Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Quinoa with Tomato and Basil


Quinoa with Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella

Prep Time:
 
 
Cook Time:
 
 
Difficulty:
 Easy
 
Servings:
 12

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 2 cups Red Quinoa
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
  • 1 cup Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
  • 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella, Cut Into Small Cubes
  • 24 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

Preparation Instructions

Combine olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper in a jar. Put on the lid and shake vigorously. Set aside.
Prepare the quinoa by bringing 4 cups of water to a boil, then adding the quinoa. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Pour quinoa out onto a baking sheet and spread into a single layer to cool quickly.
Once the quinoa has cooled to room temperature, throw into a large bowl and toss in the tomatoes and mozzarella. Stir gently while adding 2/3 of the dressing. Stir in the basil. After everything is incorporated, give it a taste; add more dressing if it needs it, or reserve the rest of the dressing for another use. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
NOTE: It's best to make this at least a couple of hours ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Salad will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days; the mozzarella slightly softens as time passes, but it's still delicious!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Peanut Butter Blondies by Tim Latimer

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter (or 1 cup or 1/2 pound)
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of flour
1 cup of peanut butter (I use creamy but chunky will work fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 eggs (I always buy Jumbo eggs so 4 works…if you buy large eggs use 5)
8 ounces (half a bag) miniature marshmallows
2 cups chopped nuts ( I like walnuts or pecans)

Frosting:
2 bars of Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate 4 ounces each, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
I teaspoon Vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350

Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (the parchment should extend up the sides of the
pan and extend past the sides a few inches). (Use an aluminum pan with straight sides….these will not
cook evenly in a glass pan and the edges will become crispy rather than chewy. Make the batter

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan. (The batter is all made in the pot so use a large enough pot)

Stir in the peanut butter and stir until melted
Stir in the sugar…this will cool off the butter/peanut butter
Add the eggs and vanilla and stir them in to combine…don’t use a mixer or they will be too airy
Add the cinnamon, salt baking powder, and flour…stir until just combined ( I use a rubber spatula for all
the mixing)
Fold in the nuts and marshmallows. Spread the batter (which will be very thick) into the pan and
smooth it out
Bake for 30 min (they won’t look done but they are so take them out of the oven)
Cool
Frost
To make the frosting heat the cream in a pan until almost boiling, add the corn syrup and vanilla and
then stir in the chopped chocolate….the hot cream will melt the chocolate…stir until smooth pour over
the cooled brownies and then refrigerate them

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Red Lobster Biscuits...delish!!

RED LOBSTER CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Yield10 biscuits
These copycat biscuits are unbelievably easy to make in just 20 minutes, and they taste a million times better than the original!
INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • FOR THE TOPPING
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper, if using.
  • In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and butter. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Gently fold in cheese.
  • Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop the batter evenly onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • For the topping, whisk together butter, parsley and garlic powder in a small bowl. Working one at a time, brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter mixture.
  • Serve immediately.
NOTES

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Author: 
Recipe type: Dip
Cuisine: American
Prep time:  
Cook time:  
Total time:  
Serves: 4-5
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. shredded chicken
  • ¾ cup Buffalo sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
  • ½ cup Ranch dressing
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
Instructions
  1. I pre-shred several pounds of chicken at one time by cooking a 5 lb. bag in a large crockpot and then giving it a spin in my Kitchen-Aide. I freeze in ½ pound baggies and just pull two out when I want to make this dip.
  2. In a small crockpot, place the chicken (if still frozen, let it thaw in the crockpot for a little while first before adding the other ingredients), Buffalo sauce, dressing, cheese, and cream cheese. Stir occasionally until heated through and well combined. Serve with chips and celery sticks.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Crust:
1 cup flour-substitute rice flour for a gluten free version
2 T powdered sugar
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
Mix.  Pat into pie tin.  Bake at 350 until light brown…about 15 minutes or so.  Cool.
Filling:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 T cornstarch
Put in pan.  Boil on the stove until clear-ish.  It won’t be clear like see through but the look will change and the sugar and cornstarch will be dissolved.  Add one small box of strawberry jello.  Cool.  Clean 1 quart of strawberries and cut into bit sized pieces.  Mix into the cooled jello mix.  Pour into the shell and refrigerate.