Mozzarella Sticks

These were a hit with everyone in our family. I got the recipe from passthesushi.com, I changed it up a bit though. http://passthesushi.com/panko-mozzarella-sticks

16 pieces string cheese, removed from wrappers

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

3 tbs milk

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Canola oil, for frying

Slice the string cheese in half.

Place the flour in a small bowl. In another separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the salt and pepper, stir to combine. In a shallow dish, whisk the eggs with the milk to combine.

To assemble, one by one, dust the cheese in the flour, tapping the excess off. Next, dip the cheese in the egg mixture, covering completely. Then lastly, roll the cheese in the panko crumb mixture. Gently remove and place on a baking sheet. Place the sheet in a freezer for 20 – 30 minutes to flash freeze sticks.

To cook, I heated my deep fryer to 350 degrees and cook them for 2 minutes. We dipped them in marinara sauce. I served them with the corn dog bites that was posted by Sally, here the link for those http://addictiveallens.blogspot.com/2010/11/corn-dawgz.html.

Chili's Southwest Eggrolls

So Marshall and I went to Chili's and couple of days ago with a gift card we got as a wedding present. I have been to Chili's maybe twice in my life, but Marshall has been several. As soon as we sat down he said that we were going to order their Southwest Eggrollls, so we did. And they were amazing. When we got home we decided to look up a copy cat recipe and we found one, and they were just as good as Chili's, this recipe is adapted from www.copykat.com.

1/2 chicken breast

1 tablesppon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced red pepper

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1/3 cup corn

1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups spinach

2 tablespoons diced canned jalapeno peppers

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt 1 dash cayenne pepper

3/4 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

5 7-inch flour tortillas

Dipping sauce

1/4 cup smashed fresh avocados(about half of an avocado)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablesppon buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1 dash dried dill weed

1 dash garlic powder

1 dash pepper

1. Preheat barbecue grill to high heat. ( I cooked my chicken on a george forman)

2. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.

3. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks.

4. Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.

5. Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.

6. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender.

7. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan.

8. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan.

9. Cook for another 4 minutes.

10. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.

11. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.

12. Stir until the cheese is melted.

13. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.

14. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla.

15. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture.

16. Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together.

17. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls.

18. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.

19. Overnight is best.(I think overnight or all day is necessary)

20. While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

21. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees.

22. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes. (I think they only need like 10 or 11 minutes)

23. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

Coconut Shrimp

I am a huge fan of the coconut shrimp at Outback and have tried a few times to copy it but have failed miserably at my attempts. I found this recipe in my All You magazine and tried it. My family loved it and said it was the best shrimp they had ever eaten. It is a little different than Outbacks but very good. We just eat cocktail sauce with it.

24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp. Tabasco

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup sweetened flake coconut

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Pat shrimp dry. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with Tabasco. In a third bowl, mix bread crumbs, coconut and red pepper.

Pour enough oil to measure 1 inch deep in a large skillet. Warm over medium high heat until 370 degrees. I just use my deep fat fryer to cook mine.

Working with one shrimp at a time, roll in seasoned flour, then dip in egg mixture. Then press shrimp into coconut mixture until completely coated. Transfer to a cookie sheet or plate until ready to cook.

Fry shrimp, a few at a time, until golden brown turning once or twice, 3-4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

My recipe for cocktail sauce is some ketchup and add a little horseradish to taste.

Feta Artichoke Dip

Sorry no picture for this post. I made this dip for a going away/baby shower for one of my very good friends and so I forgot to take a picture. I got this recipe from my good friend, Lindsay. I am not usually a fan or artichoke dip but this dip was delicious.

14 ounces artichoke hearts drain can and chop
8 ounces feta cheese crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
2 ounces pimentos diced and drained
1 clove garlic minced

Directions:
Mix ingredients together.
Spoon into a 9 inch pie plate.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve with crackers or pita triangles or bread.

Salsa Verde

So I am posting for Jana cause she moved into her new house this last Saturday and does not have internet yet. This recipe is super simple but I absolutely loved it. I love green salsa so when I saw a jar of it on sale at the grocery store I got this idea to just kick it up a notch. Hope you enjoy!

1 cup of salsa verde (I used medium heat)

1/2 of an avocado finely chopped

2 large Tbs cilantro chopped

1 1/2 tsp lime or lemon juice

Just mix it all together and enjoy it on a taco, burrito, quesadilla or just with some tortilla chips.

My Version of Stuffed Peppers

So I love stuffed peppers and the other day I decided to just throw a few things together and see how it turned it out, and I really liked it. So here is goes.

Ingredients-

1 chicken breast

chili powder

lime juice

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp finely cut garlic

1/2 cup corn

1/4 cup black beans

1 cup of your favorite salsa

2-3 peppers halved and seeded ( I like yellow or red but green would work great)

shredded cheees

So first I poked the chicken breast with a fork all over and poored over 3-4 tbs of lime juice and then coated with chili powder and then let marinate for about 45 minutes. Then I cooked it in an frying pan and and shredded it. Then with the same pan throw in the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes then add the corn, black beans, salsa, and chicken and cook just until heated. Then fill the peppers with the meet mixture and top with cheese and cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

Corn Salsa

I got this recipe from a friend of mine a couple of years ago and it is one of my favorites. I changed it up to reduce the sodium and I also like to add more tomatoes than it originally called for.

1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn ( I had leftover corn on the cob and used that once it was divine)
2 large tomatoes diced
1/2 package Dry Italian Dressing seasoning (You can use the whole package if you want more flavor. I thought half of package was plenty but I am also on a low sodium diet.)
1 bunch green onions finely sliced
1 bunch cilantro chopped
2 avocadoes diced
2-3 tablespoons lime juice (to taste)


Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Then add the diced avocados and squirt with the lime juice and mix together! The lime juice helps the avocado to not brown and so then it will last for more than one day and it tastes great. Enjoy!


I had to include 2 pictures becuase my daughter wanted me to post a picture of her eating the yummy salsa!

Soft Pretzels

My dear sister (who should really start her own food blog...) shared this recipe with me. For those of you who don’t know, Mall pretzels are one of my favorite things to eat and try as I might I have never found a recipe to compare, until now! The kids had blast rolling, cutting and creating. And my bottom enjoyed the extra padding (I seriously ate at least half of the batch!)

 

Soft Pretzels

4 t. Yeast
1 t. Sugar
1 1/4 c. Warm Water
4 c. Flour
1/2 c. Sugar
1 1/2 t. Salt
1 T. oil
1/2 c. baking soda
4 c. Nearly boiling water (you want the soda to sizzle and dissolve, if your water is not hot enough it will simply settle at the bottom of your dish)
Kosher Salt
Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 t. sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 c. sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes. (I just left the dough in my KitchenAid and let it go to town!) Lightly oil the dough, cover and place in a warm area to rise until double in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dissolve baking soda in water. Take dough and divide into 12 pieces (or how ever you want: sticks, bites, etc.) Roll each piece of dough into a rope and shape. Dip each shaped piece into baking soda solution and place on cookie sheet covered in parchment. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
When the pretzels are out of the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with desired toppings.
YUMMY!

The Cheesecake Factory Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

The Cheesecake Factory® Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes®

Salsa Verde
2 tomatillos, chopped (removepapery skin)
1 Can mild green chilies, (4 ounce)
1 green onion
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
1-1/4 Teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon ground black pepper
.
Southwestern Sauce
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1 Teaspoon white vinegar
1 Teaspoon water
3/4 Teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
1/4 Teaspoon paprika
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 Teaspoon onion powder
1 Dash salt
1 Dash garlic powder
.
Tomato Salsa
1 Medium tomato
1 Tablespoon minced Spanish onion
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 Teaspoon lime juice
1/2 Small fresh jalapeno, minced
1 Dash salt
1 Dash ground black pepper
.
Cakes
1-1/2 Cups frozen sweet corn
1/2 Cup butter, (1 stick) softened
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup corn masa (corn flour)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
.
Garnish
1/4 Cup sour cream
1/2 avocado, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped.
.
Salsa Verde:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor on high speed. Cover and chill.
.
Tomato Salsa:
Combine all ingredientsin a small bowl. Cover and chill.
.
Southwestern Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.
.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
.
Tamale Cakes:
Chop 1 cup of the frozen corn in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar, and salt. Blend well with electric mixer until smooth.
.
Add masa and flour and blend well. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels by hand.
.
Measure 1/2 cup portions of the mixture and form it into 3-inch wide patties with your hands. arrange the patties on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cakes are browned on the bottom.
.
Carefully turn all cakes with a spatula and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until second side is browned.
.
Spoon a portion of the salsa verde onto a plate or platter. Coat the entire plate about 1/4-inch deep. Arrange the tamale cakes side-by-side on the salsa verde.
.
Spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each tamale cake.
.
Drizzle the southwestern sauce over the cakes in a criss-cross patter.
.
Spoon some tomato salsa over the cakes, followed by the chopped avocado. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves over the top.