Sunday, March 16, 2014

Apple Pie Biscuits / Reposted from 11/4/2012




Skillet Apple Pie Biscuits:

This is a recipe by Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen, a Blog that I follow.
Thank you Melissa, for sharing!

10" cast iron skillet
375 degree oven

8 frozen buttermilk biscuits, thawed
1- 21 oz. can of apple pie filling, cut the apples into smaller pieces.
1 stick of butter, melted and divided
1/2 C well packed dark brown sugar
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped pecans ( this was not in the original recipe, I love to add Pecans when possible)

Glaze:
1/3 C powdered sugar
2 TBS heavy cream
Whisk together until well combined

Brush the skillet including, the sides with some of the
melted butter, ( remaining will be used later)

In a Bowl:
Whisk brown sugar and cinnamon
Dip each biscuit in remaining butter & sprinkle all sides with the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Arrange in the skillet.
Add vanilla to Apple Pie filling & spread over the biscuits.
Pour remaining butter over apples.
Sprinkle with the last of the sugar/cinnamon mixture and top with pecans.

Bake 35 minutes until golden brown
Drizzle the glaze over the biscuits and serve!


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Butter





Enjoy!
Butter!

Quorn Chick'n Cutlets with Tomatoes and Tarragon / Vegetarian

I happen to endorse all vegetarian, alternative meat, products made by Quorn.

8 Naked Chick'n Cutlets by Quorn, thawed
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 TBS Grape seed Oil
1 pint or Cherry Tomatoes
3/4 C Sauvignon Blanc Wine
4 small Scallions, sliced
2 TBS fresh chopped Tarragon

Season the Cutlets with salt and pepper

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the Cutlets until browned on both sides.
Set aside on serving plates.
Add Tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
Add Wine and simmer to reduce the liquid by half.
Fold in the Scallions and Tarragon.
Remove from heat and serve over the Cutlets.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Eating Healthier

I'm about to embark on a new journey in my life. I'm going to eat healthier. My plan is to lose weight and keep it off. I have plans to do much more in my life that will be require me to be in better shape. I'll be posting healthier recipes. If I throw in a delicious looking recipe now and then that I don't plan on eating myself, you can decide for yourself if it's right for you.
I'm currently researching "Everything Tofu". I happen to like Tofu and eat it often. I eat a lot of soy based products as a vegetarian and I know that it's not for everyone. However, if you are considering becoming a vegetarian, you'll certainly find delicious recipes already posted on my blog.
I'll keep updating my progress on the blog and at the end of my quest, I'll share what I've been doing.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Baked Belgian Endive with Béchamel Sauce


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heavily butter an Oval Enamel Cast Iron  Gratin Dish.

4 heads of Endive, ends trimmed
1 C Bechamel Sauce (recipe to follow)

1/8 tsp Nutmeg
2/3 C Vegetable Broth
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste


Place Endive in the Gratin Dish.
Season with Salt and Pepper.
Pour the Béchamel Sauce over the Endive.
Sprinkle with Nutmeg.
Add the Vegetable Broth.
Sprinkle with Parmesan
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter.


Homemade Bechamel Sauce:

1/4 C Butter
1/4 C Flour
2 1/4 C  Heavy Cream
a pinch of Nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

In a Saucepan:
Melt Butter on medium heat.
Whisk in Flour and cook for a minute to create a roux.
Add Heavy Cream and whisk continuously until it begins to bubble.
Season with Salt and Pepper.
Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
If the sauce appears too thick, add a small amount of Cream. If it's too thin, add a pat of Butter with an equal amount of Flour and whisk well.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Tex - Mex Vegetarian Chicken or Beef Nacho Casserole

We just can't have enough recipes for Tex - Mex Cuisine in Texas. We also eat a lot of Nachos. Here's a way to enjoy it all in one casserole.
This could also be made substituting vegetarian cooked ground round for the chick'n tenders.
And of course it can be made non vegetarian with 3 C of diced cooked chicken breast or sauteed ground beef.

Tex - Mex Vegetarian Chicken or Beef Casserole:

1 TBS vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 C diced onion
1 (12 oz.) bag of Quorn Chick'n Tenders
3/4 C water
1 (1 1/4 oz.) packet of Taco Seasoning
1 C sour cream (8oz.), room temperature
1 (4 oz.) can of diced green chiles
Tortilla Chips
2 C shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet , heat oil on medium heat and saute the peppers and onion for 5 minutes.
Add Chick'n Tenders and cook until they begin to brown.
Add water and Taco Seasoning, stir and cook for 10 minutes.
Fold in sour cream and diced green chiles.

Spray a 9"X13" baking dish with a vegetable cooking spray.
Place a layer of  tortilla chips in the dish.
Cover the chips with a layer of half of the chicken mixture.
Top with half of the Pepper Jack Cheese.
Repeat with another layer of Chips, Chicken and Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!




Monday, March 10, 2014

Creamed Spinach with Golden Raisins as an option!

Such a simple dish. If you like spinach, and I understand if you don't, but I'm just suggesting that if you do....... you may like this easy recipe. I certainly do!


Creamed Spinach:

2 1/2 pounds of fresh spinach
1 C heavy cream
1 tsp flour
3 TBS butter, melted
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C fresh grated parmesan cheese (this is the real stuff, not the cheese in a jar)!
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the spinach.
Toss it in a large skillet without patting it dry.
Cook it for about 5 minutes.
Drain it.
Squeeze out the excess water.

In a small bowl:
Cream
Flour
whisk well.
Set aside.

In the large skillet:
Melted butter
Spinach
Cook on low for a few minutes.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and stir well.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the cream.

Option:
At this stage, I often add 1/2 C of golden raisins!

Continue cooking on very low heat, simmering for about 20 more minutes.
Stir occasionally.

Transfer to a serving plate.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese just before serving!


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!