3.28.2008

Vanilla Popcorn

This was our dessert tonight - such a yummy treat!

1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
3/8 cup karo syrup

Pop 2 batches of popcorn. Meanwhile, cook all above ingredients in saucepan. Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and pour over popcorn.

Chicken Tostada

This is BY FAR one of our favorite recipes . Try it - you won't be disappointed!!! I have had a hard time finding enchilada sauce up here, but have found a great homemade recipe. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will post it.

Not the prettiest meal, but so tasty

CHICKEN

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 T oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce

Heat 1 T oil in skillet and saute chicken until no longer pink. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Stir in enchilada sauce and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer until ready to serve.

REFRIED BEANS

1 can refried beans
2-4 green chiles, sliced
1 cup jack cheese, shredded

In a greased casserole, layer on half of the beans, chiles, and jack cheese. Repeat. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

LETTUCE

3 cups lettuce, shredded
2 green onions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa
2 T Italian salad dressing

In a bowl, mix lettuce, green onions, cheddar cheese, and salsa. Toss with salad dressing.

Heat oil for frying. Fry 4-8 corn tortillas until crisp; drain on paper towels. Place tortilla on plate, top with beans, then chicken, then salad.

3.10.2008

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Barbecue Chicken Pizza


2 Chicken Breasts, baked and sliced (I used half of a Rotisserie Chicken, love them!)
1/4-1/3 C. Original flavor barbecue sauce
1 small tomato; chopped (I used a Roma)
1/2 C. jalapeno peppers (more if you like it HOT) - I left these out
1 small onion; thinly sliced (I used a RED onion)
1 T. McCormick All-Purpose seasoning of Herbs and Spices (contains parsley, basic, oregano, red pepper, garlic, lemon peel, celery and paprika)
3 C. Monterrey Jack Cheese (I just bought shredded pizza cheese)
1 Recipe of Pizza Dough

Prepare Pizza Dough and spread on pan. Spread barbecue sauce over dough. Top with 3/4 of the cheese. Sprinkle with chicken, jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, seasoning. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly brown. (All ingredients and baking time are approximate so make however you like it and be careful on the baking) ENJOY!!!

Pizza Crust

Got this from the SIL...I make something from her recipe book at least once a week! Use with the BBQ Pizza Recipe I'm about to post!

Pizza Crust
1 C. hot water
2 T. dry yeast
2 T. oil
2-3/4 C. flour
1 T. powdered milk
2 t. salt
2 T. sugar

Mix water and yeast until dissolved. Knead all ingredients together for several minutes. Mixture will seem dry at first until well blended. Cover and allow to rise until doubled (about 20-30 minutes). This recipe makes enough to fitt on the Pampered Chef Round Pizza Stone plus some extra for a few bread sticks.

Homemade Coconut Ice Cream

Sorry, no picture...it didn't last long enough to get one. It was THAT good! This is FABULOUS! I got it off another blog who got it from a book, mentioned below!

Very rich flavor...and probably NOT low-fat! But try it anyways, you will NOT be disappointed!

Tools: cookie sheet, sauce pan, strainer, ice cream maker

Ingredients:
1/2 C. shredded sweetened coconut
1 C. sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. half-and-half
1-1/2 C. unsweetened coconut milk
1 C. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. coconut extract)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil Place in the hot oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the coconut turns a light brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs with a hand held mixer until thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the cornstarch and salt. Set aside.

Combine the half-and-half with the coconut milk in a heavy medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and slowly beat the hot liquid into the eggs and sugar. Briefly rinse your saucepan and rub dry with paper towel or cloth. Pour the eggs, sugar, etc. mixture back into the saucepan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thicken slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, about five minutes, then stir in the toasted coconut, heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold (about 5 hours) or overnight.

Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batched in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 3 hours.

This recipe actually comes from: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, and More by Bruce Weinstein. I'm just tempted to purchase this beauty!