Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

I found this recipe on Lauren’s blog (who got the recipe from Cuisinart).  I truly don’t think that there is any better flavor combination than chocolate & peanut butter & this recipe combines them both is a creamy, frozen, tasty, dessert. Enjoy!!



Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

1-1/8 cups good quality peanut butter (not natural)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/4 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup chopped chocolate peanut butter cup candies

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Add the milk and mix on low speed until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the chopped candy through the top and let mix in completely. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.

Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Seared Ahi Tuna Taco with Avocado Salsa

I was searching online for another fish recipe and found this ahi taco recipe. We’re kind of picky about the fish recipes we try and i guess you can’t really go wrong with tacos, so this makes it an easy one to try. We both thought this was really good.



Seared Ahi Tuna Taco with Avocado Salsa

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

12 ounces ahi (or albacore) tuna, cut into 1-inch-thick steaks

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

8 taco shells (available in most grocery stores)

2 limes, halved

Avocado Salsa, recipe follows

In a small bowl, combine cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and coriander. Rub spice mixture generously on both sides of the tuna.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for the taco shells.

Heat a nonstick pan on the stove over high heat. When pan is smoking hot, add olive oil, wait 10 seconds, then add tuna. Sear for 1 minute per side, or until fish is cooked on the outside, but rare on the inside. Transfer to a plate.

Separate taco shells and place them in the oven for 4 minutes (timing is everything here, since they go from perfectly done to burned after about 1 additional minute).

While the shells are heating, dice tuna into 1/4-inch cubes. To serve, fill all 8 taco shells halfway with salsa. Spoon tuna over salsa and squeeze a spritz of lime juice overtop. Serve immediately.

Avocado Salsa:

2 ripe avocados (ripe means it indents with the firm press of a finger), pit and skin discarded, diced into 1/4-inch cubes

2 medium tomatoes, diced into 1/4-inch cubes

1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, stems discarded before measuring

1/4 cup diced red onion

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Add all ingredients to a medium-size bowl. Toss gently. DO NOT MASH AVOCADO.

Chicken Chickpea Curry Bowls

Oh Rachael Ray, how I “heart” you. You make my weeknight dinners a quick, easy, & delicious treat for my husband. As much as we liked this dinner, I still can’t bring myself to use your term “MYOTO” (Make Your Own Take Out) for those of you not down with Rachael Ray. Anyway, this is a super healthy weeknight dinner that we will be making again.



Chicken Chickpea Curry Bowls

1 cup white rice

2 cups water

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 pound ground chicken

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 cup plain yogurt

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 14.5-ounce can chick peas

A handful cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rice, water and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Once the rice is going, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan EVOO and brown the chicken. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.

Sprinkle with the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the yogurt and simmer gently for 3 minutes, adding a splash of water if it needs to loosen up a little. Stir in some salt, pepper, the tomatoes and chickpeas then remove from heat.

Divide the rice and chicken mixture among individual bowls and garnish with the cilantro.

Tinga Poblana with Chicken

I turned this into a crockpot meal. Really, all I did was let the chicken pieces go in the broth, onion, & garlic for a few hours, until it was shred’able.  Right before I took the chicken out, I browned the chorizo, onion, & garlic. I added it all back to the crockpot and let simmer together for another hour. Sorry this is not more precise, but I just tried to break the steps out for the crockpot similar to the order the original recipe has it.

However, if you are looking for precise, feel free to check out the below recipe at the Taste Of Home Cooking blog.  :)



Tinga Poblana with Chicken

William-Sonoma Mexican Cookbook

1 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (DON'T substitute with chicken breasts or boneless, skinless!)

1 white onion, 1/2 cut into large cubes, 1/2 finely diced

4 cloves garlic, 2 smashed, 2 minced

Salt

1 tablesooon cooking oil

1/2 lb chorizo, casings removed and crumbled

1 can chopped tomatoes (if in juice, drain. If in sauce, don't drain)

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

2 bay leaves

2 canned chipotles en adobo with 1 tablesoon sauce, diced (we used half this amount and it was plenty spicy)

Garnishes:

mince white onion

diced avocado

sour cream

Place the chicken, onion chunks and smashed garlic in a saucepan and add water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is opaque throughout, 20-30 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate. Reserve the broth. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard any skin or fat or bones and coarsely shred the meat with your fingers or a fork.

In a large frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the chorizo and fry for about 5 minutes. Remove the excess rendered fat. Add the finely chopped onion, garlic and saute until beginning to soften, but not yet starting to brown, about 1 minute. Add about 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, deglaze the pan. Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves and chiles. Stir until blended. Simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended, about 15 minutes. Add more broth to the pan if the mixture begins to stick, but do not add too much; the mixture should absorb the liquid and not be runny. Remove and discard the bay leaves and season to taste with salt.

Smothered Pork Chops

Pork Chops always seem to get forgotten about in our freezer. I found this Tyler Florence recipe on Food Network’s site. This was a good way to put those pork chops to use. We served it with thin egg noodles and broccoli. To make cleanup a little easier, the only change I’d recommend is to just throw the flour & seasonings into a Ziploc, shake to combine, and then add your pork chops before shaking again. Enjoy!!



Smothered Pork Chops

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup buttermilk

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Gordon Ramsay’s Sticky Baked Chicken

I saw Gordon Ramsay make this one day on Rachael Ray’s talk show. It was super easy and a fast weeknight dinner. The only thing I changed was to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken legs as I’m not such a huge fan of chicken legs. We served this with corn and had a nice, filling meal.



Gordon Ramsay’s Sticky Baked Chicken

Olive oil, to drizzle

10 chicken drumsticks

Sea salt and black pepper

For the glaze:

6 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons light soy sauce

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

4 teaspoons sesame oil

Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large baking dish. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper and arrange in the dish in a single layer. Drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.

Prepare the glaze in the meantime. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until evenly combined.

Take the chicken out of the oven and pour over the glaze, to coat each drumstick. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, turning several times, until the chicken is tender and nicely glazed.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. For a balanced meal, serve with steamed rice and purple sprouting broccoli or green beans.

Japanese Beef & Scallion Rolls

I came across this recipe on MaryEllen’s blog who based her recipe on this recipe from Epicurious. These are slightly time consuming, but well worth the effort. We had these with some jasmine rice and little shrimp shumai. We dipped these in a Ponzu Sauce that we got from the Asian Grocery store that we love. I hope you like it!!!



Japanese Beef & Scallion Rolls

12 small scallions, trimmed to 6-inch lengths

1 (1-lb) piece flank steak (roughly 6 to 7 inches square)

1/4 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)

1/4 cup mirin* (Japanese sweet rice wine)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Special equipment: a meat pounder; kitchen string

Prepare scallions:
Blanch scallions in a pot of boiling salted water for 45 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Transfer scallions to paper towels to drain and pat dry.

Prepare beef:
Cut flank steak with the grain holding a large knife at a 30-degree angle to cutting board into 12 (1/8-inch-thick) slices (1 1/2 to 2 inches wide). Arrange slices 1 inch apart on a very lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, then cover with another very lightly oiled sheet of parchment or plastic wrap (oiled side down) and pound slices with flat side of meat pounder until about 1/16 inch thick.

Assemble rolls:
Arrange 3 beef slices side by side on a fresh sheet of plastic wrap, overlapping slices slightly to form a 6-inch square with short ends of slices nearest you. Sprinkle square lightly with a pinch of salt, then lay 3 scallions (with some white parts at both ends) across slices at end closest to you and tightly roll up meat around scallions to form a log, using plastic wrap as an aid. Tie log with kitchen string at ends and where meat slices overlap. Make 3 more negimaki rolls in same manner.

Marinate rolls:
Stir together sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Put rolls in a small baking dish and pour marinade over them, turning to coat. Marinate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, turning occasionally, 15 minutes.

Cook rolls:
Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. While skillet is heating, lift rolls out of marinade, letting excess drip off, and pat dry. (Save marinade.) Add oil to skillet, swirling to coat bottom, then cook rolls, turning with tongs, until well browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer rolls to cutting board. Add marinade to skillet and boil until slightly syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Cut off and discard strings, then cut each roll crosswise into 6 slices. Pour sauce into a shallow serving dish and arrange negimaki in sauce.

Indian Grilled Chicken Marinated in Milk/yogurt

Another delicious recipe from Pioneer Woman. This recipe was submitted by a Pioneer Woman reader for her Dairy Contest. It was one of the top 5 finalists. I changed the quantities a bit since I was just cooking for Cancy & I. We had this with breaded & baked Zucchini and it made for a really light, healthy dinner. Thanks again Pioneer Woman!!!





Indian Grilled Chicken Marinated in Milk/yogurt

Chicken pieces ( I used a couple of large chicken breasts )

1 Cups Plain yogurt

1 Cups 2% Milk

1 1/2  Tbsp Garam Masala spice (I ordered Garam Masala from Penzey’s but I know SuperTarget carries it too)

Kosher Salt & Black Pepper


Marinate chicken OVERNIGHT in a mixture of all ingredients.

Heat grill to around 300-400

Place chicken skin down on grill and bake for until internal temp is 140.
Flip chicken over and continue to bake until chicken has reached 165 F for at least 4 minutes.


Remove from grill and let it “rest” for at least 3 minutes.

Fancy Manchego Mac with Chorizo

I found so many great recipes in the Every Day with Rachael Ray March Issue. This is another one. If you would like an easy to print version, you can click here to go to the magazine’s site.




Fancy Manchego Mac with Chorizo

Salt & Pepper

1 pound cavatappi (hollow corkscrew) or other short-cut pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (For drizzling)

1/2 pound raw chorizo sausage, casings discard, chopped

3 Tbsp Butter

2 Shallots, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 Tbsp flour

1/3 Cup Dry Sherry

1 Cup chicken broth

1 Cup whole milk

2 Cups shredded Manchego cheese

2 Cups frozen peas, thawed

1/4 Cup jarred pimento peppers

1/2 Cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.



In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, then whisk in the sherry. Stir in the chicken broth and milk and cook until thickened; season with pepper. Stir in the cheese. Fold in the peas and pimientos.

Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce and top with the chorizo and parsley.

No-Bake Protein Bars

I found these Protein Bars on Lindsey’s blog. She’s got some great workout tips on there as well as some basic routines. These protein bas make for a great mid day snack in taste a lot better than some of the protein shakes out there. I keep these in the fridge and usually take one to work each day for that lull between lunch and the end of the day.



No-Bake Protein Bars


1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 scoops chocolate protein powder
2 tablespoons flax seed
6 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread into a greased 8×8 glass dish and refrigerate until firm enough to cut. Cut into 9 squares, wrap individually, and store in refrigerator.

Sausage and Zucchini Rice

And another recipe from Rachael Ray. We tried this Sausage & Zucchini Rice after seeing it in the March issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. This is a good recipe to throw into any weeknight rotation. It's also a nice way to clean out your refrigerator's vegetable drawer. We always seem to have onion & zucchini in there. Oh, and really try to use the pine nuts in this recipe. Their flavor, once roasted, really stood out in the dish.



Sausage and Zucchini Rice

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups rice

One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth

1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, casings discarded

2 zucchini, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and 3 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, breaking it up, over medium heat until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Return the sausage to the skillet; add the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the rice along with 1/2 cup parmesan, the parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and the pine nuts.

Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Salmon

Always looking for ways to incorporate more fish into our meals, I was happy to see this recipe in the March Issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. It's really easy to put together and tastes great. We had it with wild rice (with the other 1/2 of the lemon from the recipe squeezed into it as well as some lemon zest).

Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Salmon

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

Four 7-ounce salmon fillets

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, mustard, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over high heat. Rub the salmon with the oil, season with salt and pepper and place skin side up in the skillet. Cook until a crisp brown crust forms, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, flip the salmon and coat with the brown sugar mixture. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the glaze caramelizes and the fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Pizza Cobbler... Trust me on this one.

So I was looking for a recipe for Pizza Pasta when I came across this recipe. It was super easy and from Rachael Ray so, no surprise that we ended up liking it. It comes together pretty quickly so it’s a good idea for a busy weeknight. With the biscuits on top, It really does taste just like a pizza. Try this one out… I bet you’ll like it.

Pizza Cobbler

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

One 8- to 10-ounce package sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1/2 cup sliced black olives

2/3 cup sliced pepperoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

One 7.5-ounce can refrigerated biscuits, separated and cut into quarters

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, combine the oil, onion and garlic and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and olives and bring to a simmer.

Spread the sauce mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish. Arrange the pepperoni in a single layer on top and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the biscuit pieces. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the biscuits are browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.