Peppery Hush Puppies

My son is starting Awana Bible School on Sunday.

My son is beginning kindergarten on Monday.

My son is turning 6 with a huge Spongebob Bikini Bottom pool party in September.

My son.

He's ready for it all. But am I?

On the other side of things & almost just as sweet are these hush puppies with a twist. A twist that made me like them more than any restaurant versions I have tried. They went perfectly with a fish fry last weekend.

2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup pancake mix
2-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, pancake mix, sugar, baking powder & salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, oil, jalapenos, onion & hot pepper sauce. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined.

In an electric skillet heat 1 inch of oil to 375°. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm. Yield: 4 dozen.

{Food for Thought}

The batter appeared a little loose so I just added just a tad more pancake mix. They flatten a bit when you drop them in the oil but it was a nice shape. Just don't expect big round balls. Even with the jalapeno pepper & hot sauce, I didn't find these to be too spicy at all. Just a very nice flavor.

Click Here to Print Recipe}

Spinach Cheese Pinwheels

Hey everybody!!!! What's shaking? I'll be quick, these are amazing!!!!! This was the last appetizer to be served on Mother's Day when we got out of the pool & we all wished there was double the amount. Or triple. So easy, so delicious. A must try for your next get together. I am a huge sucker for appetizers like this & can make a meal of 'em.  

I have a few more good recipes piling up so you'll see me at least 2x more this week. Have a great one!

1 8oz tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1/3 cup spreadable garlic & herb cream cheese
4 slices thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 cup packed fresh baby spinach

Pre-heat oven to 400. Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles; seal perforations. Spread cream cheese over each rectangle to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top with ham & spinach.

Roll up each jelly roll style, starting with the short side. Pinch seams to seal. Cut each into six slices. Place the slices cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

{My Thoughts}

Double the recipe!

{Click Here to Print Recipe}

Visit Lisa at Blessed with Grace for More Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays!!!

To Some Jews, Faith Means Lox, Bagels & Seinfeld

I read that somewhere & it just made me laugh a little.

I grew up a Jew, just not a practicing one. We grew up in the Bronx as part of a huge melting pot. I had black friends, Irish friends, Spanish friends. It was awesome. But we seemed to be the only Jews. When I was younger I wondered where the others were. Hah. I even got tied to a pole when I was younger because I was the little Jewish girl. I laughed about it later with the kid who did it. For a long time, after getting out of the Bronx, we went back often to re-visit those good times with friends who were still there.

I had such a fun-filled childhood, living in a 5 story building, always hanging out on "the stoop," friends calling up to us from the street to our 3rd story window, asking if we could come out to play. The ice cream truck would come by & we'd have mom throw money out the window with something heavy to weigh it down. Fun times. A time when it was safe for a bunch of kids to be running in the streets because we were all looking out for each other.

We celebrated Christmas because it was fun but we also put up the Menorah out of respect for the Jewish traditions. Yeah, we were like that.... Later my sisters & I were all dating someone of a different nationality & so we called ourselves the League of Nations. But I digress...

While my faith has changed since I was younger, I still hold onto what is considered an important part of Jewish cuisine. The Bagel with Cream Cheese & Lox.

Nova Lox is a salmon fillet, thinly sliced, lightly salted & smoked & very delicate. Ordinary Lox is similar but much saltier. It was introduced to the United States through Eastern European Jewish immigrants.

The only way I eat it is on a lightly toasted bagel, with a schmear of cream cheese, thinly sliced onions & black pepper. I often slice up some tomato as well. Some people do the capers but it's not my bag. We enjoy this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. A package is usually good for 3 bagels & I enjoy mine open faced with not too much salmon on each side.

This is to us what grits are to Southerners. I know some of my friends up North have never had grits & I know many people who have never tried Lox. 

You can usually find 2 different types of Lox at the supermarket near the fish. I always get the one that says Nova. It is more delicate & less salty than the other package normally labeled as just Lox. If this is something you've never tried, you ought to. You'll either love it or hate it. But at least you can say you tried it.

Well, I really enjoyed sharing this with you. I didn't plan on talking about my childhood but it seemed natural once I got going.

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!

Mexican Chicken Crostada

Great weekend but busy! I cooked a bit and also brought a tray of the Swiss Mushroom Chicken Bake & some homebaked cookies to our friends who just had a baby & also to my in laws.

 

I got this recipe from Jenny at Picky Palate. Visit her, she's an amazing cook/baker! I will be making it again as I'm a sucker for anything in a crust or with filling.


Mexican Chicken Crostada
1 roll Pillsbury Pie crust, thawed
1 ½ - 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 drained can Mild or Original Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves or dried
1 tsp Ranch dressing seasoning, from packet that makes the dip
1 tsp cumin (I plan to use 1/2 tsp next time)
Pinch of salt & pepper
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll pie crust & place onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

Place chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt & pepper into a large bowl. With a fork, stir & cut up chicken pieces until well combined. Pour chicken mixture into the center of pie crust & top with cheddar cheese, leaving about 1 ½ inch border around edges. Fold crust up over chicken forming little pleats every 2 inches or so pressing gently. Brush edges with olive oil & sprinkle crust with garlic salt.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown on edges. Let cool for 5 minutes then cut into wedges to serve. Makes 4 servings .

My Thoughts:

You can use canned chicken like Jenny did but I prefer using Rotisserie chicken since my little guy will eat that & not the crostada. I also used dried cilantro & didn't really measure. As for the cumin, while one of my fav foods is Mexican I am not a huge cumin fan. The 1 tsp in this dish is very prominent so I plan to use 1/2 tsp next time. For a variation I can totally see making some chicken, spinach, mushrooms & onions with some mozzarella cheese for an Italian version. Yum!

Click Here for a Printable Recipe

New Moon, Sweet & Savory

Already 190 pgs into New Moon. Sobbing uncontrollably, evident in my eyes this morning, real life pains from long ago coming back to mind combined with intense thrills of a partly fictitious world.

There has definitely been a change in seasons but I understand you can't have the beautiful days of Spring without the harsh hours of Winter. I keep telling myself this is just one part of a whole beautiful story that is not done yet. In a way, this one has moved me in more ways than the first. I just don't know how much more I can stand.........

Sweet .......................

I got this recipe from Deanna's Corner Cooking. I was intrigued by the simplicity of it & it did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded my expectations as the yellow cake mix yielded a nice surprise underneath the thin cream cheese icing. It's not your usual spongy cake in this delight. Everyone loved it. And I loved being able to warm up a slice days later & it tasting just as delicious. It's a must try!!!!

Chess Squares

1 yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1 box confectioners' sugar
8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, at room temp
2 eggs

Mix first three ingredients with fork. Press into the bottom of 9 x 13 pan sprayed lightly with Pam. Cream eggs & cream cheese with a mixer. Add sugar. Pour over bottom mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool & cut. Store leftovers in fridge. Re-heat a slice in microwave for 8-10 seconds.

Savory .......................

I made onions & peppers over Labor Day for the chicken sausages I grilled. I wanted to share it here because they came out great.

Onions & Peppers

Just saute some onions, red & green peppers in heated olive oil until they soften a bit. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder & Italian seasoning.

My two tricks are adding a little sugar to taste for sweetness. And when the pan looks like it's getting dry pour a little beer into it & watch the beautiful steam rise. I did this twice. In this case, I was drinking Beck's Light, you can almost see it to the left of the green candle in the middle picture. Yeah, I'm a messy cook!

Yo Tony, Can I Get a Calzone Ovah Heaya???

Why yes, you can! These were delicious!! I was so excited to make them because I never had before, so I have Angela at Hello Dahrlin' to thank for these. Here is the link Angela uses for Roasted Chicken-Artichoke Calzones.

These did inspire me to try another variation the very next day which is what I want to share here. These were a hit, anyone can do them! While the oven is heating you get your filling together & bam, they're in baking for only 12 minutes. Go make them!!!!!!!!!!!!

SMOC Calzones (Spinach, Mushroom, Onion, Chicken)

Mushrooms & onion, lightly sautéed & cooled

(I sauteed these in Pam on high heat for just a few minutes so it wasn't a wet mixture)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 garlic clove, minced

2 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach leaves

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (about 5 ounces)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons cornmeal

1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine mushrooms, onions, salt, pepper & garlic in a large bowl. Add spinach, cheese & chicken. Toss gently to combine.

Brush oil over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Unroll dough onto prepared baking sheet. Cut into 6 equal portions. Cover & let rest 5 minutes. Pat each portion into a 6 x 5-inch rectangle. Spoon 2/3 cup spinach mixture into center of each dough portion. Fold one corner of each dough portion over spinach mixture to form a triangle. Press edges together with fingers to seal. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until golden. Throw under broiler for 45 seconds to brown on top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Cut in half. Serve with marinara sauce. Makes 6 calzones.

My Thoughts:

The original artichoke calzones were great but we did feel the artichokes were a little too overpowering so next time I will cut it in half. If you use the original recipe I recommend doubling the garlic, using more cheese & throwing under the broiler.

The variation I made above was outstanding & we all loved them. Some dipped in sauce but I didn't feel the need. Also, the cornmeal I feel is a must. Not only does it prevent sticking but it adds a nice texture to the outside of the calzones. I sprinkled some on my counter & patted the calzones out there.

The 5 Ingredients You Meet In Heaven

Bacon. Egg. Cheese. Bagel. Butter.

Breakfast Sunday morning. One of my favorite sandwiches of all time.

This was a trimmed down version as it was a mini whole wheat bagel with turkey bacon!!!!

Update: This was supposed to post yesterday while I spent the day at the Nickelodeon Hotel but there were was an error. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I will be back later with a recipe for a delicious calzone I made over the weekend so we can get back to our regularly scheduled recipes!

Slow Cooked Squash & Zucchini

This recipe comes from Tyler Florence who has never let me down before. It's so simple to prepare and the flavors go so well together. You can omit the butter which I started doing to be more healthy and instead drizzle a little more olive oil on top. Or cut butter in half at least. It seemed like a lot to me. You won't miss the butter but the fat will miss your butt, I promise!

2 yellow squash, cut in circles
2 zucchini, cut in circles
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper
Leaves from 3 fresh thyme sprigs (use 1 tsp of ground if not fresh)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or Parmesan-Romano or any variation you like
1 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 stick of butter (unsalted and melted)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Toss squash and zucchini with all ingredients except butter. Put mixture in casserole dish and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Spinach & Parmesan Gratin

I was torn whether to put this into my healthy recipes or not, but it all depends on how you make it. I will write down the options. Everyone in my family loves this dish. I have made it with fried chicken & with steak. There are richer versions out there with lots more cheese but I like the simplicity of this one. I may reduce the parmesan cheese to 1 cup next time, putting in 3/4 with the mixture & sprinkling the 1/4 on top. It's so wonderful!

2 lbs fresh spinach - (3) 10 oz bags. I leave the stems on.
1 1/2 cups of milk (I used 1% or 2% last time I wanted to make a low-fat version & it was great)
2 tblspn olive oil (original recipe called for 2 tblspn unsalted butter, and more for baking dish)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tblspn all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt, pinch of freshly ground pepper, pinch of ground cayenne
1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese, freshly grated or jarred

Heat oven to 350. Lightly oil a baking dish and set aside. In a large saucepan heat an inch or two of water. Add the spinach in large handfuls, adding more as it wilts. I do it in batches. Blanch each batch for one minute. Run under cool water. Drain and squeeze as much water out. Chop coarsely (I do it right in the colander).

Heat the milk in the microwave until hot. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the milk and cook until the sauce bubbles and thickens, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. When sauce is ready, stir in 1 cup of parmesan cheese and combine well. Take off heat. Stir in chopped spinach and mix well. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Maybe add some garlic powder which I did once. Scrape into baking dish and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top. Bake 35-40 minutes until gratin is nice and bubbly and brown on top. Let cool a few minutes before serving.