Crab Rangoon Dip

We served this yummy hot dip at our Christmas party last year and it was a big hit!  I served it with crackers last year, but I bought plain pita chips this year.  It would also be delicious with bread.

The recipe comes from the December 2011 issue of Cuisine at Home.

Crab Rangoon Dip

Makes 3 cups
Total time: 25 minutes

Mince:
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 Tbsp each chopped fresh cilantro and ginger
1 tsp sugar

Add:
2 pkg cream cheese, softened (8oz each)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
salt to taste

Fold:
1 can lump crab meat (6.5oz)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degress.  Coat a 3-cup ovenproof dish with nonstick spray.

Mince scallions, cilantro, ginger, and sugar in a food processor.

Add cream cheese and lime juice; pulse to combine.  Season with salt and transfer to a bowl.

Fold crabmeat into cream cheese mixture.  Transfer to prepared dish.  Bake dip until hot in center and bubbly, 15 minutes.  Serve dip with fried won ton chips.

Baked Cheddar Eggs and Potatoes

We had this dish for dinner the other night and it was FANTASTIC!  Baking the eggs makes them the same as soft boiled, which is divine.


It takes longer to cook the potatoes than you think, so I'm not sure I would ever make this for breakfast.  Maybe brunch, since I'm not a morning person. :-)  The next time I made it, I used red potatoes, as the recipes says, and the timing was more accurate.  I've also added cooked bacon to it when you add the cheese and it is even better!

This recipe comes from the December/January 2013 issue of Taste of Home.  Since it was just for the two of us, I halved this recipe.  It was so filling, even for dinner, neither of us could finish all our potatoes!

Baked Cheddar Eggs and Potatoes

3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, chopped (I used Idaho, which might be why it took so long for them to cook!)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (I used dried)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 eggs
1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1.  In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add potatoes.  Cook and stir until golden brown and tender. Stir in the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.  With the back of a spoon, make four wells in the potato mixture.  Break two eggs into each well.

2.  Bake at 400 for 9-11 minutes (I think I baked mine for at least 15) or until egg whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 1 minute longer or until cheese in melted.

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

I got this recipe from a friend.  It is extremely vague, so use your own judgement about how much you want of each thing!

This was a great side dish for Homemade Rotisserie Chicken.

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

Layer the following:

sliced zucchini
sliced tomatoes, peeled (I used quartered cherry tomatoes, not peeled)
sliced onion
grated cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar)
salt & pepper

Top with croutons (I used garlic cheese -- you can put them in the layers too, if you want -- but the layers inside the casserole will get soft)

Bake, covered, for one hour at 350 degrees.  Remove cover, top with more cheese, and bake uncovered until cheese melts.

"German" Apple Crisp

This recipe isn't exactly "German."  That's my friend's last name, and this is her mom's recipe!

It is just WONDERFUL.  I went to the orchard less than a week ago to buy apples and I have made this TWICE.  I will probably use up all the apples I bought making this recipe, again and again and again...

I used the full 3/4 cup of brown sugar.  And while I like nutmeg, I don't love nutmeg, so I only sprinkled it in rather than using 3/4 tsp.  My apples were huge, so the first time 4 apples was a bit too much for an 8x8 pan.  Should have known better!  The second time I made it, I only cut up 3 apples.  And I cut the slices in half the second time so I didn't have to cut them into bite-sized pieces with my spoon while eating it.

It tastes a lot like the stuffed apple recipe I used to make from Rachel Ray, except this is way easier!

 

“German” Apple Crisp

Ingredients

4 cups sliced pared tart apples (about 4 medium)
2/3 to ¾ cup brown sugar (packed)
½ cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Directions

Heat oven to 375. Grease 8 x8 pan. Place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Serve warm and if desired with light cream or ice cream.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Cannellini Beans

I watched Rachael Ray make this on her talk show yesterday morning and except for the bread, was nicely within our diet.  I picked up chicken thighs with the skin and the bone because I wasn't paying attention.  When I went back to the store today, I couldn't find any boneless, skinless thighs.  Now that I've made it, as lovely as the thigh meat is, I would recommend substituting breasts if you can't get the boneless.  It's not easy to eat with the bone, and quite messy!  I copied the instructions as they were, but I would highly recommend you prep the veggies first before you season and wrap the chicken.  Otherwise, a tasty recipe that I'd make again.  Oh, and we don't really care for spicy, so I left out the chili pepper.

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped

• 8 slices prosciutto di Parma or speck (smoky ham)

• 3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 small chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped

• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 2 cups passata or tomato purée

• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained

• A few leaves of basil, torn

• Crusty bread for mopping

Yields: 4

Preparation
Season chicken with salt and pepper and lots of rosemary. Wrap each piece of chicken in a slice of prosciutto or speck. Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Brown the chicken pieces 3 minutes on each side or until ham is crisp; remove to a plate. To the same pan add remaining EVOO, a turn of the pan, celery, carrot, onion, chili and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook partially covered until soft, stirring frequently 10-12 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute then add wine, stock, tomato purée, beans and basil. Set chicken back into pan and simmer 10 minutes more.Serve with crusty bread for mopping.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

My mom's sauce is my favorite!  And mine tastes just like hers.

We used to have spaghetti sauce at least once a week when I was a kid.  It reminds me of cold Saturday nights in the wintertime, when my entire family gathered together to eat dinner.  Those were good times.  We usually had leftover sauce once during the week too.

My mom always makes her famous meatballs in the sauce, and she adds links of sweet Italian sausage.  Even though Chris and I don't even like the sausage, I always put it in so the sauce will taste right!

Making sauce actually isn't that difficult.  You just have to be sure to stir it every 15-20 minutes so it doesn't burn.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

1 medium onion, pulverized (use a food processor - I use my Pampered Chef chopper)
1 tsp minced garlic
olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pot)
6 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes (I use Red Pack)
Parmesan cheese
basil
parsley

one batch of Mom's Meatballs
4 links of sweet Italian sausage, cut in half (use hot sausage if you like that better)

Heat olive oil in a very large Dutch oven.  Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil for 20 minutes.  If the garlic or onion begins to brown, add a spoon or two of crushed tomatoes.  Continue to simmer for the full 20 minutes.

Add 6 cans of crushed tomatoes.  Add the equivalent of 1/2 can TOTAL of water by rinsing each can with a small stream of water.  You should be dumping in what looks like thin tomato juice from each can, not just water.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, basil and parsley over the top and mix in completely.  I would guess I use about 1 tsp of each spice and maybe 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Adjust to your taste.

Stir sauce often until entire pot heats up.  It might take about 20 minutes or so before the mixture heats through.  Once heated, turn it down to one notch above Lo.  Stir every 15-20 minutes for 2 hours.

Add raw meatballs and sausage.  Turn temperature up briefly, as the cold meat will cool down the sauce mixture.  Turn back down to one notch above Lo.  Stir VERY gently every 15-20 minutes for at least an hour.  I like to cook mine for 1 1/2 hours.

Serve over pasta of your choice!  Add a salad and fresh Italian bread or garlic bread for a complete meal.

This is what the sauce looks like before you add the meat.  The meatballs and sausage bring it right to the top of my pan!

Chicken a la King

This recipe is based on my mom's recipe, but I tweaked it a bit.  Hers is based on cream of celery soup.  This is real comfort food for me.  I remember asking for this dish for my birthday dinner when I was 8 or 9 years old!

I haven't made it in awhile, and last night I thought it might be better if I skipped the canned cream of chicken and made the base from the Chicken Pot Pie recipe instead.  Next time I might try that.  the canned soup seemed a bit on the salty side.

If yours is too thick, add more milk until it's the desired consistency.  I usually add milk when I'm reheating it, because it tends to thicken.

Kim's Chicken a la King

1 medium onion, sliced
2 carrots, cut in matchsticks
1 sweet pepper, sliced (yellow or red)
1-2 Tbsp butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp minced garlic
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
buttermilk biscuits (homemade or otherwise)

Cook onions, carrots, and peppers in 1-2 Tbsp butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until just soft.  Add soup, milk and spices.  Add chicken, heat through.  Serve over biscuits.