Recipe Thursday: Pesto-Chicken Burgers

Open Face Pesto Chicken Burgers

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken or turkey
4 Tbsp. basil pesto
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 slices ciabatta or rustic italian bread
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
2 cups fresh basil leaves, arugula, or spring garden mix salad
8 small tomato slices
ground black pepper


Directions
1. In a bowl combine chicken, half the pesto, the Parmesan cheese, garlic and salt. Shape in four oval (bread) shaped patties.
2. Horizontally halve cibatta. Brush cut sides of ciabatta with olive oil; set aside.
3. Preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium.Place patties on grill rack over heat and cook approx 10-13 minutes covered until chicken is no longer pink. Turn over once halfway through and cover with mozzarella cheese to melt. Place bread on grill rack and grill 2-3 minutes to toast.
4. Arrange basil or greens on toasted bread. Top with chicken patties, tomato slices, and remaining pesto. Sprinkle coarsely with ground pepper.

These burgers were fantastic. I was craving them days after we had them-and this coming from someone who is eating all meat but bacon grudgingly.

Recipe Thursday: King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (boiled and deboned)
1 diced large onion
3 diced cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can rotel
9 corn tortillas (cut in 1/2 or 1/4s)
1 1/2 cups mild cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Boil and Debone Chicken. Reserve 1 cup broth.
2. In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil, add both cans of soup, rotel and broth. Keep on low heat.
Preheat oven to 350.
3. In a lasagna pan, layer tortilla, chicken, sauce, cheese and repeat.Cook in preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is brown.


I used reduced fat cheese and soups for this recipe and it was still delicious. Soooooo good!! I got this recipe from Robyn's mom, Jeanne Birrane. This is really good served the next day too as it allows the flavors to all mesh together.

Recipe Thursday: Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip
From Paula Deen on Food Network

Ingredients

10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
2 13 3/4 oz canned artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Head spinach to thaw and squeeze dry. Drain artichoke hearts and coursely chop in food processor.
3. Combine all ingredients except jack cheese in large bowl. Stir well. Scrape into casserole dish and sprinkle jack cheese on top.
4. Bake 30 minutes. Serve warm with bagel chips or crackers.

I took this to a party a couple of weeks ago and people really liked it. I thought it was pretty decent too. I will definitely make it again.

Recipe Thursday: Dump Cake

Dump Cake
My Grandma Reed

This cake would be nice to take to a 4th of July picnic, or pretty much anytime. This was one of my favorites as a kid, only I called it "garbage cake" and it sort of stuck with our family.

Ingredients
1 lg can cherries
1 lg can crushed pineapple
1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks butter (I actually cringed when I typed this. Challenge: Reduce this fat!)
1 cup pecans

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend cherries and pineapple in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with cake mix.
4. Slice butter over mixture and add nuts.
5. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

This was really simply, and maybe a little "poor people food", but it was so good and I loved this as a kid. I loved it AND I hated cherries when I was young, so it must be awesome. Probably all that butter.

Recipe Thursday: Banana Sour Cream Cake

Banana Sour Cream Cake
Kraft Foods.com and Jenny Lorentzon

I'll post a picture after my birthday, as my plan is to make this as my birthday cake. Either that, or beg Jenny to make it since she asked what she could do for my birthday party. ;-)

Ingredients

1 pkg yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil (I used applesauce)
8 oz pkg cream cheese; softened (I used reduced fat)
1/2 cup softened butter
16 oz pkg powdered sugar, about 4 cups
1 cup chopped walnut pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat cake mix, eggs, banana, sour cream and oil (applesauce) with mixer on low speed. Then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 13x9 pan (I used two 9" round pans). Bake 35 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Beat cream cheese and butter w/mixer on medium until blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.
3. Remove cake from pan. Cut in half crossways (this is if you use the big pan, why would you do this?) Spread top w/frosting, top with other cake, frost top and sides. Press nuts into sides.
4. Refridgerate leftovers if you somehow haven't pigged out and eaten the whole thing.

Seriously folks, this cake is freakin' incredible, and I know bananas, and this is banana-riffic!
I also think this would work really well as cupcakes with nuts on top. Yummy yum yummy!

Recipe Thursday: Mashed Cheese Potatoes

Mashed Cheese Potatoes

Ingredients

4-5 large potatoes
1-2 green onions, chopped (whites and some greens)
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Butter, salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 300

1. Peel and cook potatoes
2. Drain and add the 3 cheese (cream, parmesan, cheddar) and mash
3. Add butter salt and pepper to taste
4. Add green onion
5. Place potato mixture in a greased casserole dish and sprinkle with paprika
6. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, covered

This was my favorite way to eat mashed potatoes as a kid. My friend's mom made these and my family fell in love. I usually make these at Easter.

Recipe Thursday: Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad

Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad
Gluten Free Goddess

Ingredients

2-2 1/2 lbs small red potatoes
sea salt
1/4 C fruit tasting olive oil
4-6 T apple cider or rice vinegar
1 small red onion, finely diced,
2 T prepared horseradish
2 T fresh chopped parsley
1-2 t dill
1 t caraway seeds

Ingredients

1. Boil skin on cubed potatoes until fork tender. Drain wel.
2. Pour in large bowl. While pototoes are still warm, add the ingredients and toss to coat. Serve warm.

This was really really good. I've made it a couple of times and I think I added a lot more horseradish. Yummy Yummy!

Recipe Thursday

Strawberry-Goat Cheese Bruschetta
from Better Homes & Gardens May 2009




Ingredients



1 8-oz baguette


1 Tbsp olive oil


1 4 oz log goat cheese (chevre)


1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries


1/2 cup arugula


olive oil


sea salt


freshly ground black pepper


snipped fresh herbs





Directions





1. Heat broiler. Halve baguette crosswise, then lengthwise. Place cut sides up on large baking sheet. Brush with the 1 TBSP oil. Bril, 3 to 4 inches from heat for 1 1/2- 2 minutes or until lightly toasted.





2. Slice and divide cheese among toasts. Top with sliced berries. Broil 2-3 minutes or until cheese and berries soften. Remove from broiler; top with arugula. Drizzle with additional oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper and herbs. Makes 4 servings.

Although I get this magazine, I wasn't too thrilled to try this recipe until my friend Robyn said it was great. I made it, sans arugula (since I STILL haven't found it in my podunk town) and thought it was pretty good. I'm not sure if I got a good goat cheese, so I will try this recipe again once I get the greenlight on which kind of goat cheese to go with. I used the Chevre spreadable brand. I recommend giving it a try if you are a fan of goat cheese and you have good control over your broiler, as the first thing I did was burn my baguette.

Recipe Thursday

Spinach Linguine w/Basil-Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes

This was really good. It sort of reminded me of the yummy basil pasta that is in the Lean Cuisine...and yes, that is a compliment. The authors of the book Veganomicon said that I would find myself craving this, and they were right. I had some at lunch and I can't wait for dinner!

Ingredients

Pasta

1/2 pound spinach linguine

2 T olive oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced in half moons
4 cloves garlic
2 T white cooking wine, veggie broth, or water
1/2 t salt
several pinches course ground black pepper
1 recipe Basil-Cilantro Pesto
1 15 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced in half

Basil-Cilantro Pesto
2 Cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 Cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/2 Cup slivered or sliced almonds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/4 Cup olive oil

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine according to the package directions, usually about 10 minutes.

2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onion in the olive oil until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more. Add the white wine, salt and pepper and cook for another minute or two. Lower heat to low.

3. When the linguine is ready, don't drain it. Use a pasta sppon to transfer it to the pan in batches. When you add on batch, add a bit of pesto too, and mix to coat the linguine. Put the rest of the pesto in and coat.

4. Add the artichoke hearts and toss to coat. Cook gently over low heat until the artichokes are heated through. Serve immediatly.

For the Pesto

Place the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor and blend until pasty, scraping down the sides occasionally. Drizzle the olive oil in until the pesto is relatively smooth.

Notes

I actually used cashews for the pesto because I was out of almonds. It still tasted delicious, but I think the almonds would have been better.I was also out of linguine, spinach or otherwise, so I used angel hair pasta. Still awesome!!! This is so rich and creamy you will never know this is Vegan.

P.S. I don't think it's my fault all my pictures suck. Even though I read all the reviews in the whole wide world when I bought my camera (the Canon SD 11ooIS) I do NOT like it. Or I suck at taking pictures.

Recipe Thursday: Strawberry Gelato

Ok, this one is pretty much as simple as the pineapple gelato. Only it's with strawberries.

Ingredients

frozen strawberries, thawed 10 minutes
cane sugar to taste


Directions

Blend together.
Eat
AWESOME

Recipe Thursday: Mexican Mashed Potatoes

Mexican Mashed Potatoes

In an attempt to make potato taquitos, I created these spicy mashed potatoes that I thought were awesome. They work really well as a filling for the taquitos, but I’m still working on perfecting my use of corn tortillas.

Ingredients:

2 red potatoes, skins on, boiled
2 baking potatoes, skins on, boiled
Cumin (to taste, approximately 1 TBSP)
Cilantro (to taste, approximately 1 TBSP)
Garlic Powder (to taste, about 1 tsp)
Sea Salt (to taste)
Chili powder (to taste, about 1 tsp)
Earth Balance: I used about a TBSP of this as well

Directions:


Boil potatoes, mash with skins on. Add all the other ingredients to taste (hey, that’s how real people cook, I try to guide you but you just have to find out what you like) and allow flavors to marry for a little while. For the taquitos, spoon into corn tortillas, roll, spray with PAM and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until browned. The taquitos need some work, so if anyone tries this, let me know how your taquitos turned out.

**I bet this would be good with some sour cream and cheese, but as you know, I do not partake in either of those.

Recipe Thursday: Thai Spicy Basil Eggplant & Asparagus

Thai Spicy Basil Eggplant & Asparagus
Serves: 2
Prep Time < 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, cut into chunks
1 bunch asparagus, bottoms removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I added more)
1/2 cup FRESH basil, leaves chopped once or twice (don't over chop!)
1-2 tbsp soy sauce (I used a lot more b/c my sauce wasn't too "saucy"
touch of toasted sesame oil - optional
pinch of dry basil - optional

Directions:
steam or stir-fry eggplant (steam ~15 minutes)
meanwhile, steam asparagus (~10 minutes)
saute garlic a little water 5 mins (using wok or large skillet)
add flakes, soy sauce, and basil. saute 3 more minutes
add eggplant and asparagus, stir to coat, cook 1 more minute or until warm
add optional dry basil before serving
serve over brown rice

I recommend doubling the sauce recipe, as did the original poster. It was just better that way. Mircea really like this stuff, and I felt that it was missing something but couldn't really pinpoint it. I thought it was way better the second day.


(My blogger is all sorts of jacked up right now. I want to give credit where it is due. This recipe is from "The Happy Herbivore" and I will post the link once I am able to do so.

Recipe Thursday

Today's recipe is very near and dear to me. My family is Slovak and one of the mainstays of the Slovak diet is sauerkraut. I have always loved it and anytime its on the menu at a restaurant you can bet I'll order it. This dish was one of my favorites growing up. Kapusta is a sauerkraut and meatball soup that is just divine. I'm making it tomorrow for the first time ever in my life. Mircea is a huge fan of sauerkraut and I figured it was time he had some of my families traditional cooking instead of all that Romanian fare. I doubt anyone is going to make this, but I'll tell you-it's totally worth it!

Kapusta

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 onion
3/4 cup cooked rice
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
paprika

Mix all of above and form into meatballs

1 small can stewed tomatoes
2 16 oz cans sauerkraut
1 small onion
2 bay leaves

Thickening
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup flour

Directions
1. Add sauerkraut, meatballs, tomatoes and garlic to a large pot. Cover with water. On LOW HEAT cook until meatballs are throughly cooked through. Cook at least 1 1/2 hours.

2. Over medium heat, mix shortening and flour in a small frying pan. Stir with a wooden spoon constantly until golden brown. Do not burn. Add 1/2 of thickening to the soup-add the rest as necessary to get desired thickness.

This makes enough to feed an army!

Resurrected Recipe Thursday

Basil Pesto Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
1 lb medium shrimp
8 ounces dried elbow macaroni(2 cups)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter melted
1 cup half and half
1 1/4 cups shredded Fontina Cheese(5 oz.) (my friend couldn't find it and substituted fresh mozzarella)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (she omitted the pine nuts)
1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions
1 Fresh or frozen shrimp can be used. If frozen, thaw before preparing recipe. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and devein shrimp, removing tails. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Chop shrimp and set aside.
2 Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
3 In large bowl stir together eggs, butter, half-and-half, 1 cup of the fontina cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, chopped basil, and 1/4 teaspoons each salt and pepper. Stir in shrimp and macaroni. Transfer to buttered 2-quart casserole. Top with remaining cheeses.
4 Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through and shrimp pieces are opaque. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Thursday

This is the first time I've posted a recipe that I haven't tried, but I am going to make it this weekend because it sounds yummy!

Fresh Mozzarella & Basil Pizza

1 4-ounce portion pizza dough (I buy from our local pizza shop)
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced
1 TBSP sliced fresh basil
4 thin slices fresh mozzarella
1 slice country/smoked ham, cut into thin strips
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Shape pizza dough and drizzle with the olive oil (brush on if available). Cover dough and let rise for 15-20 minutes. Heat baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven.

Layer tomatos and other ingredients evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is golden.


I will not be following these directions perfectly as I'm sure I'll want more cheese (since I've been good on Points this week) and surely will want more basil, etc. I'll let you know how it turns out and hopefully get a photo as well.

****Update****

Uh, this didn't turn out as planned. It tasted pretty good, but I had what I like to refer to as a "pizza dough malfunction".

Recipe Thursday

Chicken Chili Recipe

Ingredients

1 package of boneless skinless chicken breast (cooked in frying pan)
3 cans light kidney beans (drained)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 block Velveeta cheese (comes in a cardboard box)
2 Tbls Parsley
2 Tbls Garlic powder
2 Tbls Chili powder
1 1/2 Tbls Crushed red pepper
1 bag Tostitos scoops

Directions

Add drained kidney beans, tomato sauce, cheese and seasonings into crock pot. Add diced cooked chicken breast. Heat for one hour on high.

Depending on how you like your chili to taste add additional seasonings as desired.

Serve warm with tostitos scoops.

**Someone made this at work and it was pretty good. They made it as a dip, and I think that is how it is better served than an actual "chili". We're having a chili-cookoff at my office in January so I'm working on trying out some stellar recipes.

My Awesome Cookie Recipe

Chocolate Mint Marvels

Ingredients

3/4C butter
1 1/2 C brown sugar
2 C chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
1 1/4 t baking soda
3 or 4 packages Andes Mints (I used 1 package and broke the mints in half)

Directions

Melt butter and brown sugar in saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips and stir to melt; put mixture into a bowl and let cool. Add eggs, and then mix in flour and baking soda. Chill dough for 1 hour. Roll into balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cookies from oven and place an andes mint on each one. As the candy melts spread it across the top of the cookie with a butter knife. Makes 3 dozen.

**I made these cookies last year too, but this year I had a heck of a time with the batter sticking to my hands. In the end, I actually had to put the dough in the freezer to work with it a little better, so it is very important that you have it cooled before you start molding the balls.

Recipe Thursday

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

This was one of the best recipes that I've ever made. It was so delicious and had a great flavor from the mushrooms. The cheese also made it really good as well.

Ingredients
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1 tsp bottled mince garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 8-ounce package preslided mushrooms
3/4 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 cup less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken; saute 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.
2. Stir in rice and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in cheese and parsley.

Notes
Yields 4 servings, about 1 cup each. I added double rice and double cheese to make it super yummy!

Recipe Thursday

French Onion Soup

From the Kitchen of Robyn Warner.
This is so tasty we have it once a week at our house. Better than our neighborhood restaurant.

Ingredients
6 onions
1 clove garlic
3 Tbsp Butter (I omit this to save calories/fat)
4 cans beef broth
1 1/2 tsp worchestshire sauce
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/8 tsp black pepper
Baguette style bread
1/2 cup swiss cheese

Directions
1. In large skillet, cook onions, garlic and butter 30-40 minutes until tender. (Covered)
2. Add beef broth, worchestshire, pepper, and onion soup. Cook 1 1/2 hours on med/low heat or slow cooker for 5 hours low or 2 1/2 hours high.
3. Serve topped w/baguette and cheese.

Notes
Sometimes I used croutons instead of bread and it actually tastes pretty good. I also often use Sargento shredded parmesan cheese and it melts so nicely in the soup.

Recipe Thursday

I made this for dinner last night and it was really tasty. I'll post a picture tomorrow-the battery on my camera died and is now charging so I can upload it. Enjoy-this was awesome!


Greek Style Shrimp Scampi & Linguine

Ingredients
1 pound linguine
Salt
1 pound medium to large shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed
Pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
A couple pinches of red pepper flakes
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
2 sprigs oregano, finely chopped
A handful of pitted kalamata olives, chopped (I used black olives b/c I live in podunk maryland where you can't find a kalamata to save your life)
1/2 cup white wine (eyeball it)
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup feta cheese crumbles

Preparation
Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
While the pasta water comes to a boil, heat oil in a deep skillet with garlic. When garlic is brown, remove and reserve. (I took it out and put it back in at the end) Add shrimp and cook 3-4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, lemon zest, oregano, olives and wine and cook together a couple of minutes more. Remove from heat.
Add a ladle of starchy pasta cooking water to sauce and some lemon juice. Remove the sauce from the heat. Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Let pasta soak in juices for a minute, then toss with parsley and feta. Use tongs to pull pasta from skillet, giving it a turn to twist in as many ingredients as possible. Then, use the tongs to remove and arrange the shrimp and ingredients that may remain in the pan, distributing them evenly among the portions.