Spiked Ketchup

I was reading about the South Beach Wine and Food Festival recently and started drooling at the burger that won first place.  The sauce on it seemed so crazy that I had to try it.
Woah, talk about really making your burger delicious, I mean REALLY delicious!  Funny thing was that we tasted it just by itself & it was just ok, but then on the burger with the flavor of the meat it just popped!  Next time my friends come eat at my house I am spiking their ketchup! ...muhahahaha....

Spiked Ketchup

created by Marc Murphy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp roasted garlic, minced (see quick tip below)
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 5 Tbsp Vodka

Mix everything together and serve on a yummy hamburger! 

*roasted garlic can take a while in the oven, for a faster method take 3-4 cloves unpeeled garlic and toss in a heated skillet with a little olive oil over medium heat. Cook till they turn golden, stirring often. Peel skins and smash.

I stored leftovers in a baby food jar I swiped from my sister's house.

Brussels Sprouts (& cute baby ducks!)

Ok, cheap trick to try to get you to read about brussels sprouts but honestly how can I not show pictures of the baby ducks at our pond.  I have a new hobby of "duck watching" and reporting what cute things they are doing at the moment to Jeff who in turn is obligated to oooh and awwww with me.   :)  I just want to cuddle them all!
Now back to that vegetable that is so feared amongst my friends....
When I say that this simple recipe might change your mind if you are not a fan of brussels sprouts I really mean it.  The first time I made them I had it as a side dish with a thick steak and potatoes to try to soften the presentation to Jeff.  After one bite he was hooked and even the little crisp leaves that fell off were gobbled like potato chips.
If being rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, and dietary fiber doesn't convince you to try to include this in your diet a research study reveled eating brussels sprouts may help prevent colon cancer. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• Brussels sprouts
• Olive oil (enough to evenly coat)
• fresh ground black pepper
• sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse off brussels sprouts.  Using a small knife, trim off a little of the the stem end and remove any dark or damaged outside leaves and discard.  Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, coating completely. Pour out on a large baking sheet and bake in oven for 45 minutes, shaking occasionally.

3. Add more salt & pepper if desired and serve immediately.

 now back to my duck watching... 

Fruit Smoothies

Yea for strawberries!!!

Boy are they ever in season, only $1.25 for a carton full of ripe strawberries!  I've been buying them up like crazy and freezing them for smoothies.  If you have never tried to freeze strawberries the best way is to wash and remove the stems with a knife, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, and after a couple of hours you can put them all in a ziplock bag.  I also like to buy up tons of bananas when they go on sale and freeze them too (make sure you peel the bananas before you freeze them).  With the bananas you can just put them straight in a ziplock bag as they won't freeze together.  So much cheaper than buying frozen fruit.

I like to keep my smoothies simple and to the point. No added sugar or juices ... just fruit and milk.  This is our after workout treat, or our morning treat, or our "Hey its a great day!" treat.  Basically we would have this all the time if we could. :)

Fruit Smoothie for two

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen bananas 
• 6-8 frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 3-4 cups milk (or till the milk covers at least half the fruit in the blender)

Pulse in blender first, then gradually increase speed till all smooth.  Add more milk if you don't want it too thick.  Have fun & play around with different kinds of fruit!

Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

My mom gave me this little cookbook/pamphlet called Cake Mix Miracles.  I have no idea where she got it but it has all sorts of fun recipes that are quick & easy using a box of cake mix.  Mmmmmm cakes, cupcakes, cookies...I just had to try it out. These cupcakes remind me of the hostess cupcakes you buy in the store and definitely a fun thing to whip up for a kids party.  Emma was thrilled to help me make them and even more thrilled to make sure they tasted good enough for daddy to try some.

Self- Filled Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 oz) box of devil's food cake mix
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin pans, filling to half way.

2. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg beating well. Stir in chocolate chips.  Spoon 1 tsp cream cheese mixture into the center of each cupcake.  Cover the top of the cupcake with 1 tsp batter.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire racks. Store in fridge.

so why cant we forget baking & just eat the batter?

Chicken in Herb Sauce

Look out calories I'm going to knock you out!!!!  muhhahahahaha ...
This meal is what we ate today for lunch; chicken in herb sauce with brown rice and steamed veggies.  Such a filling lunch with very few calories.  This chicken recipe is very quick, juicy and delicious....makes really good leftover chicken sandwiches that don't even need sauce.  And it seems like there is a lot of oil but most of the oil is left in the pan.  I like to put this together in the morning and marinate in the fridge till evening, makes me feel like I put no effort into dinner.

Chicken in Herb Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (I throw mine in the blender)
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 2 tsp dried parsley*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp minced onion
• 3 cloves crushed or grated garlic
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco sauce)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3-4 chicken breasts cut in half

1. In a bowl combine all ingredients except chicken, mixing well.

2. Add chicken to mixture making sure all pieces are coated well.  Marinate in fridge for 1 hour or more (optional).

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4. Place chicken breasts in 9x13 inch pan and pour remaining herb mixture all over.  Cover with aluminum foil.

5. Bake for 20 minutes covered.  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, occasionally spooning juices over chicken until chicken is done.

*a fun trick I do with large leaf spices such as parsley - pour out in palm of your hand and crush with your thumb to release any pent-up flavor :)

Mexican Casserole

Since Jeff was lovin on my Mexican Casserole Enchiladas I decided to make the healthier and less caloric version (minus the enchilada part).  This recipe makes 6 cups worth, each cup being about 280 calories.  I ate mine with a large flour tortilla on the side and Jeff wrapped his up in the tortilla like a burrito.  This was really good and filling even without all the sour cream and cheese, and the spicy kick is nice too (if you are not a fan of spicy foods then make sure to use mild salsa and omit the red pepper flakes from the homemade taco seasoning recipe).

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbsp oil
• 4 large chicken breasts
• 2 cloves crushed or grated garlic
• 1/2 half package taco seasoning mix or taco seasoning recipe
• 1 (15oz) can Kidney Beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, not drained
• 3/4 cup salsa

1. Cook chicken in oil in large skillet over medium/ med high heat till no longer pink inside.  Remove pan from heat and cut chicken into chunks on cutting board.

2. Drain any excess liquid from pan and place back on medium heat with crushed garlic.  Cook garlic for about 1 minute and add chicken and taco seasoning, mixing well.
3. Add can of undrained corn, beans, and salsa mixing thoroughly. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes, adding water if it looks like it is getting dry.

Roasted Root Veggies and Chocolate Truffles

Christmas Day we had our tradition of going over to the Jackson's house for feasting and visiting.  With my sister's family included there is usually close to 20 people so it makes for a really nice celebration of the holiday.  There is always tons of good food and the delicious opportunity of stuffing yourself to where you can't move....ahhhhh i love it!
I decided to bring over a batch of my homemade eggnog since it was so additively yummy.  My personal preference is the non rum version so I made it without and just let people add rum if they wanted it.  About 5 minutes after we brought out the eggnog it was gone so I am thinking that it was a success.  :)
I also brought a veggie dish and in my grand tradition of being weird I decided to make roasted root vegetables: parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, & turnips.  I saw someone cook with them on TV and it looked good so why not!   Jeff summed it up perfectly when he saw me chopping them up -  "who even uses those vegetables anymore?".  Exactly!   That's why I gave him specific instructions to not tell people what they were - these veggies have a bad rap.  (even I didn't know what a rutabaga looked like).  I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the turnips turned out  - they were really good and had the look and texture of roasted potatoes.

Carrots,   parsnips,   turnips,   rutabagas 

The veggies were half gone before I told anyone what they were eating.  This turned out to be a good healthy recipe that was really simple - and Jeff went for seconds so cheers!

Roasted Root Veggies

Ingredients:

• Parsnips
• Carrots
• Rutabagas
  
• Turnips
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Olive Oil
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel and cut the vegetables into same size pieces. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and garlic powder evenly over the veggies.  Drizzle olive oil over and toss to coat.

3. Pour out veggies in either a casserole dish or cookie sheet - using two if necessary to make a single layer.  Roast in oven for about 45 minutes till tender, turning them a couple of times during cooking.  Add a little more olive oil if they seem to be getting too dry.

The last thing I made came from the Food Network's Giada's Everyday Italian.  The recipe looked too good to pass up: Balsamic Chocolate Truffles.  I know, balsamic vinegar in chocolate?  But it really worked well.  This is something that you eat one of and your sweet tooth is cured for the rest of the year, very rich!

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 8 1/2 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

1. Slowly melt chocolate and cream in a double boiler over hot but not boiling water. 

2. Place chocolate in bowl and add vinegar mixing well.  Cool in fridge for at least one hour.

3. Put cocoa in bowl (I did a chopped walnut mixture too).  Scoop out chocolate and form into little balls.  Roll chocolate in cocoa power or nuts and set in a single layer.  Place back in fridge for at least 15 minutes to set.  Store in airtight package

Spinach Artichoke Calzones

Today I have been trying to organize and write down my favorite recipes & I came across what I entered in the Pillsbury Bake Off contest this summer.  Sadly I didn't get chosen to fly all the way to Orlando **cough cough** to participate, but I did make one friend of mine a big fan :) 


The ingredients are brand specific because of the requirements for the contest but you can substitute anything (like use fresh spinach). If you like onions you can finely chop some in with it (I like it that way but Jeff turned his nose up at that idea).  Even if you are not a big artichoke lover the combination is terrific.  The main idea I had for this recipe was to make it few ingredients, few steps, and taste good.

Enjoy!

Easy Spinach Artichoke Calzones

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 11-13 minutes
Serves 4 (2 each)

Ingredients:
2 packages Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 box (9oz) Green Giant Frozen Spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain, chopped to separate 
22 Slices of Turkey Pepperoni, Chopped
1 Jar Artichoke Hearts (6 oz), drained & finely chopped
1 cup firmly packed shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine in a medium bowl the prepared spinach, turkey pepperoni, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Mix well.

3.  Unroll a can of crescent dough and separate to form 4 rectangles (keeping the perforated triangles together). Lay out one of the rectangles on an ungreased cookie sheet and pinch the seam together.  Put two spoonfuls of the spinach artichoke mixture on the dough.  Fold dough over lengthwise and using a fork press the edges together (you may wet edges if not sticking together).  Repeat with remaining dough.

4.  Bake in oven for 11-13 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan while still hot.