S'mores Truffles

I saw this recipe on Emily’s blog and I knew I had to make it. I feel like I've had this recipe saved forever. I'm not sure why it took me so long to make it. These truffles were so easy to make. They were a big hit at the cookout we took them to. Make sure you keep them in the fridge or freezer and set them out just before serving. They get soft pretty easy, but they're so tasty.

S'mores Truffles

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk chocolate chips (12 oz.)
24 mini-marshmallows
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat; whisk in cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Chill saucepan in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until chocolate is solid and rollable; roll into 24 balls, stuffing a mini marshmallow into the center of each. Chill truffles a few minutes before rolling in graham cracker crumbs; chill for a few minutes again so they solidify a little more.

Antipasta Chopped Salad

I’ve been craving artichokes lately. They seem to go good with just about everything. I made this salad one night to go with some grilled chicken. Cancy really liked it as well. You really could add whatever you like to this. I will probably add some Kalamata olives next time. I hope you like it.

Antipasta Chopped Salad

1 heart of romaine, chopped
about 6 ounces mozzarella, diced
6 ouces of salami or pepperoni, chopped small
banana peppers, diced
12 ounce jar of marinated artichokes, drained & chopped

Combine lettuce, cheese, meat, peppers, & artichokes into a bowl. Toss to combine.

Use a little bit of the reserved liquid from the artichoke jar to dress the salad. Season with salt & pepper.

Jalapeno Chile Coleslaw

I have been making this side dish this summer and it has gone over well each time. It’s a nice side to take to any potluck or bbq since it makes so much. If you like things with a little heat in them, you will appreciate this. My husband’s friends have asked for it a few times since they first tried it. Try it, You’ll love it.

Jalapeno Chile Coleslaw
2 (8 oz) packages broccoli coleslaw
1 Napa cabbage, cut into 1/4” strips
5 jalapenos, cut out the ribs & seeds, then chop
1 bottle of Jalapeno Ranch Dressing (this is important)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. cayenne

Combine broccoli slaw, cabbage, and jalapenos.

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan on medium heat. Just warm them up a little bit so they are more fragrant. Let cool.

Pour dressing over top, sprinkle cayenne & toss to coat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to let everything combine. Just before serving, top with cumin seeds.

Grilled Pesto Salmon with Grilled Asparagus

I have been a bad, bad blogger. It's been an entire month without any updates. We've been a little busy lately. Cancy's work schedule has been yucky all month. By the middle of the month, we went to Orlando for a nice little vacation only to come back and get the flu a day later. So I'm finally getting around to doing some updates since I've been home from work with the flu. So I haven't really been cooking much of anything lately but here are a few updates from earlier this month.

So a new grocery store opened up by us this month. Sprout's Farmers Market... Yum! Cancy & I went here during their opening weekend and among other things, we found a great deal on fresh salmon. Get ready for the non-recipe...


Grilled Pesto Salmon with Grilled Asparagus
2 pieces of fresh salmon
1 container of ready-made pesto
1 cedar plank for the grill

a bundle of fresh asparagus, rinse & break the woody stems off
salt & pepper
olive oil

Soak the cedar plank in water for about 30 minutes. This is so it won't burn when it's on the grill.

Set the salmon, skin side down on the planks and cover with the pesto.

In a Ziploc bag, shake up the fresh asparagus, olive oil, and salt & pepper.

Set the cedar plank on the grill and cook until the salmon is done. About 10 minutes in, place your asparagus on the grill as well. They should finish about the same time.

Grilled Peaches with Honey & Goat Cheese

This recipe from Cara showed up in my Google Reader last month it looked so good we made it immediately. (Even if I can’t get around to blogging about it for a month or so) :) This is a great way to enjoy peaches with a meal you’re already grilling. And please, please don’t be scared of the goat cheese. I love goat cheese but for those who haven’t had it yet or are wierded out by it being with something sweet, trust me. It’s good.

Grilled Peaches with Honey & Goat Cheese

2 fresh summer peaches
a log of your favorite goat cheese
some honey
good quality cinnamon

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, and spray with a nonstick grill spray or brush the grates with some oil (you'll be caramelizing right on the grates, so there's a good chance you'll get some stickage).

Cut the peaches in half and cut out the pits (you might want to cut around the pit, making a bigger hole, if you want to be able to fit more goat cheese in there!).

Sprinkle the cut halves with some sugar, then place cut side down on the grill for about 10-15 minutes. Turn them over, place some crumbled goat cheese in each peach and close the grill for another few minutes to warm the cheese.

Remove to a platter, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cool for just a bit, but not too long

Spicy Shrimp, Sausage, & Spinach Fettuccine

This recipe popped up in my Google Reader and I knew I had to make it. We already had everything on hand so it was really convenient. We didn’t really feel like the corn would be a good fit in here so we left it out. We may try it next time. All in all, this dish was easy to put together, Cancy loved it, & it made for good leftovers too. I hope you like it.

Spicy Shrimp, Sausage, & Spinach Fettuccine

1 pound fettuccine
olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup

3 links of hot Italian sausage, removed from casing, about 1/4 pound

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/4 pounds of large shrimp (21 - 25/pound), peeled and deveined

4 large handfuls of baby spinach, about 4 cups loosely packed

1 cup corn ( i left this out )

1/2 cup pasta water

1/2 - 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated and not packed, plus more for serving

salt & 
pepper



Cook fettuccine in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Set aside.



While the pasta cooks, heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the sausage in small pieces and the garlic and cook until until the sausage is cooked and browned.

Add shrimp to pan and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until it is slightly wilted. Add corn and pasta water to saute pan and scrape up any bits cooked on to the bottom of the pan.

Add pasta and toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place in a serving bowl and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve with extra cheese.

Gnocchi with Summer vegetables

I’m a big Martha Stewart fan. I usually end up on her site looking for recipes. I found this one just in time. Cancy’s parents had a bunch of zucchini & squash from their garden this summer so they brought some down last time they were here. And by some, I mean a whole bunch. This was a delicious way to use both the zucchini & the squash. Enjoy.

Gnocchi with Summer vegetables
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini or summer squash, or one of each (about 2 pounds total), quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I left this out)
1 package (15 to 16 ounces) shelf stable gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Salisbury Steak... It's not just for TV Dinners

I think Salisbury Steak has a bad reputation. The only time I remember ever hearing about it is on a tv dinner package. This recipe came up on Amy’s blog and I thought I’d reconsider since it looked like something Cancy would like. I’ve gotta’ say, it wasn’t bad. It went perfect with mashed potatoes. Try this, and you’ll end up with a very content husband.

Amy’s Salisbury Steak

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Grown-Up Hamburger Helper

This is a dish made for Cancy. He went through his fair share of Hamburger Helper before I met him. The Dijon & Colby cheese are what pulled me in. This recipe comes together super easily. I would recommend that you prep your ingredients before you start just to keep things moving along. Although this is originally a Rachael Ray recipe, I followed Shelly’s version because she cut the serving size down.

Grown up Hamburger Helper

2 cups pasta (I used orrichette shaped pasta)

1/2 pound ground beef (To help cut some calories & fat, I used ground turkey)

2 big tablespoons of grated onion

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup of half and half (We used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Garnish:
chopped dill pickles
diced tomatoes or salsa (We didn't use this)

Boil a pot of water and add the pasta, cook per the box. Don't drain until the rest is ready.

In a large skillet brown the meat. Add the onion and worcestershire then some salt and pepper. When fully cooked, remove to a paper plate and get rid of the grease.

In the same skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in the half and half and the chicken stock. Bring to a bubble and cooke for a few minutes until it thickens up. Stir in the dijon. Add the cheese and keep stirring until all melted into gooey goodness. More salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce skillet along with the meat. Serve with the dill pickles and tomatoes/salsa if you wish.

Cake Batter Ice Cream

I’ve had this recipe starred in my Google Reader for awhile now. Today was another hot Texas Summer day so I thought it would be the perfect time for Birthday Cake Ice Cream. This was delicious. I’d say it’s probably one of my favorite ice cream recipes, I’ve tried so far. Very Rich, Very Sweet... Next time, if anything, I may just cut down the sugar to about 1/4 Cup. But this is definitely worth trying out.

Cake Batter Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream
(I used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

1 cup boxed cake mix

Sprinkles, if desired

Mix the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Pour in the heavy whipping cream and cake mix.  Whisk together until completely mixed in.

Turn on ice cream maker and pour in mix.  Let churn for 25 minutes.  Pour in the sprinkles during the last five minutes of churning.

Transfer to a bowl and freeze.