Ritz Cracker Chocolate Bars

Ritz Cracker Chocolate Bars


11 oz. box of Ritz crackers
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, (regular or low-fat)
12 oz. bag of dark chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 350*.

Pulse crackers until crumbs form

Add can of condensed milk and half bag of chocolate chips

Put into greased 8" x 8" pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350*

Immediately after baking add rest of chocolate chips to top and let sit for 5 minutes or until melted.  Then spread melted chocolate evenly over top.

Cut into small pieces.

Kahlua Cookie Dip

Kahlua Cookie Dip

1/2 package of Oreo cookies, crushed
1 large container of Cool Whip
2-3 tablespoons Kahlua

Mix above ingredients and serve chilled with Pepperidge Farms Pirouette Rolled Wafer Cookies


Also good with Mint Oreos and Crème de Mint liquor

Snickers Popcorn

Snickers Popcorn

8 qts. air popped corn (2 cups of kernels)
2 cups light brown suger, packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup salted peanuts
3 oz. melted semi-sweet chocolate (optional)
1 cup salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking sode
30 "Fun Size" Snickers bars coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Over medium heat, boil butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup for five (5) minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.  Pour over popcorn and stir to coat evenly.  Transfer to waxed paper lined counter and sprinkle peanuts on top.  Stir until all is coated evenly.  Transfer popcorn into a large roasting pan and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir in coarsely chopped Snickers bars.  Return to oven for 3 more minutes so the Snickers bars begin to melt slightly into the popcorn.  Remove from oven and transfer popcorn to wax paper to cool.  Drizzle melted chocolate on top of popcorn, if desired.  Let set and store in an airtight container.

Greek Pizza

Greek Pizza

12 ounces pizza dough

1 cup pizza sauce

1 ¹⁄₂ cups mozzarella cheese

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 large red onion, sliced thin

¹⁄₂ cup feta cheese, crumbled

¹⁄₄ cup tomatoes, seeded, diced

¹⁄₄ cup kalamata olive, crushed

1 tablespoon oregano, fresh

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease 12 inch x 12 inch non-stick pizza pan with vegetable shortening.
Spread pizza dough onto pizza pan.
Spread pizza sauce over dough.
Top with remaining ingredients.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until bottom of crust is golden brown.

Greek Feta Dip

Greek Feta Dip

cup feta cheese, crumbled

¹⁄₄ cup kalamata olive, pitted and diced (add more if you love them)

¹⁄₄ cup garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil (the type for dipping)

2 slices pita bread

 

Combine the feta cheese and the olives.
Drizzle the garlic infused oil over the mix, until it looks juicy and perfect for dipping your bread into.
Spray a skillet with olive oil baking spray, or pour enough olive oil in the skillet to just coat the bottom. Heat over medium-high heat. Warm your pita bread in the skillet. Remove, and cut into quarters. Repeat with the other piece of pita bread. (When desperate, I've seen this eaten with yeast rolls. lol).
Serve the bread warm from the skillet with the feta cheese mix. The feta cheese/olive mix should be at room temperature or just slightly warmer. You don't want the olive oil congealed, so if made ahead of time, zap it at 50% in the microwave to knock the chill off of it. It's almost like Greek crostini!

Homemade Baked Potato Chips [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Homemade Baked Potato Chips [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil or cooking spray
1 tsp. sea salt
Optional seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, curry powder, vinegar, chili powder


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Soak the potato slices in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pat them dry. It’s important they be completely dry or they won’t get crunchy. I actually put them in a salad spinner and then pat them dry with a dishtowel.

Lay the potato slices on 2 large baking sheets. Make sure they are in a single layer. Drizzle with oil or spray with the cooking oil spray on both sides. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through. The chips should be golden brown and still soft in the center.

Sprinkle the chips with salt and any other seasonings you’re using and serve.

Giardiniere Pickles

Yields 5 cups

Prep time:  1 hour
Cook time:  10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the Butter:

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups heavy cream

 

For the Giardiniere:

2 cups distilled white vinegar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

3 serrano chiles

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice

½ medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced

1¼ cups small (about ½-inch) cauliflower florets

1¼ cups very thinly sliced carrots (about 3 medium carrots)

2 medium celery stalks, very thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon whole yellow mustard seeds

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

¼ cup olive oil

 

Sourdough, toasted

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Make the cultured butter:
In a stand mixer, whip the buttermilk and heavy cream on medium-high speed until the solids separate, 10 to 15 minutes. If you're worried about any spillage, tightly wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. (Reserve the leftover buttermilk for another use.)
Build an ice bath using 4 cups of cold water and 2 cups of ice.
Place the butter solids in a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl.
Spoon ½ cup of ice water over the butter and gently knead (like dough) to remove all of the remaining buttermilk. Knead and rinse until the liquid that seeps out is clear and all of the water is removed.
Place the butter on a piece of wax paper and roll into a log. Chill in the fridge to firm.

Make the giardiniere:
In a medium pot, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Add the chiles and cook until they are cooked through and the green color begins to dull, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chiles to cool completely in the vinegar.
When the chiles are cool, slice into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Reserve the pickling liquid.
In a mixing bowl, combine the pickling liquid with the sliced chiles and all remaining ingredients (except the bread). Allow to marinate for 1 to 2 days before serving. Place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Spread some butter over a piece of warm sourdough toast.
Top with the giardiniere and serve.

 

 

Eggs-traordinary California Avocado Breakfast Muffins

Eggs-traordinary California Avocado Breakfast Muffins

(Yields: 15 Mini Muffins)

4/5 cups grape tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 ripe avocado, seeded, peeled and diced
salt to taste
pepper to taster
1/4 tsp. chipotle seasoning (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup egg whites
1 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a standard-sized non-stick mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine tomatoes, spinach, avocado, salt, pepper and optional chipotle seasoning.
Spoon two tablespoons of vegetable and avocado mixture into each mini muffin cup.
Beat eggs and egg whites together in a separate bowl.
Pour eggs over the vegetables until about a little more than three-quarters full.
Sprinkle egg muffin mixture with cheese.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until eggs spring back to the touch.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces.

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/2 cup flour
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Dried oregano to taste
4 Tbsp. oil
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Marsala wine


 Procedures

POUND chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap until about 1/4" thickness.
COMBINE flour, salt, pepper and oregano in a mixing bowl. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess.
HEAT oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side, until lightly browned. Turn breasts over to cook other side, then add mushrooms to skillet. Cook breasts about 2 more minutes, until both sides are lightly browned. Continue to stir mushrooms. Add Marsala wine around chicken pieces.
COVER and simmer for about 15 minutes.
TRANSFER to serving plate.