New addiction

I tasted, tried and cooked all kinds of new dishes over all the holiday parties.  Although there are several things I tried and liked, nothing came close to how much I LOVED this little concoction.  My sister-in-law blew all our small bites and dips away this Christmas with her Ham and Pickle Pinwheels.  Yes, you read it right, ham and pickle.  God bless that Paula Deen for this recipe. 

To answer your lingering question when Paula Deen's name is associated with recipes, no. 
No stick of butter involved.

I've had a variation of this recipe before with asparagus in the middle.  Trust me, that way is yesterday's news.  The dill pickle is where it's at, my friend.  You might have an eyebrow raised at the odd combo of flavors involved here.  I understand, I was a little skeptical myself.  One bite and you will wonder how you made it so long in life without these.  These were the hit of the buffet!  My husband and I both ate our weight in them.

I would venture to say you could make these a little lower in fat without having to sacrifice flavor.  (Since the New Year's resolutions are right around the corner)  You could use reduced sodium ham and low-fat cream cheese.

Recipe link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/ham-and-pickle-pinwheel-appetizers-recipe/index.html

If you like pickles and ham, I double dog dare you to make these and not fall in love.  I can't wait for the next small gathering to whip these up.  That's right, next gathering.  Because I could never trust myself not to eat all of them if these were just hanging around my house.

Thanks for my new snack addiction, Sal!

New cookbook alert

Greetings from my NEW IPAD! (Good golly I love my husband) Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. I can honestly say, my cup runneth over. I had perhaps the best Christmas ever.

I received a new cookbook for Christmas that I had to share with my peeps. Usually, I don't find Rachael Ray's cookbooks that appealing...however she has stepped up her game with her latest release, Look + Cook. I LOVE the recipes in this one. Plus, a bonus for all the visual learners out there is that there are tons of step-by-step photos for each recipe.

So many dishes I'm dying to try! For starters, I'm eyeing the Spinach and Artichoke Mac 'n Cheese recipe (for after I lose the holiday weight I found, *sigh*). I'm making the Winter Minestrone soup recipe for lunch this week. I will blog that this week if it's worthy of sharing ;-)

I think you would love this cookbook if you are looking to get out of your usual recipe rut. She uses lots of diverse, strong flavors. A perfect solution, since we are all sick of traditional, heavy holiday fare right now. Bleh.


Here is a link to the book on Amazon. You can see others give it glowing reviews as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Rays-Look-Cook-Ray/dp/030759050X

Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce

My husband has become the king of the smoker.  We've smoked tons of ribs, shoulders, butts and loins. But never had we smoked the king of meat...the beef tenderloin.  Mainly because we were a little scared of messing up such an expensive cut of meat.  But after years of contemplation, last weekend my husband smoked his first beef tenderloin for our little tasters get-together.  My, oh my, it was amazing!

I have to give my husband credit.  He did his fair share of research to get the timing and methodology right.  The meat was perfectly seared with a light smokey flavor, and inside it maintained a gorgeous ruby red hue.  Perfectly cooked, just on the edge of "Are you sure this is done?".  NO beef tenderloin should be cooked to medium.  I'm telling you, it should be against the law.  Rare, to medium-rare at most.  Otherwise you have wasted good meat.  If you can't do medium rare beef, save your money and buy yourself a sirloin and cook that 'til it's double-dead if you must.  Leave the good stuff for the rest of us.   

After he cooked such an amazing main course I went to work making a horseradish sauce to accompany it.  I researched a couple of different methods and I went with a sour cream base.  It's a perfect cool, creamy topping for the rich beef.  I served the tenderloin with split Hawaiian sweet rolls in case someone wanted to make a sandwich.  It was a hit at with the tasters.

Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce for Beef Tenderloin

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to serve.  Can be made up to a day ahead of you dinner or party.

Eat like Garth

It seems like everyone I know has tickets to one of Garth Brooks fundraiser shows in Nashville.  I never thought to buy tickets to this for some weird reason.  Now I'm jealous of you guys.  (*pouty face*)  In honor of you ticket holders and the man himself I will share a recipe out of Tricia Yearwood's cookbook.

Tricia Yearwood has two cookbooks out now.  They are FABULOUS!  A must purchase if you like good, southern recipes.  This Feta Artichoke dip is out of the second one, I believe.  I made it Saturday night for my taste testers.  It literally took 5 minutes to throw together and that was mainly all chopping time.  I served the dip with the thin style Triscuits.  Deeeelish!  This dip got a thumbs up from everyone.

Feta Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:
14 oz can artichoke hearts; drained and chopped
5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup mayo (I added in an extra 1/4 cup also, didn't look moist enough for me with only 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 jar of pimentos (2oz); drained
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. 
Pour into pie plate or 9x9 pan. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes; or until hot and bubbly.
Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies for dipping.

Yummmm!  I bet Garth is snacking on this now, warming up for the concert ;-) 

Shortcut Chicken and Dumplings

I had a request from a friend to work on a "bachelor proof" chicken and dumplings recipe.  I love a good challenge and couldn't wait to get cooking.  But this brings a confession from me:  I have never made my own Chicken and Dumplings.  My mom and sister make them, wonderfully might I add, so I've never needed to make my own.  I know what good dumplings taste like, but have never attempted it myself.  So yesterday I searched the web for various ways others make chicken and dumplings.  I took what I liked out of a couple of different recipes to make my own version. 

My version of chicken and dumplings is so simple!  You don't have to boil icky chicken parts or make your own dough, which is where most people go wrong making them.  This is fool proof.  However, it tastes like you slaved away in the kitchen all afternoon, I promise!  

"Bachelor Proof" Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 large rotisserie chicken, (remove skin and shred breast meat)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4-5 ribs of celery, trimmed, rinsed and sliced

4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon (to taste) kosher salt, table salt if you don't have kosher salt is fine

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon or more (to taste) poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1 (32oz) reduced sodium, 99% fat free chicken broth

1 can reduced fat condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (8 biscuits inside) can Grands Home style Buttermilk Biscuits

Start by skinning and pulling apart the chicken breasts.  You can add the dark thigh meat if you like dark meat also.  To remove the chicken breast, use a knife to run along the side of the back bone, separating as you go.  Next, use the knife to cut under the breast meat, just above the leg.  This way you can nearly remove the entire breast at one time.  Do the same thing for the other side.

Once you get the chicken breast removed, pull off and discard the skin.  Use your hand or two forks to shred chicken meat to bite sized pieces. 

I challenge you to do this part and not nibble on it.  Impossible.

I got about 3 cups of shredded chicken of mine.  Set chicken aside.

Chop or slice the celery, onions, and carrots.

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a dutch oven or large heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat.

Add in the veggies and saute until softened.  About 5-10 minutes.

While veggies saute, add in poultry seasoning, salt/pepper, and sage.

Pour in chicken broth and can of chicken soup.  Also add in two soup cans full of hot water.

Cover and bring mixture to a boil.

Once broth is up to a boil add shredded chicken to pot. 

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer, bubbling slightly for 10-15 minutes.

Taste the broth to make sure it doesn't need extra seasonings. 

 Add more of anything as you see it.

While pot is simmering you can cut the biscuits to make the "dumplings". 

(I only used 7 of the 8 inside.  Feel free to use all if you can fit them in the pan.) 

Use a knife to cut each biscuit into 8 equal pieces. 

Like a pie.

Carefully drop biscuit pieces into simmering pot one or two at a time. 

Stirring as needed if pot gets crowded. 

Essentially you only want as many dumplings as will fit on the surface of the broth. 

If you crowd them in the pot they will stick together and not cook evenly. 

Keep in mind the dumplings will puff up quite a bit while cooking.

Cover and let simmer for another 15-20 minutes to let dumplings cook.  Stirring occasionally.

You can see below, the dumplings swell up while cooking.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

How easy is that?  Others will think you slaved in the kitchen all day loonnngg.

These might even be better than Mama's :-) Shhhh, don't tell I said so.



Presto Pesto Skewers

If you can boil water, you can make these party skewers.  The real beauty of these are that while they are so easy, they look elegant and festive.  That's exactly what we are looking for in an appetizer right?

There are tons of different ways to skewer your favorite ingredients to make these.  I picked these things because; 1. These tomatoes looked great. 2. Cheese cubes are boring, cheese tortellini is much cooler.  There are other potential add ons to this Greek skewer stick like, olives, pepperoncini peppers, artichoke hearts, pepperoni....the list goes on.  Add whatever you like.

I used store bought pesto.  Yes, I could have made my own.  However if you buy basil in any supermarket in Clarksville this time of year it is the poorest excuse of fresh herbs you will ever see.  You would have $30 invested in trying to make a cup of viable fresh basil leaves.  I'm not up for the challenge and I would assume you aren't either.  Actually store bought pesto tastes amazingly close to homemade.  The best store-bought pesto's are the refrigerated ones, not the jarred.  Jarred pesto on the shelves taste too garlicky for me.  Our Kroger carries Buitoni refrigerated pesto.  Its found in the dried pasta isle in the cooler, right above the fresh tortellini you will need to buy for these also.  See, I'm keeping it simple for you.

A note about the tomatoes:  I used CHERRY tomatoes, not GRAPE tomatoes.  They are usually found right above the grape tomatoes in stores.  These were in a red net sack, not plastic.  Cherry tomatoes are closer to what we grow in our backyard in the summer time.  They are slightly larger and much, much juicier than grape tomatoes.  It gives you that sweet burst when you bite into them.  We southerners can relate to this variety more than grape tomatoes. 

Enough talk, let's skewer...

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini (I used whole wheat)
1 English Cucumber, sliced
1 package cherry tomatoes
1 container refrigerated pesto
Bamboo skewers

Boil cheese tortellini according to package directions.

Drain well and place in a bowl.  Place bowl in refrigerator to cool tortellini.

While tortellini cool, prep the rest of the ingredients.

English Cucumbers are different than what we grow in our gardens.  They are longer and have little to no seeds.  They are also less watery than the variety we are used to.  That makes them perfect for these skewers.  These cuc's are wrapped in a clear plastic wrapper in the grocery.  All you need to do to prepare them for eating is give the outside a good rinse.  The skins of these are not coated with that weird waxy substance regular cucumbers are when purchased in the store.

To make them look more festive, I take a vegetable peeler and run it down four sides of the cucumber before slicing them.  This gives them the striped edges. 

It looks pretty, but is completely optional for you.

Rinse tomatoes and remove what is left of the stems.

Once tortellini is cooled add the tomatoes and cucumbers to bowl. 

Add in pesto stirring carefully to combine.

At this point you can cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to

skewer them, if needed. 

Thread the ingredients onto the bamboo skewers in

whatever combo and sequence you prefer.

I love tortellini so I made sure to put at least two on each skewer.

Keep skewers in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

They can come up to room temperate while the party is in full swing and they are still just as tasty. 

No worries.

If you are hosting or going to a party that will be full of heavy dips and rich foods these skewers are a great addition to the buffet.  Since there are veggies on here you don't have to feel guilty about having two or three of these babies. 

It's a nice break from the calorie bombs we often think of to take to parties. 

But these don't skimp on flavor one bit.  They were a hit!

Barefoot Amanda

There are two kinds of people in this world.  Those of us that like blue cheese, and the rest of you.  I LOVE.  So every since I saw this recipe for Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers on Barefoot Contessa's, "Perfect Cocktail Party" episode I have been dying to make them.  The anticipation was worth it.  These were a great little party nibble.  They paired wonderfully with wine too, might i add.

Saturday night, I threw together a last minute, impromptu wine and cheese themed appetizer get together. A couple friends that were kind enough to drop their Saturday night plans to come taste test some recipes I wanted to try out.  All the recipes turned out really well.  Each day this week I will share with you a new small bite recipe.  Amanda tested, friends approved.

First things, first.  These Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers.  It might look a little complicated, but I promise they were easy.  I actually made them Thursday evening and baked them Saturday afternoon before my taste testers arrived. 

What makes them even better is you don't have to worry with keeping them warm.  These are great, hot out of the oven or at room temperature. Or the next day...as I learned while enjoying some leftovers.

One foot note:  I couldn't find the "Silton" cheese it called for in our Kroger so I picked it up at whole foods last week.  So take precautions if you plan to make them that it might require a quick trip to a Publix or Whole Foods for the right cheese. 

I can NOT wait for our Publix to open! Amen?

Recipe Link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blue-cheese-and-walnut-crackers-recipe/index.html
Here are some of my photos along the cooking process.  I didn't have parchment paper to line the sheet pan with before baking...so I just flipped the crackers half way through to prevent burning. 

Assemble all you ingredients before you start mixing.

I got a little carried away with the flour on the work surface.  You don't need near this much.

An "egg wash" is simply one egg lightly beaten with a small splash of water.

Nothing to be intimidated over.

See below that I flipped them half way through cooking. 

Since I didn't have parchment paper they would brown too much on one side without the flip.