Emeril’s Red Rooster

November 21, 2011

Emeril mades this slushy cocktail (original here) during one of the Food Network Thanksgiving shows I watched a few years ago. It was a bit complicated to arrange a place to freeze it, but we were glad that we figured it out. Everyone enjoyed it.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail
  • 1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted
  • 2 cups vodka

Directions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large plastic container.
  2. Freeze for several hours. It will not freeze solid, but rather achieve the consistency of a slushy.
  3. Scoop into punch cups or wine glasses and serve.

Variations

  • We had freezer storage issues the last time we tried this, so a large plastic container was never going to fit. Instead we poured single-serving portions in ziploc freezer bags and shoved them into all the nooks and crannies in the freezer. They got slushy quicker, since they were smaller amounts, and serving was a breeze since all we had to do was slide the slushy out of the bag and into a glass.

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Micro-way-cool Bacon and Green Beans

November 20, 2011

When I saw Rachael Ray making this recipe (original here) during one of the Food Network Thanksgiving shows a few years ago, it was a definite “duh” moment. Mom loves beans, potatoes, and bacon. Adding bacon to the Thanksgiving green beans reminded us all of that meal and took the every-day side dish to the next level.

Ingredients

  • 6 slices microwave ready-crisp bacon
  • 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen green beans
  • A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Place bacon between paper towels and microwave 60 seconds on high.
  2. Cool bacon and chop or crumble it up.
  3. Place green beans in a bowl and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and microwave green beans on high for 5 minutes, stir and cook 5 minutes more.
  5. Remove wrap and top green beans with crumbled bacon.

Variations

  • We use a similar amount of canned green beans, drained, and reduce the cooking time by half.
  • We usually stir the bacon through the beans to distribute them evenly. That way everyone is sure to get some bacon!

Filed under Side Dish, Vegetable Tagged with ,

Cranberry Sauce

November 19, 2011

This home-made cranberry sauce beats the canned version easily. The recipe is from the November 2011 issue of Coastal Living (original here).

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened.
  3. Refrigerate to chill, if desired.

Filed under Side Dish Tagged with ,

Three-Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole

November 18, 2011

Everyone here loves cheese, so this recipe from the April 2003 issue of Southern Living (original here) is going to be a sure-fire hit. The note with the recipe says, “The cheese in this mashed potato casserole is really what sets it apart from other casseroles. A blend of cheddar, muenster and cream cheese creates a dish of rich, gooey goodness.”

Ingredients

  • 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover 15 minutes or until tender. Drain.
  3. Beat potatoes and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
  4. Stir in milk and remaining ingredients.
  5. Spoon into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.
  6. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Variations

  • Frozen mashed potatoes may be substituted for the cooked potatoes. Prepare frozen mashed potatoes according to package directions for 4 servings. Proceed with recipe as directed.
  • If you’re working ahead, casserole can be prepared and refrigerated. After spooning in baking dish, cover and chill 8 hours, if desired; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.

Filed under Casseroles, Side Dish Tagged with , , , ,

White-Bean and Sausage Stew

November 17, 2011

The photo of this recipe, with chunks of sausage and lots of beans, has me ready for a soup night. From the October 2006 issue of All You (original here), this crockpot soup is bound to fill the house with a wonderful aroma!

Ingredients

  • 6 (3 oz.) Italian sausages
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans white beans (Great Northern or navy), rinsed and drained
  • 1 (28 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Poke holes in sausages and put in a large nonstick skillet.
  2. Add 1/4 cup water; bring to a boil.
  3. Lower heat and cook sausages, turning, until lightly browned and water has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a plate.
  5. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
  6. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes.
  7. Add beans, tomatoes and thyme.
  8. Put half of bean mixture into a slow cooker.
  9. Arrange sausages on top, followed by remaining beans.
  10. Cook on high for 4 hours.
  11. Check after 2 hours and add water if mixture looks dry.
  12. Remove sausages; slice thickly.
  13. Season beans with salt and pepper.
  14. Return sausage to stew. (Stew can be kept, frozen and tightly sealed, for up to 1 month.)

Filed under Italian, Soups & Stews Tagged with , , ,

Classic Minestrone

November 16, 2011

Oddly, our family has never favored a minestrone recipe. When we think Italian food, it’s always a plate of pasta. This recipe from the October 2011 issue of All You (original here) might be worth sneaking into the line-up however. Everyone likes all those ingredients—and I bet if I add some meatballs, that pot of soup will disappear.

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes with liquid
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup small shell pasta or macaroni
  • 1 cup shredded escarole or kale
  • 1 15.5-oz. can cannellini or navy beans, drained
  • Grated Parmesan, for serving, optional

Directions

  1. Combine carrots, celery, onion and garlic in slow cooker.
  2. Pour in broth and stir in tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and Italian seasoning.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
  4. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in pasta, escarole and beans.
  5. Cover, increase heat to high and cook until pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, sprinkled with Parmesan, if desired.

Variations

  • I will probably add two dozen small meatballs with the vegetables and broth.
  • This would be a great candidate for a bread bowl. Mmm.

Filed under Italian, Soups & Stews Tagged with , , ,

Slow-Cooker Enchilada Casserole

November 15, 2011

I’m always intrigued by the stacked tortilla recipes that I see, but I often wonder how difficult they are to serve. This recipe from the July 2011 issue of All You (original here) is different from others that I’ve seen because the tortillas are toasted before going in the crockpot. I can’t wait to give it a try.

Ingredients

  • 9 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 1 15-oz. can can or jar enchilada sauce
  • 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

  1. Place an oven rack about 5 inches from broiler and preheat broiler to high.
  2. Toast tortillas under broiler, turning once, until lightly spotted, 2 to 3 minutes total. Set aside.
  3. Reserve 2 Tbsp. enchilada sauce.
  4. Combine beans and remaining sauce in a bowl.
  5. Mist slow-cooker insert with cooking spray.
  6. Place 3 tortillas in bottom, breaking one into pieces if necessary to cover bottom.
  7. Spread half of bean mixture over tortillas.
  8. Sprinkle with 1 cup corn and 1/2 cup cheese.
  9. Repeat with 3 more tortillas, remaining bean mixture, remaining corn and 1 cup cheese.
  10. Top with 3 remaining tortillas, reserved sauce and remaining 1 cup cheese.
  11. Cover and cook on low until cheese has melted and is beginning to crisp on edges, 2 to 3 hours.

Variations

  • I’m not sure the vegetarian meal would pass the Board of Inquiry at this house, so I will probably add some canned chicken or browned ground beef with the beans and sauce mixture.
  • I suspect that a Mexican blend of cheese would be a nice substitute for the Cheddar.

Filed under Casseroles, Main Dish, Mexican Tagged with , , , ,

Stir-Fry Your Way

November 14, 2011

So many of the stir fry recipes that I see tell you to use a bottle of “stir fry sauce.” Where’s the technique in that? So I was pleased when I found this recipe from the April 2011 issue of All You (original here), that includes a sauce you make yourself. The recipe was developed by dietician Heidi McIndoo.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 4 cups of your favorite vegetables (broccoli cut into bite-size pieces, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red bell peppers, chopped onion or thin green beans)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, canned in juice, drained, optional
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. cold water
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice or whole-grain noodles

Directions

  1. Preheat a wok or large skillet on low.
  2. In a bowl, combine chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar.
  3. Turn heat up to high.
  4. Pour in 1 Tbsp. canola oil and, once hot, add half of chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  5. Remove to a plate.
  6. Repeat with 1/2 Tbsp. oil and remaining chicken.
  7. Add vegetables and 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil to wok; sauté until tender, about 3 minutes.
  8. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.
  9. Return chicken to wok; add pineapple, if desired.
  10. Pour in chicken broth mixture and stir well.
  11. Add cornstarch and stir until sauce thickens and becomes shiny.
  12. Serve over brown rice or whole-grain noodles. (Obviously white rice will also work.)

Filed under Chinese, Main Dish Tagged with , , , ,

Ramen Beef Pie

November 13, 2011

I found this recipe in a Seattle newspaper article that was exploring recipes that used every college student’s favorite cheap food, ramen noodles. The article explains, “Now that work is over, you can finally go home and enjoy a nice, giant helping of ramen beef pie. It’s like Shepard’s Pie or Pâté Chinois, a dish they serve in Canada, only ramen style.” I’m not convinced it could ever beat a Shepard’s Pie, but I may try it out with a little variation. Some details were missing in the original, so I’ve made correction in my version below.

Ingredients

  • 2 pkg ramen noodles
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 can sweet corn, drained
  • 1/2 c onion, chopped
  • vegetable oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Cook the ramen noodles, according to the package directions.
  3. In a separate skillet, saute the onions with vegetable oil until golden brown.
  4. Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up and cooking until fully browned.
  5. Spray a casserole with nonstick spray.
  6. Layer the ground beef and onion in the bottom of the casserole dish.
  7. Spread sweet corn in a layer on top of ground beef mixture.
  8. Top with ramen noodles, spreading evenly to cover entire casserole.
  9. Bake in 350° oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and heated through.

Variations

  • Instead of corn alone, add any vegetables you like. Precook before adding them in a layer. I would probably use mixed vegetables or at least corn, peas, and carrots. Even the picture on the Seattle news website looked like it included peas.
  • I might try mixing a can of Cream of Mushroom or Beefy Mushroom soup into the ramen before topping the casserole.

Filed under Casseroles, Main Dish Tagged with , ,

Banana Boats

November 12, 2011

I don’t really need a recipe for Banana Boats. I’ve been making them at camp since I was a Junior Girl Scout. This recipe from the April 2011 issue of All You (original here), however, includes instructions for cooking the treat in the oven. An option for Banana Boats that doesn’t require me to build a fire? Yes please!

Ingredients

  • 4 small bananas
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
  2. Slit each banana lengthwise through 1 side of peel, taking care to avoid cutting all the way through banana.
  3. Stuff each slit with chocolate chips and marshmallows.
  4. Wrap each banana in aluminum foil, place upright on a baking sheet.
  5. Bake until chocolate and marshmallows have melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Unwrap and serve immediately.

Variations

  • For a bit of crunch, add chopped salted peanuts to the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
  • Or, add drizzled caramel so it resembles the popular British dessert Banoffee Pie.
  • You can use milk chocolate for a sweeter taste, or bittersweet for a stronger flavor.
  • Instead of buying chips, you can chop up a 4-oz candy bar.

Filed under Desserts Tagged with , , , ,

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