Friends, Food, and College Football

This past weekend was full of friends, food and college football!  While the Razorbacks weren't able to bring home a win, our food was a touchdown!  I want to give a huge shoutout and THANKS to Kendall over at Keeping up with the Joneses for a couple of great recipes!  And the good news--these are easy-peasy dishes that anyone can make.  Without further ado, here's the spread:

Supa easy Herbed Cheese Crackers

We continued munching on these throughout the weekend...de-lish!

Baked Crab Rangoon

What a great baked version of this usually-fried-goodness dish!  The recipe is a little savory for my liking.  Next time I'll probably increase the cream cheese and cut the soy sauce by half.  Definitely a recipe that will impress!

Margarita Shrimp (an original recipe by the Mr.)

Here's what you'll need:

4 oz. frozen Limeade concentrate

3 Tbs. Sriracha

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 lb. of shrimp (we like the Colossal size)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Add shrimp to marinade and let it rest for 30 minutes.  Put shrimp on skewers and grill 3 minutes per side on a medium-high grill.  Enjoy!

Spicy BBQ Pizza

While I wait for a special chair delivery (remember my chair debacle here), I thought I'd share a quick and easy bbq pizza recipe!  You'll need:

1 Pillsbury Traditional or Thin crust (you can find them in the same place as the cinnamon rolls, etc.)
3/4 cup of bbq sauce (we like Sweet Baby Rays)
1 cup of cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from Walmart)
1/2 of a large yellow onion chopped
1/2 cup of pickled jalapenos chopped (we use the HOT ones)
1 cup of pizza cheese (a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar)
2/3 cup of ranch dressing
2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS of garlic bread sprinkle

Roll out your dough and preheat your oven as directed on the package.  Saute your onions on medium low until golden brown (approximately 10 minutes) and set aside.  Spread your bbq sauce over your crust, leaving a 1 inch border.  Sprinkle cooked chicken, sauteed onions, and jalapenos evenly over pizza.  Drizzle ranch dressing over toppings and top with cheese.  Brush olive oil over crust and top it with garlic bread sprinkle.  Bake as directed on the package and enjoy!

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Southern Style Cheese Steak for Dinner

Southern Style Cheese Steak

Tonight, the Mr. is making one of my all-time favorite meals and I just had to share.  This is our play on the famous Philly Cheese Steak.  Since this is a Mr. and Mrs. original, the measurements are our best guesstimates since the cook doesn't use measuring cups.  That's why he cooks and I bake.  I need measurements and precision, not a "pinch" or a "season to taste."  I did manage to get a few digits out of him, so while they are not exact measurements, it'll do!  So let's get cooking!

You'll need:

2 ribeye steaks (partially frozen but soft enough to cut through)

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 yellow onion

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

1 Tbs white sugar

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil (or EVOO as they say on the Food Network)

8 slices of pepperjack cheese

4 sub buns (we like Harp's Jumbo Sub Buns!)

1. Slice steak very thin (as thin as possible), season with Worcestershire sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning, and set aside.
2. Chop your onion and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
3. Saute onion on medium-low heat in EVOO  until very tender and golden brown (approximately 15-20 minutes), move to a bowl and set aside.
4. Place your meat in the same pan you just used to cook the onion and brown on all sides on medium-high heat until cooked through (less than 5 minutes since you sliced it so thin).
5. Add the onions back into the pan and place your cheese slices on top (it should melt pretty quickly to give you that melted cheesy goodness in each bite).
6. Divide into 4 servings and serve on toasted sub buns.

What's for Dinner?

Quick and Easy Buffalo Chicken Salad

This was the recipe of the day on All_Recipes a couple of weeks ago and it looked d-lish!  Let me tell ya, it was super easy, took all of 20 minutes and was really inexpensive since we already had all of the ingredients with the exception of the chicken and lettuce.  Let's get started!  I'm ready to go--

Ingredients:

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing

3 large skinless, boneless chicken breast strips - cut into 1 inch cubes

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

1 tablespoon salad seasoning mix (such as McCormick® Salad Supreme Seasoning)

1 bag of romaine lettuce

In a small bowl, combine crumbled blue cheese and Ranch-style dressing; set aside.

 Season cubed chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over high heat, and pour in the vegetable oil. Just before the oil starts to smoke, add the chicken. Cook to brown evenly, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add butter, hot sauce, and salad seasoning mix.

 Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Toss together the lettuce and Ranch-style dressing mixture in a large bowl.

Top salad with chicken, and serve.  

We served it with our favorite garlic toast (I'll have a recipe for that soon!).

What's for Dinner?

Have I mentioned how much I love Love LOVE recipes that are made up of stuff you can almost always find in your pantry?  Well, I do!  And I'm here to bring you another foolproof nearly foolproof  Chicken Parmesan recipe that you can whip up in less than 1 hour!

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup kosher salt (was too salty with this amount of table salt)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese , sliced
• 1/4 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for garnish, grated
• Olive oil , for frying (about 2 cups)
• 1 pound of your favorite pasta
• Jar of pre-made tomato sauce (i.e. Prego, Bertolli, etc.)
• 1/4 cup minced Italian parsley, for garnish

Lightly pound the chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness. Combine the kosher salt, sugar, and 1 quart of water in a 1-gallon size resealable plastic bag; shake until dissolved. Add the chicken breasts and soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place the flour in a medium bowl. Remove the chicken from the brine. Shake off excess moisture and, with tongs, lightly dredge the chicken in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and transfer to a large plate.

Mix the eggs and milk in medium bowl and whisk thoroughly. In a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs, oregano, basil, parsley, sea salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the egg and milk mixture with tongs and let excess mixture drain off. Now dredge the chicken into the bread crumb mixture, and lightly pat down in the bread crumbs to adhere.

Preheat the broiler.

Let the breaded chicken sit for 5 minutes before frying. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to come 1/3 up the side of the chicken. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan when cooked and place on a sheet tray. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Boil water and cook your choice of pasta, Brandon's favorite is angel hair, until al dente.  Pour remaining oil out and pour entire jar of pre-made tomato sauce into your oven-safe pan.  Warm on low-med heat.  Place chicken back in pan and sprinkle your mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on top.  Place under the broiler until the cheese melts and is golden brown.

Happy cooking!! 

What's for Dinner?

Tonight, I cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu (my hubby's favorite!), courtesy of this recipe from allrecipes.com.  Here's what you'll need:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 slices ham

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup heavy whipping cream

I'm ready to go!

Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick.

Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks.

Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

...and VOILA!!  Partnered with a pasta salad, DE-lish!  Happy cooking!