June 20, 2012

Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob)

Ok, yet another recipe without a picture.  I thought of it as I was halfway through eating my messy but oh-so-tasty ear of corn.  And I was too lazy to get up and grab the camera.  And I didn't really want to stop eating because it was so good!

We got a new grill recently and we're slowly having fun experimenting.  I thought grilled corn sounded pretty good, so we gave it a try.  After finding various conflicting methods of how to actually do this, we were pretty sure the chances of failure outweighed the chances of success.  But sometimes it's nice to be wrong!  (Yes, Mama (since you're one of the few who reads this) - I did just admit that I can be wrong.)  This corn turned out nearly perfect.  I say nearly because I think next time we might pull another layer or two of the husk off before grilling so a little more of the smoky flavor gets through.  I only cooked 2 ears (half the recipe) and I wish I'd made more!

Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob)

4 ears of corn on the cob
1/3 cup mayonnaise
lime juice (to taste, just a small splash is fine)
cayenne pepper (to taste, a very small amount is probably plenty)
salt
small handful of chopped cilantro
2/3 cup grated cotija cheese (or Parmesan if you can't find cotija)

Soak ears of corn for 25-30 minutes.  Pull the husk back and remove the silk.  Wrap the husk back around the corn and tie securely with a piece of kitchen twine or a strand of the husk.  Grill over high heat for about 25 minutes, turning ever 2 minutes.

Mix mayo, lime juice, cayenne, salt and cilantro.  Spread mixture over cooked corn and sprinkle with cheese.


June 18, 2012

Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Paula Deen - The Queen of Butter - never disappoints!  This chicken is scrumptious!  It is not healthy...maybe that's why I haven't made it in over 3 years...but you will want to lick your plate.  I've adapted the original recipe just slightly to make it a little easier.  This would be a good meal to make for company!

Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Adapted from The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook

1 lb. thin-sliced chicken breasts
3 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use low fat)
3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
dried basil
dried oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper
bacon slices
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Lay chicken breasts out on a cutting board.  Spread cream cheese on one side of each breast.  Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle feta over breasts and press lightly so that it won't fall off when you roll up the chicken.  Roll each chicken breast up.  Wrap each roll with a piece of bacon.  Secure with a toothpick.  Place rolls in a baking dish.  Pour melted butter over all.  Cover with foil and bake at 275 for about an hour and fifteen minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 350, remove foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more to crisp up the bacon.  Serve over rice with pan juices poured on top.

June 17, 2012

Carbonara


This is from the Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals cookbook, and her title for the recipe is "The Only Recipe You Need: Carbonara."  That's not too far from the truth!  Although there is no peanut butter or chocolate, so it's not quite at the top of my list. 

A little warning - you might have trouble with this one if you live in a small town.  When we lived in a small town Aaron tried to pick up the pancetta at the grocery store for me.  They insisted that there was no such thing and that he must have meant proscuitto.  Honestly, I'm kind of surprised they knew proscuitto if they didn't know pancetta.  Anyway, we had to settle for using bacon, which isn't a bad substitute.

Carbonara
Adapted slightly from Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals

1 box whole-wheat pasta
1/4 cup olive oil (slightly less is ok)
1/3 pound pancetta, chopped (can substitute bacon)
Crushed red pepper flakes (amount depends on how spicy you like your food)
4 cloves garlic, chopped (can substitute garlic powder)
1/2 cup chicken broth (original recipe calls for white wine)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (plus extra to go on top!)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil and pancetta.  Brown pancetta for about 2 minutes.  Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.  Add broth and stir up all the pan drippings.

Beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water to temper the eggs.

Drain pasta and add directly to the skillet with the pancetta mixture.  Pour the egg mixture over the pasta.  Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg.  Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, some pepper and a little salt.  Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up the egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.  Garnish with extra cheese if desired.

June 16, 2012

Orange-Cream Cheese Brownies


I found this recipe back when I was working in an office in Orlando.  It was printed on a piece of junk mail that was sent to our company, and somehow I came across it and thought, "I need to make this!"  So I did and they were quite delicious!  To keep me from eating the whole pan by myself...To be a nice coworker, I took some with me to work to share.  After all, I wouldn't have the recipe if it weren't for my job.  Everyone loved them!  Especially my boss, who asked for the recipe.  I guess you could say I earned brownie points!

These really are yummy and a bit different with the orange and chocolate combo.  The original recipe has instructions for made-from-scratch brownies, but I always just use a box mix.

Orange-Cream Cheese Brownies

1 box brownie mix and ingredients listed on back to make the brownies
2-6 tablespoons frozen (thawed) orange juice concentrate
Yellow and red food coloring (I omit this.  The OJ gives it some orange color by itself.)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temp.
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

Make brownies according to package directions.  Allow to cool completely.

Stir cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange juice and food coloring until smooth.  The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of OJ, but I use more (about 5).  Just start with 2 and add more if you like.  Spread icing over brownies.

Microwave chocolate chips and shortening until completely melted, about 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each time in the microwave.  Drizzle over brownies.  Use a toothpick to swirl chocolate in with the icing.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

June 6, 2012

One Pot Mac & Cheese

Here is another recipe from Plain Chicken.  This was great for an easy side dish!  The next day I added some chopped broccoli for a yummy lunch.

One Pot Mac & Cheese
From Plain Chicken

2 cups large elbow macaroni, uncooked (about 1/2 lb)
2 1/2 cups low fat milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for final season later (I only used about 3/4 teaspoon total)
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated cheese of your choice (I used cheddar)
black pepper to taste (I forgot to add this and didn't miss it)

Place raw elbow macaroni in colander and quickly rinse under water. Let drain.   In medium sauce pan, add milk, raw elbow macaroni, salt, butter, mustard powder and garlic powder.  On medium heat, slowly bring milk/macaroni mixture to a simmer, stirring the macaroni frequently as it comes up to a simmer. This will separate macaroni and keep them from sticking together. Do not leave the mixture unattended! The milk mixture will come to a boil very quickly.

Once mixture comes to a simmer, immediately turn down heat to low. Stir frequently. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until milk has been fully absorbed. If macaroni is not cooked fully, add a little more milk or water to mixture ( a few Tbsp at a time) until macaroni is fully cooked. This will take about another 5 minutes.

When milk has evaporated, stir in grated cheese of your choice. Stir the cheese evenly into the macaroni.  Turn off heat. Place lid on top of pan and cover for about 5 minutes and then serve.