My Recipe Blog

Chicken Piccata

2012-01-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

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Chicken Piccata is such a simple, yet flavorful dish.

The most important component in here is definitely the lemon so if you are not a fan, then this dish is likely not for you.

I really did not follow any recipe here, I just threw the ingredients together and created my own. So this may or may not be a recipe that exists already.

This recipe serves 4 people that have a good appetite or 5-6 people that eat like birds:

- 4 pieces of chicken breast

- 2 lemons (wash them well)

- about 2 Tablespoon of capers (adjust to taste)

- flour to dust the chicken with

- seasonings to taste. I use: lemon pepper, garlic, salt,

- about 2 tablespoons of butter

- about 1 cup of white wine

- chicken broth as needed

Season the chicken and then pound it to about 1 inch thickness. Cut the pieces in half so they are not too huge. Coat each chicken cutlet with flour on both sides.

(Start a pot with pasta of your choice, I used whole wheat spaghetti .. cook according to package instructions)

Melt about 1 teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and add the chicken. Cook on both sides until just cooked, be careful not to overcook. Take the chicken out and set aside.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan and scrape the pan as the butter melts so the scrapings from the chicken mix into the butter. Add the white wine and capers. Let it all cook for a couple of minutes. Now squeeze in the juice of 1 1/2 lemons ... slice the other half lemon and set aside.

Add some chicken broth to create more sauce and flavor. Season to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes.

Put the chicken back in, together with the reserved lemon slice and reheat from both sides for about a minute.

Arrange two cutlets on each plate with a slice of lemon on top.

Put the pasta into the pan and mix well with the sauce. Arrange in plate

That's it .... simple, yet so good!

German Apple Cake

2010-09-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

My boys went apple picking with daycare ... they had an awesome day and came home with a bunch of apples .. more than a bunch .. let's just say I slipped an "Holy Sh*t" when I saw all the apples.
So now what do I do with them. I love my apple streusel but I need to make something different every now and then. So I decided to try a traditional German apple cake recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (about 4 to 5 apples)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

Combine the first three ingredients; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combine oil and orange juice and add alternately with dry ingredients to egg mixture. Beat until smooth; add vanilla and beat well.
Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Arrange half the apples over the batter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle half over the apples. Top with remaining batter, apples and cinnamon/sugar.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour before removing from pan. Cool, apple side up, on a wire rack. Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Enjoy.... soooo yummy!

------
One cake down and if I look at the apples probably only about 20 more to go...

Pasta in Pink Salmon Cream Sauce

2010-02-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

I used to make this dish a lot and for some reason hadnt made it in a while.

After making it tonight I remembered why I used to make it so often ;) It's really good and easy.

- 4 pieces of frozen salmon

- lemon pepper (for salmon)

For the sauce:

- garlic powder

- pepper, salt

- pepperflakes

- basil

- terragon

- about 5 tablespoon tomatoe paste (I use the tubes to not waste a can)

- about 2 tablespoon pesto

- a little squirt worshestershire sauce (or however the heck you spell that)

- about 1 1/2 cup white wine

- about 1 cup cream

- Pasta of choice

Season the Salmon with lots of lemon pepper and bake it at 400 degrees until it flakes off a fork (about 20 minutes), pull it apart and put it all in a pot

Add the wine to it and bring to a quick boil, then turn down to medium heat and add the cream as well as all the seasonings for the sauce. (Season to taste. Add or take away as you like).

Boil pasta according to package directions and serve with the Salmon sauce. Easy and yummy!

Egg Free Chicken Cordon Bleu

2010-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Having a child with a severe egg allergy forces me to find alternatives for many recipes that call for egg (but then again half the time he refuses to eat it anyway..)

- chicken breast

- ham for each breast (the amount depends on the type of ham you have or your personal taste)

- 1 slice of cheese per breast (I used pepper jack for added flavor)

- panco breadcrumbs

- a few tablespoon of sour cream mixed with a little milk

- balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, basil and terragon (to marinade the chicken)

- 2 cans of diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperflakes, terragon and 5 tablespoon sugar for the marinara sauce

Marinade the meat in the marinade listed above for at least 2 hours.

Slice the meat in the middle, creating a pocket.

Fill it with ham and cheese (my chicken was very thin so I put only a little ham and cheese inside and put the rest on top

Dip the chicken in the cream then in the breadcrumbs

Set the chicken on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle more breadcrumbs on it until the whole piece of chicken is covered.

Do this with all the chicken you have.

Bake on 395 for about 35 minutes (cooking time might vary depending on thickness of chicken.. mine was thin)

Mix all the ingredients for the marinara sauce and blend them well (I use one of those handy stick mixers)

About 10 minutes before end of cooking time put some marinara sauce on top of each breast and if you like also a few sprinkles of grated cheese (optional)

Finish baking.

I served this with spaghetti and used the leftover marinara sauce for the pasta.

Bon appetit!

Meat Pie

2010-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

Another one of those dishes that I made up. I liked it but I think next time I will add some sour cream or something to make it a bit smoother.

- 1 roll of refridgerated pie crust
- 1 lbs (or however much is in your pack) ground beef
- a few handful of broccoli florets
- a few baby carrots, about 8-10 (or 1-2 regular carrots)
- seasoning to taste
- a couple of tablespoon of tomatoe paste, more couldnt hurt
- a squirt of blue cheese dressing
- 5 slices of pre cooked bacon, chooped
- about 1 cup of prepared mashed potatoes (boxed)

Fry meat in a pot, chop carrots and broccoli into tiny pieces, add to the meat. Season the meat (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, terragon, paprika..) add the bacon to it, the tomatoe paste and the dressing.
Prepare the mashed potatoes in a seperate little pot and add to the meat mixture to help bind it.
Line a small baking dish with the pie crust, fill it with the meat mixture and fold the crust that's overlapping over the meat. Slice the top and bake according to pie crust directions until the crust is golden brown.

I served it with curry ketchup and corn on the cob. Turned out to be a tasty weeknight meal. My husband got seconds and thirds ;)

Oven Baked Jambalaya

2009-10-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe online and it is sooooo good. It is wonderful for a potluck event as it feeds about 16 people!

1/2 cup butter
1 large onion, diced
2 large bell peppers (whatever color you like), chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3 bay leaves (I used 6)
3 tablespoons Creole Seasoning Blend
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (I used one of those and one can petite diced tomatoes)
7 cups chicken stock
3 cups chopped cooked ham
3 cups cooked andouille sausage, sliced
3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups frozen cooked shrimp

(I used chicken and sausage only)

4 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Melt butter in large stock pot. Saute onion, green pepper, celery and garlic until tender, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add tomato paste and cook to brown slightly, stirring constantly.

Stir in bay leaves, Creole seasoning blend and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour into a large roasting pan.
Squeeze tomatoes to break up into pieces, and add to mixture in pan. Stir in juice from tomatoes, chicken stock, ham, sausage, chicken, shrimp and rice. Mix well.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through baking time (I did not stir it to let the rice settle). Remove bay leaves before serving.

Easy but delicious Meatloaf

2009-10-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

- 2 lbs ground beef
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried minced onions
- Worshestire sauce (or however the heck you spell that)
- ketchup (approximately 1 cup)
- chicken stuffing (croutons type dried bread)
- 1 egg
- 1 envelope of onion soup mix

Season the beef the way you like it, add a couple of handful chicken stuffing. Add a good squirt of the sauce nobody can pronounce as well as a few good squirts of ketchup (I would say I used about 1 cup). Add the egg and onion soup powdered mix.

Mix everything really well by hand and add stuffing if needed until the meat has a comsistency that can be shaped and stays in place.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Line a baking sheet or dish with foil, spray with Pam and shape the meat into a nice loaf, setting it onto the foil. I put some cheese into the middle but I didnt think you could really taste it, so next time I will leave that out.

Bake the loaf for 1 hour and enjoy!!

Sour Beef and Dumplings

2009-09-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Aaaaahhhhhh, a taste of home... well my home at least. I was graving some good old german food so I decided to make Sour Beef and Dumblings.

The mix for the dumblings you can get in many grocery stores that have an international section. I believe Giant has them. They are simply called potatoe dumplings.

Please keep in mind that this beef should marinate in the vinegar for about 3 days, so plan ahead.

Ingredients:

- white vinegar
- water
- small onion
- beef roast
- 5-6 juniper berries
- 5-6 bay leaves
- pepper, salt
- about 3 packs of brown gravy mix (have extra on hand just in case)

- One pack of of potatoe dumplings (prepare those according to package directions)

Peparation:

- Season the beef with salt and pepper and put it into a large plastic container with lid. Add diced onions and fill the container with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, just enough so the meat is covered in fluid. Throw in the juniper berries and bay leaves.
Seal the container and let it sit in the fridge for about 3 days.

Fast Foward to Cooking Time:

- Sear the meat in a hot pan until the outside is nicely browned.
Don't get rid of the vinegar mix yet!

Set the meat into your crockpot. You now want to add enough fluid to make sauce with it. I use half of the vinegar mix and then the rest just water so it doesnt get too sour.

Cook on High for 4 hours (I dont use the low setting because I want the meat tender, but dont want it to fall apart) Of course you could cook it on the stovetop like any other roast as well, but the crockpot gives amazing results.

After 4 hours carefully lift the meat out of the pot and stir in brown gravy mix (amount of packaged depends on the amount of fluid you have, play it by ear)

Set the meat back in while you cook the dumplings (and whatever veggie you may want to serve. Green beans are often served with this)

Slice the meat, serve with gravy (you may or may not need to run the sauce through a strainer) and dumplings. Enjoy!!

Apple Streusel Cake - my favorite!

2009-03-24T07:46:00.001-07:00

This recipe is actually super simple but its so good.

For the Dough:

-200 g unsalted butter (I used two full sticks.. making it a little more than 200gr)

-1 Egg

-200 g Sugar

-400 g plain flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the filling:

- 1 small bag apples .. any kind that isnt too sweet works best

- 5 tablespoon brown sugar

- about 2 tablespoon cinnamon

Peel the apples, remove seeds and cut them into small cubes.

Put them into a pot with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Turn stove on high, then turn down to medium as soon as you can tell the pot is heated up.

Let the apples cook slowly. stirring occasionally. You want them to become very soft.... and trust me.. you will LOVE the smell!

Ones they are cooked all the way you can either leave them as they are or you can break them up a little with a potatoe masher to whatever consistency you like your filling to be)

While the apples are cooking you can preheat the oven to 345 degrees and prepare the dough.

Just mix all of the ingredients and mix really well by hand.

At first the dough seems dry but keep working it and it will quickly turn into a nice smooth dough.

Grease a Springform and use a little over half of the dough to layer the bottom and side of the form.

Then pour filling into the springform.

Last break up remaining dough over the filling, spreading it nice and evenly.

The crumbs will "melt" a little while baking and build a pretty layer on top of your cake.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, The cake is done when the crumbs have turned into a nice golden brown color.

This cake is wonderful fresh but I like it even better the next day.

Pork (or chicken) Pot Pie a la Me ;)

2009-03-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

- 3 pork chops (or chicken breast)

- cube chicken broth

- 3-4 potatoes

- 1 1/2 cups of corn

- half a head of broccoli

- a handful of sliced mushrooms

- 1 can of broccoli cream soup

- about 1 cup heavy whipping cream

- about 1 1/2 cups dry white wine ( I love keeping a wine box in the house .. I cook with wine a lot)

- salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, paprika, pepper flakes

- 2 cans of Pillsbury cressant creations dough (this one http://tinyurl.com/cuvm8f )

Boil chops (or chicken) slowly with a cube of chicken broth and salt, pepper and garlic

Take meat out of the water when done. Cut up potatoes into cubes and boil them until just done in the broth that the meat was in. You can add some water if needed.

Pull meat apart.

Drain water when potatoes are done. Add meat to the potatoes as well as the corn, broccoli, mushrooms and the can of broccoli cream soup. Add a cup of wine and let it all warm up over medium high heat. Stir carefully. Add cream and more wine if needed until you have the amount of sauce you want. Season to taste.

Spray a Casserole dish with cooking spray and line with one sheet of the cressant dough. Push the dough up on the sides so it will hold the filling.

Pour filling into the casserole dish and top with the second sheet of dough. Cut a few lines into the top.

Bake at 375 degrees until the dough is golden brown.

Soooo good. Of course you can replace the veggies I used for your favorite veggies.

Best Ever Marble Cake

2009-03-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the metric numbers.. if your meassuring cup doesnt have metric meassurements on it then you can just convert it online.

-250 Gramm Butter (soft at room temperature)

-200 Gramm Sugar

-500 Gramm flour (dont use self rising, just the plain simple white flour)

-a few drops vanilla extract

-1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

-1 Pinch Salt

-4 Eggs

-1 Cup Milk

- few drops butter extract

- few drops almond extract

- 1 block 70 or 80% cocoa chocolate (Lindt has a good one)

- 3 tablespoon sugar

- a handful dark chocolate chips or candymelts

- few drops of rum extract

(or.. but the first tastes better....:
-30 Gramm cocoa powder for baking .. its about 5 tablespoons
-3 tablespoons water
-3 tablespoons sugar

- few drops of rum extract)

Mix the butter with the sugar, salt and vanilla until nice and creamy.

Slowly add the eggs. Mix well.

Mix flour with the baking powder and while mixing, slowly add the flour and the milk.. taking turns between milk and flour so the consistency stays smooth.

Add a tiny bit of almond extract (very little, maybe 3-4 drops) and a little butter extract.. maybe 10 drops)

Melt chocolate in a hot water bath (break chocolate up into a cup and set the cup into a pot that has some water on the bottom.

Heat the water and let the chocolate melt like that. Stir occasionally, add the chocolate chips or candy melts when the dark chocolate is smooth and add the sugar as well.)

(If you do the second option then just mix all ingredients until smooth)

Grease a "Kaiser Springform" and pour 3/4 of the dough into it.

Add the chocolate to the remaining dough and also add some rum extract.

I like the rum flavor so I put quite a bit but you can do that to taste.

Mix well.

Pour the dark dough in top of the white one in the Springform. Use a fork and twist the dough so the black slightly mixes into the white.

Bake at 355 degrees for about 60 minutes.

After about 45 minutes I lay a sheet of aluminum foil over it to avoid the cake getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done.

Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Honey Dijon Salmon

2009-02-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

For 4 Servings:

- 1 large Salmon filet

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Honey

- Salt, pepper, garlic powder

- Panco breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400degrees.

Put the salmon filet, skin side down, on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and garlic powder on it.

Mix butter with mustard and honey, stir until it is all well mixed, nice and creamy.

Pour the mixture on top of the salmon and spread it out all over so the whole salmon is covered.

Top with a nice coat of breadcrumbs and gently press them onto the fish/sauce

Bake Salmon for about 30 minutes or until it flakes nicely with a fork.

I served it with lemon pasta (pasta with salt, pepper, garlic powder, some lemon juice and a little butter)

Enjoy!

Homemade lasagna

2009-02-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

- 1 pack lasagna plates (doesnt necessarily have to be the no boil kind, they cook through either way during baking time)

- 1 lbs lean ground beef

- 1 sweet italian sausages (squeeze out of casing)

- 1 cube beef broth

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 1 pack thick and zesty spaghetti sauce mix (its a seasoning pack)

- 1 container ricotta

- basil (fresh or dried... or both)

- salt, pepper, garlic (minced)

- a little olive oil

- a little milk

- 1 large can of tomatoe sauce

- 1/2 to 1 pack of grated mozarella (or cheese of choice)

Fry the beef in a little olive oil, add the sausage when beef is about done.. break it all up really well so its all crumbled up. Season with salt, pepper, garlic

When meat is done, add the cube of beef broth and a bit of water... let it break up and stir well. Add the pack of spaghetti seasoning and 1 1/2 cups of water and stir well. Let the water cook down, should go quickly

In the meantime mix the ricotta cheese with plenty of basil, a splash of olive oil and a bit of milk to get a thick and creamy consistency. Add garlic, salt and pepper.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Put some tomatoe sauce on the bottom, then a layer of lasagna plates.

Top with tomatoe sauce, then Ricotta mix, then meat,

Add another layer of lasagna plates and repeat.

Do as often as you want until you used all the meat and cheese (or until your dish is full)

On the top you want lasagna plates with tomatoe sauce

Finish with a nice layer of grated mozarella cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a piece of aluminium foil with cooking spray and loosely cover the lasagna with it (so the cheese doesnt dry out)

Bake for 1 hour, then take the lasagna out of the oven and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Super easy, mouthwatering Porkchops ... and Brussel Sprouts

2009-02-05T13:15:00.001-08:00

You can of course make this with anything other than brussel sprouts if you dont like them, but I am sharing both recipes here

For the Pork, 4 Servings:

- 4 thick Pork Chops (boneless)

- plain panco bread crumbs

- 1 egg

- salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder

- 1 can cream of mushroom soup

- a few tablespoons of cooking sherry (or white cooking wine)

- a few tablespoons of milk

- half a pack of sliced portabella mushrooms (optional)

Line a casserol dish with aluminium foil and spray with cooking spray.

Season the pork with spices listed above, then dip in egg and then in panco breadcrumbs.

Arrange in the casserol dish. I usuall add some more breadcrumbs on top and push them on nicely. Spray the breaded pork lightly with cooking spray (butter or olive oil flavor is favorable) .. you can skip that step if you want to. It just helps get things crunchier.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake chops for 1 hour.

Mix the cream of mushroom soup with a little sherry and a little milk to make it nice and creamy. You can add the fresh mushrooms here, if you are using them.

After 1 hour, take pork out of the oven, put the cream of mushroom mixture on top and continue baking for another 30 minutes

That's it. So tender and soooo good!!!

For the brussel sprouts, 4 servings:

- Fresh brussel sprouts (amount to what you normally eat, I get two bowls of the fresh one),

cut them in half if they are very large

- 3-4 slices of bacon

- 1 can chicken broth

- pepper

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Fry bacon until its just starting to crisp. Take bacon out and let it sit on a plate.

Use the bacon grease to fry the brussel sprouts until lightly browned outside.

Add brown sugar, stirr, then add the chicken broth and some pepper.

Cook covered for about 20 minutes on medium-high heat, then remove lid and continue cooking until all the liquid is gone.

Add bacon back into it and mix well

It's really tasty and even people that normally dont like brussel sprouts have liked it that way

Enjoy!

Schnitzel

2009-01-18T17:52:00.000-08:00

So, being a true german I guess its about time to post a Schitzel recipe.

Well here it goes.

- Pork Steaks (or chops, or sliced loin or sliced roast)

- Plain Panco Bread Crumbs

- Egg to dip meat before breading

- vegetable oil

- salt, pepper

Flatten meat to about 1/2 inch thickness, season with some salt and pepper

Dip flattened meat in egg, then generously in panco breadcrumbs

Use a large frying pan and put enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan easily. Heat the oil (you know its hot if you stick a finger in .... or just put the stick of a wooden spoon into the oil and small bubbles build around the wood).

Carefully add Schnitzel and turn heat down to medium-high.

There has to be enough heat still to make sure the oil is constantly sizzling.

Fry for about 7-10 minutes then turn and fry the other side for 7 minutes as well until both sides are nicely browned.

Serve over a bed of salad, or with fries or whatever side you like. You can also make a sauce for it, a brown gravy with mushrooms and roasted peppers, which would make it a "Jaegerschnitzel"

Enjoy!

*** A true Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal instead of pork. It will be much more tender

The recipe is the same, cookingtime might vary***

Stuffed Cabbage

2009-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ingredients for 4 servings:

- 1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef

- 1 white roll (or 3 slices of white bread)

- worchestershire sauce (or whatever the name is)

- salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic (all fresh or dried)

- 1 egg

- a little mustard

- 1 head white cabbage (the one that almost looks like an iceberg lettuce)

- 1 can beef or chicken broth

In a bowl add ground beef, a little mustard, worchestershire sauce and seasonings (to taste), the egg and the bread (pulled into little pieces) and mix well by hand.

From the cabbage throw away the few outer leaves, then carefully take off 8 leaves and cut out the thick stem on the bottom.

Devide the meat into 4 portions and roll them into balls. Wrap each meatball tight in two leaves and tie with sewing thread so it wont open up during the cooking process.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and sear the cabbage rolls from both sides until they are nicely browned, then add about a quarter of a can of beef or chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder.

In the meantime preheat oven to 355 degrees. Line a ovensave dish with aluminium foil (for easy clean up) and add a bit of broth to the bottom of the pan. Put cabbage rolls into the pan with the broth and bake for 45 minutes, turning ones after half the cooking time.

That's it!

The leftover cabbage I like to slice into thin pieces and fry in the pan that I used to sear the cabbage rolls. I let it cook at low heat with a lid on for the same amount of time that the rolls are cooking and in the end remove the lid and turn up the heat to fry it up a little. Season with salt and pepper and a little cumin powder. Makes a nice cabbage side dish.

I also peel some potatoes, cut them into chunks and cook them in saltwater to serve with the stuffed cabbage. A simple packaged brown gravy on top and its a great dish!

Wussie Wings

2008-11-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

To all of you that want all those great fingerfoods but cant handle the kick that usually comes with it (just like me)
- 1 Bag of frozen, unseasoned Winglettes (or fresh)

- 1 stick of butter

- Frank's Hot Sauce and some Habanero or Jalapeno sauce (optional)

- Honey

- Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, ground Ginger, Curry Powder, Paprika Powder

- Defrost chicken

- melt butter in microwave, add a good amount of hot sauce (to taste) and a little of the Habanero Sauce (more if you want Spicy Wings instead of Wussie Wings.. haha)

- Add a couple of big squeezes of honey

- Season with pepper, salt, paprika, curry, ginger and lots of garlic powder

-Mix well.

-Brush both sides of the chicken and arrange (meaty side up) on a broiler pan, so the grease can drip down and the chicken wont sit in it ...

****(Now, I use a gas oven.. so cooking might vary with your stove)*****

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Turn on broiler and put the chicken under the broiler flame until the top of the chicken is nice dark and crusty, then turn of the broiler and move the chicken to the middle of the oven to finish baking.

Brush chicken at this point again with the marinade.

Bake for 45 minutes, brushing one more time towards the end of the cooking time.

Use the rest of the mariande (if there is any left) to lightly brush it again after you take it out of the oven

Serve with fries or by itself... yummmm!

TIP: line the bottom of the broiler pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up and spray the top heavily with cooking spray so the chicken wont stick

Old Bay Pasta, so easy and oh so good!!

2008-11-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

- 1 Box of Pasta of Choice (I like Linguini or Fettuchini for this)

- Shrimps and Sea Scallops, amount to taste, I would say that 1 1/2 cups each for 4-6 servings is enough .. I eyeball it and just add what I think I want

- Heavy whipping cream, 2-3 cups

- white cooking wine, about 2 cups

- Old Bay Seasoning, minced garlic (or garlic powder), salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Put cream into a large frying pan (or pot) and heat over medium heat.
When it starts warming up, add cooking wine.
Add some salt and pepper and a bunch of old bay. Bring to a light simmer for a few minutes then taste ... add more seasoning if required.

Add seascallops to the sauce, let cook for 1 minute then add shrimps. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until shrimps turn pink.

Mix sauce with pasta and serve.

Stuffed Pork Roast

2008-10-02T17:12:00.001-07:00

- Pork Roast

- Half a bag of fresh spinach

- Fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, rosemary)

- sour cream (or mascarpone cheese with some cream)

- a little cooking sherry (optional)

- Stuffing Mix (eyeball it, I think I had about 2 cups_

- salt, pepper, minced garlic (or garlic powder)

- bacon slices (optional)

Slice pork in a circular way to create a long piece of pork. That doesnt have to be perfect. Roll it back up and fry pork in some oil to get the outside nice and brown.

While pork cools, sautee the spinach in some olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper. Chop it up with the fresh herbs and put into a bowl.

Add breadcrums and enough sour cream to be able to mix it all nicely (if you arent worried about the fat, I recommend mascarpone cheese with some cream mixed in instead)

Add cooking sherry, just enough to keep the mixture nice and thick.. make sure it doesnt get runny

Open up the pork and spread the spinach-stuffing mixture generously on the pork then roll up tight. Put seam down (or tie it up if you want) into a roasting pan.

If you decide to use the bacon, wrap it around the pork, tugging it in underneath, so the pork is laying on it, holding the ends into place.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, until internal temperature is 160 degrees.

Slice and serve with your favorite side dish

Herb Stuffed Chicken with Pesto-Cream Fettuchini

2008-07-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

I made this dish up from beginning to end because I wanted to use the herbs I have in my garden and it came out so good. I will definitely make this one more often!

- 3 chicken breasts (or however many you need, adjust the amount of other ingredients then)

- 1 slice of cheese for each chicken breast (I used mozarella)

- a handful of fresh cilantro

- about 3 handful of fresh basil

- 3 Tablespoon of pinenuts or walnuts (I actually only had mixed nuts and picked the cashews and walnuts out)

- about 1 cup of parmesan cheese

- 1 glove of garlic (or more if you are a garlic lover)

- a handful of grape tomatoes (or yellow pear tomotoes if you are lucky to have them in the garden)

- olive oil

- spices of choice (I used pepper, salt, garlic powder, dried basil, paprika, oregano)

- about 1 cup of heavy cream

- about 1 cup of milk

- 1 TBL cornstarch

- 1 pack fettuchini pasta

Cut chicken breast open on the sides to create a pocket. Season the outsides of the chicken and rub it in well.

Stuff the chicken with plenty of cilantro, the slice of cheese, a little basil and some halfed grape tomatoes.

Put chicken onto a sprayed cookie sheet and preheat oven to 380 degrees. Bake chicken until internal temperture is 180 degrees, this will take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken is

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For the pesto put the basil, the nuts, about 4 TBL Parmesan cheese the glove of garlic and some olive oil into a blender and blend until it becomes a creamy texture, add oil if you need to. (I actually did this with my magic stick mixer)

Put the cream and milk into a saucepan and add the pesto to it. Add the rest of the parmesan cheese as well as spices until you have the taste you like. Bring to a slow boil, stirring well. Disolve the cornstarch in some water and add it to the sauce until your sauce has the desired consistency, careful it does not take much!!! Put sauce on low heat.

In the meantime cook fettuchini according to package directions.

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Serve the sauce over your pasta and chicken.

Guten Appetit!!

Taquitos

2008-06-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

- 1 pack of asian pasta wrappers (meant for egg rolls or ravioli). It's an asian product in the produce aisle

- 3 chicken breasts

- about 2 cups of corn (I use frozen)

- 1 pack of tacco seasoning

- some tacco sauce (enchilada sauce would probably work just as fine)

Boil meat until cooked through. Pull apart and fry in a hot pan, add a little water and tacco seasoning, the corn and the tacco sauce and stir well, let it all cook together.

Now put a couple of spoonful of the filling onto a piece of wrap, start rolling, flip the sides up and finish rolling up. Put seam down into a sprayed baking sheet.

Repeat until all the filling is gone. Brush them all with some vegetable oil.

Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown (about 15-18 minutes)

Serve with sides of your choice (I did guacamole and tomatoes). Great even for kids as you can see

Grilled Chicken with Caprese Skewers and Lemon Pasta

2008-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

For the Chicken:

- Chicken Breasts (however many needed.. I used boneless breast with rib meat)

- Seasonings: Pepper, Salt, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika, a dash red pepper flakes

- Olive Oil

Season the chicken well and add some olive oil to it, rub the marinade well into the chicken and let marinade for several hours if you have the time.

Grill on medium heat until cooked through

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For the Skewers:

- Cherry Tomatoes

- Small Mozarella Balls, or a chunk of Mozarella, cubed

- Fresh Basil Leaves

- Pepper, Salt and Olive Oil

Stick tomatoe onto skewerm then basil then cheese and repeat this 3 times, having a tomatoe at the end. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. You can also drizzle some balsamic vinegar on it if you want

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For the lemon pasta:

- Pasta of choice, cooked, drained

- some lemon juice (amount depends on how sour you want it, I use just a few sprizzes for a hint of lemon

- about a cup of heavy wipping cream

- salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder

Mix pasta with the other ingredients over medium heat until it's well mixed and hot.

Greek low fat Chicken and Eggplant

2008-04-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

For 3 Portions:

- 3 Chicken Breast

- 1 Eggplant, cut 3 slices off for the chicken (about 1/2 inch thick)

- 1 pack of low fat Feta Cheese (or regular if you dont go for the low fat version)

- a few Kalamata Olives

- Oregano, lots of Dill, Pepper, Salt, Paprika

- Farfalle Pasta

- 1/2 jar of marinara sauce (I use Bertolli Spicy Tomatoe with Basil)

- Chopped up leftover Eggplant

- Chopped fresh mushrooms (about 1/2 pack)

- a little grated cheese

- Olive Oil

Season the meat with spices listed above. Flatten chicken and sprinkle some Italian Bread crumbs over both sides.

Fry chicken in spray coated pan to just sear the outside, then take out and set aside.

Season Eggplant Slices with same spices and fry to sear outsides in a little olive oil.

Put Chicken on a cookie sheet (spraycoated), top with some feta cheese, then add the eggplant slices. Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs on it.

Last cut olives into slices and put on top of the eggplant, with a little more feta and a bit of grated cheese (I used grated parmesan)

Preheat oven to 380 degrees and bake chicken for about 20 minutes (depending on thickness of the chicken)

-------------------------------------------

In the meantime cook pasta al dente.

In the pan that you used to sear the meat, heat a little olive oil and add chopped eggplant and mushrooms, together with the same spices.

Fry for a couple of minutes then add the marinara sauce. Add leftover Feta, if there is any leftover.

Cook until veggies are nice and tender, serve over Farfalle Pasta

Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2008-04-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I skipped the shortening and used 1 cup butter)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chocolate chunks (or chips)

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour and baking soda.

3. In a large bowl beat brown sugar, sugar, butter, shortening, pudding mix, vanilla, and almond extract.

4. Mix until well blended.

5. Add eggs and mix well.

6. Beat in the flour mixture.

7. Stir in chocolate chips.

8. Drop by rounded teasponful and bake 10-12 minutes. I made the big version, used a ice cream scopper and baked for about 16 minutes

Easy baked Farfalle

2008-04-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

- 1 jar of favorite pasta sauce (I use Bertolli Basil with Burgundy wine)

- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I was out and used cream of chicken

- 1-2 cups of frozen corn or peas or fresh mushrooms, or all of it

- about 1lbs ground beef

- spices: Basil, garlic powder, pepper flakes, salt, pepper, dried crushed onion, oregano

- 1 pack of Farfalle noodles (or other)

- Parmesan Cheese (optional)

- grated cheese to top

Fry the beef and add plenty of spices (listed above).

Add the jar of pasta sauce and the can of cream soup. Add veggies. Mix well and let it cook on medium heat for a few minutes.

Preheat oven to 390 degrees

Cook pasta according to package directions, minus a couple of minutes... until they are almost all the way cooked, but still a bit firm to the bite. Drain.

Spray Caserole dish with cooking spray and put sauce on the bottom. Top with some Parmesan cheese if wished.

Top with pasta, then again plenty sauce, a little Parmesan and another layer of pasta.

Finish with sauce, topped with plenty of grated cheese

Bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned in some areas.

This is a serious comfort food!!!

Greek Stuffed Pork Chops

2008-03-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

- 3 thick Pork Chops (boneless)

- 4-6 oz Feta Cheese

- a few (about 6) Kalamata Olives

- Dill, salt, pepper, Garlic Powder

- Olive Oil

- Breadcrumbs

-3 toothpicks

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add pork chops into hot oil. Fry quickly on both sides to brown the meat from the outside, adding some dill and garlic powder while frying. Take out, let cool.

In the meantime mix Feta Cheese with cut up Olives, a generous amount of Dill and some Olive Oil as well as a few breadcrumbs (1/4 cup at the most). Smash it a bit so the cheese mixes well with the spices.

Cut the pork chops open from the side to form a pocket (cut in quite deep until you ALMOST come out the other side). Stuff the pockets with your cheese mixture and hold together with a toothpick.

Put the stuffed pork into a caserolle dish, loosely cover with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 70 minutes.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

2008-03-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

This recipe makes quite a lot but its great the next day

- 2 small chicken breast (cut in bite siced pieces)

- 3/4 ring smoked sausage (sliced)

- 2 cups of rice

- 2 stalks celery (I was out so I used 1 zucchini)

- 1 pepper (color of your choice)

- 1 small onion (I skip that one)

- 3/4 jar tomatoe paste

- 1 can chicken broth

- 4 fresh tomatoes

- creole seasoning (or paprika, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, parsley)

Fry the chicken until the outside is done, then add the sausage and cook until chicken is done. Add some creole seasoning while frying.

Set meat aside and cook rice. In the meantime chop celery and peppers and add to the pan. The oil from the sausage is great to fry the veggies in and gives them flavor. Fry shortly and then add tomatoe paste and let it cook down with the veggies, brown slightly. Now add chicken broth .

Cut tomatoes into chunks and add to the mix. Now put the meat back in. Add rice, mix well and let it cook until liquid is absorbed. Add hot sauce if you like it spicier

Herbed Chèvre Steaks

2008-03-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

A fellow Nestie gave me the link to this and its awesome!!!

Ingredients:

Herbed Chèvre Topping:5 ounces peppercorn goat (chèvre) cheese, cut up

1 egg yolk (large)

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon cooking oil

6 beef tenderloin steaks (each about 4 ounces and at least 1 inch thick) .. I used NY Strip

Directions:

Herbed Chèvre Topping: Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Makes about 3/4 cup topping.

Heat cooking oil in large frying pan on medium-high. Add steaks.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned.

Transfer to ungreased baking sheet with sides. Spread about 2 tablespoons topping on each steak. Bake in 375ºF oven for about 8 minutes for medium, or until desired doneness, and topping starts to brown.

Springrolls

2008-03-06T16:14:00.001-08:00

- Springroll Wraps (you can find them in the fresh veggie shelf in the grocery store)

- chinese ingredients of your choice, I used rice noodles, peas, tofu, soy sauce and shitake mushrooms

Cook the ingredients together, let cool and cut in smaller pieces.

Fill the wrappers with the veggie mix and roll up tighly. Place seam side down onto a spray coated or greased cookie sheet

Brush the rolls thin with oil (sesame oil if you have it, otherwise just veggie oil)

Bake at (preheated) 425 degrees for 18 minutes or until slightly brown.

Serve with soy sauce to dip if desired

Tortellini with roasted Asparagus and Bacon

2008-03-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

- Tortellini, amount you would use for 3 servings

- 6 - 7 strips of bacon (chopped)

- 1 pack of fresh green Asparagus

- 1 Zucchini (optional)

- salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder

Cook Tortellini according to package directions. in the meantime fry bacon in a pan until its starting to brown. Add veggies and season to taste. Fry until veggies are tender (I like to cover it for a while for more effective cooking)

Serve over Tortellini. So easy and soooooooo good!

Homemade Pizza

2008-02-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

For the Dough:

- 2 1/4 cups all purpose or bread flour

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon yeast

mix together, then add

- 3/4 cups of lukewarm water

- 3 Tblsp. Olive Oil

Mix into a light dough.... if its too sticky, add some flour.

Let rise in a warm place until about double in size. Devide in 2-3 pieces, roll out on a floured surface, transform to the hot stone (heated while preheating oven to 425 degrees)

Add toppings as desired.

Bake until crust and cheese are slightly browned. Enjoy!

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

2008-02-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

For the Crust:

-1 pack (about 8oz) of honey graham teddy's

- 3/4 stick of butter

For the Filling:

- 16 oz cream cheese (I used half fat free, half reduced fat)

- 2 eggs

- 1/4 cup lemon juice

- 1/4 cup whipping cream

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 80 gramm white chocolate (melted)

- 4 - 5 tablespoon raspberry jelly

Put graham crackers in a freezer bag and roll over it with rolling pin until crackers are completely broken apart (or use mixer)

Put crackers in a bowl and add softened butter, mix well do a cumbly mixture. Push mixture into a springform, make sure its in there nice and firm.

Add 3-4 tablespoon jelly onto the crust and spread evenly.

Mix the ingredients for the filling together (melt chocolate in a bowl, sitting in a pot with lightly boiling water until melted). Beat the ingedients with your electric mixer until nice and smooth. Pour filling into crust, over the jelly.

Heat the remaining jelly in the microwave for a few seconds to make it liquid and pour a little bit on top of the cake. Use a fork to create a marble pattern with the jelly.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake cake for 45 minutes

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

P.S I served it with a bit of whipped topping and raspberry sauce, made from raspberries cooked with sugar and a hint of marsala, pushed through a strainer. But the cake really didnt need it, it just looked nice

Raspberry Glazed Cornish Hen

2008-02-14T13:16:00.001-08:00

For the Hens:

-2 cornished hen's

- 1/2 sticks of butter

- 3 Tablespoon Raspberry Jelly

- Fresh Cilantro

- Pepper, salt

- Fresh Ginger (size of about two thumbs)

- Fresh garlic, about 4 cloves

- Balsamic Vinegar

Wash hens and pat dry.

Mix butter with some salt and pepper, chopped parsley, the raspberry jelly and the vinegar

Carefully pull skin off the hen to form a pocket. Put some of the butter in each pocket and "massage" the chicken to spread it under the skin.

Take a bunch of fresh cilantro, add sliced ginger and stuff into the hen

Tie the hen's legs together and put into roasting pan.

Spice hen with some pepper, salt and garlic

Add to the pan the fresh garlic (open by hitting on it ones with a knife), a few slices of fresh ginger and some white cooking wine (about 1 cup)

For the Glaze:

-1/2 bag of frozen raspberries

- About 1/2 cup of Balsamic

- about 2 quarter sized pieces of ginger, chopped

- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

- about 1/4 cup of Raspberry liquor (optional)

Combine ingredients in a small pot and cook on medium-low until raspberries are tender. Push through a strainer, so the seeds are "filtered" out

Brush the chicken generously with glaze and reserve the rest to glaze during baking.

Preheat oven to 380 degrees and bake for 1 hour. over loosely with aluminium foil for the first 30 minutes.

I served with roasted zucchini and asparagus and oven potatoes.

Easy Beef-Bean Chili

2008-02-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

- 1 large can crushed tomatoes

- 1 regular can diced tomatoes with green chili's

- 1 can dark red kidney beans

- 1 can black beans

- about 1lbs lean ground beef

- fresh cilantro

- hot sauce or hot peppers (optional)

- 1-2 packs chili powder mix

- salt, pepper

- a cup or 1 can corn

- about 2 cups of diced peppers

Put all the ingredients together in a crockpot. Add 1 seasoning packet at first and add the second one if needed later. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken on Rice

2008-02-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

- 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bit sized pieces

- 1 pack of sliced mushrooms (I used champignons)

- 1 cup of corn or broccoli (optinal)

- 200ml cream

-100ml milk

- 2 cups white cooking wine or cooking Sherry

- Spices of choice (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, minced onion, parsley)

- If available 1 pack of sauce mix, anything meant for white sauces, if not use cornstarch and more spices

Fry chicken on medium-high until just done and slightly browned, add mushrooms shortly before chicken is done. Add corn or broccoli if you are using it.

Pour in the wine or Sherry, letting it boil for a minute, then reducing heat to medium. Add cream (and if you have then sauce mix), milk and spices (to taste)

If you dont use sauce mix then mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoon water and add that to the sauce to thicken. Let cook for a few minutes.

Serve over white rice.

Easy Lasagna

2008-02-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

- 1 pack (about 1lbs) of lean ground beef

- 1 box of no boil lasagna plates

- 1 large can of tomatoe sauce or your favorite pasta sauce from a glass

- veggies of choice, I like to use a can of red beans and some fresh mushroom, or peas and corn, maybe some olives, fresh onions if desired

- 3/4 of a 16 oz container Ricotta (or sour cream) .. I use the fat free or low fat versions

- spices of choice, I use lots of basil, oregano, garlic powder or minced garlic, minced dried onions (if not fresh), pepper, salt, parmesan cheese

- Some grated cheese, as much as you like

Fry beef, breaking it up into small crumbs, adding fresh onions if you use them. Add spices (including some parmesan cheese) and Ricotta. Then add veggies. Cook on medium heat for about 5 min.

Spray coat your oven safe pan and spread tomatoe sauce on the bottom. Top with lasagna plates.

Add meat-veggy mix, them more tomatoe sauce and lasagna plates.

Repeat ones more, topping the last layer of lasagna plates with tomatoe sauce and grated cheese.

Preheat oven to the temp that the lasagna pack tells you and bake (loosely covered with aluminium foil) for 50 minutes, removing the foil after 40 minutes.

Baked Pears with Caramel Sauce

2008-01-31T17:22:00.000-08:00

- 2 pears

- 8-10 teaspoon sugar (brown or white, whatever is preferred)

- 1/4 stick of butter (I use Imperial)

- few tablespoon of Marsala

Peel pears, cut in half and remove core. Put cut side down into a spray coated baking pan.

Add 2-3 thin slices of butter on top of each pear, as well as 2 -3 teaspoon of sugar. Top with a little Marsala, maybe 2 shotglasses. If desired you can also add a few tablespoon og whipping cream, it will make the sauce a bit thicker. I left it out in the picture above.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake 40 minutes for a firm pear (recommended) or 20 minutes for a ripe pear. I loosely covered mine with foil for half the baking time.

Sprinkle with a little cinnamon if desired

Zigeunerschnitzel

2008-01-31T17:09:00.001-08:00

A german favorite ....

- 2 Pork or Veal Schnitzel (the store didnt have them so I bought pork chops and hit them flat)

- 4 red peppers

- 1 small or medium onion (chopped)

- 1 pack sliced mushrooms (I used Portabella)

- 1 Tblspoon tomatoe paste

- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika powder

- flour

- 200ml wine (1 glass)

Cut two of the peppers in half, remove seeds and put cut side down on a spray coated baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees until tender and skin looks wrinkled. Let cool and peel of skin, it should come off easily. Chop pepper meat into small pieces and set aside (will almost look like Salsa)

- Dip meat into flour and pat off over sink so it is only slightly coated, spice with paprika, salt and pepper.

- Fry with a little oil, take out and put it into a oven safe dish and keep it warm in the oven

- In the meantime add chopped onions to the pan, together with the mushrooms and the rest of the peppers (sliced). Fry on medium heat for a couple of minutes and then add the wine. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika and let cook over medium heat until the pepper is just tender. Add roasted pepper "salsa" and stir.

- Put Porkschnitzel on a plate and serve sauce over it.

Usually this is served with french fries on the side, I made homefries instead.

Enchiladas

2008-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

For 3 servings I use:

- 3 pieces of boiled skinless, boneless chicken breast (I boiled it sometimes during the day for about 30 minutes and then set it aside until I start cooking, but you can also boil it and keep working with it right away

- 1 can corn

- 1 pack tacco seasoning

- 1/4 cup sour cream (fat free is fine)

- grated cheddar or mexican cheese

- 1 can enchilada sauce (I use mild and then add hot sauce in dh's portion as he likes it spicy)

- For the side one pack of spanish rice and if you want guacamole and/or refried or black beans.

Pull boiled chicken into little pieces. Put into a heated frying pan, add tacco seasoning and fill the seasoning bag with water and add that (gives it just the right amount of water).

Mix it well and then add 1/3 to 1/2 a can of enchilada sauce,the sourcream and 1/2 can of corn.

Let it all cook together for a couple of minutes while stirring, turn off stove and stir in some cheddar cheese (however much you like)

Spoon filling onto soft tacco sized tortillas. Roll and arrange seam side down in spray coated baking dish (I prefer to use individual dishes and arrange it to the side of each to leave room to serve the rice in it)

Pour rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Top with grated cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas while preparing the rice (add rest of the corn to the rice when its just done).

The enchiladas will be done when your rice is done, all you basicly do is slowly heating them and melting the cheese.

Serve with your rice. Bon Appetit :)

Chinese Stir Fry

2008-01-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

-1 pack of firm or extra firm tofu (or use chicken instead)

- 1/4 pack of frozen sliced carrots

- 1 head of broccoli (or one small frozen bag)

- 1 cup of frozen peas

- 1/2 jar of sprouts (or fresh)

- 1 pack of shitaki mushrooms.

- 1 cube of chicken broth

- soy sauce

- 2 teasp. corn starch

- 2 teasp. sugar

- 4 teasp. orange juice

- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar

- 1 large or 2 small packs of chinese noodles (or desired amount .. just wing the amount of veggies then)

- a little hot sauce

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Slice Tofu Horizontally, put on a cutting board with kitchen towels underneath and on top and put another cutting board on top to press all fluid out. Leave it like that while you lay out all other ingredients.

Cut Tofu into cubes (or chicken), spice with some salt and pepper and garlic powder and fry with oil in a wok until Tofu starts turning slightly brown (dont stirr too often)

Meanwhile cook or soak chinese noodles according to directions, then drain.

Take Tofu out and add broccoli, carrots and peas to Wok, together with 1 cup of water, the cube of chicken broth and a bit of soy sauce. Cover and let cook for a few minutes, add mushrooms and sprouts and finish cooking until JUST tender.

While this is cooking, mix cornstarch, juice, sugar and a couple of tablespoon of soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add to the veggies when they are just cooked. Spice with some more garlic powder and pepper (there is enough salt from the soy sauce. Add hot sauce to your taste.

Now add pasta, toss until well mixed and add tofu and carefully mix it all up.

It was so yummy!

German Cheesecake

2008-01-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

For the Crust:

- 1 Egg

- 60 gramms sugar

- 65 gramms softened butter (about 3/4 stick)

- 200 gramms flour

- 1 pack vanilla sugar (if you cant get that, substitute with a few drops of vanilla extract)

- 2 teasp. Baking Powder

Mix all ingredients together, it may appear too dry at first, but keep working it and eventually the doug will come together.

Push evenly into a well greased sprinform, pulling the dough about 3/4 way up the sides (in the pics I pulled it too high, all the way up)

Poke a few holes into crust with a fork

Preheat oven to 355 degrees

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For the Filling:

- 3 eggs

- 250 gramms sugar

- 200 ml cream

- 1 pack vanilla sugar or a few drops of vanilla extract

- 2 packs of vanilla pudding powder (the COOKING kind, NOT mix and serve)

- 1kg containers of Quark (which you cant really get here, so use 2 containers of sour cream... they have about 454 gramms each in it, thats fine. Dont use the fat free in this case, its too thin, with sour crwam use regular)

Mix ingedients together in the order as listed above. Filling will be pretty thin.

Pour filling into crust, bake for 85 minutes.

Do NOT open the oven within the first hour of baking, your cake will deflate and become dry.

When done, the cake will appear like it has yello inside, a bit wobbely. Let it sit for a couple of hours, it will sink down and stiffen.

When cool remove sides of the springform. You can get it off the bottom of the form by turning it onto a plate and back, but if you havent seen it before I wouldnt recommend trying or the whole inside of the cake might be breaking out. Just leave it on and serve off of it.

Chicken Marsala

2008-01-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

Tip up front: If you like enough sauce to use it on the pasta too instead of marina sauce, then double the ingredients for the sauce, that's what I did here

For 4 Servings:

-1/8 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 C flour
-4 chicken breasts, boned, skinless (5 ounces)
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1/2 C Marsala wine
-1/2 C chicken stock, skim fat from top
-juice from 1/2 lemon

-1 pack sliced mushrooms ( I used Shitaky)
-1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

-Pasta of your choice

Mix together pepper, salt, and flour. Coat chicken with seasoned flour and slightly pat over the sink to get rid of excess flour.
In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil. Place chicken breasts (if you want you can flatten them first... I did.. but keep in mind it will shorten cooking time) in skillet and brown on both sides. Then remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
To the skillet, add wine and stir until the wine is heated. Add juice, stock, and mushrooms. Stir to toss, reduce heat, and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce is partially reduced.
Return browned chicken breasts to skillet. Spoon sauce over the chicken.
Cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Take out chicken, add some sauce and mushrooms to it and put the pasta into the pan with the remaining sauce and mushrooms, mix and serve