Chicken Nachos

I've been making these Chicken Nachos for years and are a family favorite.  The filling is baked and then served along side tortilla chips and sour cream.   These would make a perfect snack next week while watching the Super Bowl.


4 Chicken breasts, cooked, finely diced (4cups)
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2/3 cup chopped tomatoes or 1 (14.5 oz) can Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained well
12oz Monterey jack or Pepper Jack (for a little spice) cheese, shredded



1.  Saute onion and pepper in butter until tender.
2.  In a large bowl add onion mixture, chicken, green chilies, salt, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes and cheese.
4.  Place in baking dish and bake 350 for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Crescent Bars

I have had these bars but never made them myself until now.  I will say, sometimes, it's good to NOT know how something so good is made because now I know how much butter goes into these bars.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter but I cut back a little.  I know, not a lot but it made me fill a little better.  I made these for a brunch but would be a great dessert too.  I will be making these again when I have somewhere to bring them as they are so easy, quick, delicious and worth every bite!  

Ingredients:
2 cans pillsbury butter crescent rolls

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup butter (melted)

Cinnamon & Sugar (1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon)

Instructions:
Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased glass 9x13 dish, pressing perforations to seal. In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll remaining crescent rolls over mixture, pinch seams together.  Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool, about 20 minutes.  Good served warm, room temperature and right from the refrigerator.  Cover and refrigerate to store.  Serves 12 

Spinach Salad

This is what I made for lunch today, a delicious spinach salad.  I halved this recipe and made two large salads for my husband and I.  We both loved it!  What a tasty combination….spinach, bacon, red onion, candied pecans, dried cherries, and a sliced apple.  The vinaigrette is a keeper because it's perfectly balanced and I always have these ingredients in my pantry.  I found this recipe on the wonderful blog Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I follow a LOT of recipe blogs via email.  What I love about recipe blogs is that each day as I go through my emails, I see these delicious food photos and I'm inspired to cook.  Not all the recipes turn out for me but the ones that do I like to share and hope they inspire you too.  

Ingredients

Salad:
16 ounces baby spinach
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled 
1 cup Feta cheese crumbles (blue cheese or goat cheese works well too)
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 Honey Crisp apples, cored and sliced thin
Sweet Spicy Nuts:
1 cup whole pecans
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of cayenne 
Pinch of salt
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

1. For the dressing, shake all the ingredients together in a mason jar until well combined.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The dressing will keep for a week in the fridge.
2. For the nuts, lightly toast the nuts in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. (This step helps the nuts heat up so that when they go into the melted sugary syrup the syrup will coat them and not seize up because the nuts were too cool)  While the nuts toast, place the sugar, cayenne and salt in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the sugar mixture until it liquefies completely, adjusting the heat to low.  (Don't rush this as the sugar will take time to melt and if the heat is too high it will burn quickly.)  Once the sugar is melted, right away toss in the toasted nuts and stir to coat the nuts with sugar.  Transfer nuts to a plate to cool completely.
3. To assemble the salad, toss all the salad ingredients together along with the cooled nuts.  Just toss right before serving. Enjoy!

Serves 6

I have a favorite way to dress my salads.  I put all the salad ingredients into a large bowl with a fitted lid.  Drizzle on a little salad dressing, close the lid, and shake.  Start out with a little and add more if needed.  I know, an extra bowl to clean BUT the salad is perfected coated and you don't end up with a soggy over dressed salad.

Roasted Butternut Squash Spinach Salad

I had a similar salad at a Restaurant and I had to come home and recreate it. I never thought about putting butternut squash on a salad but it sure is good.  I like to buy butternut squash already cut up as it's a timesaver and so much easier. We are trying to have a salad (for lunch) a few times a week and this one I'll be making again soon!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups diced butternut squash (I like to buy butternut squash cut ready to use.  You may have to cut larger pieces in half.) 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette: 

• 1  Tablespoon olive oil
• 1  Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (I found this at Trader Joe's) or cider vinegar
• 1  Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon minced shallots 
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and fresh black pepper

For the salad: 

• 6  oz baby spinach
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 dried cherries 
• 1/4 cup  crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a bowl, toss the butternut squash with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey, salt and fresh ground pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the center of the oven for 15-20  minutes, turning half way, or until tender and caramelized. When done, remove from the oven and slightly cool.  The squash can be made ahead, set aside (up to 30 minutes) or keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, shallots, 1 Tablespoon honey, mustard and whisk in oil, pinch of salt black pepper.

In a large bowl  add spinach, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, and the crumbled blue cheese.  Drizzle on dressing and toss.  Divide salad on 2 plates and top each salad  with the roasted butternut squash.  Serve immediately.

Makes 2 Serving size salads or 4 small salads

Italian Shredded Beef

Today we are staying inside because Baby, it's cold outside. It is ONLY 1 degree  and tonight -17!  Being stuck inside today isn't such a bad thing because we have a lot of exciting TV to watch.  First off, Green Bay Packers vs 49ers (watching as I type and Packers just scored their first touchdown!!!)  GO PACK!  Then Wisconsin Badger Basketball, GO BADGERS!  Then what  I'm most excited about is Season 4 of Downton Abbey!  It has got to be my favorite series, ever.  It's also a great day to make this Italian Beef.  After smelling this cook in the crockpot all day we could hardly wait.  But wait we did until we got to pile a toasted bun with this flavorful shredded beef and the first (and last) bite was delicious!  

You can find Pepper Rings and Giardiniera in the pickle/olive aisle.  These peppers are both mild so beef isn't spicy, just flavorful.  If someone does want spicy, there is spicy Giardiniera,  just add to the sandwich.      

Ingredients:

3-4lb Whole Beef Chuck Roast, remove visible fat and cut into large chunks 
1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix
8oz Pepperoncini pepper slices and a splash of juice (plus extra for serving)
8oz Mild Giardiniera  drained (plus extra for serving)
14.5oz can Beef Broth or Beef Consomme
Provolone Cheese, sliced
Hoagie Rolls, Toasted (a nice hardy roll, not soft as the juice will make the roll soggy)

Directions: 

1. Place chuck roast into the bottom of a crockpot then sprinkle with Italian dressing mix. Add pepperoncini peppers plus a splash of juice, Giardiniera, and beef broth. Place a lid on top then cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Shred (*see note) or chop (removing any visible fat) then place the meat back into the crockpot and cook on low for 30 more minutes.
2. Serve on toasted buns topped with provolone cheese slices. Top with additional pepperoncini peppers and Giardiniera, if desired.  

Serve 6-8 

* I like to chop the meat instead of shredding.  The reason is I like the chopped texture better than the long shreds of beef.

 Adapted from Pioneer Woman and Iowa Girl Eats

Sausage Bread

I've been making this sausage bread every Christmas morning as long as I can remember because it's my son, Michael's  favorite.  I only make it once a year so to keep it special for our Christmas morning breakfast which consist of this sausage bread, an egg bake, fruit and muffins.  Every year I think, I really need to take a picture of this bread so I can blog the recipe.   Well, year after year, I get busy and forget!  But this year I remembered because my son asked for the recipe.  I guess he'd like it more than once a year!  

I don't make homemade dough because this Rhodes bread dough is easy and come Christmas morning I need easy!  The only hard part to this recipe is remembering to take the dough out of the freezer the night before to thaw.  Last year, I forgot, and let me tell you I had to scramble to make homemade dough and it was good BUT it wasn't easy. 

This recipe makes two of these loaves but can easily be halved if you only need one.

2 (loafs) Rhode White Bread, thawed (according to pkg. or overnight in the fridge) 

1-(16oz pkg.)  breakfast sausage (I like Jimmy Dean-regular)

1 onion, diced

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

8oz cheese grated (I like to use pepper jack, monterey jack or mozzarella)

2 tablespoons butter 

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Sauté sausage and onion until cooked, add mushrooms and sauté just until heated.  Drain well.  Set aside.  (this can be made the day before)

3.   Spray 2 cookie sheets lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Roll (shape) each loaf into a rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes.

4.  Remove wrap from dough and top sausage mixture evenly over each rectangle. Top evenly with cheese.

5.  Roll each rectangle, jelly roll style, starting with the long side. Pinch ends together to seal tucking ends under. Place on baking sheet seam side down.  Bake each on their own baking sheet so that each loaf bakes evenly.  Switch pans half way between baking time.  Bake at 350°F 45-55 minutes. When loaves come out of the oven spread the top with butter.  Remove from pan to cool10 minutes before slicing.

The winner of the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest is…….

Well, I didn't win the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off but I had an amazing time!  It's so much fun meeting so many finalist.  After all the excitement and fun it's a hard to come back down to earth.  Thanks to my wonderful husband I don't have to just yet.  He gave me a consolation prize, we are spending the night at Sundra Spa (Wisconsin Dells) for some quiet time and to get my heart beating back to normal again.  As I sit here in my fluffy robe by the fire place I'll go through my pictures and give you a glimpse behind the scenes at the Bake-Off. 

I have to thank my son, Michael, as he took most of the pictures for me.    It was nice not having to worry about taking pictures with all the goings on so THANKS Michael!  Just wish he was in a few more pictures! 

It was so nice having my family with me in Vegas.  After all those three people are why I love to cook/bake!  We were picked up from the airport in Vegas style, a limo!

The Aria is a beautiful hotel!

We had a free night so we went to the show The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil.  It was fabulous!

    The next morning (Sunday) I headed up to the convention center to sign in.   

After I registered I get interviewed right away! Being in front of the camera is when my heart beats a little faster!

So cool to see my recipe and name in print.

                                                  That night we had the reception party           

with a live band,

wine and appetizers (they are on that piece of art)

                                                            and some really good food!

Bright and early Monday morning, it's Bake-Off day! After breakfast, we start to line up for the Grand March where we head to our ovens.  My oven number was #93.  Click here for a cool video on how they put the Bake-Off floor together.

Add caption

 The life-size Pillsbury Doughboy and last year's winner Christina Verrelli along with a marching band which played pots, pans and spoons started out our Grand March.   Once we are all in front of our ovens, the announcement is made, READY, SET, MAKE!!  Click here to see the Grand March.

  

Behind the oven is when I was the most calm.  We have enough ingredients to make our recipe three times and then decide which one we want to go to the judges.  We don't have to make it a third time if we are happy with the first two batches.  My first batch of Cream Puffs came out perfect so I brought them to the Judges.  We don't actually see the judges as they are behind closed doors.  My second batch also came out perfect so they were for samples.  

While you are busy cooking, reporters, food bloggers and food writers are walking the floor interviewing us.  They don't want to interrupt our cooking/baking so they are very careful and ask if you have time to talk.  TV personality Padma Lakshmi, who host Bravo's "Top Chef"series was also on the floor interviewing contestants.  I wish I could of met her as I'm a huge fan of her show "Top Chef".  I wasn't one of the lucky ones who she interviewed.

  Once I was done, I was able to look around and realized a lot of contestants were still cooking.  A few people told me later they had to make their recipe three times because the ovens didn't cook like their home ovens and they had a few issues.   
Once we are done we can walk around and taste samples.  After trying a few, I was full!  I have no idea how the judges do it!  We now had some free time to rest up before getting ready for the Dinner and Awards Ceremony.  

Champagne!  Great way to start the party!

At this point, I think, everyone is thinking….It could be me!  I know I did!  It's fun to dream!

I have to show you what they served us for dinner. It was so delicious!   

First Course - Grilled Vegetables & Pesto, Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes with Champagne Vinaigrette

 Second Course - Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Croutons

 Dual Entree - Grilled Filet of Beef and Striped Bass

Dessert - Glazed Gianduja Chocolate Bar with Vanilla Berries

Padma Lakshmi, also hosted the Dinner and Awards Ceremony.  Dinner and the entertainment was great!  Now time for the Awards.  And the winner is…..

Glori Springs of Nevada won $1 million with her 

Loaded Potato Pinwheels.

2nd Place - Sheila Suhan of Scottdale, Pa., with Easy Caprese Pizza Bake

3rd Place - Antoinette Leal of Ridgefield, Conn., with Cherry Almond Brunch Tart            

GE Innovation at Work Award - Kellie White of Valley Park, Mo., for Honey Sesame Bagels  
JIF Peanut Butter Award - Kim Doyle Wille of Carbondale, Co., for Thai Shrimp Pizza
Click here for all the recipes.

The End.  Not really!   I have one more time that I can enter and enter I will.  I already have an idea!  Who knows, maybe I'll get selected for the 47th in Nashville.  If not, I'll keep trying!