Chicken Chicken Enchiladas

An idea I had just now:

For chicken enchiladas, pound out a chicken breast as you would for the cordon bleu listed in the previous post , but pound a little thinner.  Put a couple of tablespoons full of chicken enchilada filling down the center with your cheese included of course. toothpick them closed and bake them for X amount of time.  ?? I haven’t tried this yet, so if you do, be warned it will be experimental!

Something like this:

Ingredients

4 raw chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and pounded thin

• 1 lb cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 medium onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese or 1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 c.,cornstarch melted in cold water
• 1 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies

Directions

1. In frypan, cook onion in oil over medium-high heat until it is clear.
2. Divide cooked chicken and onion evenly between pounded chicken breasts; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each .
3. Roll enchiladas and place toothpick in top to hold closed in 9×13″ baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in cornstarch; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and green chiles; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
6. Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400° for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

Just a trial thing! Don’t know if it would work, i haven’t tried it yet!

 

Grain Free Chicken Cordon Bleu

http://www.joyfulabode.com/2010/09/21/grain-free-chicken-cordon-bleu-make-and-freeze/

Make and Freeze

You’ll need:

• Boneless Skinless chicken breasts
• Sliced ham
• Sliced swiss cheese
• Pork Rinds, crushed very finely or food-processed into crumbs
• Butter (melted)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, pound out your chicken with a heavy object (I use my heavy metal measuring cup) until it’s pretty thin, but not falling apart.

On each breast, lay some ham and cheese. Roll up the breasts so the ham and cheese are inside, and lay them in a baking dish seam-side-down.

Once all the chicken is rolled up and in the dish, top each one with some more swiss cheese.

Sprinkle pork rind “dust” over the top of the swiss cheese, and drizzle with melted butter.

Bake until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Freeze, fully cooked. When you want to eat one, thaw it overnight. Then you can throw it in the oven or the microwave until it’s warm (since it’s already cooked). I did about 2 minutes in the microwave to heat the middle, then finished in the oven to get the top crisp-ish again.

A really good sauce for it is some sautéed onions, chicken stock, and cream… heated until reduced and thick. Or it’s good plain too. Enjoy

 

Fauxtato Skins

http://www.joyfulabode.com/2011/01/31/low-carb-superbowl-snacks-%e2%80%93-loaded-fauxtato-skins/

TABASCO asked if I’d like to try out their Original Red hot sauce and develop a recipe for Superbowl parties. I love hot sauce, though I don’t eat it too often, so I jumped at the chance to use some creativity in the kitchen.

That said, I was a bit stumped about what to make at first. I’m loyal to another brand’s hot sauce when it comes to Buffalo chicken. And really, my favorite thing to use TABASCO sauce on is EGGS. And who serves EGGS at Superbowl parties?

Well, I took the idea of eggs, and ran from there. And came up with this awesome snack.

One of my favorite “bar foods” is potato skins. And while I think they’re fine to eat – all real ingredients – they’re not low-carb. Which means they’re likely to make me eat more than I’m actually hungry for, and make me hungrier and possibly bloated. Low-carb food doesn’t do that. So I made this high-protein version!

Loaded Fauxtato Skins

This recipe is for a small amount – 5 “skins”, because I didn’t want to make a ton while my husband is away for work. But this one is super-easy to double/triple/etc.

You will need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp coconut flour
• Cheddar cheese – about 1/3 a cup, shredded. Please grate your own rather than buying pre-shredded.
• Bacon, cooked and cut-up. For the love of bacon, please don’t buy “bacon bits.”
• Green onions, sliced, optional
• Full fat sour cream
• TABASCO® Original Red Hot Sauce

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs and coconut flour until smooth. If you’d like an extra-zingy version, also add some Tabasco sauce to the mixture. Let sit for a few minutes while your oven preheats and you get your baking sheet ready (line with parchment). Then stir again. (Coconut flour usually needs a few minutes to “absorb” completely.)

Drop spoonsful of the egg mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Jiggle your baking sheet back and forth in one direction so that the lumps morph into oval-shapes. Pop in the oven and cook for about 7 minutes. These are the “skins.”

Meanwhile, mix some sour cream with Tabasco Original Red hot sauce, to your taste. This is where the dish gets its flair.

When they’re finished cooking, flip your fauxtato skins over so the flat side is up, and top with cheese and bacon. Pop in the oven for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.

Remove and sprinkle with green onions.

Serve with the Red hot sour cream for dipping.

 

Artichoke Dip

A note from Sheri: I’d use fat free ingredients here, but not sure how that would turn out.  For the dippers, I would NOT use carrots as they have a high sugar content. Celery is the safest besides those cheese crisps this author makes in the previous post. 

http://www.joyfulabode.com/2010/04/26/a-freaking-mazing-artichoke-dip/

A great thing about this dip is that it can be made very quickly by microwaving the ingredients sort-of-separately, mixing, then broiling in the oven. If you have more time and want fewer steps in preparation though, you could just mix everything together  and then throw it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 minutes or until it’s heated through.

You will need:

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, warmed in the microwave for 2 minutes on 50% heat to soften it – (Even if you’re making your dip in the oven, pre-microwaving the cream cheese will help you mix it with the other ingredients, so I recommend not skipping this step.)
• A dollop of sour cream – maybe 1/4 – 1/3 cup
• A dollop of mayonnaise – about 1/4 cup
• About a cup of chopped spinach (either fresh, cooked, or frozen, thawed)
• 2 cans or jars of non-marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• Garlic salt
• Chili powder – be generous! The cream cheese and sour cream will act to “cool” the dip, so you can sprinkle away with the chili!
• A handful of shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients in a baking dish, and sprinkle on a bit more mozzarella, then broil until the cheese is browned.

Now you can get down to the business of eating and enjoying your delicious dip. Try it with:

1. Zero-Carb Homemade Baked Cheese Crisps
2. Carrot sticks
3. Celery sticks
4. Strips of raw bell peppers
5. Pork rinds
6. A spoon
7. Homemade grain-free crackers (I’m thinking of a sesame-seed based one that I may try to make!)
8. Slices of turnips, jicama, or large radishes

I also think it would be great in hollowed-out Roma tomato halves or jalapeno pepper halves, possibly wrapped with bacon. Dear goodness…. *sigh*

 

Low to No Carb Cheese Crisps

I have made a version of this before but it’s been years.  If you haven’t tried them, you HAVE to. 

You can use cheddar, parmesan, monterey jack, whatever you’d like. I haven’t tried it with mozzarella or provolone yet so I’m not sure how those would turn out, but if you’re in the mood for that, why not give it a try? What’s the worst that could happen?

If you’re planning on mixing in seasonings or spices, grate your cheese. Or get pre-shredded cheese. Either is fine. I’ve used the “mexican shredded blend” before with success.

Otherwise, if you’re doing just plain cheese, you just need to slice it.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and put some parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Did you hear me about the parchment? It must be parchment. Foil won’t work (trust me, I’ve tried), nor will “cooking spray” or any other method… parchment and parchment only. Can I say it again? Parchment.

Now, if you’re using shredded cheese + seasonings, go ahead and toss it all together in a bowl. Cheddar/Jack and Ranch dressing mix is amazing. “Mexican blend” is great with some chili powder and garlic. Parmesan and basil is always nice. Do what feels good to you. Just don’t add salt. Remember, cheese is already PLENTY salty on its own. You do NOT need additional salt.

For shredded cheese, put little lumps of it all over the parchment-lined cookie sheet, spaced out because they WILL “grow” and spread more than you think they will. And when I say “little” lumps, I mean little… about a teaspoon of cheese each.

If you’re using plain cheese, slice it thinly (not paper-thin, but like “sandwich slices” thin) and break or cut it into little squares. About an inch square is good. Again, they will spread out, so place these on the parchment-lined cookie sheet, spaced out like cookies.

Now put it on a rack centered in the middle of your oven, and bake for 5-7 minutes. Then peek. If the edges are starting to brown, you could try taking it out. If you’re not sure, leave it in for another minute or two.

I’ve accidentally forgotten about these in the oven before, and the whole thing turned brown and it was STILL tasty… but if you don’t let it bake enough, it’ll just be stretchy melted cheese, not “crisps.”

When you remove them from the oven, you’ll need to let them cool. If you have the sort of countertop that feels cold, you can just lift the whole piece of parchment off the cookie sheet, and set it on your counter for a few minutes. Or if you don’t, you can use a pancake-flipper thing (what are they really called? not spatulas; those are different) to pick them up and put them on a cool plate.

After a few minutes, they’ll be crisp! And you have a great party snack. Or a lunchbox “side.” Or if you’re like me, possibly dinner.

Tomorrow I’m going to share a really delicious artichoke dip that I made a few days ago. I used baked cheese crisps as my “crackers” to scoop it up and it was to die for!

 

Alice’s Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes with Frangelico Ganache

This is for my hubbys birthday.  He doesn’t know that yet….

Alice’s Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes with Frangelico Ganache
Makes approximately 40 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Frangelico Chocolate Ganache *see below
2 shots espresso with 1-3/4 cups hot water (Americano), or substitute 2 cups hot strong coffee
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (11-1/4 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs

 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder and Americano/coffee until it looks like a smooth chocolate sauce; set aside to cool. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until nice and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Slowly add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until batter and mix for 2 minutes. Add chocolate-coffee sauce mixture and mix the cake batter for 3 minutes on medium-high or until the batter is smooth.

2. Fill each muffin cup until 2/3 full. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing and allow to cool on a wire rack. Frost each cupcake with a heap of Frangelico chocolate ganache.

Enjoy!

Frangelico Ganache

Ingredients:
16 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons Frangelico hazelnut liqueur

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil and immediately turn heat off.  Add chocolate to the cream, stirring constantly until chocolate ganache is smooth. Add Frangelico liqueur and allow ganache to cool.

 

Chocolate Wasted Cake

Chocolate Wasted Cake
Makes 8-12 servings
Allergy Note: contains wheat and dairy ingredients

(See notes for allergen-friendly or vegan alternatives)

cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup butter, melted
4 tsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3-1/2 cup whole milk (start out with 1/3 cup of milk and add more milk to your desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

liqueur for drizzling on the cake layers (i.e. chocolate, coffee or almond)

melted chocolate for drizzling, :
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*
2-3 Tbs. heavy cream or vegetable oil
semi-sweet chocolate chips for the sides of the cake

assorted chocolate candies for the top of the cake*

To make the cake:

(Note: Instead of milk, you can replace it with water or cooled brewed coffee. Instead of butter, you can use
vegetable oil. Instead of honey, you can use corn syrup or agave nectar. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips. For allergen-free alternatives for the candies, you can try Enjoy Life chocolate chips, bars or cookies)

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease and dust two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with cocoa powder. Set aside.

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, honey and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk/butter mixture. Mix until combined.  Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour in the batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and wait for about 10 minutes to remove from cake pans and place on a cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely before decorating.

To make the frosting:

Note: instead of butter, you can use any allowed margarine, Spectrum organic vegetable shortening, or
coconut oil.  Instead of milk, you can use rice milk or soy milk.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter, milk and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, slowly mix together at a low speed. Once all the ingredients are combined, increase the speed and beat till fluffy.

To assemble the cake:

Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake circle.  Lightly drizzle with liqueur.
Spread an even layer of frosting. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Lightly drizzle with liqueur. Cover the sides and top of the cake with frosting.  Cover the sides of the cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips and cover the top with assorted chocolate candies. Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides of the cake.

 

Ever since my brother started using the phrase “I wanna get chocolate wasted” from the movie Grown Ups,
I’ve been wanting to make this cake for his birthday.  Being a chocoholic myself, I had no trouble coming up with ways to fill this cake with layer upon layer of chocolatey goodness.  Just looking at this cake, I think you’ll agree
that it definitely deserves its name.

Photo Credit: Ryan Rivera

To create this chocolate beauty, I baked two layers of delicious chocolate cake.  Then, I drizzled each cake layer with some Kahlua. I wanted to use chocolate liqueur like Godiva dark chocolate or white chocolate,
but all I had on hand was Kahlua, which is a coffee-flavored liqueur and Disaronno, which is an almond-flavored liqueur.  Either one would’ve worked well with the chocolate but since my brother also loves coffee, I decided to go with the Kahlua.  Then, I filled and frosted the cake with rich chocolate buttercream.

Next, I completely covered the sides of the cake with Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.  The trick to doing this is to take a handful of chocolate chips and gently press them onto the cake.  I placed the cake on a revolving cake stand and I had a large shallow bowl underneath it to catch any chocolate chips that may fall.

Next, I topped the cake with an assortment of chocolate candies.  For this cake, I used Hershey Kisses, Hershey bars, Kit Kat bars, Twix bars and Whoppers.  With so many candy choices of out there, I’m sure I can make this cake dozens of times and have a different batch of candies to top the cake every time.

Last, I drizzled some melted chocolate all over the cake.  I crisscrossed the melted chocolate on top and then poured more around the edges of the cake. Think Jackson Pollock. I made sure there was plenty of melted chocolate dripping down the sides of the cake.  I think it makes it look even more decadent and mouthwatering.

I hope this cake inspires you to create your own chocolate wasted cake.  What I love about this cake is it’s absolutely over-the-top with chocolate and yet it’s pretty easy to make, even for a novice baker.  It’s the kind of cake you just wanna dive into and devour. You can use your own chocolate cake recipe and top it with all the chocolate candy your heart desires.  And with Halloween just around the corner, I’m sure they’ll be plenty of chocolate candy around to make this cake 🙂

Special thanks to
Jef at My Food Geek for sharing some food photography tips with me recently.  I tried them out and I’m really happy with how my pictures turned out. Thanks again my friend!

http://artofdessert.blogspot.com/2011/10/chocolate-wasted-cake.html

 

3 Musketeers Bars

Three ingredients! You can’t beat that, huh?
Very easy and their taste was super close to the real thing.

*Note from Sheri:  On the comments to this recipe, two people didnt get it to work.  One said the fluff took hours to set up and the other said the fluff wasn’t smooth.  The blog owner had this to say: “When mixing chocolate with Cool Whip, just make sure your Cool Whip is not frozen and let melted chocolate cool just a touch so it doesn’t turn everything into liquid 🙂 hope that helps.” Another commenter said, “add a layer of caramel and you have milky way”

My suggestion is to add finely ground almonds and dip in white chocolate and you’ll have a ZERO bar.  One of my favorites.  Don’t know if I’ll ever try these, but they seem easy and tasty.

2 c semi sweet choc chips
1 (8oz) tub of Cool Whip
2 c choc  candy coating wafer melts (most stores sell them in baking department)

Line a 8″ square pan with wax paper. In medium bowl, melt choc chips in microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave  for 30 more seconds at 50% power. If chocolate is still not melted
completely -continue heating it at 10 second intervals at 50% until smooth.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat your melted chocolate for 30 seconds. Add the Cool Whip to melted chocolate and beat just until combined and fluffy -30-60 seconds. Spread evenly into prepared 8×8′ pan.
Place in freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, remove candy from pan and cut into squares. Return back to freezer.

Melt candy wafers in microwave following package directions. Take out frozen squares and dip into melted chocolate. Place on baking tray lined with wax paper. Allow chocolate to set up in refrigerator or freezer. Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer. An added bonus – they are Glutten free!

http://monstermama-monstermama.blogspot.com/2011/03/3-musketeer-bars-minis-of-course.html

 

Bacon filled pancakes

For Best Results:

Prepare the pancake batter with slightly less water or milk than instructed.  A thicker batter will help prevent the pancakes from flowing into each other.

Set your griddle to medium-high.

Fry the bacon until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the griddle and lay slices on stacked paper towels to remove excess grease (and to get more crispy).

Carefully, wipe down the griddle with wadded paper towels, leaving only a very thin layer of grease to cook the pancakes.

Return the cooked bacon to the griddle with at least two inches of space on both sides of the slices. (You’ll probably have to work in two batches.)

Slowly pour batter over each bacon slice.  After one minute, check the bottom side of the pancakes.  Once browned, flip the pancakes and cook the other side to golden brown.

Serve immediately with softened butter and warm maple syrup.

This is a classic recipe that appeared in magazine ads for Aunt Jemima pancake mix in and around 1962.

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=2853

 

Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt Recipe
(Recipe inspired from Peanut butter ice pops on Serious Eats)
Makes 12 mini ice pops

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Greek style yogurt
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup honey (1/2 cup honey if you prefer sweeter)

METHOD:

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Fill 12 shot glasses with the mixture and freeze until they become almost solid (1-2 hours). Stick a mini wooden fork or tooth pick in each ice pop. Freeze for another hour or overnight until they are completely frozen.
3. You can easily remove the ice pops from the shot glasses by dipping them in a glass of warm water.

http://gourmandrecipes.com/peanut-butter-ice-pops/2/