Cucumber Bites with Cream Cheese Herb Spread and Cherry Tomatoes

 

Ingredients:

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened.

1/4 cup Ranch Dressing.

2 tbsp Dill (or Thyme).

3-4 Long Cucumbers.

15 Cherry Tomatoes.

Salt, to taste.

Spice Mix (used in Cream Cheese), for garnish.

Paprika or Cajun Spice Mix (optional), for extra kick

Directions:

Step 1

First, mix softened Cream Cheese, Ranch dressing, and herbs.

Step 2

Then, peel, score, and slice cucumbers, and create a crater with a melon baller.

Step 3

After that, pipe Herb Cream Cheese, and add a half Cherry Tomato.

Step 4

Next, sprinkle with salt, herbs, and spice mix.

Homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme

 INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound ground beef

1 1.25-ounce package taco seasoning

4 12-inch flour tortillas

½ cup nacho cheese

4 to stada shells

½ cup sour cream

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 Roma tomato, diced

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; stir in taco seasoning. Drain excess fat; set aside.

Heat tortillas according to package instructions.

Heat nacho cheese according to package instructions.

Working one at a time, place ground beef mixture in the center of each tortilla. Top with nacho cheese and tostada shell. Spread sour cream in an even layer over the tostada shell; top with lettuce, tomato and cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Fold the edges up and over the center. Continue to work your way around the tortilla, folding as tight as possible.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Place wrap seam-side down and cook until the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook wrap on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.

Sweet chili chicken and Orange Chicken with Fried Rice

 

Ingredients

FOR THE ORANGE CHICKEN:

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

¼ cups Cornstarch

Salt And Pepper

1 cup Fresh Orange Juice

1 cup Water

2 Tablespoons Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

3 strips Orange Zest – 1″ Wide By 2″ Tall

½ cups Lightly Packed Brown Sugar

½ teaspoons Fresh Minced Ginger

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

4 whole Dried Red Chilies, Broken In Half

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, For The Slurry

2 Tablespoons Water, For The Slurry

FOR THE FRIED RICE:

2 Tablespoons Oil, Divided

2 whole Eggs, Beaten Well

½ cups Diced Onion

½ cups Diced Carrots

⅓ cups Diced Celery

1 cup Bean Sprouts

1 cup Sliced Mushrooms

3 cups Cooked Medium Grain White Rice, Cooled

2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

Instructions

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil to about 375F. Heat the oven to 250F.

In a large zip top bag, combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the chicken chunks and seal the bag. Toss to coat completely.

Add the coated chicken to the hot oil in two or three batches. Cook until lightly golden and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 F. Transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet. Hold the chicken in the oven.

In a sauce pan, combine the water, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, vinegar, orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and dry chilies. Stir to combine. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce reduce by 1/3.

In a small bowl, prepare the slurry by combining the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the sauce and whisk until the sauce thickens. Take the sauce off the heat.

For the fried rice, in a large skillet over high heat, add 1 teaspoon of oil. When the oil shimmers, add the eggs. Allow to cook until the eggs have become firm on the bottom. Flip the eggs gently and cook for twenty seconds, or until cooked through but not brown. Remove from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut the egg into strips.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan. Once it shimmers, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly, then add the mushrooms and bean sprouts and cook for an additional minute. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine with the vegetables. Add the egg strips and the soy sauce and stir well.

Place the orange sauce over medium low heat until hot, then add the chicken pieces. Stir to coat. Serve immediately.

Beef and Noodles

 

Ingredients

2 pounds.Of beef stew meat.

Canned condensed cream of mushroom soup; I used a 10-ounces can.

Brown gravy mix; I used 1 packet.

Beef broth; you’ll need approx. 1 cup.

A medium-diced onion.

2 minced garlic cloves.

Instructions

First Step: Mix together the cream of mushroom soup, the gravy mix, the beef broth, the onion, and the garlic in a medium bowl. Whisk together. It’s OK if it has some lumps; they’ll smooth out during slow cooking.

Second Step: Put your stew meat in a crockpot that holds 4 quarts. After pouring the gravy mixture over the meat, combine the two by giving it a little swirl. Cook, covered, on LOW for a period of 7 hours.

Third Step: When the meat is done cooking, take it from the pan using a slotted spoon and put it aside. Combine cornstarch and water and stir it in (this will thicken up the gravy.)

Fourth Step: Once the gravy has thickened, return the meat to the crockpot and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Fifth Step: You can serve it over some mashed potatoes or some egg noodles.

1 Tbsp.Of cornstarch, mixed with a Tbsp.Of water.

Crockpot Barbeque Ribs

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

4 lbs pork baby back ribs

3 cups BBQ sauce

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl mix the dry ingredients together, then rub the mixture onto both sides of the ribs.

Arrange ribs in your crock pot – stand them up against the walls with the thicker side down and the meaty side against the wall.

Pour BBQ Sauce all over the ribs, cover and cook for 7 hours on low.

Once the 7 hours is up, brown the ribs in the oven.

Line a baking sheet with foil, carefully remove the ribs from the crock pot and place them bone side up on the baking sheet.

Skim the fat from the crock pot then pour the remaining juices from the crock pot into a small saucepan using a strainer.

Bring the sauce to a boil and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn on your oven’s broiler and allow it to heat up.

Once the broiler is preheated, brush the sauce on the ribs and broil for 5 minutes, take the ribs out, turn them over and brush them with sauce, then broil them again for about 5 minutes.

Cajun Sausage and Shrimp Pasta

 

INGREDIENTS:

 8 oz rotini

 2 Tb olive oil

 1 Tb butter

 6 oz andouille sausage

 3 green onions

 2 celery stalks

 1 lb large peeled and deveined shrimp 16-20 size

 1 Tb blackening seasoning*

 1 tsp minced garlic

 1 Tb tomato paste

 ½ C cream

 4 oz cream cheese

 ½ C pasta water

 1 tsp Italian seasoning

 ½ tsp kosher salt black pepper to taste

 1 roma tomato

 Italian flat leaf parsley

 1 lemon

 shredded parmesan

 DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ½-cup pasta water for the sauce. Cut the green onions into ¼-piece, reserving the green tops for garnish.

Place olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the andouille sausage into ¼-inch thick rounds. Once the oil is hot, add the sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Once the sausage is browned, add the diced pepper, celery, and white portion of green onions to the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes or until veggies are softened.

While the veggies cook, toss the shrimp in blackening seasoning. Once the veggies are soft, add the shrimp and stir to combine. After one minute, turn the shrimp over and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir to combine and cook for another one minute.

Add cream, cream cheese, pasta water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir continuously until the cream cheese is totally melted and the sauce is smooth.

Dice the tomato into ¼-inch pieces. Finely mince roughly one tablespoon of parsley. Garnish with diced tomato, minced parsley and reserved green onions. Serve with a dusting of grated parmesan and a lemon wedge.

Smothered Chicken Wings

 

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

* 2 pounds chicken wings Split party wings or whole chicken wings

* 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

* 1 teaspoon garlic powder

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1 cup sliced or chopped onions I used a white onion.

* 1/2 cup chopped green peppers

* 1 cup chicken broth

Gravy

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

* 1/2 cup chopped or sliced onions I used a white onion.

* ¼ cup flour

* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half Either will work fine in the recipe.

* ½ teaspoon garlic powder

* Foil

DIRECTIONS

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Season the wings with the spices.

* Add the sliced onions and chopped peppers to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.

* Place the seasoned wings over the onions and peppers. Drizzle the broth into the baking sheet along the edges of the pan so you don’t remove the spices from the wings.

* Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

* Remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Remove the chicken wings from the baking dish and set it aside.

* the chicken drippings, broth, peppers, and onions that remain in the baking dish. The chicken drippings will be used in the gravy.

* Heat a saucepan or skillet on medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil.

* When melted, add in the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until translucent and fragrant.

* Add in the flour. Add it in stages and stir continuously to avoid clumping.

* Add in the heavy cream or half and half, chicken drippings from the pan, and garlic powder. Stir until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the pan with the gravy.

* Bake for an additional 15-25 minutes (uncovered) or until the chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees. You can test if the wings have finished cooking by using a meat thermometer.