Chicken Kebabs-Bri

Serves 6

 

Tzatziki Sauce

1 1/2 cups greek yogurt

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

juice from half a medium size lemon

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp fresh or freeze dried dill, diced

3 garlic cloves finely, minced

1 small cucumber

 

Grate the cucumber & place in a double layer of paper towels.  Squeeze out liquid.  Combine all ingredients and refrigerate up to three days.

Hummus

1/3 cup good-quality tahini

3 Tbsp cold water, or more if needed

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

juice of 1 lemon (2–3 tablespoons)

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp pine nuts

1 section of roasted red pepper

 

optional toppings: extra drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh parsley, sprinkle of ground sumac or paprika, toasted pine nuts

Combine in blender.  Top with a drizzle of olive oil.  

Greek Marinated Chicken

4 lbs. Chicken Breast cut into pieces

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

Zest from one lemon

Juice from 1 1/2 to 2 lemons

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

3 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

2 teaspoons Oregano

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large Ziploc bag.  Add chicken and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.  Grill chicken 20 minutes before mealtime over medium heat for 15-20 min or until thoroughly cooked.  Let rest for 5 min before eating.

 

Pita Bread

2 cups warm water

4 tsp dry yeast

2 tsp honey

350 grams (3 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour (more if needed to form ball)

120 grams all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

 

Combine water, honey, and yeast in mixer bowl.  Let sit for about 5 min until frothy.  Add both types of flour, salt, and olive oil.  Dough shouldn’t be too stiff.  Knead for approx 8 min. Remove dough from bowl and oil the bowl.  Replace the ball of dough and cover with a towel.  Allow to rise for 1 hour.  

 

Turn dough out onto work surface and divide into 12 pieces.  Form into balls.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll out dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.  Place an upside down cookie sheet in oven and cook 3 pita at a time for 4-5 min or until very puffy.  Turn broiler on high for the last 30 sec to brown slightly.  Serve fresh. 

Serve with roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, greens, pickled vegetables, fresh cut tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

Andes Mint Cookies- Bri

1 pkg devils food cak mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup milk chocolate chips
andes mints

Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil together.  Batter will be thick.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Roll into 1" balls.

Bake at 330 degrees for about 6 min.  Do not over bake.  Place unwrapped mint on top of each cookie directly after taking out of the oven.  Wait about 3 min and spread chocolate around with a spoon.

Mom's Rolls-Bri

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. quick yeast
1/2 cup butter, melted
5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
4 eggs

Mix water, sugar, and yeast together and let sit until foamy.  Knead in butter, flour, salt, and eggs.  Knead for 8 minutes.  Divide dough into 4 balls.  Roll dough out and cut into 8 pieces each.  Roll each piece into a crescent.  Spray pan with Pam and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave to rise until desired size is reached.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Sausage Cornbread Dressing- Ashley

Sausage Cornbread Dressing
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

9×13″ pan of regular or Sweet Cornbread (can be made a few days ahead of time and left to dry out on the counter or crumbled and dried out in the oven)
16-19 ounces Italian sausage
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. melted salted butter
Sage (2 teaspoons rubbed sage or 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage)
Rosemary (1/2 teaspoon dry or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves)
Thyme (1/2 teaspoon dry or 1 teaspoon thyme leaves stripped from the woody stems)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more if necessary)
Tabasco sauce to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Crumble the pan of cornbread into a very large bowl. Set aside.

Crumble the Italian sausage into a hot skillet and brown it over medium heat. Transfer the crumbled sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

If there are 2 tablespoons of rendered sausage drippings in the pan, add the chopped celery, apples, and onions. If not, add enough olive oil to have around 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the chopped ingredients when the oil is hot. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Remove from heat and add to the crumbled cornbread. Add the sausage and chopped herbs and toss until combined. Add the chicken broth and melted butter and toss to combine well. Season with salt and Tabasco to taste.

Press the cornbread mixture into a 9×13″ pan and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven or until the top is golden brown. Serves about 12.

Sweet Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
2 Jiffy cornbread mixes
Oil, milk, and eggs according to package directions from ALL packages

Instructions:

Preheat oven according to directions on cake mix box. Combine cake mix and cornbread mixes in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, and milk according to package directions (replace all water with milk). Mix together according to cake mix directions.

Now…this makes a lot of cornbread, and if it were easy to half it, I would. However, I never trust myself to accurately cut a cake mix in half, so I just make all the cornbread and then freeze the leftovers. I like to make 1 pan of muffins (12) and 1 9×13″ pan of cornbread, for no other reason than it fits into my oven all at the same time. You could also do a 9×13″ pan and an 8×8″ or 9×9″ pan; it’s all up to you. Just bake according to cake mix directions (about 20 minutes for muffins or 30 minutes for a 9×13 pan”).

Honey Lime Enchiladas-Bri

1 1/2 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded or rotisserie chicken

Sauce:

1/4 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

zest from 1 lime

1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

approx. 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

approx. 1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 9x13 pan with non-stick baking spray.  Pour a couple of tablespoons of green enchilada sauce into pan to coat the bottom. Fill tortillas with a tablespoon of green enchilada sauce and desired amount of meat and cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top. I sometimes use more like 1 1/2 cans- you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Adapted from: http://www.thesisterscafe.com/2009/08/honey-lime-enchiladas-2

Coconut Caramel Shortbread Cookies- Bri

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
1/2 recipe of THIS caramel
a couple of pinches course sea salt

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat together your butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes); then beat in the vanilla and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and beat until just combined.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls.  Then, in one small bowl place your lightly beaten eggs. In another small bowl, place your coconut. Dip each ball first in the egg, then roll in the coconut.

Place balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press an indentation into each ball with your thumb, finger, or back of a wooden spoon. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and re-press the indentations. (Use caution since the cookies are hot.) Place the cookies back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until the cookies and coconut are golden.

Remove and let cool on a wire rack.  Spoon the caramel sauce into the cookie indentations. 

Once the cookies have completely cooled, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Adapted from this recipe: http://inspiredbycharm.com/2014/09/salted-caramel-coconut-thumbprints-ibcfallcookieweek.html

Homemade Caramel- Bri

1 c. butter

2 c. packed brown sugar

2 cups half & half

1 c. corn syrup

1 t. vanilla

In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, milk, and corn syrup; mix well. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium, continue stirring.

Keep a little cup with cold water to test the caramel. When the mixture has come together but is still soft when you drop a spoonful in the water, it is ready. Try testing it after it has boiled for about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla after removing from heat.

Source: http://www.hotoffthegarlicpress.com/2007/10/carmel-oaty-bars.html