Italian Nachos

Oh my goodness, these are so good!  We had these for the first time as a starter at Carino's Italian restaurant about 4 years ago and fell in love.  I knew if I could just figure out what they used for their chips (since the weren't typical nacho tortilla chips) I could totally recreate this at home.  After searching for copycat recipes I concluded that wonton wrappers would do the trick. They worked perfectly and this is now one of our very favorites meals.  The flavors all combine so perfectly that all you can think about while you're chewing is your next bite.  And, even though the chips do get soggy, the leftovers are still just as tasty.

Italian Nacho's
Leah Matthews

Wonton Wrappers, cut in half diagonally forming triangles ( we use about 3/4 package for 4-6people)

Vegetable oil

16 oz jar alfredo sauce, heated (we prefer 

shredded mozzarella cheese

fresh, shredded parmesan cheese

Toppings:

jalepenos

banana peppers

sliced olives

roma tomatoes, diced

grilled chicken slices (I used the pre cooked Tyson kind you can buy in a package for salads)

cooked italian sausage

In a frying pan pour oil 2-3 inches deep and heat on med-high.  When oil is hot put in 3-4 wonton triangles at a time and turn them over in oil with tongs.  Being so thin, these literally only take about 3-5 seconds to get crispy so be careful.  Remove onto paper towel lined plate when light golden. 

Spread chips onto a cookie sheet in close to one layer and sprinkle toppings all over top.  Wait until the end to drizzle the warmed alfredo sauce over toppings * if you put it on first it will make the chips soggy by they time you're ready to eat them. Finally sprinkle cheeses over top.  Set oven to broil with rack in the center.  Put nachos in broiler only long enough for cheese to melt.  

Serve immediatley!

Roasted Asparagus

Simple, amazingly delicious.

Roasted Asparagus

Place trimmed asparagus into baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili powder.  Bake in 450 oven for 20-25 minutes.

Cornbread Stuffing

I think this was my favorite dish this year. So. Good.  I will absolutely be making this version every year!

Cornbread Stuffing
Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

• 1 whole Pan Of Cornbread (we used the Jiffy box mix)
• 1 loaf French Bread, Somewhat Crusty
• 1 stick Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 2 cups Celery, Chopped
• 4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• ½ teaspoons Dried Basil
• ½ teaspoons Thyme
• 2 teaspoons (to 3 Teaspoons) Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
• ¼ cups Fresh Parsley, Chopped
• Salt To Taste  (didn't think it needed any salt!)

Preparation Instructions

Chop the cornbread and loaf of French bread up into 1-inch cubes. Spread them out on two baking sheets and let them dry for approximately 24 hours.

Warm up a large skillet over medium heat and add one stick of butter. When it’s melted add the onion and celery and cook for a few minutes until onions are almost translucent. While it’s cooking chop up any fresh herbs you will be using.

Add 4 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add ½ a teaspoon of basil, ½ teaspoon of ground thyme, a few teaspoons of fresh chopped rosemary and ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley. Stir until combined.

Place all of your dried bread cubes into a large bowl and mix them up a bit. Gradually ladle the broth mixture into the bread, tossing lightly as you go. Keep gradually adding the broth mixture, tasting as you go and adding more seasoning and herbs if needed. Add salt carefully. You don’t want to over salt your stuffing. If the mixture is not quite moist enough add a bit more chicken broth and stir.

Either stuff the bird and bake according to directions or place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Mmmm.  Is it really necessary to add the added fat of cream cheese to mashed potatoes? No.  You can make perfectly yummy ones without it, but for the holidays- why not I say, why not?

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• ¾ cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• ½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

Delicious and so much better than the canned kind though I like that too.)  I personally thought the orange zest was too strong, making it slightly bitter, so next time I would only zest half the orange. Otherwise, perfect.

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

3/4 cup water

1 small orange, zested and juiced
2/3 cup sugar (plus more to taste)
12-16 oz cranberries
1/2 – 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (we used 1/2tsp ground ginger spice)

Add water, OJ, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.  Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Yields: 10 servings

Broccoli Salad

Made this over the summer for a family barbeque at the lake and we all loved it!  Even the boys who were originally skeptical over the virtues of a salad consisting mainly of broccoli.  So yummy.

Broccoli Salad
adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

• 1 -2 head fresh broccoli ( do not use frozen!)
• 1/2 cup red onions, chopped
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheesehandfull of sunflower seedssprinkle of cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon (I make it easy and buy the pre-ccoked, pre-crumbled Hormel brand in  bag by the salad dressing isle; the Hormel brand is the best) and crumble into pieces.
2. Chop up top of broccoli into bite size pieces.
3. Mix broccoli, onions, bacon, sunflower seeds, and cheese in large bowl.
4. In separate bowl combine vinegar, sugar, cayenne and mayo.
5. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat and refrigerate. 
6. Best if made a day ahead.

Southwest Flank Steak Salad

More of a concept than a recipe, this salad was grreat! ;o)

romaine lettuce
black beans
corn kernals
sauted peppers and onions
avocado
flank steak
creamy cilantro-lime dressing

Sweet Potatoes with Praline Topping

I've been making these for two years now for Thanksgiving and the difference between baking your sweet potatoes fresh rather than using the canned yams makes such a difference. These are so good. My only problem is that I'm torn every year whether to top them with the praline topping (mmmm) or the traditional marshmallows? Still, I don't know yet.

Sweet Potatoes with Praline Topping

Serves ~8

3 lbs sweet potatoes
1 can (5oz) evaporated milk
4 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (1 oz) chopped pecans
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Rinse the sweet potatoes and prick in several places with fork. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until very soft when pierced with a knife, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hrs. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and reduce heat to 325.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and put the pulp in the bowl of a food processor. Add the evaporated milk, butter, eggs , brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Process until smooth andcreamy. Transfer to an 8 inch baking dish.

Topping: Combine brown sugar,flour,butter,pecans and salt in a medium bowl. Spoon topping over potatoes. Bake until topping is golden brown, 25-35 minutes.

Notes: The sweet potato puree can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. The topping can be prepared 3-5 days in advance and stored in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Creamed Spinach

I made this last Christmas and everyone loved it. It is such a great side for the holidays, but it's good enough to make anytime.

Creamed Spinach

Serves: 6-8 Prep. Time: 0:35 5 Tbls. butter OR margarine - divided 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 dash ground nutmeg 1 cup half and half cream 4 oz. cream cheese 1 sm. onion - minced 3 cloves garlic - minced (2) 10 oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach - thawed 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

-In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 Tbls. butter; stir in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; slowly whisk in cream; stir in cream cheese. -Increase heat to medium; whisk mixture constantly until thick and smooth; remove from heat and set aside. -In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook onions and garlic in remaining 2 Tbls. butter until transparent; stir spinach and water into pan. -Reduce heat to medium-low; cover; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. -Stir spinach mixture into creamy mixture; return to medium heat; heat, stirring often, until warmed throughout. -Remove from heat; fold in Parmesan.

Spinach Salad

I always feel like salads can be funny things to make recipes for, but this was such a good combination I wanted to be able to remember it.

Spinach Salad

adapted from the Bazbeaux Pizza menu

fresh spinach leaves

sliced mushroom

crumbled bacon ( i love the hormel pre done kind in a package by the dressings and condiments)

chopped boiled egg

sliced red onion

black olives

shredded mozzarella

I used Marie's brand honey mustard dressing on this and it all came together so perfectly. This was a delicious salad ( I actually didn't put in the egg this time), the kind where the salad isn't just a plate filler but a desire for seconds.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Now, I don't know what the traditional way of making this salad is or if there really even is one. I saw so many different versions when I tried looking it up on recipezaar. This is my parent's recipe or Empire Caterer's recipe that is. I loved this salad when they would make it for catering dinners and called my dad for the recipe last week, having a sudden nostalgic craving for it. Unfortunately, they've only ever made this in batches that serve fifty or more people so trying to convert the measurements down was guess work. I took what my dad gave me and played around with it from there. Mine ended up quite tasty, but with a bit too much soy sauce. So my new adjustment to that is reflected here. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

The Chernans

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbs. sour cream

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs soy sauce

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 Tbs sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min to an hour before using.

Salad:

grilled chicken breast (or boiled) cut into strips or diced

romaine lettuce

chinese crunchy noodles

bean sprouts

cashews or sliced almonds

mandarin oranges

water chestnuts ( I don't like them, so i leave them out)

Amounts are subject to how many you are serving. The dressing will cover at least one normal sized bag of prepackaged romaine, probably two.

Asparagus with Tomatoes and Feta

I love, love, love asparagus. It and squash are probably my two favorite vegetables. So this recipe caught my fancy by taking that favorite of mine and making me think outside the box on how it can be served. This was a perfect side dish for a summer dinner; so fresh and yummy. For the asparagus fiends that we are, one bunch of asparagus only serves two, so I would recommend 2 bunches for more servings and just doubling the recipe.

Asparagus with Tomatoes and FetaAsparagus with Tomatoes and Feta

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely minced

2 vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced

1-2 oz crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper

In a large skillet, lay the asparagus in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can get). Add water just until the asparagus is covered. Heat over medium-high heat until the water boils. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the asparagus is tender. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallot until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, just to warm and wilt very slightly. Once the asparagus is tender, remove from the heat and drain. Remove the shallot-tomato mixture from the heat, stir in the feta, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the warm asparagus on a serving platter (or individual plates) and top with the tomato-feta mixture. Serve immediately

Creamed Peas

My Grandma Ellsworth and my mom have always made these.  It's so simple and tastes wonderful; I've always loved this way of preparing peas and since I had some left over evaporated milk from the meatball meal we had the other night this was a great way to use it up.  Speaking of which, that's really a great and economical way to plan meals.  I had decided to make cordon bleu because I had some leftover swiss from a previous meal a few weeks ago and the remainng cream from the mousse I had made Jon.  

Creamed Peas

Ellsworth Family

1 can peas

evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan add drained peas and just enough milk to coat the peas but not cover them since you don't really want it to be soupy.  Heat to a boil and then turn down to low to simmer.  Stir occasionly lightly mashing the peas ( I don't mean like mashed potatoes mash, just pressing on them slightly to thicken the consistency a little.)

Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Pecans

Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Pecans

(from H-E-B's Cooking Connection)

Tonight was Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia and Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Pecans. Our grocery store, H-E-B, has this little cooking show type thing in it and they always make the yummiest dishes (hoping to lure you into buying the expensive spices and sauces used). We rarely fall for their ploy but love to take home the recipes anyway and try to substitute the more costly ingredients, usually with success.

I've wanted to try this spinach recipe for a year now and finally did. It was so, so delicious and went really well with the fish. I substituted their expensive dressing for apricot jam.

Ingredients:

2 bags fresh baby spinach

3 Tbs apricot jam, (microwave for a few seconds to reduce)

5-6 slices bacon, diced

1/4 cup sliced pecans

dash salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese

1. In large skillet, cook chopped bacon until brown and crispy. About half way through add pecans toast them.

2. When bacon is done, add the spinach a little at a time and turn to wilt. When all of spinach is wilted add apricot jam, salt and pepper.

3. Stir in cheese, toss to mix and remove from heat.