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HAND ON MY HEART...
"Upon completion of this post, I do solemnly swear, to stop shaping food into little footballs....For now."
Find the cute little super bowl dessert recipe and "how to" here at SheKnows: No-Bake Football Cookies
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Chicken Jalapeno Pepper Jack Sliders
yields about 16 chicken sliders
Ingredients:
2 lb ground chicken (I prefer ground chicken to turkey if I can find it)
1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips (I used low salt chips)
1 egg white
3/4 cup diced Pepper Jack Cheese (small dice cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
1 scant tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Recommended Toppings:
Lettuce
Tomato
Bacon
Crisp, thinly sliced Red Onion
Jalapeno slice, fresh or pickled!
Directions:
Saute up the onion and jalapeno pepper until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let get to room temperature.
In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, crushed chips, egg white, cheese, onion/jalapeno mixture, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper, until well combine.
Form into 3 inch diameter burger patties.
Place in the refrigerator or freezer to set (if desired).
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium, high heat. Once hot add a touch of cooking spray and fry up the sliders in batches about 3 minutes per side to brown the outside.
Place sliders in the oven for 8-10 minutes to cook through.
Toast buns and serve with favorite toppings!
Grilled Pork Satay and Pineapple Skewers
Ingredients:
2 medium sized pork tenderloins, cut into 2 inch medallions (I had 25 pieces of pork)
Can of pineapple chunks, or fresh pineapple cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup Creamy Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon honey
Fresh ground pepper
Garnish:
Crushed Unsalted Peanuts
Scallion, chopped on a bias, sliced in strips
Lime wedges (not shown)
Cilantro (not shown)
Directions:
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, chili garlic sauce, garlic and honey. (Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking but this worked for me!)
Place pork medallions in a large Ziploc storage bag and pour your marinade into the bag over top of the pork. Mix together well in the bag.
Refrigerate and let marinate at least two hours ~ this marinated six.
If using wooden skewers, make sure to keep them submerged in water for a few hours before cooking to prevent them from burning.
When ready to skewer, carefully place on one piece of pork followed by pineapple chunk ~ I did 5 pieces pork to 3 pineapple, beginning and ending with pork.
We cooked the skewers over a hot charcoal grill, turning occasionally for approximately 10 minutes. Gas grill or oven would work too. Just be sure to turn skewers at least once while cooking.
Kielbasa Sandwiches with Grilled Sweet Onions, Sauerkraut, Melted Cheese and Mustard Jalapeno Spread
Ingredients:
Quality Polish Kielbasa, sliced into 1/4 inch circles
12 oz Sauerkraut
1 large sweet onion, sliced in thin rounds
Equal parts Whole Grain Dijon Mustard and a Spicy Jalapeno Jelly
Gruyere Cheese
Small Crusty Rolls
Directions:
Mix together your mustard and jelly until well combine. Your condiment is now ready.
In a cast iron skillet, brown up the kielbasa. Once slightly darkened around edges, remove from the pan and set aside.
Preheat broiler.
In the same pan, add your sweet onions and grill up until just beginning to brown and soften. Add sauerkraut to the pan with the onions and cook together about 8 minutes, until most juices evaporate.
Slice your rolls and scoop out a bit of the inside bread if desired.
Next, assemble the sandwiches (in a pan preferably with sides if making many). First, spread some of the mustard/jelly condiment on the bottom.
Next, pile on some kielbasa rounds (about 8 Don't Skimp!) then the onion/sauerkraut mixture and then top with a good slice of Gruyere Cheese.
Place the pan under the broiler - along with the top of the rolls (facing inside up) to slightly crisp its edges
Once cheese has melted, remove from the oven. PAY ATTENTION WHEN IN BROILER.
Spread some more mustard/jelly condiment on the inside top of the roll and close the sandwich.
Serve with BEER and CHIPS!
Black Bean Chipotle Soup
~adapted from Black Bean Soup recipe that I posted previously on this blog, that was adapted from a lost recipe years ago in Real Simple Magazine
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobe, chopped (these are very hot, do not get on fingers)
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped (I deseeded half)
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
3 15 oz cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Juice from 1/2 to 1 lime depending on size
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Directions:
In large stock pot over medium-high heat add olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
Add chipotle pepper, jalapeno pepper, chili powder and cumin and stir until well coated.
Add carrot and celery and stir again until all vegetables are well coated with the spice.
Add entire can of diced tomatoes, stir.
Add black beans, stir.
Add stock, stir and then bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, cover pot with heavy lid and cook for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove from heat, take off lid, add lime juice and tomato paste.
Carefully puree entire contents of pot with an emulsion blender or in batches in a standard blender.
Taste. Salt and Pepper only if needed as stock may add enough salt.
Serve soup as is or with toppings of choice - sour cream, shredded cheese, polenta, cilantro, scallion, bacon and tortilla chips all come to mind.
Beef Slider Burgers, recipe adapted over time, *yields 20 sliders
2 pounds ground beef, we used 85/15
1/2 small-medium onion, very finely diced or grated (if you do not like onion in your burgers, substitute 1 tablespoon Onion Powder)
2 teaspoons Garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional but gives it just a little extra something)
*Pepperidge Farm small dinner rolls make the perfect slider bun!
*We topped our sliders with either one slice White American Cheese or a bit of Mild Crumbled Blue Cheese...some people chose both!
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until just incorporated. Do not over work the mixture. Form into 2 1/2-3 inch round flattened circles and place on a plate. Put prepared slider burgers in the refrigerator to set (ours sat for 4 hours...could be longer or shorter depending on your time).
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat 2 T. butter in a cast iron skillet and cook burgers over medium-high heat about 2-3 minutes per side - or until nicely browned. Transfer burgers to a pan and finish cooking in the oven about 5-6 minutes.
Top with your favorite cheese, turn on broiler and watch until cheese is just melted!
Enjoy with your toppings of choice!
Simple Cream of Crab Soup
1 lb. crab meat, picked of shells (here I used Claw Meat as it's way easier on the wallet!)
1 shallot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup flour
8 oz. clam juice
1 cup light cream
1 cup 1% milk (*plus 2 cups 1% milk)
1 tsp. Old Bay
1/2 tsp. fresh chopped thyme
In heavy stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallot and celery. Saute up until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add flour and whisk into a roux. Add clam juice, light cream and milk. Whisk until well mixed. Add Old Bay and chopped thyme. Whisk over heat until hot. Add crab meat and fold soup together. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve hot.
*I refrigerated the soup on Friday and then added approximately 2 more cups milk to thin out the soup before heating it up today. So, so good!!!!
Culprit is known to illegally acquire crayons to scribble on walls, furniture, books and/or items left unattended.God only knows how many other items have fallen prey to his childish antics. ...Lego's, bills...a recipe card perhaps?!!!
Culprit is known to steal others possessions to deliberately throw them away in the trash. While this "throwing away" behavior has been deemed by some as "practicing his opening and closing skills"....mom's cute tan flats, dad's Blackberry and sister's teddy bear have all found their way into (and then thankfully out of) the family garbage.
Pork Tenderloin Marinade, Unknown - Own it before your friends do!
Makes enough for two medium pork tenderloins.
Best to marinate all day.
Grill to medium.
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons cilantro chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried mustard (you can use Dijon if you don't have dried)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Place both tenderloins in large Ziploc bag along with all the above ingredients. Squish all around to incorporate ingredients and distribute evenly. Refrigerate until about ready to grill! Serve hot, room temp or cold. Delicious on sandwiches, salad or with any number of sides! Wonderful!