Artichoke dip

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz) can of artichoke hearts, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup parmasean cheese

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or melba toasts.

Feastgiving sweet potatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

Drop potatoes in boiling water. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain water and peel potatoes (skins will slip right off, this is easier than peeling before boiling). Melt butter and add remaining ingredients, except for marshmallows. Pour butter mixture over potatoes and mash until smooth. Place in casserole dish and top with marshmallows. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Mandarin orange salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 bag romaine lettuce
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 can mandarin oranges

Dressing ingredients:

• dash Tobasco
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 Tablespoon parsely
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat almonds and sugar until sugar dissolves and coats almonds. Stir constantly to prevent burning.

Mix dressing ingredients and pour over remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Buffalo Chicken No-fried Fried Rolls

What do you get when Far East meets Deep South? Spring rolls filled with hot wings! Who says the south isn't multicultural?

(PS- If these look gross it is only because I ate all the good looking ones before I remembered to take a picture. They may not be pretty, but they are good.)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cubed, cooked chicken breast
• 1/4 -1/2 cup Frank's Hot Wing Sauce
• 1/4 cup Blue cheese, crumbled (optional)
• 1/4 cup Celery, finely diced
• Phyllo dough squares (aprox. 5x5)
• Pan spray
• Blue cheese dressing

Preparation:

1. Mix chicken with hot sauce to taste. Add in blue cheese crumbles (optional) and celery.
2. Place about a tablespoon of chicken filling in the center of one Phyllo sheet.Moisten edges of dough with water and roll dough around filling, sealing edges tightly.
3. Place on baking sheet and spray with pan spray. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, flipping once to brown both sides.
4. Serve with blue cheese dressing... and football on the tv.

Fresh orange cranberry muffins

While Jen was settling in and watching her favorite movie, Zoolander, she thought "what goes well with orange mocha frappuccinos?" Boom, orange cranberry muffins were born! I did, however, recommend that she make them at least 3 times this big but we didn't have a tin big enough for that.

 

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3  cup sugar
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  chopped fresh cranberries
• 2/3  cup milk
• 1/4  cup butter, melted
• 1  teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir. Stir in cranberries. Combine milk, butter, orange rind, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Hippie scramble

We found this one while at a Saturday Market in Eugene. I just remember there being a lot of tie-dye, patchouli, and tofu. Needless to say, this one is a bunch of tofu, vegan, organic goodness (although it wouldn't taste bad if you threw a couple chunks of bacon in it)!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 block tofu, drained and pressed
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup each green bell pepper, carrots, celery, and other vegetables of choice
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with your fingers
• soy sauce to taste
• black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Stir the spice blend together in a small cup.

Preheat a large pan over medium high heat. Saute the garlic in olive oil for about a minute. Add additional vegetables and saute until cooked to desired doneness. Break the tofu apart into bite sized pieces and saute for about 10 minutes, using a spatula to stir often. The tofu should get browned on at least one side. The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the ban. If that is happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate.

Add the spice blend and mix to incorporate. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve warm.

The Whole Enchiladas

In the backroom of a seedy Tijuana bar Jen and I were engaged in the final hand of some high stakes poker. We raised the pot but all our adversary had was his mother's enchilada recipe to throw in. Needless to say we won the hand and got The Whole Enchilada.

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in chicken breast halves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
• 5 serrano peppers
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pinch salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.
2. Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.
3. Pour oil in a frying pan, and allow to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.
4. Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.