January 11, 2009

I couldn't call this a Sunday Supper since my “meat eating men” wouldn't be satisfied with this for dinner.  So, it's Sunday Snack to enjoy during the San Diego Chargers game today.

This is my ‘lower' fat version of BigSis' original recipe. I'm not a big fan of cold pasta salad at all, but I love this recipe. And, I know it seems odd to use angel hair instead of a macaroni or a rotelle, but it just works in this recipe, so I've never tried to change it.  To lower the fat, I cut the amount of olive oil in half.  I also cut the amount of the cheese in half and used 2% cheese instead. And, I used turkey bacon instead of regular bacon.  I also added the capers and chives and used very little mayo. (I don't substitute low fat mayo, though, because I think it's too sweet!)

Angel Hair Pasta Salad

1 (12 oz.) package vermicelli
Juice of one large lemon
1/4 c. olive oil
1 pound turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz. smoked ham, julienned
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese (2%)
5 1/2 oz.  jar green olives, sliced
2 or 3 T. capers, to taste
2 or 3 T. snipped chives
Mayonnaise, (maybe 1/4 c.)

Break vermicelli into 2 inch pieces and cook according to package directions. (Be careful not to overcook) Drain. Toss in lemon juice and olive oil and marinate overnight. The next day, add the rest of the ingredients, using just enough mayonnaise to bind it together. Salad is best served at room temperature.

Oh, so yummy!

I also whipped up a batch of deviled eggs as another little snack. This recipe is just totally to individual taste. I don't even measure.

Easy Deviled Eggs

Dozen boiled eggs
Mayo
Mustard
Dill Relish
Dill pickle juice
Celery Salt
Paprika

Cut eggs in half. Remove yolks. Mix together yolks with desired amount of the next five ingredients. Fill eggs and sprinkle with paprika.

Easy Deviled Eggs

I don't know if these snacks are are really considered “football watching” grub, but they're both so good!  The guys would have been happy with chips and dip and some big greasy burgers!

~LilSis

January 9, 2009

Not only is hummus not a ‘real meal' in this house, neither is soup! I had a new soup recipe planned for Sunday night and SirHoney snuck off to the store and bought three slabs of ribs so he and BigT could have a rib throw-down!  So, I ended up making the soup anyway and we had it as a first course before the ribs, broccoli, and mushrooms.

When I'm making a tortilla soup or any kind of chicken noodle or vegetable, I always boil the chicken, but this time, I sauteed the chicken instead and I really like how it turned out.  This is my version of Chicken Enchilada Soup.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 T. Olive Oil
4 skinned, boned chicken breasts, cubed (not too small)
3 T. flour
1 c. low sodium tomato sauce
1/2 c. skim milk
1 32 oz. box organic free range chicken broth (it's lower in sodium)
1 t. fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. corn
1 small can chopped green chilies (optional)
1/2 c. – 1 c. grated cheese (I prefer to mix Monterrey jack and cheddar)
1 minced jalapeno pepper (optional)
4 – 6 flour or corn tortillas

Cut tortillas into very thin strips, place on baking sheet and sprinkle with a little chili powder. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp, set aside.

Put olive oil in a good size sauce pan (I like to use a 6 quart). Place over medium high heat until hot. Season chicken with fresh ground pepper and add to hot pan.  Saute 5 minutes or so stirring until all chicken is lightly browned. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two.  Gradually stir in tomato sauce, milk and chicken broth. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. (You can adjust these seasonings to taste).

Add diced tomatoes, corn and green chilies. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, ladle into bowls and top each serving with grated cheese, tortilla strips and, if desired, jalapeno pepper. I think  a spoonful of sour cream on top would be awesome on this soup!

I was going to eat this bowl so I left the cheese off. Sorry!

I know, chicken enchiladas don't have corn in them. I just like it in this soup. I'm also one that puts corn in my chili.

I have to say that this soup tastes better than it looks. I didn't have any green chilies on hand, so this soup didn't have chilies. I think the little bit of green color would have jazzed up the photo a bit.

The next day, I noticed that most of the chicken was gone, but that I had enough of the yummy broth and veggies leftover, so I heated that to a boil and added about a cup of large pasta shells. HayHay gobbled that down for his after school snack.

~LilSis

January 8, 2009

For me, the party's over.  I mean the eat-pretty-much-whatever-is-in-front-of-me-food party of the last 3 weeks or so.  There was the Christmas party where I ate too much cheese and crackers, and the family Christmas where I ate too much of everything.  Then we have tons of leftover sweets and snacks that we just can't toss, right?  Before you knew it, we had New Year's Eve with it's snack-fest, and New Year's Day with cheesy buttery cornbread that was leftover to haunt me for days.

Now, the party's over.  Whatever is left in the fridge goes in the freezer or the trash-o-rama.  It's time to get back on track, and I'm actually looking forward to getting back to my usual disciplined plan of eating.  I think we all feel better when we're eating healthfully; I know I do.

One of my go-to healthy recipes is hummus, and I'm really glad to know how good it is for us.  Chickpeas are full of protein and fiber, plus zinc, folate, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus.  For vegetarians, hummus is an excellent source of protein, especially if you aren't a fan of the meat analog products or soy in general.  The peas have a very negligible amount of fat, so the primary fats in this dish are the healthy fats from the small amounts of olive oil and tahini.

Bowl o' hummus loveliness!

LilSis assures me that hummus is a snack and not a meal; and I know in her household of guys it would never suffice as a meal.  But for me it is frequently a weeknight meal, when combined with grape tomatoes, raw mushrooms and blanched asparagus as dippers.  My favorite basic recipe is very simple and very lemony and garlicky.  You can whip it up in a food processor or blender in just a few minutes.  The blender will give you a creamier texture, but the food processor works just fine.  This recipe will make a good size batch of hummus, but I find that it lasts really well in the fridge.

Bring on the pita chips!

HUMMUS

(adapted from Veganomicon)

2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon for sauteeing
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
1/4 cup water, more or less
Seasonings to taste:  Penzey's Lemon Pepper (healthy amount), Shallot Pepper, Toasted Onion Powder, and salt.

Saute the crushed garlic on very low heat in the 1 tablespoon olive oil for a few minutes, but don't let it brown. Set aside when done.

Meanwhile, add half of the drained chickpeas to the blender or food processor, along with the olive oil, and pulse a few times until pureed.  Then add the rest of the chickpeas, the garlic/oil mixture, lemon juice, tahini, and seasonings.  Pulse again a few more times until the mixture is creamy, stopping to add a little water as needed to reach the texture you wish.  Store in the fridge.  The flavors improve after the hummus has chilled it's heels for a while.

For a variation in flavors, add fresh herbs (chives, parsley, dill, etc.), sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, hot sauce, other dried seasonings (cumin or paprika, for example), or olives to the hummus.  Your imagination is your only limitation!  I want to try adding a bunch of roasted garlic next time.

I like to serve the hummus at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil on top.  Healthy, filling, and delicious!

~BigSis

January 1, 2009

I'm really excited to welcome 2009 and say goodbye to 2008!  It was a rough year! Even though we are in California, I have to celebrate New Year's Eve the way I always have, and that's the Southern way. It's Southern Tradition to bring in the New Year with ham, black eyed peas, greens, and cornbread! I don't care where we live, that's just what we do. I grew up celebrating the New Year that way in Texas, and I've done it that way every year since. We even did it when we lived in New York and we do it here in California. It just wouldn't be right to do it any other way!

We almost celebrated this New Year's Eve alone, until at the last minute, we decided to make a few calls, and ended up with twenty friends and neighbors over to help us bring in the New Year. I decided to stick to tradition and make everyone wait until midnight for the peas and ham.  Some of my friends didn't quite understand why we do this, but that's just the way we do it. Period!

I told them it was bad luck to eat them before midnight, so not too many of them complained. We were always told that it brought even more good luck if you counted how many peas you ate. I stopped counting after 365. I've seriously been eating peas since midnight and it is now five p.m! I did sleep from 3:30 a.m.to 8:30 a.m., but have been eating peas during all waking hours today. I think I might explode! Here's a little sample of one of the many bowls I've eaten today.

And here's the complete plate of ham, peas, greens, and cornbread. Just in case you didn't know, the greens symbolize prosperity. They aren't my favorite, but I'm actually afraid of what might happen if I don't eat them. Last night, I forgot the cornbread, so this morning, I made the cornbread muffins.

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! I'm really looking forward to this New Year and all it has to offer. I'll talk about my Resolutions tomorrow.  I'm not thinking too clearly right now. It might have something to do with “Black Eyed Pea Overload”!

~LilSis

December 31, 2008

Need a last minute appetizer to take to a New Year's Eve Party?  Or maybe you're hosting your own New Year's Eve Party and have decided that you could use another appetizer?  If so, here are a few more very quick and easy last minute ideas.

This first one is a ‘Rachel Ray' spin on the Insalata alla Caprese, which is a real favorite of mine.

Cherry Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Skewers

I container cherry tomatoes
1 pound marinated mozzarella balls
Fresh basil
Short wooden skewers or the longer toothpicks

Take the skewers and just alternate a cherry tomato, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball. I've added a Kalamata olive, also.  Arrange on a festive plate or on a bed of lettuce leaves and you're done!

It doesn't get any easier than that and it's better than taking a bag of Fritos and a can of bean dip!

Here's one more simple, but festive, cheese spread. BigSis came up with this variation many moons ago!

Homemade Pimiento Cheese Spread

1 small jar chopped pimentos, drained
Kraft or Hellman's mayo (not Miracle Whip!)
1 pound Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. celery salt

Combine cheese with pimentos and seasonings, and enough mayonnaise to moisten mixture and hold it together. Serve in a festive bowl surrounded by crackers of your choice. This cheese is best if you can make it a few hours ahead so the flavors can blend, but don't worry if you make it right before the party. It will still be fantastic!

If you still need a few more ideas, check out The Recipe Girl for a huge selection of hot and cold finger foods.

If you need an idea for a New Year's Eve cocktail, Tyler Florence shows you how to make up two festive champagne cocktails.

Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy New Year's Eve!

~LilSis

December 30, 2008

Anyone need an idea for a New Year's Eve Party Appetizer? I love New Year's Eve Parties and I love appetizers, so this is right “up my alley”!  I'm a little more in my league talking about appetizers versus talking about pies, cakes, and cookies. I actually have several friends that call me ‘The Appetizer Queen'. (I'll take it, I've been called worse.) Whether it's a New Year's Eve Party, Christmas Party, Halloween Party or just a Cocktail Party, you can bet that I'm bringing an appetizer.

I've always preferred to host a “Cocktails & Hors D'oeuvres” party versus a sit down dinner party. And, we all know that I'm not the one in the Progressive Dinner chosen to do the dessert! Nope, my house was always the Appetizer house!

Since the party is only a day away, I want to share these first three recipes because they are better if you make them ahead and refrigerate overnight.

(I wish I had photos of all of these to show you; but like Christmas and Thanksgiving, New Year's snuck up on me too quickly to get all of these recipes made and photographed.)

Sun Dried Tomato Spread
Prize Tested Recipe from De Anne Pearson,
Austin, Texas, Winner in the Fresh Herb Ideas Category
for Better Homes and Gardens Contest 1997

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Olive oil
1/3 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. dried tomatoes, snipped
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. snipped fresh basil
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Baguette-style French bread slices, toasted

In medium skillet, cook garlic in oil til light brown. Add wine and dried tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Drain excess liquid. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine cream cheese, basil, and Parmesan cheese. Cover and process till smooth. Add tomato mixture; process til almost smooth. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

(Note: I've never used a food processor for this recipe. I've always just mixed by hand and I like it because the tomatoes stay a little chunkier.)

HVR Cheese Ball
This recipe is from BigSis' cookbook! She has always called this the HVR Cheese Ball. I'm telling you; no one can ever figure out these simple ingredients, but everyone loves this cheese ball!

(2) 8-oz pkgs cream cheese
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Original Dressing Mix
2 T. dill pickle relish
1 package thin sliced beef, minced
1 c. pecans, chopped

Mix together all ingredients except pecans. Form into a ball and roll in pecans. Best if refrigerated 4 to 24 hours. Serve on a festive plate surrounded with crackers of your choice and your done! How easy was that?

I made this next one for a big New Year's Eve Party we had in Texas several years ago and they were the hit of that party!

Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon
This recipe is from The Martha Stewart Cookbook

1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. champagne vinegar or good white wine vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh dill
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimps (13-15 per pound) peeled and deveined, with tails intact
5 slices very lean bacon, sliced very thin

Combine the oil, vinegar, dill, and garlic in a bowl. Add the shrimps and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Cut each slice of bacon into thirds and wrap a piece around each shrimp, securing well with a toothpick. Grill over hot coals, or on a gas grill, until the bacon is crisp and the shrimps are cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. You can also grill them under a hot broiler, 4 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn the bacon or overcook the shrimps. Serve warm.

And, I love a good artichoke spinach dip. This one uses Alfredo sauce instead of mayo and is a lot like some of the recipes served in restaurants.

Artichoke & Spinach Dip Restaurant Style
(You can find a printable version of this dip recipe on All Recipes)

4 cloves garlic
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 oz) container Alfredo pasta sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins. Mix the garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese and spread into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm. This is so good on slices of toasted baguette bread or on Triscuit.

And, in case you missed one of these previous posts, BigSis and I both love to take the Cheesecake Crunchy to a party. (We can't make it to keep at home or we'll eat the whole thing ourselves.) And since BigSis is a vegetarian, these Stuffed Mushrooms aren't her favorite any more. But, these are a crowd pleaser! I wish I had a dollar for every time I've made these!

BigT does a version of stuffed peppers that have very similar ingredients to the Stuffed Mushrooms. These require a little prep work cleaning the peppers, but everyone loves them.

BigT's Peppers

15 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 pound Italian sausage
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 pound bacon

Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Clean out seeds with spoon. Set aside on foiled lined cookie sheet. Saute sausage and drain. Add the cream cheese to the sausage and mix well.  Spoon into peppers and wrap 1/3 slice of bacon around each pepper. Bake at 350 for approximately 20 – 30 minutes. Put under the broiler for a few minutes to further brown the bacon, if desired. Drain on a paper towel, then serve warm.

Bo's Version of Brie and Cranberries

1 (14 oz) Brie Wheel
3/4 c. Craisins (dried cranberries)
1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. pecans
1 egg
1 T. water

(What I love about this type of recipe is that you can alter the quantities of these ingredients if you want. You want less pecans, put less pecans, like more craisins, put more craisins. These don't have to be exact measurements.)

Take a warm knife and slice the Brie in half horizontally. Stuff the Craisins, pecans, and brown sugar in the middle of the Brie and enclose with the Puff Pastry. Cut off any excess pastry and brush all over with the egg wash made with the egg and 1 tablespoon of water.  Bake at 350 degrees til pastry is brown, about 30 minutes.

If you have time to be a little creative, you can make festive little cutouts out of the extra pastry to decorate the top of the Brie. For Christmas, Bo made holly and berries for the top of one brie and a wreath for the other. She said they turned out really cute! For New Year's, you could try a martini glass or a some confetti.

Counting Down to 2009!!

So, those are just a few of our family favorite appetizer recipes. I hope that this may have given you an idea for something new to make this year. If not, stay tuned! I'm hoping to have one or two more really quick and easy appetizer recipes for you tomorrow.

~LilSis

December 30, 2008

New Year's Eve will be here within a matter of hours, and you may be thinking about what to serve your hungry crowd.  Plain chips? Mixed nuts? Chex Mix?  How about something as easy as those options but tastier?

Salty...savory...slightly spicy...delicious!

I work with G, whose husband C is a great cook.  His family has a recipe for a snack mix they call “IT”. IT is really simple, but IT is so delicious that you can't stop eating IT!  Fortunately, IT makes a HUGE batch!  You can see that you have lots of leeway in the amounts of dry ingredients to use.  Just use what you like and IT will turn out great!  Don't leave the curry powder out though.  I don't usually like curry, but the small amount of it in this recipe gives it a great subtle flavor.  There's something about the combination of the curry, fresh garlic and butter with the salty ingredients that's just yummy!  Thanks for this recipe, G and C!

IT rocks!

IT

Mix together in large roasting pan:
2 bags Fritos
1 box CheezIts
Pecans
Walnuts
Sliced Almonds
Popped Popcorn

Mix in saucepan:
1 tsp curry powder
3 dashes Tabasco
1 Tblsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
2 sticks melted butter

Pour heated mixture over dry ingredients and toss to coat evenly.  Cook in slow oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.  Dump into brown paper bag to drain.  Store in tightly sealed container when cool.

~BigSis

December 18, 2008

LilSis, you know that I always accuse you of being too hard on yourself when it comes to baking.  You're a better baker than you give yourself credit for. HOWEVER, having said that, I do know you pretty well and I have to caution you against this cookie.  I think it's a recipe for a stress attack!  I'll tell you why:

1. This is a roll-out cookie so it's fussier than a drop cookie or bar.  That means it'll take more time, and it may stick to your work surface.  I'm not saying it's rocket science; it just takes more time and attention.  Do you even have a rolling pin?
2. Once the cookies are done, they have to be dipped in the white chocolate.  Again, not a difficult process, but a time-consuming and messy one.

All in all, I can't recommend that you make this cookie.  I agree that it looks beautiful, and I love the combo of peppermint and chocolate.  How about this recipe for Peppermint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from Giada De Laurentis instead?

Peppermint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I haven't tried them – I'm on a baking holiday for a couple of days – but they look cute, the flavors sound yummy, they're easy (they use refrigerated sugar cookie dough) and I think you could bake these without needing cocktails.  The directions say to roll out the dough and cut it out with a cutter, but I don't see why you couldn't cut slices from the log, as usual.  What do you think?

~BigSis

December 18, 2008

You may have noticed from my previous post on Christmas Cupcakes and Candy, that I really like peppermint.  There's just something about the little candy canes and the red & white color of the candies that are so festive for decorating Christmas cupcakes, cookies, and candies.

I finally had a few minutes to flip through my Martha Stewart Living December 2008 issue and discovered, to my delight, the Cookie of the Month is Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies.

COOKIE OF THE MONTH

I would really like to make these for some friends, but considering the mess I made of the bark at Halloween, I'm not sure if I'm ready to work with melted chocolate again! I learned the hard way that the different brands of the chocolate discs/wafers definitely melt differently. And microwaving for longer won't make it thinner! “Nuff said”!  This calls for real white chocolate instead of the little disks, so I'm not sure if that'll make it easier or not.

BigSis, would you take a peek at the recipe and let me know if you think I'm getting in over my head!

~LilSis

December 16, 2008

Ready to bake some cupcakes, BigSis? You're not tired of baking, are you? (tee hee)

While we're anxiously awaiting the results from the Bake Sale, I thought I'd share a few really cute Christmas cupcake and candy recipes.

I love these Christmas Cupcakes from Bakerella!

These Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Icing from The Recipe Girl are really cute!

Bakerella also does these adorable Christmas Tree Cake Pops with Red Velvet Cake.

I love this Peppermint Oreo Bark from Baking Blonde.

Is Christmas really only 9 days away? I better get busy! I need a houseful of little elves to help me finish what I have to do today!

~LilSis