Empanadas

I haven't posted much lately b/c frankly a lot of the new recipes I recently made have not been winners. It is so depressing when you try something new and no one really likes it. Especially with the cost of groceries right now I can't afford too many duds.

Everyone in the family ate these (baby too). I think that these would freeze well so next time I will double the recipe and freeze some for later.

I made these empanadas with some left over ground beef. I mixed in some chili powder, cumin, and and onion powder. Then some cheddar cheese. It would be good with a little more spice next time.

Here is the basic recipe:

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup masa harina
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup water (plus or minus 1 tbsp)

Mix together dry ingredients. Using a fork, mix in the butter and distributed within the flour. Slowly add water, carefully mixing with the fork until it begins to pull together. Form into a ball and wrap with saran. Pop in the fridge and hold for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into approx. 1 ounce balls (think ping pong ball size). Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a circle. Spoon filling into the middle. Seal the empanadas closed.

Once your empanadas are made, cover and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Per the blog I got the recipe from you can either fry or bake them. She recommended frying them so that is what I did. For about 5 minutes.

Serve with salsa, sour cream and gaucamole.

Gnudi

I saw an episode of "The Chew" on Valentine's day. Michael Symon made this recipe and it sounded good and didn't seem like it would be too hard to make. We enjoyed it. It would be a good side dish to impress company with.

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/gnudi-michael-symon

ingredients

1 1/2 cup Ricotta
1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan
2 Egg
1 Yolk
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg plus extra for garnish
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup Flour
5 1/2-6 cup Semolina Flour
4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter (Cubed)
15 Small Sage Leaves
1/4 cup Pasta Water


In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour. You may need to add another teaspoon of flour here. The batter should be sticky, not wet and loose. You want this mixture to be able to hold its shape.

Spread about 3 cups of the semolina into a baking dish with sides. With wet hands, form the ricotta mixture into little balls, using about a tablespoon each. Drop them into the semolina. When all of the balls have been formed, cover them with the remaining 1 ½ cups of semolina. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Carefully unearth the gnudi and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. The flour that remains can be sifted back into a container to use in the future.

Put a pot of salted water on to boil to cook the gnudi. When the water is boiling, drop the gnudi in. They will cook for a few minutes, and then float to the top when they are ready. Keep in mind that you are just trying to cook the thin pasta exterior. The inside should be molten and creamy.

While the gnudi is cooking, in a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Watch it carefully, and when the butter solids begin to brown and the butter is foamy, add the sage leaves. This only takes about 1 ½ minutes. Just a few moments longer on the heat and the butter should turn a nutty brown color. By this time, the gnudi should be floating. Turn the heat off on your butter, and using a slotted spoon; carefully remove the gnudi to the pan of brown butter and sage. It will spatter slightly so be careful. Add the pasta water and gently stir to coat. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with some freshly grated nutmeg over the top. Serve immediately!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have been wanting Chinese food lately. But it is expensive and most places here aren't that good. We had PF Chang recently but with 2 kids it wasn't an enjoyable dinner. I haven't found good take out yet. So this is what we had for dinner one night when I wanted Chinese. We enjoyed it and will make it again.
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:
For the chicken, cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/07/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated.html

Crockpot Chili

Chili is a great comfort food. I like making it in the crockpot. I found this recipe years and years ago. I haven't made a different one since.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style
stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.


Sometime I blend up some of the veggies in the blender so I can have a soup like mixture in my chili. Yummy!


recipe from: Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style
stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Here is a quick easy beef stew recipe. Its nice to have hot stew on a cold day. And nice warm homemade bread :)

I love using my crockpot. With physical therapy, I am not home all of the time so its nice to put food in and go. And its always nice to not be preparing dinner all day with 2 young kids.

You can add whatever vegetables you want in here. Next time I will add some more.

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
Directions:
1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-stew-i/

Roasted Parmesan broccoli

Here is a yummy broccoli recipe. I have made it twice so far and it was enjoyed both times. I didnt have fresh basil so we left that out. One time I made it with pine nuts and one time without. It was delicious either way.

Sorry there is no picture. iPad isn't letting me.

Ingredients
4 to 5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Note: Recipe was halved for TV
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-roasted-broccoli-recipe/index.html

NYE appetizers -- Jalepeno Popper DIp and More

For NYE we had some friends over for games and appetizers. I tried 3 new recipes all of which were received well. None are healthy so they did not help Mike with his diet. But its a party right? I do have some healthy chicken recipes to post soon. And our friends brought some yummy fruit kabobs so that makes it all better ;)

The big success of the night was the jalepeno popper dip. It was delicious. We ate the entire first batch so we made some more that night. I later enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast it was that good. Here is the recipe... Make it!
Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches).

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.



We also made buffalo chicken bites from plainchicken.com.

I love buffalo chicken dip so I knew I had to try these. We liked these but I still think I like buffalo chicken dip best. But this was a nice change. And I already had jalepeno dip so I wanted something that was not a dip. Here is the recipe:

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (or more to your taste)
3 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups sharp or medium shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and onion powder.

Using a small cookie or ice cream scoop, spoon out the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a plate or separate baking sheet until ready to dip.

In three separate bowls, set out the flour, eggs and Corn Flakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

**If freezing for later, place the dipped and uncooked chicken balls onto the parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready. To bake, place the frozen chicken balls back on a baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.


Lastly I made these Cheese Puffs from the Pioneer Woman's site. They were also good. Make sure you let them cook long enough...


Ingredients
1 loaf Crusty French Bread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes
½ sticks Butter
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Shallot, Minced
1-½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Sliced
1-½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
2 whole Egg Whites, Beaten
Preparation Instructions
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add Dijon and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low.

Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add grated cheddar and stir until melted. Turn off heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in egg whites.

Dunk bread cubes in cheese, coating thoroughly. Place on a nonstick baking mat or sheet of waxed paper and freeze for 20 minutes, uncovered. Remove frozen chunks from tray and place into a Ziploc bag. Store in the freezer.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen cheese puffs on a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper, and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately or at room temperature