Cheater Bruschetta

So one time I was in Chicago & after shopping at Windy City Scrapbooks, I asked the sales clerk where we should eat lunch. She suggested we walk to the restaurant two doors down. It was there that I had the 2nd best Chicken Parm of my life and also where the idea for my bruscetta was born.

There, they brought us an appetizer of thinly sliced eggplant and a delicious mix of fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, onion, olive oil & balsamic to serve atop crusty bread. It was, in a word, amazing. I came home with that meal replaying in my head & decided to try to recreate it immediately.

Cheater Bruschetta
fresh tomatoes, diced--in the winter, I used canned tomatoes & drain most of the juice off
roasted red peppers (I use jarred...if you can do this yourself, I'm sure it would make the recipe even better)
balsamic vinegar--be sure this is a good-flavored vinegar, one you particularly like
loaf of crusty french bread, sliced

Combine the tomatoes, a few diced red peppers (I drain off most of the oil they're packed in) and top with balsamic. We personally love vinegar so we use a LOT but if you don't, you could just use enough to flavor the tomatoes & peppers. You can also use fresh basil or dried Italian seasoning but I don't because, well, I think basil is nasty. The original recipe had olive oil in it but I don't see any reason to add it--the little bit that sneaks in on the peppers is enough for me. Combine & let sit for several hours to let the flavors meld. Serve with a nice Italian bread.

Gigi's Pumpkin Pasta

I got this recipe from my girl Gigi Kennedy and we LOVE it.
I use more of the canned pumpkin rather than less--usually I make Margie's Pumpkin Muffins and used whatever's left from the can for the pasta. Mmmmmmmmm....yummy.
Enjoy!

Gigi's Pumpkin Pasta
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound package of Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from its casing)
2/3 cup to 2 cups pumpkin puree (depending on your personal taste)
1 can chicken broth
¼ cup half & half
½ cup sour cream (low-fat or fat free)
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
1 tsp sage
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
¼ cup Romano Cheese, shredded
1 pound penne or rotini pasta

In a large skillet sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking the meat up with your spoon as you cook it. Remove turkey sausage and garlic from the skillet. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and deglaze the pan using a wire whisk, to bring up all of the flavors stuck to the pan. Whisk in the half and half, sour cream, pumpkin, and seasonings. Simmer for ten minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain pasta and stir into the pumpkin mixture along with the turkey sausage, simmering for another three minutes or until the sauce thickens and hugs the pasta. Stir in parsley and garnish with Romano and more parsley.

Side Note- If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little addition of chicken broth until you get it to the right consistency.

Margie's Pumpkin Muffins

I always have to search for this recipe so decided to post it here. They are so so good--and kids love them {and never know they're getting a vegetable!} Recipe from Margie Romney-Aslett.

Margie's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 Cups Oil
2 Cups Brown Sugar
4 Cups Sugar
(beat together)
8 beaten eggs
1 1/2 TB baking Soda dissolved in 1/3 C warm water
(add while mixing)
4 Cups Canned Pumpkin
(add to mixture)
Slowly add:
7 Cups Flour
2 TSPs Baking Powder
2 TSPs Salt
1 1/2 TSPs Ginger
2 TSPs Cloves
2 TSPs Nutmeg
4 TSPs Cinnamon
(mix)
1 Cup Warm Water
3 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
(can use Milk Chocolate)

Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, check on them at 15 minutes
This recipe makes a BUTT load...I cut it in half and get 4 dozen muffins...
ENJOY!

Pistachio Bread

Pistachio Bread
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
2 small pkgs. instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/8 cup water (may omit--but I always use it)
1 cup sour cream
pecans, optional

Mix all ingredients together on low with electric mixer. The mixture will be very thick & sticky. Grease the bottom of two loaf pans, then cinnamon & sugar them. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. You can also do this in one bundt pan or in mini loaf pans or cupcake liners--bake until they're golden and cooked in the center.

and you and you...You're Gonna Love Me.

Trust me, you'll be singing Jennifer Hudson too when I give you this recipe.
Carrie sent an email late last week and I knew immediately I would share it here. I have NOT tried this myself but I'm anxious to..and now I'll need to try to make the rye croutons. Yummers.
Anyway--Carrie said she made a few adjustments but I assume those changes are reflected there.

You're welcome.
: )


Upstream’s Smoked Gouda Cheese Soup

½ onion diced
2 garlic cloves pressed
1 cup corn (I used frozen corn cut from the husk last summer… the creamy sweetness made the soup!)
½ red bell pepper (pureed in processor)
¾ cup carrots (pureed in processor)
2 bottles of Ale (I used one Blue Moon and one Boulevard Pale Ale)
2 cans chicken stock
2 cups chopped red potatoes
4 cups heavy cream
1 ½ lbs smoked Gouda cheese (shredded)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 teaspoons Beau Monde seasoning
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp (give or take) sea salt
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper

In 2 Tbsp olive oil sauté onion until clear (I used a 7 ¼ qt Le Creuset). Add garlic stir in for one minute. Add pepper and carrot puree, and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with beer. Add stock, stir and add potatoes. Bring to boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Reduce heat to low, stirring constantly, add cream. Sprinkle cornstarch over cheese, toss to mix (starch will somewhat lightly coat cheese). Add cheese mixture in SMALL batches into soup stirring to melt. Do not overheat.

At this point use an emulsion blender to CAREFULLY puree potatoes and any large onion pieces that have yet to cook down.

If soup is too thick, add more beer. Next add Beau Monde, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

ENJOY!!!

Beer Can Chicken

So chicken's were on sale this week at Baker's (99 cents a pound!) so I decided I'd try to make the "Beer Can Chicken" my friend Mary was talking about. I'd also heard it called "Beer In The Butt Chicken", because...well...you put a can of beer in the cavity of a whole chicken and stand it up on the grill or in the smoker to cook. After a quick search online, I discovered that it's pretty easy to make in the oven, too. It's very moist and uses NO oil so it's pretty healthy for you too. Oh, and btw...HyVee has chickens on sale for 59 cents a pound this weekend so I guess my good bargain wasn't such a good bargain afterall. I'm going to stock up at HyVee after trying this recipe!

Beer Can Chicken
1 Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs)
1 Can of Beer
Seasoning of your choice

Rinse chicken, removing all the pieces and parts. Throw those nasty things away. : ) Pat the chicken dry and season to your liking--I used a poultry rub that I found in the pantry. Be sure to not only season the outside of the bird, but also underneath the skin. Reserve a little of the rub to mix into the beer.
Remove the top of the beer can with a can opener (stand back because it really squirts at you when it's punctured) and get rid of about 1/2 of the beer. Stir in the remaining rub mixture into the beer--it will really foam up so do this over the sink. Sit the bird right down on top of the can; put the beer-butted chicken in a baking pan to catch all the drippings.
Bake at 350 for 2 hours or until the juices run clear.
Carefully remove the can. Let stand ten minutes before carving. You can use the drippings to make gravy, if you know how to do that. I don't, so I just made stuffing and steamed some veggies instead. : )

Jody Ferlaak's Baked Caramel French Toast

The beauty of this yummy french toast, besides being totally easy, is that you make it the night before! : ) I got the recipe from Jody recently and while it says to bake it in a 9 x 13, next time I'll try it in a jelly roll pan--there was plenty of caramel sauce and not enough toast to feed a family.

Baked Caramel French Toast

Ingredients:

***Topping*** (which actually goes in the pan and is the bottom at first)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream or milk or whatever you have on hand

6 tablespoons butter or marg.

1 tablespoon corn syrup

Mix these ingredients in a saucepan over med/low heat until melted. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

***French Toast*** (I would have needed to make double of the egg mixture to cover an entire loaf of french bread)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 loaf of french bread- sliced into 1/2" pieces

Mix eggs, vanilla, milk and salt in a bowl. Dip slices of french bread into egg mixture, coating them well. Place them onto the mixture in your 9x13 pan- squeeze in as many slices as you can fit.

Cover pan and refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Don't overbake!

Serve the french toast with the caramel side up. Sift a little powdered sugar over the top.

Drizzle syrup on top if you like. (We did not add syrup...it was sweet enough!)

Add fruit if desired. Jody told me that in the fall she makes what I would call fried apples to go on top. I peel, core & slice apples and throw them in a skillet with butter and brown sugar. Cook on medium heat until the apples are soft. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. If you're doing the apples on top of this french toast, I'd probably just cook them with a little butter and that's it...seriously, it's sweet enough!

Super easy and yummmmmmmMy!

: )

Oh Becca! Bars

Trust me, you'll be screaming my name when you eat these little squares. Seriously. They are so good. I got the recipe from Becky Higgin's, who got it from her friend who got it from someone's Grandma...anyway. Sherri & Kimber make something similar and call them "Scotcharoos" and my brother's girlfriend Nanette makes something similar and calls them "O'Henry Bars". You call 'em whatever you want.

1 c. Karo syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanuts (I got salted and I don't chop them)
1 c. peanut butter
3 c. Rice Krispies
1 pkg. (6 oz) chocolate chips
1 pkg. (6 oz) butterscotch chips

Stir together Karo syrup and sugar. Microwave for 2 minutes. Add peanuts and peanut butter to the Karo mixture. Microwave everything for 1 minute. Add 3 cups of Rice Krispies. Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan.

Combine chocolate chips (on bottom) and butterscotch chips in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Spread over krispie mixture and cool in the refrigerator.

Remove and cut into 1-inch squares.

Cranberry Chicken

This is a super-easy, super yummy chicken dish that cooks in the crockpot! :) I originally got this recipe from Heather D. White and usually serve it with long grain and wild rice.

Cranberry Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 medium onion, chopped

Mix together the cranberry sauce, barbeque sauce and onion. Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and cover with the cranberry sauce mixture. Bake all day on low.
I'll take a picture the next time I make this and come back to post it. : )