How I Learned to Like Kale

You may or may not know this about me: I am not a big fan of vegetables. I have grown so much in the 11 years that Matt and I have been married...mainly thanks to Myra, who has always cooked me amazing dishes, filled with incredible veggies. Not only has she cooked for me (and my family), but I have been able to learn how to cook from her.

That said, now that we live in Vancouver, which is one of the "greenest" places I have ever been, we are exposed to all sorts of Farmer's Markets and local produce. The one vegetable that I've never been able to eat is kale. I mean, WHY? I think it can retain it's shape for years if left unattended! (ask me why I know this sometime).

On our recent trip down to the States, I picked up a Bon Appetit magazine. In it was this article:

http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/10/how_i_learned_to_love_kale

Which led to this recipe being made for dinner on Sunday night. Let's just say, I could have licked the pot clean. I hope you enjoy!

Spaghetti with Braised Kale

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Recipe By: Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

1 pound lacinato kale (2 bunches), large center ribs and stems removed, cut crosswise into 1/2" slices

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, finely chopped

8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 pound spaghetti

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

finely grated Parmesan Cheese

PREPARATION:

Rinse kale. Drain; transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add kale and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add cooked spaghetti to kale mixture in pot. Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Sprinkle spaghetti with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes:

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

One serving contains the following: (Analysis includes one tablespoon parmesan cheese per serving.)

Calories (kcal) 420.6

%Calories from Fat 31.3

Fat (g) 14.6

Saturated Fat (g) 2.8

Cholesterol (mg) 5.0

Carbohydrates (g) 59.2

Dietary Fiber (g) 5.6

Total Sugars (g) 3.1

Net Carbs (g) 53.6

Protein (g) 15.4

Slow Cooker Sunday: Spanish Rice

Another Slower Cooker Recipe that we love!!! Even though it sounds like a side it is really more of a casserole that works as a full meal. This one is actually a two day process if you decide to cook the meat the day before but really worth it. I cook the beef in the slow cooker the day before with a great recipe that I will add later. Denise has had it both with pork and beef and says she prefers the beef. We have only had it with beef and love it that way. I also like to double the veggies. You can also make it purely vegetarian by omitting the stock and meat. Hope you enjoy!

Spanish Rice (from The Gourmet Slow Cooker Volume II)

3 Poblano Chiles, halved, stemmed, and seeded

6 tomatoes, halved

3 cloves garlic

1 large white onion, cut into 6 pieces

1 1/2 cups Shredded Beef (recipe I use to follow later)

2 cups uncooked rice

3 cups beef stock or water

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup grated Monterey Jack or sharp chedder cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (I just use regular oregano)

Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for garnish

Sour Cream, for garnish

Preheat the broiler. Place the chiles, tomatoes, and onion skin side up on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler and grill for about 10 minutes, until the skins are blackened. Cover the vegetables with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for about 20 minutes. Peel off the chile adn tomato skins or scrape them off using a paring knife. Slice the chiles into 1/4-inch strips and coarsely chop the tomatoes, garlic, and onion.

Spread half of the shredded meat in a layer in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour half the rice on top of the meat. Spoon in a layer of the roasted chiles, tomatoes, and onion. Add the remaining meat and the rice. Soon on the remaining chiles, tomatoes, and onion.

Combine the water or stock and salt in a small bowl and stir until the salt is dissolved. Pour into the cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole. Serve hot sprinkled with parsley and a dollop of sour cream.

Maple-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Hi all, it's Denise, back again with a one dish wonder! I made this for dinner this week, and it was a hit! I think if you want to make it, I would double the sweet potatoes and onions, because we ran out of the chicken-to-potato ratio. Really tasty!

Maple-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Recipe By: Real Simple

Ingredients:

3- 4 boneless chicken breasts

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 onion, cut into 1 inch wedges

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 9x13" baking dish, toss the sweet potatoes, onion, thyme, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Nestle the chicken among the vegetables and drizzle with the maple syrup.

3. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through, 55 to 65 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!

Steak Salad

The other recipe from the going away party, this is from Giada De Laurentiis. It's delicious. The recipe explains a pretty way of serving this, but I just threw it all in a bowl. Still delicious.

Serves 4

1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large head Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
3 cups fresh baby arugula
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 oz Gorgonzola, coarsely crumbled
Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
salt and pepper
1 pound steak (such as New York, rib-eye, or filet), pan-fried or grilled and chilled

In a large bowl, combine the lettuces, tomatoes, and half the cheese. Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the salad on a platter.

Cut the steaks crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the steak slices atop the salad and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle more vinaigrette over the steak slices and serve.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.

Yield: 1 2/3 cups

Shrimp Cocktail Soup

Nancy Rodriguez gave me this recipe - it's one of their favorites. I haven't made it yet, but it sounds good.

2 lbs shrimp
1 can whole olives, drained
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 whole fresh tomatoes, diced
2 peeled fresh cucumbers, diced
2 stems celery, thinly sliced
2 peeled avocados, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 32 oz. can tomato juice
1 cup water

Cook and peel shrimp. Combine olives through onions in a large bowl. Add tomato juice, shrimp, and water. Stir and serve either cold or warm with hot sauce.

Watermelon Salad with Mint Leaves

This is the salad I served at our going away party for Matt, Denise, Emma, Jackson, and Coleton. It's getting to be fall, which makes this a little less practical, but if you can find good watermelon, it's a simple, unexpected crowd-pleaser. Ironically, sometimes I leave out the mint.

For you Food Network junkies, this is a Paula Deen recipe (and doesn't contain a stick of butter!)

Serves 6

1 (5-pound) watermelon
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
6 whole mint sprigs

Cut the watermelon into bite size pieces, removing the seeds. Peel and slice the onion into rings.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops at a time. Add the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.

In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Denise Throws One In...

Thanks to Heather, who extended such a lovely invitation to let me post recipes on this AMAZING blog! I am honored. I thought that I would toss in my favorite marinade. Easy to throw together, makes the meat taste amazing, and I can even pass this one off to the kids and they don't notice. That's a big deal in this family. I am really enjoying the magazine, Real Simple. Laurel's sister, Beth, got me hooked. So, here you go, everyone. I hope you enjoy!

Ginger-Sesame Marinade

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Recipe By: Real Simple

Ingredients:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 lbs meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables

Directions:

Marinate in a zip-top bag for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. For fish and scallops, marinate for no more than 15 minutes or they may become mushy.

BEST WITH:

pork tenderloin, london broil, pork chops, shrimp, salmon, bell peppers, eggplant and mushrooms

Happy Cooking!

Weinstein Wednesday: Lasagna

Well, in honor of the fact that a McCoy has now become a Weinstein and because I like Heather's Favorite Friday alliteration I thought I would make a play on the Ws...thus Weinstein Wednesday.  If I can remember and keep it up I will be posting favorites from the Weinstein kitchen since we have joined a McCoy and a Weinstein.  

Jon has made lasagna for me twice now and I love it.  His mom got the recipe from one of her "Ya-Yas" and was sweet to share it with us.  So here it is.   

Lasagna 

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage

½ lb. ground beef

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons basil leaves, chopped or left whole (chef's choice)

½ teaspoon fennel seed

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup parsley

4 cups canned tomatoes, undrained (or 1 can measuring 2lbs. 3 oz. Italian style tomatoes)

12 ounces tomato paste

1 tablespoon salt

12 curly lasagna noodles

15 ounces ricotta

1 egg

½ teaspoon salt

1 lb. shredded mozzarella

¾ cup parmesan cheese

 

1. Remove sausage from casing. Chop meat. Saute sausage, beef, onion, and garlic. Stir frequently until well browned.

2. To the meat mixture add sugar, 1 Tbsp salt, basil, fennel, pepper, 1/2 the parsley, tomatoes, paste and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer covered until thick (about 1.5 hours).

3. While the tomato meat mixture simmers cook noodles.

4. In a separate bowl combine ricotta, egg, salt, and remainder parsley.

5. In bottom of a 13"x9" pan, spoon about 1.5 cups sauce. Layer with 6 noodles. Spoon 1/3 mozzarella mixture and spread. Spoon 1.5 c sauce and spread. Sprinkle with 1/4 c parmesan cheese.

6. Repeat layering.

(So here the directions get a bit mixed up in the passing down but the jest of it is finish it off with sprinkling parmesan on top of the sauce mixture. It all goes to the same place anyway!)

7.  Bake at 375 for a total of 50 minutes - the first 25 minutes covered with foil and the remainder uncovered until bubbly (maybe more or less then 25 depending on oven).

GF/WF option:  This is another recipe that is easy to make GF or WF.  Lasagna noodles are a bit more difficult to find GF/WF though so I would like at a natural specialty store like Whole Foods or something similar.

Slow Cooker Sunday: Slow Cooker Baked Ziti

I love the Slow Cooker.  We have the best one from All clad.  Here is a link if you are in the market for a new one...

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku8260341/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C16%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cslow%20cooker&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

I don't remember how I got on the whole kick of finding a baked ziti recipe for the slow cooker but nonetheless, this is the one I found online and we have fallen in love with it.

Slow Cooker Baked Ziti

from www.recipezaar.com

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

2 (25 ounce) jars pasta sauce

1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 (16 ounce) box ziti pasta 

1.  Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink. Stir in seasonings to evenly coat meat; stir in pasta sauce. Set aside.

2. Mix 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta and parmesan in a medium bowl. Spoon 2 cups of meat sauce into the slow cooker; top with 2 cups ziti. Drop half of the cheese mixture, by rounded tablespoons, over ziti; carefully spread over ziti using back of spoon. Layer with 2 cups meat sauce, the remaining ziti and remaining cheese. Add remaining meat sauce, completely covering all the ziti and cheese. Place lid on slow cooker.

3. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours or until noodles are tender.

4. Carefully remove lid to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle food with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella; let stand 10 minutes until melted. Serve directly from slow cooker.

GF/WF notes:  The only thing you have to change to make this GF/WF friendly is the pasta.  I have trouble finding GF Ziti shaped pasta so I usually buy penne because that is the easiest to find.  My favorite brand of WF pasta is Vita Spelt.  My favorite brand of GF pasta that I have found as there are many that I haven't tried is Tinkyada Pasta Joy, Brown Rice Pasta.

Kate has joined the fun! Notes on her future posts.

Hello family and maybe friends!  

Heather hooked me up so that I can start posting recipes.  I have had a blast this last year, my first year of marriage to Mr. Weinstein, playing in the kitchen with all my new gadgets let alone my new kitchen.  Before I started posting recipes I wanted to fill you in on a few things that my recipes would include.  So as most people know I am wheat-free.  Often times society doesn't differentiate from wheat-free and gluten-free.  I would like to include a little information about that here before I begin posting.  

I found an excellent explanation of wheat-free v. gluten-free in case you are interested.

“Wheat-free” means that a person avoids all foods containing wheat. Foods containing wheat are anything made with white or whole wheat flour, such as: cookies, cakes, breads, tortillas, pizza, pasta, pancakes, waffles, most fried food, tempura, dumplings, wontons, etc.; anything made with bulghur such as tabouli; wheat berries; cous cous; sauces that are typically thickened with white flour; soy sauce.

Gluten-free means that a person avoids all foods containing gluten. Gluten is the general term used to describe the protein found in many grains including wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, oat, triticale, semolina, pumpernickel, and farro.

(from http://www.snoety.com/wheat-andor-gluten-free-when-should-you-be/)

So for my posts if there is anything included in the recipe that has wheat or gluten I will be adding notes on how I made it wheat-free.

WF = Wheat-Free

GF = Gluten-Free

Looking forward to giving you a glimpse into the Weinstein Kitchen!

Love, Kate

Favorite Friday: Chocolate-Covered Oreo Cookie Cake

Happy Friday to all! I hope you are all enjoying the much needed rain, and getting to cozy up at home now that it is cold again.

Today's recipe is thanks to Kristen having a request. She wants to make a cake for her sweet friend Katherine's birthday. Ideally, it would be a chocolate and coffee combination, so if you have a cake that meets that description, please share! I didn't have one but suggested this. Kristen, if you make it, give your input on how it goes!

This recipe came from my wonderful friend and neighbor Kelley--of the previously posted apple dip and oreo chocolate balls. This was actually what she made the night I met her at a neighborhood dessert party, and we have been exchanging our favorite recipes ever since. This one is SO delicious. So thanks, Kelley!

FYI, I have adapted this recipe once to make it portable (I wanted to serve it on the boat). It worked well. I made the cake in a well-greased sheet pan, then turned it out onto the counter and sliced it in half across the middle, sandwich-style. I put the bottom layer back in the pan, covered it with the oreo mixture, and topped with the top cake layer, then drizzled the chocolate on top. A more homey presentation, but still just as yummy.

Chocolate-Covered Oreo Cookie Cake

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2 layer size) Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate (like Hershey's)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), cut up
1 pkg. cream cheese (8oz.), softened (1/3 less fat works fine)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups thawed whipped topping
12 oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare and bake cake mix in two (9 inch) round cake pans as directed on package. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes. Invert onto wire racks; remove pans. Cool layers completely.

Place chocolate and butter in small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 2 minutes and stir until butter and chocolate are completely melted. Cool 5 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add whipped topping and cookie crumbs; mix lightly. Place 1 of the cake layers, top-side down, on serving plate and top with cream cheese mixture. Cover with remaining cake layer, top-side up. Spoon glaze over top and let stand until set. Store in refrigerator.

Favorite Friday: Rosemary-Tomato Pinwheels

Happy Friday everyone!

I chose today's Fave Fri selection simply because I'm making it for a shower this weekend. Oh, and because it's delicious. I often end up calling these Rosemary-Tomato Pinwheels "pizza pinwheels" instead, because that's pretty much how they taste. And, who doesn't like pizza? Besides Reid, that is. (Maybe he does like it now, I haven't checked since we were about 8 years old.)

I actually also made these for progressive dinner two (or three) years ago. They usually get great reviews, and are both adult and kid pleasers. Side note: this time I'm attempting a new time-management strategy. I already prepared the dough and rolled it up in advance (not cutting into pinwheels). Then I wrapped the dough rolls in wax paper. That way tomorrow all I have to do is slice and bake. I will let you know if this is not a good idea, but I bet it will be fine.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
My awesome time-saving strategy did NOT work! I guess canned pizza dough must be finicky. When I did it this way, the pinwheels did not rise nearly as well as normal, and they were pretty tough. The sweet ladies at the wedding shower acted like they were good, but I'm telling you they were barely edible. So disappointing! At least I'd also made Kristi's scones, which are always crowd pleasers. Anyway, FYI--just make the recipe all at one time!

Rosemary-Tomato Pinwheels

Yield:
24 pinwheels (May stretch to make more by slicing the pinwheels thinner.)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup sun-dried tomato halves, packed without oil (about 2 1/2 ounces)
2 (13.8-ounce) cans refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation:

Combine first 4 ingredients; let stand for 1 hour.
Cover sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and chop. (This time I found some that were already cut, and ready to eat--no rehydrating. I like to cut them up a little more with kitchen shears though.)
Preheat oven to 425°.

Working with one can of dough at a time, unroll dough onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Brush about 1 tablespoon oil mixture over dough. Sprinkle half of sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 cup basil, 1/4 cup cheese, and 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary evenly over dough. Starting at long edge, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Cut into 12 (1-inch) slices; place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each pinwheel with hand. Brush tops with about 1 tablespoon oil mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining can of dough, oil mixture, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, cheese, and rosemary.

Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until golden.

Favorite Friday: Frosted Cranberry Squares

Another happy Friday to all!

I know you are all dying to know how my cherry muffins turned out. They were awesome! I'll post the recipe sometime next week, but didn't want to spend two Favorite Fridays on the same recipe. So for now we'll talk about something else....

Remember the recent post for the Stuffed Chicken Breast? This is the cranberry-pineapple jello salad that my mom always served with it. She emailed the recipe to me today. I am making the stuffed chicken breast for friends this Sunday, and I am thinking I'll have to make this too. It seems pretty old school to make a jello salad, but sometimes the good old standbys are what we crave. And this one really is delicious.

I don't know where I was when my mom was cooking all these years, because I keep finding out stuff I didn't know. For example, I had no idea this recipe calls for a bottle of ginger ale. No wonder it's so yummy.

Side note: I've never seen these "squares" actually served in the shape of a square. Mom puts it all in a pyrex and we scoop out our servings at the table.

Thanks for this recipe, Mom!

Frosted Cranberry Squares
from: Brenda

2 13 ½ oz. cans crushed pineapple
2 7 oz. bottles ginger ale
4 3 oz. packages lemon Jello
2 1 lb. cans jellied cranberry sauce

Topping:
1 small package Dream Whip
½ cup chopped pecans
1 8 oz. package cream cheese

Drain pineapple and reserve syrup.
Add water to syrup to make 2 cups.
Heat until boiling.
Dissolve Jello in liquid and cool.
Stir in ginger ale.
Add cranberry sauce. I do this with a hand mixer.
Add pineapple.
Chill in a large Pyrex.

Topping:
Mix Dream Whip according to package instructions and mix in cream cheese. Spread on top of the cooled cranberry mixture.
I don’t usually use pecans. They can be sprinkled on top.

I usually cut this in half unless I’m having a crowd. It still makes quite a bit and goes in a fairly large flat Pyrex or other dish.

Favorite Friday: Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!



I hope you all have some special plans for sharing the love today! Our FF post is publishing quite late (almost not until Saturday, again), but that will work out fine since it's a Valentine's Day post anyway.



I know we all have some special family traditions associated with this day, even if they're just little things. I would love to hear some of yours if you would like to share!



In our house, Mom would always make heart-shaped cherry muffins, and we kids would each have a little Valentine goodie bag waiting at our spots at the breakfast table that morning. It was such a fun way to start a special day, and got us excited for the rest of the good times that always followed (bunches of tiny valentines from classmates, tons of candy, and homemade heart cookies in our lunchboxes).






















I want to carry on this tradition in my family, so this year I asked my mom for her cherry muffin recipe and to borrow her heart-shaped muffin tin. Little did I know what a treasure this muffin tin is! I must have been asleep each year until the muffins were actually out of the oven, because I don't remember ever seeing it. It is this adorable little cast-iron muffin tin that makes the cutest little hearts. I am way too excited over this little thing. So I have a picture to share with you, and I'm actually considering hanging the tin on the wall in my kitchen--the "heart" of the home, you know.







Anyway, unfortunately my mom hasn't been able to find her recipe for cherry muffins. They involved chopped up maraschino cherries and some of the cherry juice to make them pink. So yummy! I am going to use the recipe for my Lowfat Strawberry Cinnamon muffins, and adapt it to make it a cherry muffin recipe. I will follow up to let you guys know how it goes.



In the meantime, here is a link to the Lowfat Strawberry Cinnamon Muffin recipe, in case you're curious.



http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=592312



Phillip LOVES these muffins, and they are awesome just out of the oven. I always make lowfat muffins and love them, but I will say that the lowfat variety tend to (in my experience) be delectable just out of the oven, but not as good when left over. So I make the batter in advance, and only cook the number I'll need that day. Then we can use the rest of the batter to make fresh-from-the-oven muffins again the next day.


Have a lovely heart-day!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Kara called me last night to get a good old family comfort food recipe. She is having some folks over for dinner next week and wants to serve a nice, homey meal. This is definitely a great one! We consider this our mom's stuffed chicken breast recipe. She used to make it for Sunday dinner when friends came over, and she served it with fresh green beans and her cranberry pineapple jello mold. I can smell it all now! Anyway....the recipe card I have says that this recipe was actually Myra's originally.

Kara plans to make this sometime this week as a trial run before she makes it for company. I always think it's awesome that she takes the time to try out what she is serving her guests in advance. I usually just go ahead and let them be my guinea pigs. Sorry, guests...

I am notorious for mixing up my memories, combining one with another, and telling family stories all wrong. So...Kate will have to correct me if I'm wrong here. But I remember when Kate and I were both at A&M, we decided we wanted to have friends over to my apartment for a real home-cooked meal. We called her mom and got this recipe, and made it for a couple of friends (I don't even remember who the friends were now). We also made Kate's "cowboy cookies." I was constantly learning great things from Katie, and that was the afternoon I learned that it is SO much better to drop cookies the size of your fist, versus the little cookies we normally make. Anyway, it was a fun afternoon and evening. Does anyone have the cowboy cookies recipe?

Kara asking me for this recipe has inspired me to resurrect it in my kitchen. Maybe you'll enjoy it in yours too... here you go!

Stuffed Chicken Breast
from Myra

Ingredients:
1 box stovetop stuffing, chicken flavored, prepared according to box
1 pound chicken breasts
flour
oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:
Flatten the chicken breasts (I like to do one at a time inside a gallon ziplock freezer bag).
Put 1 tablespoon prepared stuffing in each breast.
Roll each breast up, securing with 1 or 2 toothpicks.
Roll each stuffed breast in flour.
Heat the oil (just enough to coat the bottom of a skillet).
Place the stuffed breasts in the oil and brown, turning to brown all sides. No need to cook it all the way through at this point.
Place the breasts in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam.
Spoon the rest of the stuffing all around the breasts.
Combine the can of soup with 1/2 can of water.
Pour it over the chicken and stuffing.
Bake at 350 for 45 min.

Freezes well.

Favorite Friday: Myra's Baked Potato Salad

Happy Friday friends and family!

Today's recipe is something that I consider a delicious treat whenever Myra makes it, and I know I'm not alone. What I love about her potato salad is that she uses baked potatoes instead of boiled. It is so yummy that way, plus to me it is easier to bake potatoes than boil them. Also I believe she uses homemade ranch dressing, made with her preferred combo of canola oil and (I think?) light mayonaisse. So you can tweak that to suit the way you like to eat.

Myra brought this to my dad's birthday party last year when Matt and Denise grilled up a ton of red meat--it was perfect. Thanks to Denise for scoring the recipe and sharing it with all of us! And thanks to Myra for making it!

Baked Potato Salad

Recipe By: Myra McCoy

Ingredients:
7 medium-sized red potatoes, roughly 3 lbs.
2 cups fancy shredded cheese
8 ounces ranch dressing, bottle or homemade
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
6 green onions , chopped
1 medium-sized red bell peppers, chopped
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (can use turkey bacon too)

Directions:
Coat potatoes with Pam; pierce several times with a fork.
Bake at 400 degrees, for 45 minutes, or until tender.
Cool and cut into 1 inch cubes (really let them cool or they will just mush). (Can do this step up to a day in advance.)
Combine 1 ½ cups cheese, dressing, and next three ingredients in a large bowl.
Add potatoes, tossing gently.
Sprinkle with bacon and remaining cheese.

Favorite Friday: BeachComber Cookies

Happy Friday everyone!

It has been a slow week at the family feast, I know. I have been recovering from the onslaught of chocolate...

But we are back on track with a well-loved family favorite sent in by Kristen! These are her delicious Everything Cookies, and I know many of us have been wanting the recipe. Kristen says the recipe came from Southern Living, but she didn't remember what they called them--she appropriately named them Everything Cookies since they have, well, everything in them.

However...Kristen has since seen a similar cookie made on the food network, and they called them BeachComber Cookies. She does take these to the beach every year, so she likes this name better. They're Kristen's great cookies, so she gets to choose. I like the new, catchy name. So, here are Everything Cookies version 2.0....

BeachComber Cookies

Yeilds 4.5 dozen...consider making half and freezing the other half for later use

Ingredients:
1c butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c crunchy peanut butter (I recommend estimation with the peanut butter so you don’t have to clean the measuring cup forever after measuring.)
1 t. vanilla extract.
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 c granola with almonds (no raisins)
1 (12 oz) pkg. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 (10 oz) pkg. peanut butter morsels

Instructions
1. Beat butter at med. speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugars, blending until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beating until blended. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until just blended. Stir in granola and morsels, cover and chill 2 hours. (I skip the “chilling” part and they still work out fine)
3. Shape dough into 1 1/2 in. balls, place on baking sheets.
4. Bake 375 for 8-10 minutes. For large cookies, 1/4 c @ 375 for 18 - 20min. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.

Caramel Chocolate Pretzels

I hope all you McCoys and friends had a fabulous Friday!

I am coming in JUST under the wire getting my Favorite Friday post done while it's still actually Friday... so in the spirit of making it snappy I am going to do an embarrassingly simple recipe, but luckily it scores big points for taste. And of course, it is chocolicious. I always get compliments on these, along with complaints from a few people who are annoyed because they can't stop eating them. They're addictive, so watch out.

Have you had too much chocolate yet? I didn't think so...

Caramel Chocolate Pretzels

Ingredients:
1 bag of small, salted pretzels
1 bag of rollo candies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pretzels out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving a little space between each pretzel. Put an unwrapped rollo on top of each pretzel. Bake them until the chocolate starts to melt (just eyeball it, but I think it takes between 5 to 10 minutes). Let them cool completely before putting them in a container to store. Keep at room temperature.

Oreo Chocolate Balls

The chocolate feast continues today with another great recipe from my good friend and neighbor, Kelley. She brought me a container of these delicious chocolate balls right after Alayna was born, and they disappeared in a flash. Since nobody else here at our house eats desserts, I guess I must have been the one who inhaled all of them--though to be fair, I did share some with my chocolate-loving mom. Anyway, these are to die for and easy to make. Enjoy!

Oreo Chocolate Balls
1 package oreo cookies
8 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat is fine)
6 blocks of almond bark (1/2 package)

Grind the oreo cookies in a blender or food processor. Add the cream cheese to the oreos and blend again. Melt the chocolate bark in the microwave or a double boiler. Roll the oreo mixture into balls and dip each into the chocolate. Allow to harden on wax paper. Keep in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's time for more chocolate breakfast goodness, and I don't mean Coco Puffs...

Denise sent in this much-loved family favorite--I don't know about you, but I have not thought about this one in probably 10 years. Chocolate Chip Muffins! We don't know for sure which Aunt started making these first, so step up if you'd like to take the credit. (For now we'll credit Myra, who gave the recipe to Denise, although I know my mom made these all the time too.) All I know is that they were a breakfast staple in the McCoy family when we were kids, and boy were they delish. It has been fun to see these favorite old recipes resurfacing now that we have the next generation of kids around to give us all an excuse for making them.

Chocolate week is not over yet, so you still have time to send in a favorite recipe if you have one to share. (Kristen, if you have time, your chocolate peanut butter balls would be perfect!) Happy eating!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe By: Myra McCoy

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans, (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add milk, eggs, butter and vanilla; mix. Fold in chips and nuts.
Put in 24 muffins cups lined with cupcake liners. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Added note: I use regular chocolate chips all the time and it doesn’t affect anything. Also, I spray Pam inside the muffin liners to help the muffins come loose easily. I also never add nuts because I don’t like them. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Scones

It's officially Chocolate Week here on McCoy Family Feast! Usually chocolate week would be a bit closer to Valentine's Day, but after that last post I couldn't wait... must-have-chocolate-now. Speaking of which, I'm wondering--is brown still Kate's favorite color?

Today I am thankful for the culinary masters who decided to make chocolate a breakfast food. Genius! The next two posts will be special breakfast treats. The first is a "friend" recipe, and coming up soon will be an old family favorite. If you have a favorite chocolate recipe you'd like to share this week, send it my way.

These yummy scones are a specialty of Kristi Jackson. She discovered the recipe in college, and has been making it for happy overnight guests ever since. It is easy, but don't tell that to your impressed friends. The recipe suggests you cut them into wedges, like a pie. This makes for big scones, which is great for a small group. For a brunch, I sometimes make them into little round scones with a biscuit cutter. Last Christmas I did not get my act together in time to make goodies for my neighbors, so I made it up to them by giving them heart-shaped scones with homemade strawberry-port jam on Valentine's Day. I have gotten a ton of mileage from this recipe, so hopefully you'll enjoy it too. Thanks, Kristi!

Chocolate Chip Scones
recipe from Mary Engelbreit and Kristi Kay

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups whipping cream

Topping:
2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add chocolate chips. Stir in cream with a fork until dough holds together in a sticky mass.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured board. Knead the dough several times. Pat dough into a 10" circle. Cut circle into 8 wedges.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.
Brush scones with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

(If any are left, they can be frozen. Heat frozen scones in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.)

Jody's "O" so Good Chocolate Cake

As promised, here is your chocolate fix for the weekend. Thanks to Denise for sending in this decadent recipe!

This is a cake made by Denise's friend Julie, thanks to the recipe from HER friend Jody. Looks like this recipe has a long line of fans, and Denise is spreading the love by passing it along to us! Denise says this chocolate cake is amazing, and that it also works great in the form of cupcakes for parties. In her circle, this is known as the "O" cake. Taste it to find out why. It is "O" so good!

Jody's Chocolate Cake

Recipe By: Julie Jacobson

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons margarine, (not butter)
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa, Light Frosting
1/2 cup cocoa, Medium Frosting
3/4 cup cocoa, Dark Frosting

Directions:
Mix together:
2 cups sugar
1¾ cup flour
¾ cup cocoa
1½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Beat on medium for two minutes:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Then add 1 cup boiling water.

Makes 1 9x13” sheet cake, or 2, 9” rounds.
Bake 350 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes.

FROSTING:(I double the recipe to make it extra yummy.)

For light frosting, use 1/3 cup cocoa.
For medium frosting, use ½ cup cocoa.
For dark frosting, use ¾ cup cocoa.

6 tablespoons margarine (not butter)
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
cocoa of your choice

Cream margarine. Add cocoa and sugar alternatively with milk and vanilla. Beat until spreadable.

Favorite Friday: Chicken Bruschetta

It's Favorite Friday again already, and I am taking the opportunity to share my family's current go-to weeknight meal. This is one of those recipes where, as long as you have chicken in the freezer, you can keep everything else on-hand and make it when you did not have time to plan dinner. Alayna likes to help me sprinkle on the cheese and basil, and mix up the stuffing. I just found the recipe on the back of the low-sodium stovetop stuffing box--the only addition I make is adding a can of sliced mushrooms. We usually just steam up a bag of green beans or broccoli for a side dish. The picture is from the Kraft foods website, but I usually do ours in a 9x13 dish and it looks more golden brown on top than the one pictured.

By the way, I have a couple of friends who read our blog but don't comment since it's a family recipe blog. So to anyone else who knows someone who would be interested, I say the more the merrier--share it with your friends if you'd like. We welcome comments from all our loved ones, McCoy or not!

Sneak preview: Speaking of friends, this weekend look for a post featuring some "O" so good chocolatey goodness from a friend of Denise's friend. See, where would we be without our extended "family" of loved ones?

Chicken Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional. I cut the up into even smaller pieces.)

1/2 cup hot water

1 box Stovetop Stuffing mix (we use low sodium)

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Place in greased 9x13 pyrex. Sprinkle the basil and mozzarella over the chicken. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, garlic, diced tomatoes, mushrooms and water, stirring until just moist. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Pulled Pork with Barbecue Sauce

Thanks again to Denise for sharing another great recipe--this one is in response to the request for good slow cooker recipes. If you ask me, anything with the word "barbecue" in it sounds delicious.

Denise says this easy recipe is a staple in her home, and she sometimes doubles it to use the leftovers in recipes throughout the week. It's also good for potlucks or to share with other families.

I can think of so many uses for this--pulled pork sandwiches, pulled pork burritos, pulled pork sliders, pulled pork chalupas, pulled pork...(that's enough, Bubba). Leave a comment with your suggestions for the best way to use this great BBQ pork!

Pulled Pork with Barbecue Sauce

Recipe By: Lynn Alley, via Williams-Sonoma (the cookbook is called: The Gourmet Slow Cooker, Volume II)
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
2 pounds pork roast, any cut (Denise says bone-in gives the very best flavor)
2 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Place the pork in the slow cooker.
In a bowl, combine the ketchup, vinegar, water, onion, garlic, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. Pour the sauce over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat falls apart.
Remove the pork from the cooker and allow to cool slightly. Remove and discard any bones. Pull the meat into shreds using your fingers or two forks. Return the meat to the cooker and stir into the sauce. Serve warm.

Pancetta-Wrapped Roasted Turkey

Today we have a special recipe from Matt and Denise, and I must say it looks delicious. This is a roasted turkey that they have made for Thanksgiving and a few other times, and they say it is always a hit with their friends for its awesome presentation and of course just good eating. I'm also SO excited that Denise sent pictures of the recipe in progress and completed. What a gorgeous bird--nice job Matt and Denise, and thanks for sharing!

Pancetta-Wrapped Roasted Turkey

Recipe By: Food and Wine

Serving Size: 12

Ingredients:
BRINE:

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup crushed red pepper

2 cloves garlic

2 jalapenos, sliced

2 quarts hot water

1 13 pound turkey

RUB:

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 pound sliced pancetta

DIRECTIONS:

MAKE THE BRINE: In a large bucket or pot, combine the salt, crushed red pepper, garlic, jalapeños and hot water and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the turkey, breast side down, then cover with the cold water so it is fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate the turkey for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Drain and rinse the turkey and pat dry.

MAKE THE RUB: In a small bowl, combine the chile powder, salt, cumin, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, brown sugar and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the turkey. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Arrange about three-quarters of the pancetta over the breast, overlapping the slices. Secure the pancetta in several spots with toothpicks. Wrap the legs and thighs with the remaining pancetta, securing it with toothpicks.

Roast the turkey for about 4 1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165°. After about 1 1/2 hours of cooking, cover the turkey loosely with foil as the pancetta browns. When the turkey is done, transfer it to a carving board and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard the toothpicks. Carve the turkey into slices and serve the crispy pancetta on the side.

Favorite Friday: Granola

Happy Favorite Friday, family!



Today's fave is courtesy of Denise. This is the granola from the Peach Tree cookbook, and I know this is a staple in many of our families. I think Denise keeps it on hand most of the time, and my mom makes it and gives it regularly as well. I think my mom and Myra use about twice the amount of nuts, so that can be adjusted to your taste if you like. It is definitely a family favorite!



Denise gave me a great tip when I called her about the recipe a while back--she buys the nuts in bulk, then makes quart freezer bags with the nuts needed in one granola recipe. That way when she makes it, she just has to combine a prepared bag of nuts with the oatmeal and wet ingredients. This definitely has come in handy for me, so thanks for the tip, D! Just don't forget to add the oats like I did--you will end up with sticky nut candy, which is not nearly as good.



Also, stay tuned for a fun week ahead for your favorite blog. We have a backlog of great recipes to share so I'll have lots of posts coming up.







Granola
Recipe By: Cynthia Pedregon, The Peach Tree Inn, Fredericksburg, TX

Yield: 9 1/2 cups


Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups dark raisins, optional


Directions:
1. Place rolled oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds in bowl and mix well.
2. Mix together syrup, honey, canola oil and vanilla and pour over dry ingredients, coating thoroughly.
3. Place in large shallow pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes, stirring every ten minutes until browned.
4. Add raisins. Allow to cool and refrigerate in airtight container. Keeps in refrigerator for up to two weeks.


Notes:
I prepare this recipe with only raw or roasted nuts. Not salted. I use Pam on the jelly roll pan (a large rectangular pan with about 3/4 inch lip...mine is light in color....not a "nonstick" kind) to keep it from sticking. I put the granola on the pan, and for my oven, I can let it go for 30 minutes before needing to stir it the first time. I stir once at 30 minutes, and then it browns quickly after that. I stir every 5, then in batches of 3 minutes until it's as brown as a I like it. Matt prefers it more brown than some.


Andy and Laurel introduced us to Fage yogurt while in Scotland. It's available now at most grocers. I can get it here in San Marcos. It's a greek-style yogurt that is fat free, but high in protein. I mix the granola with that, and I'm not even hungry until lunch. It's perfect for us.

Weinstein Espresso Martini

Thanks to Jon for sending in the recipe for the delicious espresso martinis he and Kate served at progressive dinner this year. There's nothing like mixing an upper with your downer for a great time. Oh, plus chocolate! This can't be beat.

Espresso Martini
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 oz espresso
1/2 -3/4 oz Chocolate Liquor (such as Godiva)

Shake, strain and serve up in martini glass

Poinsettia Punch corrected

Here is a correction for Myra's Poinsettia Punch recipe from the progressive dinner. Looking at the one I posted, I should have known I'd made a typo when it called for WAY more alcohol than one should drink, even at Christmas. Anyway, this one is correct. Thanks, Myra!

Poinsettia Punch
1 bottle of chilled champagne
3 cups chilled cranberry-apple juice drink
1/4 cup thawed white grape juice concentrate
1/4 cup of orange liquer

Favorite Friday: Lime-Cilantro Coleslaw

Happy new year, McCoys! I hope you are all off to a good start for 2009!

It's Favorite Friday again, and in the spirit of making healthy resolutions, I will post one of my favorite healthy recipes--Lime-Cilantro Coleslaw. You are at my mercy when it comes to the recipes chosen unless someone else sends some in, so I hope you like them. Thanks to Myra for letting me know she couldn't post--hopefully I've worked out the kinks, so try again if you had trouble at some point.

This is one that Meags requested for game night (and she tells me she also ate it for breakfast the next morning), and Andy requested that Laurel get the recipe. It's popular at my house too. We served it to friends this New Years Eve along with Phillip's favorite Firecracker Enchiladas, a recipe for another day...

Lime-Cilantro Coleslaw
4 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons sugar
1 bag of cole slaw
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine first 3 ingredients for the dressing. Toss with the slaw, green onions, and cilantro.