Apple Cranberry Sauce

3 cups apples, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated orange rind
2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce, 16 oz each


Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer until apples are soft.  I never time it, so I'm guessing it'll take 15 - 20 minutes.  I usually just start the sauce while I'm cooking the rest of my meal and let it simmer until we're ready to eat.  The sauce is awesome for Thanksgiving and wonderful over pork chops.  Mmmm...

Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano

We just tried this recipe tonight and it was so yummy!  I'm always on the lookout for ways to make veggies more exciting - it's so easy to fall into a rut.  I found the recipe in a magazine that Wegmans (a local grocery store) sends out.  They always have fantastic recipes, and you can get them from their website as well.  I borrowed their picture - I was in a rush to get dinner on the table and didn't have time to pull out my camera :)

Ingredients:

1 bunch (about 1 lb) asparagus, trimmed
2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil, rolling to coat.  Roast about 10 minutes, until asparagus is tender.  Remove from oven.  Season generously with salt and pepper; sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Return to oven.  Roast about 5 minutes, until cheese begins to soften and brown.  


*I just had regular Parmesan on hand, but it was still great.  I also had some shredded Asiago cheese, so I sprinkled a little of that on just before serving.

Hot Bean Dip

My mom has made this recipe during Christmas (and sometimes Thanksgiving) for as long as I can remember.  Every time I make it for my family, it brings back a flood of holiday memories.  Again, no picture - but I'll remedy that.  I've been so busy in the kitchen lately that I completely forget to grab my camera.

Ingredients:

2 cans chili with beans
1 medium package (16 oz)  Velveeta cheese, cubed 
1 bunch green onions, chopped finely
1 can diced green chilies (you can use less - sometimes I only use half of a can)
1 bag Fritos

Directions:

Put chili in a casserole dish.  Add cubed Velveeta and mix together.  Add onions and chilies, mix well.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Serve hot.

Margarita Chicken Pasta Salad

My friend Julie also introduced me to this yummy recipe - I love it when she invites me over for lunch!  I forgot to take a picture when I made it last week, but I'm sure I'll be making it again before too long.

Ingredients:

Salad
10 oz. rainbow rotini
1 lb boneless skinless poached chicken breast, shredded
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Dressing

1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. sour cream
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp salt
1 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
4 tsp tequila (optional)
1 packet taco seasoning

Cook pasta, drain and rinse with cold water.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor; blend until smooth.  Combine cooked pasta, corn, beans and chicken in a large serving bowl, fold in dressing.  Serve cold.

*I like to poach and shred the chicken ahead of time so that it's really easy to throw together on a busy night.

Dr. Pepper Steak

I don't have a picture for this recipe yet, but I can tell you it's delicious!  I know I've complained before about using too much garlic, but I think you'll want to use all 4 cloves in this marinade - it's not overly strong.  Fall is upon us, but I'm sure we'll still have some great grilling weather.  You'll want to try this recipe soon!

Ingredients:

16 oz Dr. Pepper (you can use Coke if you prefer)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp grill blend (see recipe below)
flank steak, London broil, etc.

Grill Blend:
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp ground thyme
1 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

Grill blend: Combine all ingredients, blending well.  Store in an airtight container.  Stir before each use.

Directions: 
In a large bowl or ziploc bag, combine Dr. Pepper, cinnamon sticks and garlic.  Add steak; cover and marinate for 8-12 hours.  Remove and pat dry.  Season with grill blend and cook meat on grill.  Do not overcook or steak will be tough.  

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

This is another recipe that I received from my friend Julie, who is a fantastic cook (She also shared the Pesto Turkey Burger recipe with me).  My husband raves about it and you'll see why once you make it.  Delicious!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray 
1/4 cup apricot preserves or fruit spread
2 Tbsp country-style Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, chopped (I like to use fresh)
2 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spritz a baking sheet with cooking spray (I line the pan with foil first).  Combine preserves, mustard and rosemary in a small bowl.  Place tenderloins on a baking sheet (leave about 2 inches of space between them); brush each with the apricot mixture.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 150 degrees.  Remove tenderloins from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing diagonally.

I've found that the meat is even more flavorful if I marinate it.  Simply brush the tenderloins with the apricot mixture, wrap in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Mint Brownies

There is nothing so delicious, so tempting and so addicting in the world as Mint Brownies.

I discovered the recipe in high school and played around with it until I thought it was perfect.  I also thought I was the only one who'd found the secret to making them as wonderful as they were.  So...it became my "Secret Recipe".  I was so proud of myself.

Fast forward a few years.  I was talking to a friend who mentioned that a neighbor had just made the most fantastic mint brownies she'd ever had.  Hah!  I thought.  She hasn't had my mint brownies.  Later on this friend made the brownies for me - I was shocked to find that they were just like my brownies.  I begged for the recipe - it matched my recipe exactly.  Apparently I wasn't the first to figure it out.  I'm now on the look out for a new "Secret Recipe".

*Sorry for the blurry photo - I pulled it from Taste of Home's website

Ingredients:

Brownies:

if you have a favorite brownie recipe, insert it here.  Generally I use a boxed mix because it's just faster that way.  I'm sure brownies from scratch would be better, but I have two small children who tend to be impatient.  Suffice it to say, Pillsbury saves a bit of my sanity.

Filling:

1 cube butter or margarine, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (this is the secret ingredient)
a little milk
green food coloring

Chocolate Topping:

6 squares semi-sweet chocolate or 1 cup chocolate chips
6 Tbsp butter or margarine

Directions:
Bake brownies according to package directions for cake-like brownies.  Cool completely before frosting.

For filling, cream together butter and powdered sugar.  Add small amounts of milk until you reach a buttercream consistency.  Add food coloring and mint to desired taste.  You may only want to use 1 tsp of peppermint - the longer the brownies sit the stronger the mint will be.  Spread on top of brownies.

For topping, melt chocolate with the butter.  I usually do this in my microwave, adjusting the power level to half at about 45 second increments.  Don't stir in between - I just pull it out of the microwave and swirl it around to help melt the chocolate and keep the butter from exploding in the microwave.  Once the chocolate appears very soft, stir until smooth - this takes a minute or two.  Let it cool slightly, then pour over the frosting.  Spread it until the filling is covered.  Refrigerate until set.

There it is: the not-so secret recipe.  Oh, and I can promise that if you ever take this to a party - you'll be the coolest person there  ;)

Pesto Turkey Burgers

A friend of mine, who happens to be an excellent cook, shared this recipe with me. In fact, she invited me over for lunch and made them for me! I've made this several times since then - it's one of my favorites. Not just because of the taste either - it's an incredibly fast and easy recipe. Andrew raves over these burgers which is saying a lot - honestly, I should change his middle name to "Picky".


Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked ground turkey
4 Tbsp basil pesto
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt

4 ciabatta rolls, or rustic Italian bread
4 slices cheese (mozzarella or provolone)
fresh basil leaves, arugula or spring garden mix (we usually use plain old lettuce)
tomato slices


Directions:

In a bowl, combine turkey, pesto, Parmesan cheese, garlic and salt. Using a fork, mix until ingredients are blended. Shape into 4 patties. Place patties on a grill and cook 10-13 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink, turning once halfway through grilling. If you like, you can place the cheese on top of the patty to melt.

If you like, you can brush the bread with olive oil and place on grill. We've noticed that ciabatta bread is actually a little tough to chew, so you might not want to toast it. Sometimes I skip past the whole Italian thing and just put the burgers on a kaiser roll. It's all personal preference of course.

Also, the recipe calls for 3 cloves of garlic. Holy cow, that's a lot of garlic for 1 lb of meat!  Well, in my opinion it's a lot of garlic - a little goes a long way for me.  Again, it's all personal preference - I only use 1 clove of garlic, but you may not want to change it at all.

This is a really fantastic meal - you're gonna love it!

Pear Salad with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

I haven't actually tried this recipe but it looks so good! I found it in an LDS Living Magazine and wanted to share it as warm days WILL be upon us soon. At least here in Utah we have hope of it!
I have had salads very similar to this and they were wonderful so I'm sure this one will be also.

4 handfuls of salad greens washed and dried
2 Anjou pears, washed and sliced into eighths
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins or what ever dried fruit you like
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup candied walnuts

Dressing:

2 T. lemon juice
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. raspberry syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Divide lettuce onto 4 chilled plates and top with sliced pears and currants or raisins. Crumble the Gorgonzola cheese evenly over the four salads. Top with candied walnuts. Other fruit may be added as shown in the picture.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing. Whisk together and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, drizzle the desired amount of dressing over the salads.

Fluffy Pancakes

I wanted to make heart shaped pancakes for our Valentine's day dinner, and I didn't want to use Bisquick. I just thought I should put a little more effort into it than that. So...I pulled up the Taste of Home website again and found this yummy recipe. Definitely worth the extra effort!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup shortening, melted

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk and shortening; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle (I didn't need to grease mine). Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes and edges are dry. Cook until the second side is golden brown.

Yield: 8 pancakes

*When making pancakes, the most important thing to remember is not to overmix the batter! I know - it's tempting to get all those lumps out of there, but those lumps are what make it fluffy (just be careful not to leave gigantic lumps). The baking powder bubbles pop while cooking and there you have it - fluffiness! At least, that's what I learned from a cooking segment on a morning talk show :) The other thing that was suggested was to only turn your pancakes once. I've followed this advice ever since and it's worked every time.

Making heart pancakes was super easy - thanks to MarthaStewart.com. All you need to do is fill a pastry bag with the batter (use a plain, round tip) and pipe it onto the griddle in the shape of a heart. Do the outside first and then fill in the middle - easy peasy!

Beef Stew

When my husband and I were first married I was on a quest to find a great recipe for Beef Stew.  After trying several recipes, I finally came up with one on my own that we still love!

Ingredients

1 lb stew meat

Pan searing flour

5 cups water

1 packet McCormick Beef Stew seasoning

1-2 beef bouillon cubes

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen peas

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions:

Trim fat from stew meat and coat with pan searing flour.  Brown meat in a frying pan with about 1 tbsp oil.  In a large pot, combine the water, beef stew mix and bouillon cubes. Bring water and seasonings to a boil, then add meat.  Cover and simmer.  While the meat simmers, prepare vegetables, then add to the pot.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!

*You can also make this in the crockpot.  I put everything in around lunchtime and it's perfect by the time my husband gets home from work.  I've also used leftover roast rather then stew meat, and both are equally tender.  

Berry Good Dip

I get all kinds of email newsletters from parenting sites - most of which I only glance at before deleting. Don't ask me why I keep subscribing! However, this time I saw a link for recipes and decided to take a look. I wish I could remember which site I found it on, but I'm sorry to say I can't. The good news is: I found a great new recipe!

I should also let you know that I misread the recipe to begin with and didn't realize it until I looked it up a second time. I thought that it called for 12 oz of Cool Whip rather than 12 oz of whipped cream cheese. Not exactly sure how my brain messed that up - guess I was skimming the recipe rather quickly. Oops! It was a good mistake though - I brought the dip to a dinner with friends and they loved it.

Here's what you need:

12 oz whipped cream cheese or 12 oz Cool Whip. Really - either one is yummy!
Berry jam (any kind you like)

Mix the two together and enjoy with your favorite fruit!

If you're using cream cheese you'll need 3 Tbsp jam. If you take the Cool Whip route, just keep mixing in jam until you like the flavor.

Bacon-Almond Green Beans

Here's another fantastic recipe from Taste of Home. I was looking for some way to dress up my veggies for dinner, so I hopped online and started browsing. One look at the ingredient list for this dish and I knew it would be yummy! It was a big hit - in fact, Chris told me that from now on this is how he wants his green beans to be prepared. We'll see about that...

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
2-1/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 to 5 tablespoons real bacon bits
4 to 5 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (I substituted walnuts)

Directions:

Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved

Drain beans; add to the skillet. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with bacon and almonds; toss to coat. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Yield: 6 servings

*I was positive that I had sliced almonds in the cupboard, but when I pulled out the ingredients for this dish there weren't any to be found! Luckily, I had some walnuts so I used those instead. Awesome! I think either way would be delicious.

Veggie Noodle Side Dish

Ramen noodles. Does the mere mention of it make you shudder? It reminds me of my early days in the kitchen, cooking lunch for my siblings. Back then though, it was just the noodles and broth. I think we've all had enough of that particular dish to last a lifetime.

I thought it was time to step it up a bit, which is why I was willing to try this recipe after finding it in Taste of Home. Have I mentioned that it's a favorite magazine of mine?

Anyway, I could tell my hubby was apprehensive and in the end I enjoyed it more than he did, but I think that was due to the fact that this dish includes zucchini and squash - two things he dislikes. Maybe if I used brussel sprouts instead... I know - I can't believe he likes them either. But to each his own!

Ingredients:

• 1 small sweet red pepper, julienned (I actually used frozen roasted peppers - yummy!)
• 3/4 cup cut fresh green beans
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion (I'll be honest - I left that part out)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 package (3 ounces) ramen noodles
• 1 yellow summer squash, sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning mix

Directions:

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the pepper, green beans, carrots and onion in oil for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions (discard seasoning packet or save for another use).

Add the remaining ingredients to the vegetable mixture; cook and stir until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain noodles; add to vegetables and toss to coat.


Serves 4

Herb Pull-Apart Bread

I found this yummy recipe in a Betty Crocker holiday cookbook and finally got around to trying it.

It's quick to put together, but the rising takes some time. I turned my oven on to the lowest setting and once it was heated, turned it off and put the pan in. It helped the dough rise much quicker - but a word of warning: Watch the dough carefully! I put the pan in the oven and forgot all about it until I heard my husband call out, "Um...Amber? What's going on with this bread?" Believe it or not, I took the dough that was spilling over the sides, shoved it right back into the pan and baked it. Say what you will, but I wasn't about to waste all that dough!

I know - this blog should really be called, 'This Chic's Kitchen Adventures', but then I'd have to change my blog header and everything so...it's staying as it is. Despite my lack of bread baking knowledge, this actually turned out quite tasty. I invite you to give it a try :)

Ingredients:

3	tablespoons butter or margarine
1	teaspoon dried basil leaves
1	teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2	teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
24	balls frozen white dinner roll dough (from 3-lb package)

Directions:

Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan (do not use 10-cup) with cooking spray. In 1-quart saucepan, heat all ingredients except roll dough over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.

Place half of the frozen dough balls in pan. Generously brush butter mixture over dough in pan. Layer remaining dough balls in pan. Brush with remaining butter mixture. Cover and let stand in warm place about 4 hours or until double in size.

Heat oven to 350°F. Bake 22 to 27 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped and top is deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; turn upside down onto serving plate.

Cashew Beef Stir-Fry

I've made this a couple of times since finding it in a Taste of Home magazine and my hubby loves it! You should see how excited he is when I tell him I'm serving it for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups cold water
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, julienned
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 pound beef top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 medium green peppers, cut into strips
• 2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into strips
• 2 medium onions, halved and sliced
• 1 yellow summer squash, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups salted cashews
• Hot cooked rice
• 
  
• Directions:
• 
  
• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water and 2 tablespoons soy sauce until smooth; set aside. In a very large skillet or a wok, stir-fry broccoli and carrots in 1 tablespoon oil until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the beef, garlic, pepper and remaining soy sauce; stir-fry until meat is no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
• 
  
• In the same pan, stir-fry the green and red peppers, onions and squash in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Return beef to the pan.
• 
  
• Stir cornstarch mixture and gradually add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cashews. Serve with rice.
• 
  
• Yield: 7 servings.

As a side note, my camera has been anything but cooperative lately and it seems like every picture I take is terrible. Sadly, my cell phone takes only slightly less awful pictures, so until I suck it up and buy a new camera, I'm going to use pics I find on the internet as much as possible. Why share a recipe if the picture makes it look awful, right?