Crabby Hatch!

 

This time of year is always so busy. The kid’s teachers always wait until the last semester to lump projects and papers on them. My son has a paper in Language Arts and History, along with two sketches due in his art class today. Add on top of that end of the year fund raising and community projects for bowling. This of course is heading into the USBC North Carolina State Youth Championships, this coming weekend. The worst part of all of this is I have the blahs, and the rain isn’t helping to make my mood any better.  

Yep, I am crabby. So what better way to get over the blahs and crabbiness, than to have crab. I know it is coming out of season, but you still might be able to get some!

If you love Stuffed Peppers, or crab, Hatch peppers, cheese, cream cheese and sour cream try these little beauties out. The recipe comes from Susan W. - 2010 Houston Hatch Chile Recipe Winner.

Ingredients

4 Hatch chiles

4 oz cream cheese

6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

6 oz lump crab meat

2 ears of corn, cooked with kernels removed

1/3 cup onions, chopped

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup sour cream

Lime juice, as needed for taste

3 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

Roast the chiles until blistered either over open flame or under broiler of your oven. Remove from heat and place in plastic bag for about 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from chiles. Carefully make a slit in one side of the pepper to remove seeds.

Mix the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Dijon mustard, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add crabmeat and mix carefully, trying to avoid breaking up the crabmeat. Stuff into cleaned peppers.

Place stuffed peppers in a baking dish and put in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 and place backing dish in middle of center rack. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until stuffing is melted and heated through.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and then add onion to saute, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and salt and pepper to taste and continue to saute another 5 minutes. Add half and half and sour cream. Turn heat to low and let simmer while peppers are cooking. Plate the corn and top with one of the stuffed peppers.

Not just for snacking…

 

I have this rule that the kids cannot open a new bag of chips until the old one is gone. Not a big deal, until you add my husband into the mix. If the kids do not close the chip bag or put the chip clip back on the bag he won’t touch the chips. Since he won’t touch them, the kids won’t touch them. Grrr… there is nothing wrong with them; my husband’s OCD is a bit out of hand. So instead of throwing them away, I found a few recipes that potato chips were a leading ingredient. I have to admit that potato chip cookies do seem a bit strange, but if you try them you might be surprised.

If you use potato chips in any of your recipes, please make sure not add any additional salt.  Also try using low salt or even baked chips.

Macaroni and Cheese with Potato Chip Crust

This recipe came from the Food Network courtesy of the Neelys.

If you love mac and cheese, bacon and potato chips this recipe should be at the top of your list of things to try. When I saw the recipe, I immediately thought of my sister, Angela. When she sees this, it should become her new favorite dish.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

4 cups milk, warm

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dash salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dash hot sauce

Dash Worcestershire sauce  

3 cups shredded Cheddar

1 pound cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente

1 cup crushed  potato chips 

5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions

Heat oven to 350 to 375 degrees F.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large saucepot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a boil, continue to whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken as the heat increases. Continue to stir while adding the dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Stir in the 3 cups of Cheddar until it melts.

Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and add to a 3 quart  casserole dish 

Sprinkle the chips, bacon and Parmesan on top and bake for 35 minutes.

 

The Potato Chip Omelet is from Richard Blais over at Fine Cooking.

 This is more of a frittata, and would work great for a last minute brunch. If you layer the chips they remain firm, which is good since soggy chips are yucky.

To finish this dish off, serve with a dollop of sour cream top!

12 large eggs
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. minced fresh chives
6 cups plain kettle-cooked potato chips
2 Tbs. unsalted butter or vegetable oil

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, white pepper, parsley, and chives together until combined. Fold in the potato chips until they are completely covered in the egg mixture, but try not to crush the chips too much. Let stand for 10 minutes, until the chips soften slightly.

Heat the butter in an ovenproof 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling the pan to coat the bottom completely, until very hot. Carefully pour in the egg mixture and spread it evenly in the pan, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook until the eggs are set and the bottom is light golden, about 15 minutes. If the bottom is golden but the eggs are still runny on the top, transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the eggs are completely set, 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, invert a large flat plate over the pan and flip the pan and the plate to invert the omelet onto the plate. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

 

 

CHEESY POTATO CHIP BREADSTICKS 

This a great way to give plain bread sticks or rolls a little pizzazz! Pepper jack cheese and sour cream and onion potato chips are perfect combination!   

 

12 Frozen Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold


12 strips pepper jack cheese


1/4 cup butter, melted


3/4 cup crushed sour cream and onion potato chips

 

 

Roll 2 dinner rolls combined into a 7-inch rope. Flatten each rope. Cut twelve 6-inch strips of cheese 1/2-inch thick. Place one strip of cheese on each flattened rope. Tightly pinch dough around cheese to form a breadstick. Place butter and potato chips in shallow bowls. Roll each breadstick in butter and then in crushed potato chips. Place seam side up on a sprayed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Need a new way to make chicken? Who doesn’t ! Try this recipe from Elizabeth Terry

Garlic Chicken with a Potato Chip-Basil Crust

For the marinade and chicken:
6 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne
3 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each)

For the coating:
One 6-oz. bag potato chips, crushed
1 cup well-crushed cracker pieces (about 10 crackers)
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. melted butter

 

For the marinade: In a nonreactive bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, mustard, and basil. Rinse the chicken breasts, pat them dry, and add them to the marinade; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.

For the coating: In a large, shallow dish, mix the chips, crackers, basil, and pepper. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumb mixture and toss until well combined.

To coat and cook the chicken: Heat the oven to 450°F and butter a baking sheet or rack. Take a breast from the marinade with one hand--this is now your "wet" hand. Don't wipe off the marinade. Lay the chicken on the crumbs. Scoop and pat the crumbs over the breast using your other hand (your "dry" hand), patting until both sides are thoroughly coated. Put the breast on a buttered baking sheet or rack and repeat with the remaining breasts. Roast the chicken until it's crisp, browned, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. If the chicken is getting too brown, reduce the heat to 400° and add 5 minutes to the total cooking time.

 

Potato Chip Cookies

5 cups crushed potato chips

2 cups flour

1 cup each, brown sugar and white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix crushed potato chips with the two sugars. Beat the two eggs and add to sugar and chips. Stir in milk and vanilla. Mix the flour and baking powder together and then slowly add to other mixture. Mix well. Grease baking sheet and drop by rounded teaspoonful. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.

 

 

Pan Dulce

So yesterday, well late last night I attempted to make the Mexican sweet bread Pan Dulce. Pan Dulce is served with coffee, hot coco or milk for breakfast.

The bread is light enough you swear it will float away like a helium balloon. The topping is sweet and is suppose to crack if you don’t cut a design into it. I did not get the topping thin enough on the batch I made. I chock it up to an hour past bedtime and rushing to get them finished. One of the first rules of baking is you cannot rush.

The recipe I used came from Chelsie Kenyon a writer at about.com

The shape of these is the conch. When you place the topping, if you wish it too look like a shell, carefully slice the topping into a shell pattern. I decided to cut a diamond pattern in mine.

Ingredients:

·         1 tablespoon or one package dry yeast

·         1 tablespoon sugar

·         1/3 cup sugar

·         2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 cup lukewarm water

·         3 1/2 cups flour

·         4 eggs, beaten and at room temperature

·         Topping (please see below)

Preparation:

Mix 1 tablespoon of sugar and yeast into lukewarm water. Let it rest for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Slowly add in eggs, salt, and the yeast in the water. Add flour in, 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Divide dough into 16 pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet with plenty of space between each dough ball. Press each ball slightly to flatten it. Let the dough rise for an hour. After the dough is on it's way to rising, see to the topping.

TOPPING:

·         1/2 cup shortening

·         1/2 cup powdered sugar

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         1 cup flour

·         3 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         optional- food coloring

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

With your hands, divide the topping into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface until it is large enough to cover each piece of dough, about 5 inches in diameter. Lightly press topping onto dough and use a knife to cut a pattern into the topping, but not into the dough.

You can do something as simple as lines across the top, or a criss-cross pattern. If you do nothing, the topping will create it's own cracks, which is also interesting looking.

After you add the topping, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until bread is lightly golden

Pineapple Chicken in The Crock-Pot

I noticed today, that I have not used the crock-pot in a few weeks. I am not sure how it happened, since I usually use it once a week.

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and thought I would share it with you. When I made it, I added onion, chunk pineapple and green peppers to the recipe even though it did not call for it.  If you are on a sugar-restricted diet, try substituting the brown sugar from Agave syrup of Splenda brown sugar.

The original recipe called for soy sauce. I mixed soy and teriyaki sauce, let the kids taste it before I poured it in the pot to see how they liked it. We all agreed that the mix of the two was better than straight soy sauce.

I mixed brown and white rice to serve with this; you can use either by itself or mix them like I did.

Ingredients:

20 ounce can of chunk pineapple in juice, drain and reserve juice

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons teriyaki sauce

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 small onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 cups steamed rice

Directions:

Mix juice, sauces and sugar in bowl, stir until sugar is dissolved

Place chicken in the bottom of crock pot, add onion, green pepper and pineapple

Pour sugar sauce mix over chicken

Cook on low for 8 hours or high from 4 hours

Serve over hot steamed rice.

Strawberries…

 

It is hard to believe that last year at this time I was making strawberry jam. We are itching for fresh strawberries to show up at the farmers market. My son and I are making plans to go picking them as well.

So with the thought of those sweet, red berries banging out a tattoo on my taste buds; I thought I would share with you two recipes that they have the leading role.

The first is strawberry cream squares. These are light, but full of flavor and textures from pecans, jell-o and fruit. You can use sugar free gelatin and non-fat sour cream if you need a “light” version

6 ounce package of strawberry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

20 ounces frozen strawberries

13 ½ can pineapple, crushed

2 large ripe bananas, diced finely

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

16 ounces of sour cream

Dissolve gelatin in water. Add frozen strawberries; stir occasionally until thawed

Add pinapple and bananas, stir in pecans

Pour half of mixture into a 8X8 inch pan and chill until firm

Reserve 1.5 ounces or 9 teaspoons of sour cream.

Spread sour cream evenly on top, pour remaining mixture on top and chill until firm

Cut into 9 squares and top with reserved sour cream (1 teaspoon per square)

 

Strawberry Parfait…

I saw this on a jell-o box and added more strawberries to it. I like whipped cream over cool whip, if you would like to use the cool whip you will need a half cup.

2 cups cold milk

1 package 3.4 ounces of jell-o strawberry crème flavor instant pudding

¾ cup sliced fresh strawberries plus 4 whole strawberries

Whipped cream

Beat milk and pudding mix with a whisk for 2 minutes, refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Divide sliced strawberries into to 4 portions, layer in dessert dishes strawberries, whipped cream, and pudding. Top each dish with more whipped cream and a whole strawberry

 

 

 

Ranch Style Beans...

A few weeks ago, my daughter gave me challenge to go through my music library and find as many songs about or from Texas, I could find. I came up with 36 songs, which mentioned Texas or a Texas town. One of my favorites is by George Strait, titled Texas Cookin.

Now I know everyone place has their own food and flavors but there is nothing like Ranch Style Beans, Texas BBQ and fried okra, yum!

Ranch Style Beans is a staple in my house. I have to make sure, I have plenty on hand. My daughter will eat them cold out of the can for breakfast, if I would let her. I usually have to make three cans at a time. One for the daughter, one for the husband, my son and I enjoy them, we usually eat the equivalent of one can between us. I guess they stand in good company since it is said that Humphrey Bogart used to buy ten cases at a time. Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor were among the few who used to special order them.

“The sad thing about Ranch Style Beans is they will never taste the same way again. In 2009, ConAgra foods move the plant from just outside downtown Fort Worth to Ohio and Tennessee. To Texans this is like the Pace Salsa commercial about people getting their salsa from New York City. It just is unheard of! To quote Jim Lane a Fort Worth City Council Member “I can't get myself to eat beans from Ohio. I guess a lot of us in Fort Worth will be cooking our own beans."

 

According to Con Agra's history, Sam Hanna and a partner, Joe Owens, set up a thriving commissary to provide munitions on the outskirts of Denison to the hunters and ranchers with their much-needed ammo. Their wares included food for the workers on the railroad and travelers coming across Red River at Chickasaw Ben Colbert's ferry landing

The commissary was stocked with bags of coffee beans, a cracker barrel, bulk sugar and barrels of lard.

Then after Pat Tobin brought the first Katy train into the depot in downtown Denison, Hanna and Owens moved on, into town, and built a 25 by 80 foot permanent structure across the street south from the depot. That business later became Waples-Platter Grocery at 100 E. Main.

The goods were shipped in on the train, then groceries were sent out in wagons. Delivery wasn't simple, according to a 1995 article in the Denison Herald written by Calvin Mauldin. The wagons had to travel on narrow trails into Indian Territory and other locations nearby in the new frontier.

Almost overnight, according to Mauldin, Denison became the shipping point for the cattle brought in. Denison soon became the Dodge City of the southwest, resulting in a need for munitions.

Then in 1878 A.F. Platter joined the company and seven years later E.B. Waples and his sons, Paul and John, came into the business. The men had progressive ideas and it wasn't long before the company was known as Waples Platter, a wholesale grocery company with a coffee roasting plant housed in the 100 block of South Houston, just behind where a large brick Waples-Platter Grocery Co., had been built. The grocery building housed MK&T offices for many years and now is the Katy Antique Station operated by Paulette Hyatt.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted around the depot where trains came and went. In May 1959 the doors of the coffee roasting plant were closed, leaving eight tasters without jobs.

In 1914 Waples-Platter purchased Blanke & Co., in Dallas. The company established a reputation of providing pure foods in cans instead of in the then-common bulky bags that were exposed to the elements or possibly bugs and other varmints.

 While those beans started out near Denison at the commissary near Red River, it was 1935 before they were introduced to the public after three years of extensive research.”

Want to try Ranch Style Beans? If you can’t find them at your local grocery store, below is a knock off recipe. Granted unless you use water from Fort Worth, Texas they will never taste like the original but it is as close as you can get!

The recipe is from the Homesick Texan

Ranch style beans
Ingredients:
16 oz. of dried pinto beans
6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can of tomatoes (or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of water
6 cups of beef broth
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
Soak the beans covered in water—either overnight or the quick soak method in which you place the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.

Drain the soaked beans.

In a cast-iron skillet heated up to medium high, cook the anchos on each side for a couple of minutes (or until they start to bubble and pop), turn off the heat and fill the skillet with warm water. Let them sit until soft and rehydrated, which should happen after half an hour or so.

In the pot you’ll be cooking your beans, heat up a teaspoon of canola oil and cook the onions for ten minutes on medium. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Throw the cooked onions and garlic in a blender and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water and hydrated ancho chiles. Puree until smooth.

Add the pinto beans and beef broth to the pot and stir in the chile puree. On high, bring the pot to a boil and then cover; turn the heat down to low and simmer for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I check my beans for tenderness as depending on the freshness of the beans I find that the cooking time can be as short as two and a half hours and as long as four hours. When you're satisfied that the beans are done, salt and pepper to taste.

Feeds four to six.

Notes: If you can’t find dried ancho chiles, you can substitute either ancho chile powder or regular chili powder. I’d use 1/4 of a cup. These are not fiery beans, but if you want a bit more heat I'd throw in a bit of Cayenne. And I always add a pinch of baking soda to my soaking beans to help with digestion issues. You may do the same.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos…

 

Busy day in the kitchen today, my KitchenAid stand mixer got a workout! I have only it had since the week before Christmas and wonder sometimes how I got along with it.

 My husband has wanted to get me one for almost as long as we have married. I would not let him, because KitchenAid stand mixers are so expensive. Between my KitchenAid hand mixer, my brother bought almost twenty-five years ago, food processor and other appliances all my needs were covered, or so I thought…

Enter DealDash. What is DealDash? It is a penny auction company available here in the states. Many of us have seen commercials for penny auction sites. A penny auction is where the starting bid starts at a penny, every time a person bid the price goes up a penny.

You can great deals, as long you remember few things:  the first is don’t forget to calculate the price per bid when you are bidding. It would seem really foolish to spend over the amount an item is worth, just to win. The second put yourself on a budget and don’t go over it. It is very easy to be caught up in bidding and wanting to win an item.

A third thing, I suggest is look at all the auctions and upcoming auctions before you bid. There maybe two or three things you would like to win. If you start running low on bids, you might have to re-evaluate which item you want to win the most and let the others go. This goes back set a budget on how many bids you purchase and stick to it! If you remember those to major things, you can be successful at bidding.

I usually spend $30.00 a pay check. Over the holidays, my husband had to be reminded a few times that I had a budget. Granted some of the tools were worth adding more bids, but I had to stay on budget. You can bid, to win additional bids if you would like, and I have won a few.

There are several reasons I like DealDash, the first is the customer service. This “little” company had some major growing pains over the holidays. I will be honest; there were a few items that I had won, that were intended from Christmas gifts that had problems. The supplier for DealDash did not have enough of the promised items. Even though I was disappointed, I was offered other items. The biggest surprise was after the holidays and all of the issues were work out, DealDash sent a letter of apology to its customers, the bidders, and issued every customer free bids. What company now a day thinks about their customers over the bottom line?

The second thing I like DealDash is they were smart when coming up with their policies. They thought about people or other companies coming in and buying everything up. Every week, DealDash puts a limit on how many items you can. Big-ticket items, like my stand mixer, you can only win once. This gives everyone a one a fair shot of winning.

There is nothing worse if you bid eBay, then some person coming in the last few seconds and outbidding you. I think the folks at DealDash, considered those situations as well. Unless there is a special occurring most auctions, when the bidding reaches five dollars will not accept any new bidders. Yes, there are still people who put in their one bid and come back later. With those people, you know they already had put in their bid so it is not as if they just log on and “stole” the item from you. You are only competing with how many bids you have bought… again set a budget!

Who does not like free? If you use the bid buddy system, you can earn free bids. The bid buddy is a proxy bid. You set how many bids you would like to spend, and it will bid for you. Each bid has a thirty, twenty, and ten second counter depending how long the auction has been running. If the bidders let the time run down, they can earn free bids for the time they were the highest bidder.

So what I have won? The KitchenAid stand mixer, immersion blender complete with all the attachments, a Cuisinart meat thermometer, gift cards, Wii games and a few other times. My goal is to win a portable hot tub, a serger sewing machine; Kindle Fire or iPad, there is also an icemaker that would come in handy for my kids tea addiction. Sometimes they even have cruise you can win!

Most bids are sixty cents a bid, but they run sales on the prices bids and can get them as low as ten cents. Every once and awhile they have a crazy sale where the item you win is free. Yes, free! This is how I won my KitchenAid Immersion blender. On days like those, I love watching the big-ticket auctions. For items like flat screen TVs, ipads, and computers, the bidding will go on for hours at a time.

Including the price of my bids, I was able to win my stand mixer for less than $10.00. I priced the professional series mixer, according to KitchenAid the retail price is $650.00. Wow, I know! All items are brand new, not factory rehabs. If there is a problem with an item, DealDash will do what they can to make it right.

If you shop on eBay you always have to remember to factor in the cost of shipping, which is where some sellers add on extra charges and fees. You win on DealDash and they pay the shipping.

Whew! Wanna check them out? Go to www.DealDash.com

I asked David, the community manager over at DealDash what his favorite recipe was. He sent back this yummy, simple and flavorful grilled shrimp taco recipe.

 

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lime, juiced and grated

1 teaspoon cumin

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 flour tortillas

Salt and ground black pepper

 

Extra Toppings

Tomatoes

Olives

Sour Cream 

Shredded Cheese

Lettuce

Tortilla Chips

Salsa

 

1. Combine olive oil, limejuice, peel, and cumin in small bowl. Thread shrimp onto skewers; season with salt and pepper. Brush shrimp with lime mixture. Grill until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, brushing occasionally with lime mixture. Roughly, chop shrimp.

 

2. Warm tortillas and top with sour cream, shredded cheese, salad greens, shrimp and chips. Serve with other favorite toppings, such as diced tomatoes, salsa, sliced olives and/or guacamole.