garlic chicken farfalle

If you're interested in a pasta dish with serious flavor, give this is try. We're hosting a dinner party tonight, and my chicken is in the crock-pot now. This is one of our favorite things to make for a large group.



GARLIC CHICKEN FARFALLE

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you're apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.

**We like to cook our bacon in the oven (400 degrees, convection). Way less messy. And it's crispy every time. Time varies, so you just have to watch it. I think it's usually around 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then crumple (I totally wear disposable gloves for this part - surprise, surprise).

[ directions ]

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

red velvet cupcakes

Three words: Thank. You. Ana.

I got this recipe from my dear friend Ana Cabrera (has the best sense of humor and a huge, warm-fuzzy heart made of gold). I grew up eating red velvet cake for special occasions. Love it. But then I just didn't have it (or hear about it) for years and years. And then Ana (who, by the way, really is a foodie and in fact, used to be a professional chef) rocked my world with this recipe.

Ana, my neighbors thank you. My hips do not.



RED VELVET CUPCAKES with butter cream cheese frosting

You'll need this stuff for the cake:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. red food coloring paste*
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

*I couldn't find "paste" but regular food coloring worked just fine for me.

And you'll need this stuff for the frosting:

1 brick cream cheese, softened (8 oz.)
1 stick butter, softened (1/2 c. or 8 Tbsp. or 4 oz.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

[ DIRECTIONS ]

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. There is a lot of oil in this recipe, so I prefer the foil kind.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

In a large bowl beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with an electric mixer or balloon whisk. The liquids should be emulsified. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. Stir gently with a large spoon just until combined. Do not over work the batter or your cupcakes will be tough.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins, about 2/3 filled. Bake at 350 for about 22-25 minutes. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Cakes will be a little soft while still hot, but will set once cooled. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

[ MAKING THE FROSTING ]

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Chill for at least 30 min. before frosting cupcakes.

deviled eggs

This is one of my lifetime favorite side dishes (even and when I was a child) and when I serve them at a dinner party, there are never any left.



DEVILED EGGS
(as taught by Mom Allgaier)

eggs
mayonnaise (not salad dressing or any substitute)
salt & pepper
mustard (liquid, not dry)
pickle juice (from a jar of sweet pickles – not dill)
paprika (found with the spices & seasonings)

You’ll notice that there are no quantities or measurements listed. I learned how to make deviled eggs from my mom and she never measured anything for deviled eggs. She just added a “little bit of this and a little bit of that” until it was just right. I like to taste it as I go to see what needs to be added.

Boil the eggs* and cool. Remove eggshells and cut the eggs in half, lengthwise. Put all egg yolks in a bowl and mash them. Add mayo, salt & pepper, mustard, and pickle juice (spoonfuls) to taste. You don’t want your egg batter to be stiff or too runny. It should be a nice, creamy texture. Remember to start light on the mayonnaise because you can always add more but you can’t go back once it’s in there. Put a dollop of the batter in each egg and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, sprinkle a little paprika on each deviled egg.

* How I boil my eggs: After the water reaches a rolling boil, turn off the stove and let the pot sit there on the range to finish. When they’ve cooled for about 15 minutes, let the eggs cool in cold water and then store in refrigerator until you’re ready to make the deviled eggs.

peppermint crumble cookies

Perhaps you saw the Andes Mint Cookies recipe I posted on 5.9.07. It's been my #1 favorite cookie for 2007. I've made these more than any other baked goodies lately. And now ... here's a little festive variation. It tastes almost identical. Just a different texture on top. I'll go ahead and post the recipe again. The only difference is the very last part. Instead of melting an Andes Mint candy on top, you'll use peppermint crumbles (found near all the other baking stuff).



PEPPERMINT CRUMBLE COOKIES

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. water
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
bag of crumbled peppermint pieces

Melt butter, brown sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then add the chocolate chips, stirring until completely melted. Cool for 10 minutes. Put this in a mixing bowl and beat in 2 eggs. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together and chill for about 45 minutes.

Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. When cookies come out of oven, sprinkle peppermint crumbles on top of the cookie and do not spread. The pieces will get soft at first, but then keep their shape and re-solidify when cool.

*Added comment: No, peppermint crumbles are not the same as crushed peppermint candies or candy canes. The texture is more similar to chocolate chips/crumbles.

chocolate oat squares

Recognize the picture? It's the one currently used on my new homepage. These delectable treats are one of my all-time favorites.



CHOCOLATE OAT SQUARES

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened, divided
2 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
3 c. quick-cooking aots
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. baking soda
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 c. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, cream 1 c. butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture. Press 2/3 of oat mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking stone (or pan). It's also fine in an 8" x 8" pan. You'll just have taller squares.

In a saucepan combine milk, chocolate chips and remaining butter and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts and remaining vanilla. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.

Yield: 4 dozen.

welcome!

Welcome to the recipe section of my website. First of all, be sure to read my note (read: disclaimer) at right.

Just wanted to let you know that all of the recipes below have all been previously published on my blog. For those of you who have been following my blog for a little while, these will look familiar to you. I wanted to put them all in one place. That's the organized side of my brain at work. : )

From now on, I'll share all things food-related here ... in this section of my website. Check in once in a while for new recipes that I'll share and ... did somebody say CONTEST? Oh yeah - I'll being running a recipe contest or two around here. : )