Kathy's Egg Rolls

I have to confess, I don't know Kathy. My girls went to their first young women's activity and they made eggrolls. We loved the recipe, so I'm keeping it. Kathy is Kathy Pyne and that's all I know. 4 check breasts, cooked, shredded 2 cubes chicken bullion (or 2 tsp.) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. onion powder (or chopped chives) 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley 1/2 bell pepper, chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 bag shredded carrots 1 cup shredded cheese, optional 2 pkgs. egg rolls skins 1 bag shredded cabbage oil to fry egg rolls in This makes 40 egg rolls. This makes a lot for not much meat. Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil, chicken bullion, onion powder, parsley, 1/2 bell pepper and salt and pepper. Cut chicken up very small (shredded). Add the shredded carrots and cook until carrots are tender. (It just takes a few minutes.) Add shredded cheese after carrots are tender. Spoon the mixture onto the egg roll skins. Roll up and seal. After the egg rolls are all filled, heat the oil. (The oil should be about 1/2 an inch deep in the pan you are using.) Fry the egg rolls, turning once to brown the sides. Wehn skin is brown, they are done.

Refried Beans

This is a recipe from Elsa.

In a pressure cooker place:
1 clove garlic
1 cup beans
3 cups water
1 Tbsp Salt

--Cook in pressure cooker on high for one hour.

In a pan heat 5 Tbsp of Lard (can use olive oil)
If you would like peppers, tomatoes or onions to your beans, you should cook them in the lard now.

Add cooked beans to pan with lard. Doesn't have to be all the cooked beans. Cook and mash. The longer you let it cook on medium heat, the better it will taste.  Add bean water if you need wetter beans.

Salsa

This is Elsa's salsa recipe.

7 tomatoes (big round ones like beef steak, cooked in a skillet lined with tin foil until skin starts blackening.)
1 Arbol dried chili (more if you want more heat)
Scant 1 Tbsp. salt
Scant 1/4 cup water

-- Place in blender and blend.  Add diced cilantro and onion to taste when salsa is cooled.

Island Beef Kabobs

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef, cut in strips
1 yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded
8 ounces pineapple chunks
1 container cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Ground pepper to taste
Skewers, soaked in water


Directions: 1. Cut bell pepper and onion into even 1 inch chunks. Drain and reserve the juice from the pineapple chunks.
2. In a medium bowl mix the pineapple juice with brown sugar, honey, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and pepper until sugar dissolves.
3. Take half of the marinade and toss with beef strips in a sealed bag. Let these marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Use skewers to pierce and hold the vegetables and beef strips. Preheat grill to medium high.
5. Grill kabobs for 20 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with marinade often

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

I hate the recipes people are putting in facebook.  It's making me hungry.  I have no plans on making this right now, but I will eventually.

Note: 1/4 cup is only 16 calories! YES!!!

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.

Cheeksecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps

We recently went to Cheesecake Factory and there were two things we REALLY enjoyed.  And so I found the recipes! Matt loved this one in particular.

Ingredients:
    6-8 butter lettuce leaves
    thai chicken satays (recipe below)
    julienne carrots
    sesame bean sprouts (recipe below)
    thai coconut curry noodles (recipe below)
    thai marinaded cucumbers (recipe below)
    1 tablespoon roasted peanuts – chopped
    tamarind cashew dipping sauce (recipe below)
    thai peanut sauce (recipe below)
    sweet red chili sauce (recipe below)

Directions:
Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce.
Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter.
Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically.
Arrange on the serving platter and fill with each one of the fillings (chicken, bean sprouts, thai coconut curry noodles and marinated cucumbers).
Let your friends or family create their own lettuce wraps by choosing a filling or fillings and placing it on a leaf along with a choice of sauce.
Fold the leaf in half and enjoy!

Here are the individual recipes:

Thai Chicken Satays
Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
4 green onions – cut into 1? pieces
8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches)

Directions:

Cut chicken into 3/4-inch strips
Place in a shallow glass dish
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
Add water and mix thoroughly.
Pour over chicken.
Toss to coat all of the chicken pieces.
Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning.
Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.
Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternation with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer.
Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade.
Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

Bean Sprouts
Ingredients:

1½ cups bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat the oil in a frying pan
Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients.
Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Ingredients:

12 oz fresh egg noodles
1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

Place the noodles in hot water, separating with a fork.
Let the noodles soak until tender or according to the directions on the package.
Drain and keep warm.
In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste.
When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients.
Continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes.
Stir in the noodles and serve.

Thai Marinated Cucumbers
Ingredients:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large cucumber – seeded

Directions:

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters and again crosswise into 1/8? slices.
Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 medium garlic cloves – minced
2 green onions – chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tsp honey
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp.
Heat at medium for 1 minute.
Stir until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved.
Add this to the cashew mixture and process until smooth
Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chili oil

Directions:

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan.
Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
Cover the pan and remove from the heat.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp sugar
1 lime – juiced
1 tsp garlic – minced
1 tsp red chili paste

Directions:

Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender.
Puree until smooth.
Pour into bowls and serve.

Holiday Meatballs

This is a favorite of ours!


1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce
1 can of whole cranberries
1 package of frozen meatballs

--Place meatballs in a crockpot.  Mix chili sauce and whole cranberries together and pour over meatballs.  Cook meatballs on low for 2-3 hours.  Allow more time if you double the recipe.

Easy Vegetable Pizza

This is one of my favorite recipes.  I think it is a Pampered Chef recipe.  When I served it last night there was some discussion how my recipe was a little different.  I use dill to season it and a couple of the others used a ranch dressing packet.  I really love the taste of dip (in the right food) and would consider this a superior option, but that's just one persons opinion.  I also have a dill hamburger roll recipe that is to die for. Love them.  (Those two recipes are the reason I buy dill.  Oh  and I recently learned to put it on cooked carrots with butter.  Oh yum.)

2 (8-oz.) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2  cup small fresh broccoli florets
1/3 cup cucumber slices, seeded and quartered
1/4 cup shredded carrot

--Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll both cans of dough into 4 long rectangles.  Place in ungreased jelly roll pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.  In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder; blend until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.  Top with vegetables.  Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.  Cut into squares.

Artichoke Nibbles

This is one new thing I served at Sit n chat last night.  All the others were already on here.  :)  I also served Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars, a fruit tart and Veggie Pizza. 

2 jars (6-oz.) marinated artichokes
1 small onion
1 clove garlic, mashed
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. Tabasco
1-lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs

--Drain juice from 1 artichoke jar into frying pan, add onion and garlic, and saute until onion is limp (5 minutes).  Chop all artichokes and set aside.  In a bowl beat eggs with fork; add crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco.  Stir in cheese, artichokes and onion mixture.  Pour into greased 9x9 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool in pan slightly.  Cut in 1-inch squares.

Note:  Prepare ahead and store in refridgerator and bake it when you are ready to serve or freeze unbaked 2 months.

MY note:  I actually ended up treating this like any dip.  My brain did not want to eat this without chips, so I served it with chips and let people spoon it out.  It was pretty tasty how I served it.  I'm not sure about the other way.  Someone will have to let me know.  :)

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I got this from the Our Best Bites cookbook.  I was a little afraid to try it because I honestly am not a huge fan of peppers.  But I really loved it.  It was spicy because of the pepper jack cheese, but that was just fine with me.  I did not find it overly spicy at all.  So tasty.

1 (7-oz.) jar roasted red peppers (about 1 cup diced)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
12 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  If using bottled peppers, remove them from the jar and blot the excess water with paper towels--a lot of excess moisture will affect the texture of the dip.  Dice the peppers and set aside.
3.  Combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion, garlic and Dijon mustard.  Add in the shredded cheese and the diced peppers.  Place in an 8 x 8- inch (or similar size) dish like a pie plate.  At this point, you can cover it and refrigerate the uncooked dip for 2-3 days.
Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes.  Baking time depends on the size of the dish used/  Remove from the oven when the dip is golden and bubbly on top.  Serve immediately.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 cup Spinach; rinsed and chopped
14 oz Artichoke hearts; drained and chopped
8 oz Cream Cheese
¼ cup Sour Cream
¼ cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Parmesan cheese; grated
½ cup Mozzarella cheese; grated
½ tsp Red Pepper flakes
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Garlic powder

Heat Cream Cheese in microwave until hot and soft. Stir in the rest of ingredients and place in oven safe dish, sprinkle cheese on top and heat in oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and dip is warmed all the way through.

Cheeseball

My mom made some recipes for Super Bowl that she got from her boss, Donette. Her bosses name is said, Don-ette, but for some reason I think it looks like Donut, or doughnut. And then I want to go to Krispy Kreme. Yum.

Anyway, here is her cheeseball recipe:

Cheeseball

1 Jar Kraft Old English Cheese
2 Packages of cream cheese
1/3 cup (or more) of grated mild cheddar cheese (I always do more-up to
3/4 a cup)
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 Teaspoon of onion salt
1 small can of shrimp (omit if there is any possibility of an allergy) (I omit anyway. Not a huge shrimp fan.)

Blend everything except shrimp with a mixer. Gently mix in shrimp at the
end.
Refrigerate.

Queso Blanco Dip

1 lb. Velveeta Queso Blanco cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can (10-oz.) Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green chilies, well drained

Microwave ingredients in microwavable bowl on HIGH for 3 1/2 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after two minutes.

Beignets

These are a really yummy scone/doughnut from New Orleans. We ate these with powdered sugar, but we made some plain and put honey butter on them. These were divine, but this recipe makes a ton. I gave away at least a 1/3 of them and we still have tons.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 7 1/2 cups flour
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Pour 1/2 cup room temperature water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand for about 5 minutes to dissolve.
2. Combine the shortening, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over the shortening mixture and then stir in the evaporated milk. Wait for the mixture to cool down until it is lukewarm. Then, add the yeast and water mixture and beaten eggs.
3. Slowly mix in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Working with a small portion (a little larger than a baseball) at a time, roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut the rolled out dough into strips 2 to 3-inches wide, then cut again in the opposite direction and at an angle, making diamond shapes.
5. Heat your oil for frying in a deep and wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat to 360 degree F (180 degrees C).
6. Slide dough slowly into the oil to avoid splattering and deep fry until they puff up and are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove onto a rack with paper towels underneath and allow to cool until you can handle them. Place in a clean paper bag with confectioners' sugar and shake gently until covered generously or, use a sifter to dust the beignets with powdered sugar.

Club 33's Pumpkin Beignets

These tasty beignets filled with fall flavor from Disneyland’s Club 33 are the perfect autumn treat to share with friends and family.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup hot water
1 egg
2 tbsp. vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
vegetable oil, for frying

Maple Glaze:
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:
1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Combine flour, pumpkin puree, sugar, heavy cream, hot water, egg, shortening, and salt in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture. Mix dough just until combined and smooth. Let dough rest in bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel, 30 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface. Pat to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Heat three inches of vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning as soon as they brown on one side.
5. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.

Maple Glaze
Combine butter and maple syrup in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until butter melts. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle warm beignets with maple glaze and serve immediately.

White Bean Dip

I want to make a bean dip and I turned to Giada de Laurentis to give me a recipe. I'm hoping for the next Sit n Chat I host to make this.

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 pitas
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

Mexican Mess

The first time I heard of this dish, I was over at a friend house as a kid. I remember trying it and thinking it was tasty. I've been wanting to make this again, just to see if it was as good as I remembered. And I liked it. It tasted like a taco.

I don't love how this recipe is written. It has very generic details so I'm going to tell you what I actually ended up using.

Layer in a 9x13 pan (sprayed with Pam) the following:

1 lg. can refried beans (I used: 2 regular cans)

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger, browned and drained (I used: 1 lb. ground turkey)

1 (7-oz.) can diced green chilies (I bought 2 (4-oz.) cans. I used one can.)

3 cups shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack.)

1 bottle taco sauce (I bought a large bottle and used half of it.)

--Cook above ingredients for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Garnish with:

chopped green onions (I omitted)

chopped olives (I omitted)

tomatoes

guacamole

sour cream

I added: shredded lettuce

Eat with tortilla chips.

Shrimp Dip

My sister recommended a couple of appetizers as well. This is the first one. I wasn't sure because shrimp is not my favorite. It was tasty, but I have to confess that it will never be a favorite of mine. However, some of my friends LOVED this dip.

1 lb. roll of round bread (a bigger, harder bread bowl)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated SHARP cheddar cheese
1 cup (1/2 lb.) of small cooked shrimp

--Cut of top of bread bowl and hallow out. Microwave onion and butter for three minutes. Stir into mayonnaise. Add cheese and shrimp. Fill bread with mixture. Put lid on bread, bake filled bread at 325 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with baguettes, crackers or tortilla chips.

*Heather told me she didn't have good luck with cooking it in the bread bowl. So she cooked it in a bowl and then put it in the bread bowl later. This is what I did and it worked out fine.

7 Layer Greek Dip

This sounds wonderful to me. What a different and fun dip. Matt suggested leaving out the olives and onions, but it actually sounds great just the way it is to me.

7-Layer Greek Dip
Adapted by Our Best Bites from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
1 tsp. dill weed or Greek seasoning (salt free--go for a mix that just has herbs)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. hummus
1 c. seeded, diced cucumbers
1 c. seeded, diced tomatoes
1/2 c. chopped Kalamata olives
1/3 c. chopped green onions (about 3 green onions completely chopped)
1/2 c. crumbled Feta cheese
1/8-1/4 c. minced fresh parsley


With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or a small, shallow baking dish. Then spread a layer of hummus. In order, create layers by sprinkling the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, Feta cheese, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, fresh vegetables, and/or flatbread.

**After trying this for real, it was wonderful. I loved this.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Janice Baker gave me this recipe. It sounds really good. It reminds me of the stuffed mushrooms at Ottavio's. Matt, in his infinite pickiness, does not like them, but I think they are tasty.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients

* 12 to 15 large fresh mushrooms
* 2 tablespoons butter, divided
* 2 tablespoons chopped onion
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 4 ounces bulk Italian sausage
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

* Remove stems from the mushrooms. Chop stems finely; set mushroom caps aside. Place stems in paper towels and squeeze to remove any liquid.
* In a large skillet, heat 1-1/2 tablespoons butter. Cook stems and onion until tender. Add the lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper; cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Cool.
* In a large bowl, combine the mushroom mixture, sausage and parsley; stuff reserved mushroom caps. Combine crumbs and cheese; sprinkle over tops. Dot each with remaining butter.
* Place in a greased baking pan. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, basting occasionally with pan juices. Serve hot. Yield: 12-15 servings.


Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 52 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 92 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.


Kari, this is the complete recipe but I have tried it with JUST cooked sausage, mixed in with cream cheese and Parmesan cheese and then baked. Easier and tastes awesome.