Recipes

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

March 25, 2013 by Rebecca 21 Comments

That is a sandwich you need in your life right now. Luckily, it takes little time to accomplish such a sandwich even though the Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken is made in the slow-cooker. Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen for her original recipe that inspired my version you’re seeing here today.

Now, let’s get into what makes this chicken so very good. I am a chicken breast lover in a dark meat chicken loving household. Most often, I use chicken thighs because it seems to be a happy medium and it’s usually far less expensive per pound. This chicken, however, starts with boneless, skinless chicken breast. Mrawrrrrrrrr.

Although all by itself, boneless, skinless chicken breast tends to cook more quickly than dark meat chicken, it gets a boost here by being trimmed, cut in thirds lengthwise and then in half crosswise. What this does for us to reduce the cooking time even further. You start it cooking on HIGH for an hour then drop it to low for the remaining two hours. That’s right. Three hours to slow-cooked perfection. That means that you might even be able to squeeze this in on a week night.

Cutting the chicken thusly serves another purpose, too, though. It sets it up for shredding more quickly and into more manageable bite sized pieces. See? This is the chicken straight from the slow-cooker.

And two forks and five minutes later…

As for the sauce, there’s nothing complicated to it. I drop all the ingredients in the blender (including the onion and garlic) and whizz ’til smooth. If you’re blender-averse (or blender-less) you can chop the onions and garlic separately then whisk it into the liquid ingredients before adding to the slow-cooker. When you take the chicken out of the slow-cooker, simply pour the sauce into a saucepan and reduce it over high heat until it’s thick. You return the chicken to the slow-cooker while it’s reducing, then pour the thickened, reduced sauce over the chicken and toss. Fast and fabulous is hard to beat.

This recipe also holds the distinction of being something every one of our family members loved. My kids like spicy foods, so we went with the high end of the Sriracha. If you have more delicate taste buds in your crew, reduce that down, but don’t omit it; it delivers such flavour, the chicken would be lost without it.

So why is this a Make Ahead Monday recipe? Because this recipe feeds my hungry horde two full meals! It’s hard to believe that six little boneless, skinless chicken breasts could stretch like that, but it does. And you could easily increase it to the point where you’ve filled your slow-cooker. In that case, it might take just a wee bit longer to cook, but the end game remains the same: tasty honey tinged gently spicy barbecue shredded chicken for topping salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and more.

Speaking of sandwiches, I chose to serve the chicken on toasted whole wheat buns with a simple salad of cucumber ribbons (just cut a cucumber in quarters lengthwise and use a vegetable peeler to cut the ribbons) and fresh cilantro leaves. That was topped -in turn- with a runny-yolked fried egg.

It’s eye-roll-into-the-back-of-your-head good. Really. Just look at that. I can’t help myself around runny yolked eggs. I get weak in the knees with joy. I lose control of my better senses; I lick the plate in front of my children.

So today, YES, please today, make yourself a batch of this chicken and divide it into meal sized portions. You’ll be so glad you did!

XO,

Rebecca

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

Gentle sweetness from honey brings out the best of the tasty heat from Sriracha in this great Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken. Pile the chicken high on sandwiches topped with a cucumber, cilantro salad, and a fried egg ~or~ on a tossed salad, in tacos or on a chicken fajita or barbecue pizza. Leftovers store beautifully in individual portions in the freezer.

Adapted from and with thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped (*See Notes)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (*See Notes)
1/2 cup honey
1-3 tablespoons of Sriracha, depending on your heat tolerance
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Chicken:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed of visible fat
salt and pepper to taste, but don't add until the sauce has been reduced.

For the Sandwiches:

1 English cucumber, cut in quarters lengthwise then into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
fresh cilantro leaves, to taste
1 fried egg per sandwich
1 whole wheat sandwich bun per sandwich

Instructions

Cut the chicken breast into three strips lengthwise, then cut once crosswise. This will reduce each chicken breast into 6 pieces for faster cooking and shredding when it is done. Lay all of these in the bottom of a slow-cooker crock.

Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender, fix the lid in place, and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour this over the chicken in the slow-cooker. Put the slow-cooker lid in place and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. At that time, reduce the heat to LOW and cook for another 2 hours or until you can pick up a large piece of chicken with the tongs and break it in half easily by pressing it against the side of the slow-cooker crock.

Use tongs to transfer all of the chicken to a cutting board. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and place it over medium high heat to reduce, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. While it reduces, use two forks to shred the chicken and return the shredded chicken to the slow-cooker on the Keep Warm setting or off, but either way, put the lid on to keep the chicken warm and prevent it from drying out.

When the sauce is reduced, pour it over the chicken and use the tongs to toss to coat it with sauce. Taste the chicken and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot on a toasted whole wheat sandwich bun topped with cucumber ribbons, cilantro leaves and a fried egg, cold on salads, tucked into tacos or baked on pizzas.

Leftovers can be frozen in individual meal-sized portions in airtight containers.

Notes

*If you do not have a blender, finely chop the onions and garlic and whisk them into the liquid sauce ingredients before pouring over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/25/slow-cooker-honey-sriracha-barbecue-chicken-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Chicken and other Poultry, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, slow-cooker Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks, Super Bowl

Polish Hush Puppies | Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Onion and Cheddar Fried Cornbread Bites

March 20, 2013 by Rebecca 9 Comments

I interrupt today’s previously scheduled dish to bring you the best hush puppies I’ve ever made. Polish Hush Puppies. Say whuh? No really. They’re Polish by virtue of the beef kielbasa, sauerkraut, onion and cheese I that I used to stuff them.

Can we just process that for a moment?

Deep fried cornbread bits filled with tiny little morsels of juicy, garlicky Polish sausage, shredded extra sharp Cheddar, micro-minced sauerkraut and onion are what I mean. If you’re so inclined, those craggy, super crisp hush puppies are just about the most perfect thing ever to dredge through and scoop up significant amounts of gravy, ketchup, Ranch dressing, honey mustard or horseradish sauce. Yeah, that last one? That’s the one you really, REALLY want here if you’re being honest with yourself.

I have some serious southern roots, folks, which accounts for my introduction to hush puppies, but the love of these little deep fried, crunchy, golden morsels is just pure, unadulterated food obsession. Raise your hands if you are head-over-heels for hush puppies!

Polish Hush Puppies | Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Onion and Cheddar Fried Cornbread

Rating: 51

Polish Hush Puppies | Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Onion and Cheddar Fried Cornbread

These crispy, perfect hush puppies take a tour of Polish eateries by virtue of being stuffed with garlicky kielbasa sausage, sauerkraut, minced onion and shredded cheese. Eat them as a stand alone snack or appetizer, or serve alongside stews, soups, salads or chilis.

Ingredients

2 inches of canola, peanut or vegetable oil, or lard in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet (or an electric deep fryer)
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 large egg
6 ounces (1/2 of a package) fully cooked Kielbasa sausage
1 cup sauerkraut, squeezed completely dry in a towel
1 cup shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 a small onion

Instructions

Place the oil-filled pot over medium high heat and bring the oil to 375°F. Line a bowl or baking pan with paper towels and set aside.

Finely chop (or cut into 1/8-inch cubes) the kielbasa then transfer it to a small mixing bowl. Super finely mince the sauerkraut and onions then add those along with the Cheddar cheese to the mixing bowl with the kielbasa. Toss to evenly distribute and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn meal, flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, black and cayenne pepper with a whisk. In a separate bowl, use the same whisk to thoroughly combine the butter, yogurt or buttermilk and egg. Pour that directly into the flour mixture, add the kielbasa mixture, and use a spatula to stir everything together gently, just until no more dry pockets remain and it is combined evenly.

Use a 1 1/2 teaspoon scoop (or simply mound the batter on a teaspoon) to drop the batter into the hot oil. Fry only as many as can comfortably fit into the pan while leaving room for them to move around and expand as they cook. Don't overcrowd that pan! Fry the hush puppies for 2-3 minutes per batch, flipping them about halfway through the cooking. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the finished hush puppies to the paper towel lined bowl or pan and let drain briefly before serving.

These are best when served hot, but are still great warm or room temperature. You can store leftover hush puppies in a paper towel lined, tightly covered container in the refrigerator and reheat them for just a few minutes in a hot oven to re-crisp them.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/20/polish-hush-puppies-kielbasa-sauerkraut-onion-and-cheddar-fried-cornbread-bites/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

March 18, 2013 by Rebecca 11 Comments

Time again for Tasty Penance wherein I apologize for all the fattening recipes I give you by offering a super healthy one that still tastes great. I present to you: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars! They taste ever so much like a proper oatmeal raisin cookie but they are good for you. How good for you? They’re made entirely of dates, raisins, almonds, oats, cinnamon, vanilla and a wee pinch of salt. This is the home version of the fancy-pants energy bars (Cliff, Lara, etc…) for which you almost need a second mortgage if you want to eat them regularly.

Since they are essentially dried fruit and nuts with just a little bit of this and that thrown in, they are -if eaten in large amounts- very caloric which would seem to defeat the whole Tasty Penance idea, right? The saving grace here is that it doesn’t take a huge energy bar to deliver that pick-me-up and burst of power you want. Dried fruits and nuts eaten together are very filling. Additionally, the carbohydrates from the fruit give you a quick blast of energy while the protein from the nuts make you stay satisfied longer. So a small energy bar gives you a lot of bang for your caloric buck. Besides that, we’re talking iron, calcium, tannins, beta-carotene, potassium, maganese, magnesium, copper, lutein and FIBER all in one tasty little package.

Since these are little powerhouses of nutrition, they make a great mid morning or afternoon snack. Pop one or two in your kids’ or loved ones’ lunches. Deliver some to a friend who just had a baby or a shut-in. Stuff a couple in your mail carrier or UPS person’s hand. I guarantee smiles of surprise and contentment.

Some Tips for Energy Bar Success:

Because dates can vary widely in their moisture content (depending on age, proper storage and other extenuating circumstances) use the amount of nut butter called for as a starting point. Don’t feel obliged to stop at two tablespoons if the mixture isn’t clumping. Be patient, add more little by little until the mixture holds together without crumbling when squeezed in your hand.
When pressing the mixture into the pan, really push down as hard as you can without breaking the pan. Pay some extra attention around the edges, being sure to press them as firmly as you did the center so the edges don’t crumble when removed from the pan. You can use your hands, a little roller or the edge of a sturdy (not glass) cup to do the job, just do press down.

Taste the mixture as you go along and adjust with more cinnamon, more vanilla, more of whatever you like personally. Since there are no ‘dangerous’ ingredients in this, you can taste to your heart’s content and make it exactly what you want it to be.
If you want these to be truly raw in the ‘raw, living foods’ sense, don’t toast the oats before grinding them. Personally, I prefer the taste of toasted oats, but it’s strictly optional.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

These tasty little morsels made of dates, raisins, almonds, toasted oats, cinnamon, and vanilla taste just like oatmeal cookies, but deliver a serious nutritional punch while providing energy to get done what you need to do.

Ingredients

2 cups pitted dates
2 cups raisins
2 tablespoons nut butter (Peanut butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc...)
1 1/2 cups raw or toasted almonds
3/4 cup raw or toasted quick or rolled oats (*See Notes)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Line a 9-inch x 13-inch straight sided pan with a piece of parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the long edges. Set aside.

Add the almonds and oats to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Fix the lid in place and pulse until the mixture inside resembles fresh bread crumbs.

Add in the cinnamon and salt and pulse a couple of times to combine. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.

Add half of the dates, half of the raisins and about half of the vanilla extract and process until a paste forms and clumps together in the workbowl. Open the food processor and add in 1 tablespoon of the nut butter and half of the ground nuts and oats. Replace the lid and process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan.

Repeat with the remaining dates, raisins, vanilla, nut butter and nuts/oats.

When all of the ingredients have been thus processed, wet your hands and use them to press the mixture as evenly over the bottom of the pan as possible. Fold the excess parchment over the bars to cover them and use something flat and heavy to press down firmly on the mixture until it is smooth.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before moving onto the slicing.

To slice:

Use the excess parchment paper like a sling to transfer the now-firm bars from the pan to a large cutting board.

Cut into desired size (I prefer to cut 9 rows of 6 squares) and store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. An unrefrigerated bar will be good for 48 hours, covered, at room temperature.

Notes

*To toast oats, pour the oats into a dry, heavy-bottomed frying pan large enough to hold the oats in a single layer. Place the pan over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until they smell nutty and are golden brown. Pour into a bowl or onto a plate until cool enough to handle comfortably. Voila! Toasted oats!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/18/oatmeal-raisin-cookie-energy-bars-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, seasonal, Snacks, Vegetarian

Reuben Egg Rolls and Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

March 13, 2013 by Rebecca 18 Comments

A couple of months ago, my little sister sent me a hilarious exchange from NPR’s Sandwich Monday about Reuben Egg Rolls. I’m pretty sure I haven’t mentioned it here before, but I am straight up obsessed with Reuben sandwiches. As in perilously close to having named one of my children Reuben obsessed. My husband was thinking more clearly and steered me away from it by asking something like, “Would you name one of them Monte Cristo?” Well no, I’m not THAT crazy.

But I remain bonkers over Reubens. There’s something borderline mystically perfect about the crispy rye bread, salty corned beef, briny sauerkraut and creamy Thousand Island dressing that makes me lose all willpower. This particular little sister who sent me the link is just as wacky over Reubens as I am, so I sent her a text: “You know I’m going to have to make these right?” Her response was, “YESSSSS. It worked!”

…And work it did. I finely chopped some leftover baked corned beef, rinsed and chopped sauerkraut, shredded Swiss cheese, and just a pinch or two of caraway seeds to mimic the rye bread. Like Hackney’s in Chicago (the restaurant featured on Sandwich Monday) I decided to leave the Thousand Island as a dipping sauce. Homemade, of course!

I deep fried (duh) but they could’ve been baked, too. Baking would have robbed them of some of that shatteringly crisp egg roll wrapper exterior that I love so dearly, but if your fear of the deep-fryer is standing between you and a batch of Reuben Egg Rolls, I’m advising you to bake them. I’ve included instructions for both cooking methods in the recipe.

I posted a picture of the finished product to Instagram and within two minutes had a triumphant text from my sister that read, “YOU DID IT!” Oh, I surely did. And I’m making a batch to share with her when she comes to visit at the end of the month… She and I will sit and lose ourselves on a platter of Reuben Egg Rolls.

I highly suggest you make far more corned beef than you think you’ll need for Saint Patrick’s Day this coming weekend when all the world is Irish. You might even consider skipping the whole boiled dinner and going straight to these egg rolls for your Saint Pat’s feast. I guarantee you won’t get many objections.

Rebecca

P.S. My husband ate these happily with the Thousand Island dipping sauce, but insisted I tell you all that he really enjoyed them with wasabi, horseradish, spicy brown mustard, and Mae Ploy, just not all at the same time.

Reuben Egg Rolls and Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

Rating: 51

Reuben Egg Rolls and Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

This irresistible twist on the classic Reuben sandwich features shatteringly crisp egg roll wrappers stuffed with salty corned beef, briny sauerkraut, nutty Swiss cheese and a pinch or two of caraway seed to mimic rye bread. Dunk in homemade Thousand Island Dip or serve with horseradish, wasabi, or spicy brown mustard.

The recipe includes instructions for deep frying or baking the egg rolls.

Ingredients

For the Reuben Egg Rolls:

24-36 egg roll wrappers (not won ton sized)
1 1/2 to 2 pounds leftover baked or thickly sliced deli corned beef
1 packed cup sauerkraut (preferably not canned)
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)
2-3 inches of peanut, canola or vegetable oil or shortening in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pan

For the Thousand Island Dressing:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
3 tablespoons ketchup
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

To Prepare the Thousand Island Dipping Sauce:

Use a fork or whisk to combine all of the dressing ingredients. Scrape into a container with a tight fitting lid and let it rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the egg rolls.

To Prepare the Reuben Egg Rolls:

Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse over the sink. Squeeze as much excess liquid from the sauerkraut as you can, then transfer it to a cutting board and coarsely chop it so the largest pieces are 1/4-inch big. Put this in a large mixing bowl.

Coarsely chop the corned beef so that the largest pieces are no bigger than 1/4-inch. Transfer the corned beef to the mixing bowl with the chopped sauerkraut, add the shredded Swiss cheese and the caraway seed (if using.) Use your hands to toss the ingredients together so that everything is evenly combined.

Set the mixing bowl next to a clean cutting board that is set up with a small bowl with fresh water in it (for moistening the egg roll wrapper edges) and your pile of egg roll wrappers. On the other side of the cutting board, you should have a clean pan to hold your rolled-but-not-yet-cooked egg rolls.

Place a single egg roll wrapper with one point facing toward you and one away. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and moisten the two edges farthest away from you. Scoop 1/4-cup of the corned beef filling onto the egg roll wrapper just slightly closer to you than the center of the wrapper. You can use your hands to slightly compress the filling together if you find it is too loose. Lift the tip of the wrapper closest to you and fold it up and over the filling. Use this to help compress the filling but do it gently so you don't spring a leak in your wrapper. Fold the points on either edge toward the center like an envelope, then -using your hands to tuck in the edges as you go-, roll the egg roll away from you until the whole thing is a tight cylinder. Try to avoid holes in the wrapper as they can cause leaking melted cheese and therefore splattering during the frying process. Gently press the final edge to help seal it and lay it on the clean pan you prepared for it. Repeat until the filling is used up.

You will get anywhere between 24 and 36 egg rolls depending on how consistent you are with filling the wrappers and how much snacking you do of the filling while you roll them.

To Deep Fry the Reuben Egg Rolls (Preferred Method):

Bring the frying oil to 350°F. (*See Notes) When it reaches temperature, carefully lower as many egg rolls into the oil as you can fit without overcrowding the pan. The egg rolls should be able to move around the pan as they cook. Cook the egg rolls for about 3 minutes, flipping once or twice with tongs during the cooking, or until they are golden brown. Keep in mind they will darken somewhat when removed from the oil, so don't cook them until they're dark golden brown. You may find some of them don't want to stay flipped when you flip them which would prevent one side from cooking to crispy perfection. If this happens, use the tongs to hold the uncooked side in the oil for a few seconds to help the process.

Transfer the cooked egg rolls to a pan lined with several layers of paper towels. Let rest for at least a minute before serving with Thousand Island Dip or the dressing or sauce of your choice.. While these are definitely best hot, they are also good at room temperature.

To Bake the Reuben Egg Rolls:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray both sides of the finished egg rolls with non-stick cooking spray and lay them -not touching- on a baking sheet. Bake until the wrappers are golden brown and the Swiss cheese is melted inside. While these are definitely best hot, they are also good at room temperature.

Leftovers can be frozen on a sheet pan then transferred to a freezer bag and reheated in a 350°F oven until heated through.

Notes

*If you have a deep fryer you can definitely use it for this recipe, just set the oil temperature to 350°F and fry when it comes to temperature!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/13/reuben-egg-rolls-and-thousand-island-dipping-sauce/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: family-friendly, party food, seasonal, Snacks

Roasted Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna | Make Ahead Mondays

March 11, 2013 by Rebecca 16 Comments

Remember how I said I was eating more healthy foods here? Well, I am. But I’m also doing things like what’s pictured above, so you should probably ignore any health claims I make.

I’m TRYING to have willpower people, but then I go and do this to myself. Honest-to-Pete, this uses three cups of heavy cream, a whole stick of butter, and about fifty billion pounds of various cheeses. This? Oh this. This is a Roasted Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna. And all God’s people said, “Yum and pass the elastic waist pants.” Good golly.

When I made this, the kids weren’t all nutso about the idea because I only have two children who like Alfredo sauce and they’re also card-carrying members of the no-visible-veg club. Besides, a.) it’ didn’t have a meat sauce, b.) it has visible green vegetables, and c.) where’s the meat? My husband and I, on the other hand, were just too happy to have two pans of this to ourselves. In fact, we were frightened by how happy we were to have this to ourselves. The Evil Genius exclaimed, “This is great! You need to make MORE food the kids don’t like!”

I’ve been mama to these honyaks their entire lives, so that this didn’t fly over well with them was not surprising to me. Not only did I see it coming, but I planned for the eventuality in dividing the lasagna between two pans rather than cooking it in one large one.

The idea was to freeze one pan of the lasagna to eat at a later date or give to a friend who was in need of a meal while eating the other one. And since my husband and I ARE both trying to eat right (*$&#&@$*!@^#^), we each had one piece and I wrapped the chilled leftovers in individual servings for the freezer.

When one of us is on a business trip, the other can heat up a single serving of the good stuff for ourselves.

Before I share the recipe, I have to give you a couple of pictures from the “Keeping it real” file. I almost always photograph food on my porch because the light is free and easy out there. Have a good look at the dark area at the left edge of this picture. What do you think that is?

Have you guessed yet?

…

…. …

… … …

… … … …

… … … … …

It’s the chicken lasagna mafia. This hen was menacing my piece of heaven. She hopped up on the table and tried to peck it just as I whisked it away behind my back. Who knew chickens like lasagna? Little beast.

Roased Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: 2 (8-inch by 8-inch) lasagnas or 18 pieces

Serving Size: 1 piece

Roased Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna | Make Ahead Mondays

Tender lasagna noodles are layered with creamy, rich Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce, ricotta cheese, spinach and mozzarella in this indulgent and memorable lasagna that comes together in minutes courtesy of no-boil lasagna noodles.

Ingredients

For the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce:

8-12 cloves of roasted garlic, depending on how strong you'd like the roasted garlic flavour to be (*See Notes)
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/4 of a pound) unsalted butter
3 cups heavy cream
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

For the Lasagna:

2 boxes (9 ounces each) no-cook lasagna noodles. This recipe was prepared using Barilla brand noodles.
1 batch Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
1 bag of frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid
1 (32 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

To Make the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce:

Add the butter and roasted garlic cloves to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. As the butter melts and the garlic cloves warm, smash them using a fork or a potato masher to break it up. Pour the heavy cream in and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil gently for 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk it until it is even in colour. While whisking the eggs, slowly drizzle in two ladles full of the hot garlic cream mixture, then whisk it back into the remaining hot garlic cream mixture. When it is evenly combined, whisk in the grated cheese and set aside.

To Assemble the Lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spray 2 8-inch by 8-inch pans that are at least 2-inches deep with non-stick cooking spray. Lay three lasagna noodles -slightly overlapping them- to cover the bottom of each pan. Spread about 2/3 of a cup of ricotta cheese in each pan over the noodles. You don't have to be perfect, you just want to try to distribute it relatively evenly. Scatter about 1/6th of the spinach over the ricotta in each pan. Drizzle a ladle full of Roasted Garlic Alfredo over each pan, then toss about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over each pan. Repeat these layers two more times.

Finally, finish the lasagna by adding one more layer of the noodles and splitting the remaining Alfredo Sauce between the two pans. Pour about 3/4 of a cup of milk slowly over each of the pans of lasagna, taking your time so it doesn't leak over the sides. Cover the pans tightly with foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, covered, or until the noodles are tender and the filling is bubbly. Uncover the pans, divide the remaining mozzarella between the two pans and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the edges appear browned.

Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into 9 equal pieces and serving.

To Freeze and Reheat Leftover Lasagna:

Method A: Chill the lasagna in the pan in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the pan tightly with foil then wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat the lasagna, remove the plastic wrap but leave the foil wrap intact, set on a rimmed baking sheet in a cold oven, and turn the heat to 350°. Once the oven reaches full temperature, begin timing for 30 minutes. The lasagna should be hot all the way through after 30 minutes. You can test this with an instant read thermometer or by inserting a butterknife into the center of the lasagna and carefully touching the knife to see whether it feels hot.

Method B: Chill the lasagna in the pan in the refrigerator overnight. Cut the lasagna into 9 equal pieces. Use a spatula to carefully remove and transfer each piece of lasagna to a platter or plate. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap a lasagna piece, put on a microwave safe plate and drape the plastic wrap over the top. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until hot all the way through. Alternatively, you can place the piece in a small, oven-safe dish and warm in a 350°F oven for 20 or so minutes or until hot through.

Notes

You can use purchased or homemade roasted garlic in this recipe. If you'd like to make your own roasted garlic, preheat the oven to 300°F. Use a high-sided pan that is just slightly larger around than the number of heads of garlic you wish to use. I always roast at least 4 heads of garlic, because I use roasted garlic in quite a few dishes. Cut at least 1/2-inch from the tops of the heads of garlic to expose the cloves. If the heads are quite large, you may need to take off up to an inch to do this. Lay them cut side down in your pan and pour in enough olive oil to come halfway up the sides of the heads of garlic. This is why you're using a smaller pan! Cover the pan with foil and bake for about an hour, or until the heads of garlic give a little when squeezed gently with tongs. Transfer the roasted garlic to a paper towel to drain a little bit. Pour the oil through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve and save for other recipes. When the heads of garlic are cool enough to handle, turn them cut side down over a bowl and squeeze to remove the cloves. Store this in a canning jar with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to a month!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/11/roasted-garlic-spinach-alfredo-lasagna-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Make Ahead Mondays, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: family-friendly, party food, Vegetarian

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

March 6, 2013 by Rebecca 12 Comments

Get the yoga pants out now, folks, because I discovered something very dangerous indeed when I was making empanadas last week. I’ve told you before of my abiding love for Goya Discos and empanadas and that I always keep a stash of those lovely little shortcut pastry rounds in my freezer. How can you go wrong for one-dollar-forty-cents for a package of ten, I ask you? You can’t! If you’re having trouble locating them, ask your local stores to carry them. If they have Goya canned goods, there’s a likelihood that they can get discos for you!

Back to the trouble at hand, though… I’m not sure WHAT motivated me to do it as I’m trying desperately to fit into a cute pair of jeans these days, but the thought process went something like, “I love these discos, I’d love to make a pie with them some day. Hey. I could make fried pies. Hey. I have oil going. HEY. I am going to make fried pies. WHOA. I am going to make cheesecake fried pies.”

And I did. And they were too good for my good. My husband’s eyes rolled back into his head when he bit into one. Warm raspberry pie filling over melted Neufchatel cream cheese in a deep-fried wrapper just about did the poor guy in for the joy of it all.

When I tell you these pies can be made as fast as you can slap some cream cheese and raspberry pie filling on a disco, crimp it and drop it in some hot oil, I mean it. I’m a double crimping kind of gal, because I like my filling to stay INSIDE the pastry where I put it. If you’re more sanguine, stick with a single crimp and you’ll have pie a few seconds faster.

I have a little trick for you to keep pie filling from squirting out the sides of the discos when you fold them. After you put the cream cheese just off center on the pastry and dollop the pie filling over it, bring the opposite sides together to fold it in half, but lift it off of the counter as you do it so that you’re holding it by the center edge that you’re pinching together, before continuing to crimp it, immediately pinch both ends shut to keep the filling from leaking out. Then, still holding it up in the air by that center edge, work your way around the seam, squeezing the pastry edges together to seal them. THEN lay it down on its side and crimp with a fork. Here’s where my Anal-Retentive Chef tendencies come through. After that first crimp, I usually fold the edges back toward the center and crimp again with a fork. Ta da!

It probably goes without saying that these taste best when warm. In the interest of scientific inquiry, though, we ate a few of them room temperature and also cold and they were still darned good. In order, we preferred them warm, then room temperature, then cold, but we wouldn’t say no to any of them if offered.

Were you to top a warm pie with a scoop of ice cream, you’d probably swoon. Alas, I will not do this at least until April because I gave up ice cream for Lent. Could someone maybe give that a try and tell me about it so that I can live vicariously?

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

Rating: 51

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

There's nothing more dangerous than these pies that are done in the blink of an eye and stuffed with tart, sweet raspberry pie filling over melted Neufchatel cream cheese in a blistery, crispy yet tender fried package.

Ingredients

1 package Goya Discos Empanada wrappers (without annatto), thawed
1 cup raspberry pie filling
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons softened low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel Cream Cheese)
2-3 inches of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil or shortening in a high-sided, heavy pan or deep-fryer

Instructions

Heat the oil to 350°F.

Slightly roll out the discos wrappers to make them just a touch thinner. This allows you to cram more of the good stuff into the wrappers before closing them. Add 1 tablespoon of cream cheese just off center on each disco wrapper.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of raspberry pie filling over the cream cheese.

Fold it in half, lifting by the center edges. Pinch both ends shut to prevent the pie filling from leaking out as you seal the wrapper. Still holding it in the air, pinch the edges to seal, working your way around the seam. Lay it down on the counter and crimp shut with a fork. If desired, you can fold the excess in toward the center and crimp the edges again. Repeat until all the disco wrappers are filled.

Fry the pies 2 to 4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan or deep fryer, taking care not to overcrowd them as they will expand slightly as they fry. Turn them over, if necessary after about 45 seconds (*See Notes). Continue to fry for another 45 seconds or until they are a deep golden brown. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the fried pies carefully to a paper towel lined plate. Let rest for at least one minute before eating.

Notes

*If you find that the pies are getting dark before the cheese has melted inside the pie, lower the temperature of your oil slightly. The goal is for the pies to be a rich brown on the outside with melted cheese and hot filling on the inside.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/06/quick-dirty-raspberry-cheesecake-fried-pies/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

This post was NOT sponsored by Goya. They have no idea who I am, I just really dig their discos!

Filed Under: Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, budget friendly, dessert, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Vegetarian

Black Olive Sandwich Rolls

March 5, 2013 by Rebecca 16 Comments

I have this little self-indulgent thing I do every time I go REAL grocery shopping. By real grocery shopping, I mean the kind where my husband stays home with the boys so that I don’t have to fend off requests for everything from Japanese rice crackers to day-glo cereals to a giant ham to adult diapers (because can you even imagine how hilarious it would be if we bought those to wear to youth group over our pants?)

My routine is this… I drive to the nearest biggish town and hit Aldi first where I probably look for all the world like a doomsday prepper with the amount of tuna and chili beans I’m buying (my kids snack on chili beans. I know. I KNOW. We’re weird.) I move onto The Wal-Marts where I again look like I’m stocking up for armageddon by virtue of the sheer volume of toilet tissue I’m purchasing. These exercises in embarrassment over, I move onto Wegman’s where I get beautiful produce, meats, jugs of olive oil and one little thing just for me. I always get myself a little roll from the bakery section and it’s almost always a crusty olive roll.

When I’ve crammed our little gas-efficient, tiny clown car with all the groceries I think we’ll need for three or four weeks (because I can take the bonnie wee thing instead of the massive purple van when I go solo), I sit in the car, listen to the classical music station and eat my crusty roll to reward myself for not filling my cart entirely with avocados and dark chocolate.

Now, I’ll tell ya, I like those crusty rolls perfectly well, but they’re so crusty, I can’t see making a sandwich on them unless I add some steel reinforcement to my teeth. I can eat a roll just fine, but if you add fillings you have to bite through, I think it might take more jaw work than I want to put into a meal because I like my sandwiches piled up-to-the-sky with innards.

I kept thinking about how much I’d love to have sandwich bread studded with those briny, fabulous olives, though, so the only recourse was to make it mahself. So I did.

The result was a seriously happy moment. Chewy outer crust, yielding and soft inner crumb and enough oil-cured olives to make my olive-loving heart sing.

The key to making these rolls is in the forming of them. Duh, right? No really, there is a technique that gives you that bakery-perfect round shape with the smooth top (with just a few olives lurking enticingly beneath the surface.) I had my eldest son shoot a quick video to show you how it’s done, it was a last minute idea and done with my iPhone, so please forgive any quality issues.

You’re really going to want to make these, both because there’s really not a happier vehicle for a sandwich and because you will most definitely want them on hand for a recipe I’m sharing in the next week or so. It involves feta, roasted garlic, and lots and lots of happy sighs.

In the meantime, I’d suggest you whip up a batch of these to make some very marvelous sandwiches. My sister thought they’d be great piled high with garden veggies… Clearly we’re dreaming of spring. I think they’d be fab for mopping up pasta sauce or stuffing with roasted turkey or chicken, cheese, and lots and lots of lettuce. How would you serve these?

Black Olive Sandwich Rolls

Rating: 51

Black Olive Sandwich Rolls

These fabulous sandwich rolls have a chewy outer crust, yielding and soft inner crumb and enough oil-cured olives to make any olive-loving heart sing.

Ingredients

4 cups (1 pound, 1 ounce, by weight) all-purpose flour
2 cups (11½ ounces, by weight) semolina flour
3 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups (16 ounces, by weight or volume) lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups pitted oil-cured or kalamata olives, broken up coarsely with your hands
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

To Mix Dough By Hand:

Add all ingredients except for olives, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water to a large mixing bowl and stir together with a sturdy wooden spoon until you form a shaggy but cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered with a clean towel. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter top and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To Mix Dough By Stand Mixer:

Add all ingredients except for olives, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water to the work bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn mixer onto the lowest setting and mix until a shiny, elastic dough forms. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To Mix Dough By Bread Machine:

Add all ingredients except for olives, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water to the pan of your bread machine that has been fitted with the dough paddle(s). Set the bread machine on the dough setting and press start. When the cycle is completed, proceed with shaping…

To Shape the Rolls:

Line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a clean and very lightly floured surface or silicone mat. Roll it out into a rectangle that is about 12-inches by 18-inches. Scatter the olives over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch clear of olives on the side farthest from you.

Gently lift the edge closest to you and fold away from yourself over the olives.

Continue to carefully lift and roll the dough away from you until you have a long tube. Pinch the seam closed.Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut the dough into 16 equally-sized pieces.

Hold a piece of dough with the cut sides out. Use your thumbs to pull the top of the dough over the cut sides toward the bottom. Push that up under the roll toward the center, rotate the dough ball a half turn and repeat. Put the dough ball on the counter and cup your hand around it, rotating in one direction until the top of the dough is taut. (See the video in the blog post for an example of how to do this.) Place this on your lined baking sheets. Repeat, leaving plenty of room between the rolls for expansion in rising and baking.

Cover the rolls with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 30 minutes, or until they look a little puffy.

While they rise, use a fork to whisk a small amount of the water into the cornstarch in a microwave safe container or a small saucepan, forming a paste. Use the fork to whisk in the remaining water and microwave on HIGH for 30-60 seconds or boil until it is glassy.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the rolls with the cornstarch glaze and use a sharp knife to make three to four cuts of about 1/8-inch deep each to the top of the roll. I like to do a scallop pattern, but you could also do a tic-tac-toe pattern. This allows the roll to expand while baking without tearing that beautifully taut top you worked so hard to create.

Bake for 23-26 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. These are good for up to three days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/05/black-olive-sandwich-rolls/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Bread, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Bread, Vegetarian

Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait | Make Ahead Mondays

March 4, 2013 by Rebecca 7 Comments

I’m thirty eight years old and I just started to like breakfast. I’m not even kidding.

The truth is, until this point, the only time I wanted to eat anything before noon was when I was pregnant. Mind you, I was pregnant for a grand total of four-point-one-six (repeating fraction) years, but the point remains. It was only then that I actually wanted breakfast. Until…

Well, until I took my fitness regime seriously. Good grief, people… getting older? I don’t mind the wrinkles, in fact, I kind of like them. I think they build character. What I DO mind is being in a body that has decided that my usual twelve-tacos-for-dinner plan is not working any more. Dagnabit.

As long as I’ve been an adult, I have exercised with far more frequency than I did as a teen (even though I was freakishly thin then) and with more intensity. I’ve done Pilates for years, albeit the kind that I do following along with a video in the den while the doors are firmly closed and locked to prevent kids and dogs from interrupting me.

In the last couple of months, though, I found that I was feeling CRANKY-peckish around nine or ten in the morning: fully two hours before I’ve ever felt like eating before (minus pregnancy) in my life.

Instead of being a doofus and fighting it, though, I’ve yielded in a healthy way. Rather than cramming a fistful of chocolates at my mouth (yes, I’ve done that) at ten-ish, I’ve stocked myself up with something HELPFUL. Every Sunday afternoon, I grab a handful of eight-ounce jelly jars, a container of Greek vanilla yogurt, some frozen berries and go to town… I make myself parfaits. There really isn’t anything more low-maintenance and satisfying than this: vanilla Greek yogurt layered with partially thawed frozen berries and so on until the jar is mostly full. Mostly full because you get the most BANG for your breakfast buck when you leave enough room to top it with a little bit of your favourite yogurt for texture’s sake.

The sweetness of the yogurt, the tart berries and the crunch of the granola? Shoo… You won’t look back.

The beauty of this -aside from the surpassing taste- is that less than ten minutes one day a week yields breakfasts for the entire week. How much less likely are you to splurge on something twelve-taco-y if you have something this delicious and appealing in the refrigerator? And the parfaits get even better as the week goes on… The berries release their juices and make the most lovely sauce that stirs into the yogurt. Geesh. I’m getting hungry now and I just ate dinner.

You don’t even have to thaw the berries before you make these parfaits. Oh sure, if you’re one of those folks who lives in a region that has fresh berries year round, by all means, make ‘em with fresh, but those of us who are still wielding the snow shovel can still experience the joy of a berry parfait with this recipe.

…And one last thing. I love Greek yogurt, my kids? Not so much. They find it too thick. If you’re in the camp of no-Greek-yogurt with my kids, make it with regular vanilla yogurt. Really! Don’t skip it for the sake of strained yogurt. I personally love the Greek stuff because I think it holds up nicely to a week’s worth of refrigeration with melting, juicy berries, by my boys all prefer it with plain old, garden variety, inexpensive vanilla yogurt. There are much bigger hills I’ll choose to die on than Greek yogurt vs. plain yogurt. Choose whatever you prefer!

If you were so inclined, and found yogurt on sale, you could easily make these (leaving room for expansion in the jar) and freeze them with lids on (and sans granola, of course)… I whip them up weekly because I find it easier than thawing, but it’s very, very freezer friendly!

Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 6 parfaits

Serving Size: 1 parfait

Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait | Make Ahead Mondays

Start your morning right with a Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait. Less than 10 minutes 1 day a week will yield breakfasts for every morning! Creamy, sweet vanilla yogurt is layered with tart frozen mixed berries in jars and refrigerated for whenever the urge strikes. As the week goes on, the berries thaw and release their juice, flavouring the yogurt. Serve with granola or Grape Nuts!

Ingredients

For Six Parfaits:

1 (32 ounce) container Greek or regular Vanilla Yogurt
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries, unsweetened
6 (8 ounce) jelly jars with lids or dessert bowls

To Serve:

up to 1/2 cup granola or Grape Nuts for each parfait.

Instructions

Spoon about 1/4 cup into the bottom of each of the 6 jelly jars or dessert bowls. Over each of those, spoon about 2 tablespoons of frozen mixed berries. Press the berries lightly into the yogurt. Top with another 1/4 cup of yogurt, 2 tablespoons of berries and then divide the remaining yogurt between the jars over the berries. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a week.

To Serve:

Remove the lid from the parfait and sprinkle a little granola or some Grape Nuts over the top of the parfait. While eating, sprinkle with granola or Grape Nuts as often as preferred.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/04/vanilla-yogurt-and-berry-parfait-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com