Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Salad In Red Pepper Cups

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked orzo pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup black olives, cut in half lengthwise

2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

1 grilled chicken breast half, diced

2 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

4 sprigs fresh oregano

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the orzo, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, transfer to a bowl, and let cool in the refrigerator.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder, salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked orzo, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and chicken breast meat until thoroughly combined. Pour the dressing over the orzo mixture, lightly mix to coat all ingredients with dressing, and spoon into the red pepper halves. Garnish each serving with an oregano sprig.

Easy Creme Brulee

Here’s proof that Creme Brulee is easy to make. It’s the perfect “just enough” dessert. Just a few bites of something sweet. It’s easy, can (and should) be made ahead of time, and it’s pretty impressive if you’re having guests over

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

Sugar

Salt

Vanilla

Heavy Cream

Directions:

1. You will also need some custard cups or ramekins, too. And here are the tools you'll need: A whisk, a small bowl, and a medium mixing bowl that's microwave safe. You'll also need a roasting pan, an oven, and a microwave. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Separate the 4 eggs. Put the yolks into the small bowl. Set aside for a minute. Next, put 4 tablespoons of sugar into the mixing bowl. Add 1 pint of heavy cream.

3. Stir gently with a whisk. You're not whipping this, just stirring. Next, put it into the microwave for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. While that's going, whisk those yolks a bit. Just enough to break the yolks up and smooth it out some.

4. When your sugar-cream mix is done in the microwave, stir it a bit to make sure the sugar dissolves. Stir in the eggs and whisk it well. Add a dash of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla.

5. After it's well whisked, pour it into ramekins. Put the ramekins into a roasting pan. You could fit another 2 ramekins in but I only had 4.

6. Put the roasting pan with ramekins into the oven. Pour in enough hot water to come up halfway on the ramekins. It doesn't have to be boiling, just hot. I normally do it straight out of the faucet.

7. Bake @ 350F for 40 minutes. They should still be jiggly when you pull them out. Don't worry about it. It will set up in the fridge, just like a cheesecake. Let them cool a bit and then pop them into the fridge. It's best to chill them overnight, but they're certainly edible after a few hours of chilling.

8. When you're ready to serve, get out a butane torch of some sort. I've got a nice one that came in a set with the ramekins. There are plenty of options. If all else fails, you can melt the sugar under the broiler.

9. Sprinkle on some sugar. I'm using plain sugar, but you can use brown sugar instead. Vanilla sugar is my favorite. Torch it.

10. Let the creme brulee cool for just a minute, and enjoy.

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:

6 ounces of uncooked spaghetti

1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can of frenches fried onions
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
and a bunch of pepperonis

Directions:
1. You will also require a pie dish. Combine cooked spaghetti, Parmesan cheese and egg.
2. Press over the bottom and up sides of pan to form a "crust."
3. Fry ground beef... add onions when browning begins.
4. And then the sauce...stir.
5. Add meat/sauce mix, cheese, and toppings of choice.
6. Bake till cheese is golden brown.
7. Slice it up. and eat!

Blackberry Roly Poly

Ingredients:

1 pint of blackberries

½ teaspoon (scant) of salt
¼ cup of water
¼ cup of shortening
¾ cup of sugar
Yolk of 1 egg
1½ cups of pastry flour
Milk or water
3 level teaspoons of baking powder
White of 1 egg, beaten slightly
Granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Cook the berries with the water in a covered saucepan until softened and stain through a sieve fine enough to keep back the seeds; add the sugar and let cook until quite thick, stirring occasionally.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, work in the shortening and mix to a dough with the yolk of egg and a little milk or water.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead, to get it in shape, then roll out into a rectangular sheet one-fourth an inch thick; cut this into four pieces longer than wide.
4. Spread each piece with the blackberry mixture, roll up like a jelly roll and set into a baking pan.
5. Brush the top of each roll with white of egg, then dredge with sugar.
6. Bake about twenty-five minutes.
7. Serve hot with the rest of the blackberry, kept hot in boiling water, as a sauce.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

This recipe is simple to put together with the majority of the time either cooling or chilling before cutting into. Each layer actually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to assemble

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

7 ounces, chopped fine bittersweet chocolate (Ghirardelli Bittersweet)

3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
Pinch table salt
1/3 cup packed (about 2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar, crumbled with fingers to remove lumps
Middle Layer

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
5 tablespoons hot water
7 ounces, chopped fine bittersweet chocolate (Ghirardelli Bittersweet)
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Top Layer

3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin  

1 tablespoon water 

6 ounces white chocolate chips (Guittard Choc-Au-Lait) 

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream 

Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for serving, optional

Directions:

For The Bottom Layer: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 91/2-inch spring form pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.

> In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared springform pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.

> Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan.

For The Middle Layer: Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

> In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.

> Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.

For The Top Layer: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Bring ½ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly).

> In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold remaining whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.

To Serve: If using, garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa. Run thin knife between cake and side of springform pan; remove side of pan. Run cleaned knife along outside of cake to smooth sides. Cut into slices and serve.

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

There 's cheese, cheese, lots of cheese in this mighty good chicken pot pie. Along with the Cheddar, there are hunks of chicken, peas, carrots, celery, chicken stock, milk and cornstarch for thickening

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken meat

3/4 cup green peas

1/3 cup diced celery

1/3 cup diced carrots

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup milk

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine the stock, chicken, peas, celery and carrots. Bring to a boil.
2. Mix cornstarch with milk and stir into stock mixture. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Stir cheese into filling mixture and pour into a 9 inch pie crust. Top with second crust, seal edges and cut slits in top crust. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until top crust is golden brown.

Red Broccoli Salad



This recipe calls for lots and lots of crumbled, maple-flavored bacon, chopped broccoli, red and green onion, red grapes and toasted almonds. Everything is then tossed with a sweet mayonnaise and vinegar dressing

Ingredients:

2 pounds bacon

1 large head fresh broccoli, chopped

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup minced green onions

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 1/2 cups seedless grapes, halved

3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook, turning frequently, over medium high heat until evenly browned. Cool, and then crumble.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Spread slivered almonds on a cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once during toasting. Cool.
3. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, crumbled bacon, celery, green onions, red onions, grapes, and toasted almonds. Toss with mayonnaise dressing. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator.