Stuffed Shrooms with Chicken Sausage

Delicious! Made these for Christmas Eve 2016 and we all agreed. I loved using the chicken sausage instead of regular pork sausage, especially when there were plenty of other heavier meats for the dinner. And even if there weren't, I wouldn't change a thing. These are definitely going in my appetizer rotation. 

24 ounces white button mushrooms

1/2 pound mild Italian chicken Sausage (I use Greenwise at Publix)

1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup dry white wine

8 ounces 1/3^rd less fat cream cheese

1 egg yolk

3/4 cups parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper, to taste

   Parsley, for garnish, optional

Wipe off mushrooms with damp cloth. Pop out stems, reserving both parts. Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside. 

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool. 

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool. 

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with parmesan cheese. Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up. 

Spoon mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get tops browned. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.

Thai Honey Chicken Skewers

This is a wonderful light appetizer I made just recently for Labor Day weekend 2024 alongside a dip, since our main meal was skirt steak with some heavy sides. Everyone was surprised at how much flavor these chicken skewers had. The dry rub along with the marinade ensures a great visit to Flavortown!  

Chicken

1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips or use chx tenderloins
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey 
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Chopped fresh cilantro & lime wedges for garnish

Sriracha Mayo

3 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice
Ground black pepper to taste

Toss chicken with the five-spice, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper.

In a small bowl combine honey, olive oil and lime juice. Toss chicken with marinade and put in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (I marinate overnight for fullest flavor).

For Sriracha mayo, combine mayo, Greek yogurt, Sriracha, lime juice and pepper and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside. 

Soak 6-8" skewers in water for an hour. Then skewer chicken.

Heat a grill to medium-high and cook chicken until nicely seared, about 3 minutes per side, depending how thin the chicken. Transfer to a plate, scatter with sesame seeds & fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges & Sriracha mayo on the side.

Buckeye Fudge - PB & Chocolate

Peanut Butter Layer:

1¼ cups creamy peanut butter

1¼ cups butter (2 ½ sticks), cut into 9 pieces

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate Layer:

2 cups (entire 12oz pkg) semi­sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

2½ tablespoons butter

Place peanut butter and butter pieces into a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar that has been sifted. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13­inch pan. Set aside.

In another medium microwave­ safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and 2½ tablespoons butter. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth.

Pour on top of peanut butter layer and use a rubber spatula to smooth it out. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares. Notes: be sure to buy sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk. You will need most of a 14 ounce can. Sifting the powdered sugar will prevent lumps. 

Marinated Grilled Tuna Steak

3 (4 ounce) fresh tuna steaks

Ground black pepper (to taste)

Marinade:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced

In a bowl combine all marinade ingredients until well blended. Place the tuna steaks into a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the tuna steaks & turn to coat.

Refrigerate for an hour at the minimum or overnight if you have the time. Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Oil the grill grate. Remove the steaks from marinade (discard any marinade) & place on a plate. Season lightly with freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Let sit at room temp (as I do with anything about to be grilled or put in oven) for ½ hour. We grill our steaks for 2 min per side for a little rare in the middle. Cook longer if you like yours more well done.

Healthy Garden Salad

·         5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

·         3 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)

·         1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·         2 limes, juiced

·         1 teaspoon white sugar

·         Salt & pepper

·         2 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic powder)

·         1 (1 pound) package frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)

·         3 cups frozen corn kernels ( I used corn fresh off the cob)

·         1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

·         4 scallions, thinly sliced

·         1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained

In a large serving bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper & garlic. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the soybeans & boil for 3 minutes. Add corn to the boiling water & continue cooking for 1 more minute. Drain very well & pour into the bowl with the dressing. Gently mix in the cherry tomatoes, green onions & black beans. 

Cover & refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to chill & blend the flavors.

Turkey Burgers

Makes 6 Burgers

1.25 lb. ground turkey

6 halves sun dried tomatoes, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 oz. spinach, chopped (I used a good handful fresh)

¼ cup crumbled feta

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 lg. egg 

Salt & Pepper

7 oz. plain greek yogurt

1 medium fresh lemon

¼ tsp minced garlic

¼ tsp dried dill

Prepare the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, ¼ tsp minced garlic, dry dill, juice of half the lemon and a dash of salt. Stir everything to combine & then refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend while you make the burgers.

In a bowl combine the ground turkey with the spinach, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, garlic, dried oregano, egg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything until it is evenly combined. Shape the mixture into six patties. Freeze patties until they are firm so they don't fall apart on grill. Grill for 5 minutes on each side on medium heat. Serve with Arnold thin & yogurt sauce.

Spinach & Artichoke Pull Apart Bread

1 pkg Pillsburry biscuits
8 oz cream cheese
1 can chopped artichoke hearts
1 pkg chopped spinach
½ cup shredded parmesan
½ cup mozzarella
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tblsp butter
Sprinkle of garlic & salt
Extra parmesan & mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400°F. Microwave cream cheese in a bowl for about 1 minute until smooth. While the cream cheese is melting, drain the artichokes & spinach. Mix chopped artichokes & spinach into cream cheese with parmesan, mozzarella, garlic powder & salt. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Cut each biscuit in half & flatten using a rolling pin. 

Fill with a spoonful of spinach & artichoke mixture. Wrap it up & pinch to seal. Repeat until you’re all out of biscuits. 

Melt butter in microwave & brush across the top of the biscuits. Sprinkle a little garlic powder & salt on top of butter. Then add a little more mozzarella & parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Creamy Shrimp Scampi Dip

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined & roughly chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 generous pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 whole lemon juiced
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Panko breadcrumbs for top
• Loaf french bread, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• Olive oil & sea salt

Melting butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Once melted, add garlic & chili flakes. Stir & cook for a minute. Add shrimp. Once the shrimp begin to turn opaque, add in the wine. Cook for about 2 minutes to let some of the wine cook off, then season with salt & pepper and pour in lemon juice. Give a stir, then remove everything from the skillet & place into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, add cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, Sriracha & mozzarella cheese & stir.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Once the shrimp mixture has slightly cooled, add to the cream cheese mixture. Give another good stir.

Fold mixture into a baking dish, then cover the top with breadcrumbs. Bake until the breadcrumbs are nice & golden, and the dip is warmed through, about 15 minutes.

Serve with sliced French bread that is drizzled with olive oil & sea salt. This can be done ahead of time by baking on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 375. Stored covered in an airtight container.

Chicken Tequila Burgers

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
1 lb ground chicken
3-4 tbsp. cilantro
Zest of ½-1 lime
1 1/2 oz. tequila
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Provolone cheese

French hamburger buns

Blue Plate light mayo

Lettuce & tomato
Tortilla strips

In a bowl, mix the ground chicken, garlic and jalapeño. Add the fresh cilantro, lime zest, tequila, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, salt & pepper. Form 4 patties. I put mine on wax paper and in the freezer for about 20 minutes to keep them from falling apart on the grill. Grill on medium heat for 4-5 minutes each side.

Butter & grill hamburger buns for about a minute until they are nice and toasty. Top with patties, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato and tortilla strips. 

{Food for thought}

We have tried these with peppers and onions but found they overwhelmed the burger too much. Lettuce and tomato is simple, adds texture and coolness to offset the kick in the burgers. Add a little tortilla strips for a little crunch if you'd like.

All In Chili

This chili recipe is a combination of many and has all the ingredients I love and feel should be in a chili. A true chili is robust, rich and deep and a labor of love. To me, there's nothing like listening to some music on a cool morning while laying out all the ingredients to make assembling that much easier. 

If you're able, make this a day ahead. Letting it sit overnight really takes the marriage of flavors to another level. I highly recommend a full bodied cabernet like this Earthquake. My husband says this is the best chili he has ever had and right after we had it for lunch, he was on his way to deliver some to both of our parents who live 25 minutes away. I wasn't a chili fan until I had this one! 

You can use any meats you'd like, I just suggest sticking to 3 lbs as this was perfect. Terry doesn't usually like sausage in his chili but we compromised with a chicken sausage we grill and love! I thought it'd be a great idea. It comes in a package of 5 links so I just took the casing off and crumbled the meat. This chili has a kick but it's not too spicy by any means.  

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• 2 lbs grass fed lean ground beef 
• 1 lb chicken sausage, mild (I used Greenwise by Publix)
• 3 (15oz) cans kidney chili beans in a mild sauce, drained
• 1 (15oz) can chili beans in spicy sauce
• 2 (28oz) cans Rotel, original
• 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, diced (I seed only one)
• 2 tablespoon bacon bits
• 2-3 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 1/2 Corona Extra or Modelo (18oz) 

• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp Tabasco
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tblsp plus 1 tsp white sugar
• 2 1/2 tblsp chili powder
• 1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tblsp minced garlic
• 1 tblsp dried oregano

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Mine is 8.5" high and 10" wide. Crumble the ground chuck & chicken sausage into the hot pan (I used two pans so it would cook evenly, then combined the meats), and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease. Add in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes & tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green & red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, bacon bits, beef broth & beer. Season with cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic & oregano.  
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3. Stir to blend, then cover & simmer over low heat for at least 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally. I simmered mine for 4 hours. Let it cool, then refrigerate. If you're able to make this the day before serving, it's actually better! I served it with shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend, sour cream, scallions & oyster soup crackers. 

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