Sauteed Spinach

I saw this dish made on the Food Network on the show Down Home with The Neelys. This may not be the healthiest dish even though it is spinach because you leave the bacon drippings in the recipe. However, it is delicious! Needless to say, I punted my usual turkey bacon for the real thing for this recipe - thick cut hickory smoked bacon. Gotta make one of these every once in a while. :)

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, sliced

2 bunches spinach, well washed and tough stems discarded

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat.

2. Add the chopped bacon and cook until almost crisp.

3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

4. Add the spinach a little at a time. Toss with tongs until wilted.

5. Add balsamic vinegar.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

White Chocolate Mints

I acquired this candy recipe from a past workmate years ago and had to alter the recipe this year due to a main ingredient being out of stock. The original recipe calls for particular crushed red and green peppermint. I have only ever found it at a specialty store (mainly sells lots of baking items) in Little Rock called Vanness. However, they ran out early this season and were not ordering more. So, I found red and green small candy canes and crushed them for the mint. They worked well. These make great gifts as you can bag a few pieces in small cellophane bags. This batch made about 25+ baggies with about 3 pieces in each. Pic below.

Ingredients:
2 - 12 oz bags of white chocolate morsels
about 38 small candy canes, crushed or 1/2 bag of precrushed red and green peppermint

Instructions:
1. Melt chocolate morsels in a nonstick pan.
2. Take off heat and mix in mint.
3. Pour on cookie sheet. Spread out. Thinning the mix out helps in the breaking process and yields more candy pieces.
4. Sprinkle some mint shavings and cut pieces from candy canes on top to add color as the candy cane does not color the mint like the precrushed red and green peppermints. If you have the colored peppermints, you can opt out of sprinkling any on top as it is quite colorful.
5. Let harden. You can put it in the freezer for a quick harden.
6. Break into desired sizes. I used the tip of a knife and gently put pressure on the candy in the places I wanted it to break. Since this is a very sweet candy, remember not to make the pieces too big.

Small candy canes

Crushed mint

Melted chocolate

Mixed chocolate and mint

Spread out on cookie sheet. Can put wax paper under if want.

Sprinkled mint on top

Broken candy pieces

Bagged for gifts

Gooey Butter Cookies

I retrieved this yummy cookie recipe from Priscilla Bakes. These are delicious and very moist which is my kind of cookie. The powdered sugar somewhat disappeared on mine while cooking, so I added a little more for garnish when they were done. These make

a great gift as well by placing a few in a cellophane bag.

Ingredients:
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add cake mix; stir until well blended. Powder sugar your hands well. Roll balls into 1" or 2" and roll balls thoroughly in powdered sugar. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Leave on cookie sheet for 3 minutes or more before removing to cool on wire racks.

Uber Award

I was very honored and humbled to receive the Uber Amazing Blog Award from Vickie at Uncommon Artistic Endeavors, one of my most favorite blogs. Check out her blog for creative crafts and great recipes!

This award is a blog award given to sites that:
~ inspire you
~ make you smile and laugh
~ or maybe give amazing information
~ are a great read
~ have an amazing design
~ give you any other reason that make make you think they are uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:
~ Put the logo on your blog or post.
~ Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
~ Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
~ Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Since I am so new to this food blog world, I do not follow tons as I have limited time to research food blogs right now. However, a couple of blogs that I love that I would give this award to have already received this award:

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors - Vickie is incredibly creative with her craft ideas and can create a variety of delicious looking recipes. Vickie was also a big help/encouragement to me when I first started my hobby blog.

Priscilla Bakes - Priscilla is a 17 year old talented girl who cooks in her mom's kitchen. Her recipes look delicious and her blog is full of fun.

Other blogs that I think deserve this award are:

Simply Recipes - I love how this blog is designed. The recipe title is your link to the recipe while only a blog blurb rests under the picture of food until you link to the recipe. This might inspire me to change the look of my blog as I like the more organized home page.

The Skinny Gourmet - This food blogger has found a way to make gourmet dishes in a healthy way. She has some interesting recipes that I can't wait to try.

Enlightened Cooking - This blog sports "original recipes for fast, fresh food with a decidedly healthy bent." Camilla has tons of great light dessert recipes as well.

Spinach Frittata

My preggo self was craving a frittata, but went blank on how to make it so I googled "frittatas" and used a recipe from Simply Recipes to refresh my memory and get ideas on ingredients. Of course, I tweaked the recipe. I used to make frittatas after we moved back from Australia in 2001 because we met a girl there who was glucose intolerant. Her diet was so restricted, but just about any style of frittata made her menu. Thus, she taught me how to make them. I should add here, frittatas are so easy to make!!!

So what is a frittata? According to Wikipedia, "a frittata is a type of Italian omelette that frequently features fillings such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Like a traditional French omelette, a frittata is prepared in a skillet. However, whereas an omelette is cooked on a stovetop and served folded, a frittata is first partially cooked on a stovetop but then broiled to finish and served open-faced." I chose to bake mine as I do not have the proper skillet to put inside the oven for this.

I am going to post my concoction. However, you can put whatever ingredients you want for your liking. I plan to try some different ingredients next time. However, this one turned out yummy, too. I will say this is somewhat chick food as it doesn't contain much meat. My hubbie liked it, but thought it was more of a breakfast/brunch dish. Ladies, you could eat it as a meal though and not think that probably. :) I served it with garlic French bread.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh spinach leaves (about 1 bunch), cleaned, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced (or garlic powder)
~2 oz chopped ham
10 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1+ cup grated cheddar cheese
~ 10 cherry tomatoes, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. I let my casserole dish heat up in the oven as it preheated.
2. Cook spinach in 1/4 cup of water for a couple of minutes in a covered saucepan until just wilted. Drain water and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cheddar cheese. Add in tomatoes and ham. Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Sauté onions and red bell peppers in olive oil in skillet, until translucent, about 2 minutes on medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté a minute further. Add cooked spinach and mix in with onions, peppers and garlic.
5. Spread out spinach mixture evenly on bottom of large casserole dish. Pour egg mixture over spinach mixture. Use a spatula to lift up the spinach mixture along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.
6. Bake for 20-40 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes. Because my dish was deep, it took a while for the middle to cook through. Because it was taking longer than planned, we ended up cutting the sides out to eat and put the middle back in the oven to continue cooking. That is why my pic of the frittata is only a slice on a plate as we started eating it before the middle was done. ha!

Olive Cheese Bread

My friend, Jessica, made this for a play group a long time ago. She directed me to the website where I retrieved it: The Pioneer Woman. This yummy dish definitely satisfies a pregnancy craving, but could be classified as chick food (with a green salad or soup), appetizer (cut into smaller bites) or a side bread item to any dish. It is rich with flavor, but not too overwhelming in my opinion. However, if you don't like olives, you may think it is too strong. If you don't like mayo or butter in things, be encouraged that it is cooked into this and the cheese and olives out flavor it!

Ingredients:

6 oz green olives, cut coarsely
6 oz black olives, cut coarsely
3/4 lb shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 green onions, cut
1 stick of butter, room temp (can carefully bring to room temp in microwave on "defrost" mode; don't melt)
1/2 cup mayo
1 large loaf French bread

Instructions:

Cut olives and and onions coarsely. Mix butter, mayo and cheese in bowl. Add olives and onions. Mix well. Cut French bread in half long ways. Spread the mixture evenly onto each loaf half. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Make sure cheese is melted nicely

To Freeze one half: 2 half loaves is a lot of olive cheese bread if you are not feeding many. To freeze one loaf half, flash freeze it first. To flash freeze, put the uncovered olive cheese bread on a cookie sheet and put directly in the freezer for 20 minutes. This hardens the mixture just a bit so that it will not stick when you put the bread in a freezer bag. After 20 minutes, place it into a freezer bag and return it to the freezer for later use. I had to cut my bread in half to fit into a gallon size freezer ziploc. I always label my freezer bags with name of item, date, and basic cooking instructions for easy access later.

Used as a dip: Can refrigerate mixture up to 2 days and use as a dip with Ritz crackers.

Cut olives and onions coarsely. I used whole olives.
Mix butter, mayo and cheese together.
Add olives and onions and mix well.
Cut a large French bread loaf in half long ways. This spread makes enough to cover both halves. I literally used my hands to smear and smoosh the mixture onto the bread to even it out. It seemed easier and quicker than using a spatula. It may look like too much on top, but it will melt and soak into the bread nicely.

Final product. YUMMY!!! I only cooked one half as I froze the other half.

Pork and Lentil Chili

I got this recipe online in 2003 after watching Chef George Hirsch cook this on tv...I think he was on the Today's Show...don't remember. We love this "chili" as it is hearty, healthy, and yummy. It is very involved as it has several steps and lots of ingredients, but it is worth it. I usually fix it about once a year with garlic bread. It makes a lot so you can freeze some of it.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork tenderloin, cooked and sliced (I bake mine)
1 lb lentils, washed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 head caramelized garlic (my recipe below)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 each - carrot, celery, red bell pepper, zucchini squash
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup tomato sauce
8-10 cups vegetable or chicken broth (i usually use 10 c)
2 tsp Tabasco Chipotle Sauce
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 ounce tequila (optional) (I leave this out)

Caramelized Garlic: (there are many recipes for this, but this is the simplest method I've found)

Cut the bottom/root end of a garlic head off so that the cloves are exposed. Keep the cloves in the tight outer covering. Drizzle olive oil on them. Bake in oven at 350 for 20 minutes. This softens the cloves. Pop the cloves out and they are ready to be used for the recipe.

Instructions:

Rinse lentils in cool water and remove any small stones or twigs.

Heat a large soup pot on medium heat. Add olive oil, onions and garlic; cook for two minutes. Toss in celery, carrot, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add cumin, oregano, basil followed by tequila, lime juice, tomato sauce, and 8 cups of broth, Tabasco, and cilantro; bring to a boil. Add lentils and pork tenderloin; lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add extra broth if too dry.

Can serve with any or all of the following: (I've never served with any of this as I forget after preparing all the other ingredients)
Chopped green onions, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, strips of flour tortillas, chopped tomatos, guacamole, and pita triangles

For a veggie version: omit the pork tenderloin
For a spicy zesty version: top with sliced hot chorizo sausage
For a seafood version: top with cooked shrimp

Rice Krispy Treat Turkeys

After seeing my friend Jolene's cute Rice Krispy Treat Pumpkins, I decided to try Rice Krispy Treat Turkeys. I researched them online and found multiple versions of them. I modeled mine from Marie LaBaron from website, Alpha Mom, but combined Jolene's recipe and added my twist.

Ingredients:
1 16 oz bag of miniature marshmellows for mixture
extra miniature marshmellows for decorating
10 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal
1/2 c (1 stick) of butter
~4 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips
cooking oil spray
wax paper
toothpicks
Mike and Ike candy
miniature M&Ms
candy corn

Instructions:
Melt butter and marshmellows together until almost smooth. Stir in chocolate chips to color mixture brown. Stir in Rice Krispies Cereal until coated with marshmellow mixture. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes. Make round balls and put on wax paper to harden. Cut red (or almost red Mike and Ike candy in half long ways for the snood/gobbler). Use toothpicks with marshmellows or Mike and Ike candy for tail. Use miniature M&Ms for eyes. Use candy corn for nose. Can also use candy corn to make a tail. Yield: 35 balls.

Evaluation and Tips:
These were easy too make, just a bit time consuming once the decorating started. My hubbie pitched in to help which saved some time. Not all of his "turkeys" made it to the fall festival as he started making aliens, too. ha! This would be a great activity to make with kids. Originally, I wanted to make all the tails with fanned out candy corn. However, they didn't stay well so I resorted to toothpick and candy or marshmellows for the majority. Other candy like gum drops on toothpicks would work good for the tail also. Having colored toothpicks or marshmellows would be festive as well, but I didn't have any. I combined 2 recipes and added my own spin here, but one of the recipes called for cocoa krispy cereal to make brown. However, my method of turning the mixture brown works better as white marshmellow mix would leave white streaks in the brown cereal. For those who make Rice Krispy Treats, you will notice the increased amount of cereal, butter and marshmellows used to allow for more treats. Finally, my candy corn noses are backwards...oops. I looked at Alpha Mom blog again and noticed the white tips of the candy corn should be facing out on the noses. O'well...no one knew at the festival, but me. :) To get the candy corn to stay in place best, use a knife to cut a slit, then push them in. One tip for transporting... I individually wrapped each turkey in a ziploc bag as we were giving them as prizes. Originally, I had planned to use clear treat bags with ties or ribbon, but the turkeys were too wide to fit. The ziploc bags worked great and kept the treats from sticking together.

Mixing all together

Ready to decorate

Cream Cheese Week is Over

Cream cheese week is officially over. However, I have tons more recipes involving cream cheese that I will slowly post over time. I couldn't make them all in one week. So, as they appear, they will be included in the "creamcheesedishes" tag plus other appropriate tags.

Quick Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

This recipe is from "Take Five: A Holiday Cookbook" by Debbye Dabbs. I love this cookbook as every recipe only has 5 ingredients plus great ideas for various holidays.

Ingredients:
2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped (you can find this in oriental food section of grocery)

Instructions:
Cook the spinach using the package directions; drain. Cut the artichoke hearts into halves and arrange in a 9x9 inch baking dish (or similar casserole dish). Combine the spinach, cream cheese, butter and water chestnuts in a bowl and mix well. Spoon over the artichoke hearts. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings according to recipe (mine made more)

Evaluation and Tips:
The next time I make this, I plan to chop up the artichokes and mix it in the other mixture before cooking so that the artichokes are throughout and not just on the bottom. This recipe could be used as a dip, too. However, I have other spinach and artichoke dips that I plan to make and post closer to Christmas.