Recipe #278: Buffalo Chicken Dip

This awesome appetizer seems to be a staple at parties lately, and I decided it was time to make it myself.  This is my adaptation.

INGREDIENTS:

1 rotisserie chicken, hand shredded (this could be done ahead of time)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 8oz block of cream cheese
3/4c bleu cheese dressing
3/4c ranch dressing
1/3c hot sauce (I used buffalo wing sauce)
Shredded cheese
Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a skillet and cook celery until soft.  Add cheese and dressings and cook until smooth.  Add in chicken and hot sauce and mix well.  Pour into a greased 8x8 dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Recipe #277: Chewy Toffee Almond Bars

I don't quite know what compelled me to make a dessert, since I don't have a sweet tooth, but I'll make exceptions for both toffee and coconut.  And look, here's both in a really easy recipe!  I found this one on the back of the 8oz bag of Heath English Toffee Bits (Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits).

Shouldn't it be O' instead of 'O?  Just noticed that.  ANYWAY, here we go:

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
2 c all-purpose flour
8oz package Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits
3/4 c light corn syrup
1 c sliced almonds, divided
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F.  Grease 9x13 baking pan.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy (this made me laugh).  Gradually add flour, beating until well blended.  Press dough evenly in prepared pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned.  Meanwhile, combine toffee bits and corn syrup in medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted.  Stir in 1/2c almonds and 1/2c coconut.  Spread toffee mixture to within 1/4" of edges of crust.  Sprinkle remaining coconut and almonds over top.

Bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly.  Cool completely.  Cut into bars- makes 36.

Recipe #276: Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

I've made these before, but I never posted the how-to, apparently.  Really easy and adaptable.... and obviously delicious!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Wrap 3 stalks of thick asparagus (woody ends removed) per strip of bacon, securing the end with a toothpick.  Place on a rack (I used a cooling rack for cookies) on a foil-lined cookie sheet.).  Brush top end with butter or spray with Pam olive oil, and dust with garlic salt.  Bake about 25 minutes until bacon is done.

Recipe #275: Chicken Chimichangas with Sour Cream Sauce

I had a little trouble with this one, between wrapping these things and frying them in oil, but they still turned out delicious.  Next time I'll try my own wrapping technique or bigger tortillas, and I think I'd bake them instead of frying them.  Besides being a healthier option, they won't burn as quickly.  The one minute fry time is WAY longer than necessary.  Still delicious despite not being quite how I wanted them, and I definitely ate way too much!  The green chilies are great in this dish.  Thank you again, allrecipes.com....

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken filling: 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 3 cups water 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chilies, divided 1/2 cup diced onion 3 large cloves garlic, minced Sour cream sauce: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup water 1 cube chicken bouillon 1/2 cup sour cream salt and pepper to taste oil for frying 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese                                     DIRECTIONS:

Place the chicken breasts into a large saucepan. Pour in the water, and season with chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir in 4 ounces of green chiles, onion, and garlic; continue simmering until the liquid has reduced to 1 cup. Reserve remaining 3 ounces of chopped green chilies. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and return to the onion mixture. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the water and bouillon cube until the water has thickened and the bouillon cube has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Whisk in reserved 3 ounces of green chilies and the sour cream; season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place a tortilla onto your work surface, then spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling halfway between the bottom edge and the center of the tortilla. Flatten the filling into rectangle shape with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle about 1 ounce of the Monterey Jack cheese over the filling. Fold the bottom of the tortilla snugly over the filling, then fold in the left and right edges. Roll the chimichanga up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder; secure the ends with wooden toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Cook the chimichangas, 2 at a time, in the hot oil until they are crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, and remove toothpicks. Top with sour cream sauce to serve.

Recipe #274: Crab Canapés

This was supposed to be for a party, but Mother Nature had other ideas, so it became dinner at home.  I was skeptical about the fake crab, but it was delicious.  I'd try it with real crab too, to see if there's a difference, but it's great as-is.  The cucumber complements it perfectly, but little toasts are probably good too.  I'm not the biggest fan of parsley, but I definitely wouldn't leave it out here.  Fresh and yummy.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 package (8oz) imitation crabmeat
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 green onions, sliced
1-2 cucumbers, sliced
Fresh parsley for garnish (I used curly because it divides nicely and is "compact" for these little things)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce in a bowl and mix well.

Stir in crabmeat, bell pepper and green onions; cover.  Chil about an hour or more until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture onto each cucumber slice and garnish with parsley.

Recipe #273: Singapore Mai Fun

It's been awhile since I've posted, but work travel makes meal planning difficult!  In between work trips, I'm able to squeeze in this new recipe from food.com, which I adapted a little.  Next time, I think I would use all shrimp and no chicken simply because the shrimp created a nice difference in texture where the chicken sort of blended in, and I would also use two eggs.

Ingredients:

1 (6 ounce) package skinny rice noodles (py mai fun)  (I used an 8oz package)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut in strips
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger  (The store didn't have fresh, so I used 1 tsp ground)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 -5 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced (I used 8 more oz of shrimp, you could also use cubed tofu)  (I used almost a full pound)
1 tablespoon curry powder
8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup sliced green onion (1-inch slices)
1/2 lb snow peas, sliced thinly
1/2 lb mung bean sprouts

Directions:

Cook rice noodles according to package directions, leaving out any fat or salt that may be called for.

Combine broth, soy sauce, sugar and salt, and stir together till sugar dissolves.

Heat large nonstick skillet over med-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray.

Add 1 tsp oil.

Add egg; stir-fry 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled, stirring constantly.

Remove from pan, and set aside.

Wipe down pan with cloth or paper towel.

Heat remaining oil (about 2 tsp) in pan over med-high heat.

Brown chicken thoroughly.

Add bell pepper, ginger, red pepper, and garlic; stir-fry 15 seconds.

Add snow peas, bean sprouts, curry, and shrimp; stir fry two or three minutes, until shrimp is nearly done.

Stir in egg, noodles and broth mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Sprinkle with green onions.

Recipe #272: Chicken Makhani

This goes with #271, perfectly!  This is from food.com, with my changes in red.  Crazy delicious!!!  I bet the house will still smell this good tomorrow morning... hearty, a little spicy, fun to make.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste (I couldn't find this, so I used 1/2tbs powdered ginger and 1/2tbs garlic powder)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.

Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent.

Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf.

Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in half-and-half and yogurt.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne.

Stir in about 1/3 of the sauce and simmer until liquid has reduced and chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Pour the rest of the sauce into the chicken. (Instead, I put the chicken mixture back into the first pot- there was much more room.)

Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the sauce.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Recipe #271: Naan (Indian flatbread)

I made this!  *giddy!*  With minimal flour messes!  The recipe calls for a cast iron skillet, which I don't have, so I used the griddle insert for my stove (for the first time!) and adjusted the times to make sure the bubbles formed by cooking the first side were blackened during the cooking of the second side.  Don't skip the butter and sea salt- SO delicious!  Perfect for swabbing up sauces (stay tuned for the next post, which was pair with this).  This is from foodnetwork.com, with my notes in red.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kalonji (nigella seeds), optional (I skipped this since it wasn't authentic)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, optional (I skipped this because it wasn't authentic)
Melted butter for slathering on the finished naans
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and add the kalonji and fennel seeds, if using, and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.

                   

When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.

Shape the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a teardrop shape, narrower at the top than at the bottom. It should be 8 to 9-inches long, 4-inches wide at its widest point and about 1/4-inch thick. Once you've formed the general shape, you can also pick it up by one end and wiggle it; the dough's own weight will stretch it out a little. Repeat this method with the rest of the dough. (If you're making the gluten-free version, you'll have better luck pressing the dough out with your fingertips, than rolling.)

Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.

Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.

After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, don't worry - that's typical of traditional naan! Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naans and serve.

Recipe #270: Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Orzo Soup)

Happy 4th birthday to my blog!  Here's the first of three new recipes for the day to celebrate!

I found this one in a cookbook my grandma gave me- The Oprah Magazine Cookbook.  I was really surprised at how filling this soup was.  I loved the lemon flavor and the little extra the orzo adds to it.  It would make 2 large bowls or 4 small bowls of soup.  I served it with little olive bread loaves I found at Heinen's.

INGREDIENTS:

1 quart chicken broth (I used unsalted)
1/2 cup orzo
2 large eggs
Juice from one large lemon
1tsp lemon zest
Sea salt and white pepper
Chopped dill, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil.  Add orzo; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, or until orzo is al dente.

In a bowl, beat eggs until thick.  Whisk in lemon juice and zest.  Gradually add 1/2 cup hot broth from the sauce pan, whisking constantly.  Do this twice more.

Pour mixture back into the saucepan and reheat, stirring constantly, until egg cooks and soup thickens slightly.  Do not boil, or eggs will curdle.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with dill.  Serve hot or cold.

Recipe #269: Fondue De Poulet À La Crème (Child)

Ok, I admit it, this is NOT the prettiest picture.  The chicken looks pink, but it's not really.  I was too excited to eat it to get the photo right.  This recipe is from page 262 of volume I... I bought some onions and a chicken and decided that was plenty enough to see what Julia could inspire, and I chose this recipe.  Make it with rice for a side- the sauce with the rice and chicken is the perfect combination of textures and flavors.  Thick and creamy, and the curry and onion flavors are perfect!!

Here's my picture (and yes, the sauce was still a little bit lumpy, but I didn't want to dilute it with more cream, which was an option):

I was going to find a picture on Google that looks better than mine, and I found out that actually, it's not photogenic regardless of who makes it!  So  you just have to trust me that this is FANTASTIC!