simmer

Set aside for later and keep hot over low heat.

In a different medium pan, melt 2T butter, add shallots and saute until tender- about 3 minutes
Add rice and stir until the rice is coated

Add wine and remaining 1/4c lemon

Simmer until the liquid is evaporated- about 3 minutes
Add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and simmering each time until liquid is evaporated

Continue until all liquid from sauce pan #1 is in the rice- about 20 minutes

Remove from heat

Stir in 1 T butter, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper

Spoon into bowls or hollowed out lemons

Sprinkle 2 T parmesean cheese and parsley across all servings (I topped mine with asparagus)

Carrot Souffle

This dish is one of Stephen's all-time favorites.  We first tried this at the home of some folks in my first church in Knoxville.  Mary Frances Rule made this & faked out all of her dinner guests (as I do each time I make it).  This looks just like a sweet potato souffle, but it's made entirely with carrots!  Since I am not a big sweet potato fan, but I love carrots, this works out well for me!  

This is such a fun dish to make & see the surprise on people's faces when you tell them it's made from carrots!

CARROT SOUFFLE

2 lbs. carrots

3/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar (I use Splenda- not pictured)

2 tsp baking powder

6 T. flour

6 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Cook carrots in water until soft

Mash carrots or blend until smooth

(I used my baby food maker for the above instructions because it steams & processes the carrots in the same machine)

Blend carrots with butter until smooth

In medium-size bowl, combine other ingredients and mix well

Add mixture to carrots & butter in a souffle/casserole dish

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but it looks a lot like sweet potato souffle!

Frogmore Stew

Disclaimer:  This dish is intended to be fed to large groups of people.  Something is just lost when trying to make it for one (or even two), but it's still so good & the recipe is the same.  I tried to make it for myself last week & it was good, but part of the fun is eating this meal with others.

This is one of my all-time favorite foods- especially in the middle of the summer when fresh shrimp, corn & potatoes are easy to come by.  Ideally, you'd make this meal, cover a large table with newpaper and dump the entire contents onto the table for folks to enjoy with their hands.  Although I'm posting this recipe now, I'll probably re-post it again this summer when I do it the "right way".

This is also a "practice makes perfect" meal- the more you make it, the more you learn how you like it...how much of each ingredient per person, how long to cook each ingredient, etc.  Just give it a try...you really can't fail.

FROGMORE STEW

1 package Kielbasa sausage, sliced

Red New potatoes (think about 2 potatoes per person), quartered

Shrimp (1/2 lb usually feeds 2 people unless you've got some folks who love shrimp)

Corn on the cob (figure on a cob per person), halved

Old Bay Crab/Seafood Boil Seasoning Bag (not pictured)

Fill a large pot with water and put on stove at medium-high heat.

Add Old Bay seasoning bag and potatoes to water as it comes to a low boil.

Allow potatoes to boil for about 10 minutes or until moderately tender (check with a fork).

Add corn on the cob to pot (this is a preference thing...however tender or firm you like your corn).

About 5 minutes later, add shrimp to pot.

Shrimp only need to cook until pink & warm (2-3 minutes)

Drain entire pot.

Dump contents onto newspaper-covered table (or serve in bowls).

Serve with cocktail sauce & drawn butter.

Breakfast Casserole

Everyone has tasted a version of this delicious breakfast dish.  I don't actually have a recipe per se- I've made this several times & now I just "throw it together".  However, this particular recipe is most closely related to the recipe my friend Turner's friend Amelia makes.

 BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 lb. sausage

6 eggs

1/4 c. milk

6-8 pieces of bread (use whatever bread is in the house at the time)

cheddar cheese, grated

salt

pepper

Cook sausage & break into small pieces

Drain & set aside

Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray

Tear (or cut) bread into small pieces & place in dish

Top bread with sausage

Whisk together 6 eggs, milk & add salt & pepper to taste

Pour egg mixture over bread & sausage

Top dish with cheddar cheese

Cover with plastic wrap & keep in refrigerator overnight (this step can be skipped if desired)

Bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly 

Pineapple Pork Tacos

I forgot to take pictures of the early stages of this dish, but thankfully Stephen reminded me at the end.

This was a delicious meal & very quick & easy to make.  I had no idea that pork can be broiled so quickly & come out so well.  I will definitely be using this method a little more in the future.

(I think I got this recipe from myrecipes.com, but I can't remember for sure.)

PINEAPPLE PORK TACOS

1 white onion, thickly sliced

2 c. fresh pineapple chunks

1 lb. pork tenderloin, thinly sliced

8-12 corn tortillas, warmed

1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro

lime wedges

Arrange rack in over 6 inches from heating element

Preheat broiler

Arrange onion & pineapple on foil-lined baking sheet

Broil, stirring twice, until softened and slightly brown 8-10 minutes

Transfer to platter & keep warm

Arrange pork on same baking sheet & broil

Stir twice until cooked through and golden brown 6-8 minutes

Transfer to platter with pineapple and onions

Toss gently

Spoon onto tortillas

Top with cilantro & serve with lime wedges