Pineapple Stuffing

A great side dish for ham or pork! This recipe serves about 6-8, and it can be easily doubled.

5 slices of white bread, cut into cubes
1 stick of butter, softened
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 20oz can of crushed pineapple, drained

With a mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Mix until well blended. Fold in pineapple and bread cubes. Pour into greased cassarole dish and bake at 350 for one hour (uncovered so it gets crispy)

If you double the recipe, bake for about 1 1/2 hours to two hours, until set in the middle.

Watermelon Sorbetto

Watermelon Sorbetto (adapted from "The Perfect Scoop")

Ingredients:
3 cups watermelon juice (puree completely in blender)
½ cup (100g) sugar
Big pinch of salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Method:
1. In a small, non-reactive pan heat ½ cup of watermelon juice with the sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and combine with the remaining watermelon juice, lime juice.
3. Chill thoroughly (about an hour) then churn in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturers instructions.

Tip: David says “I find that I get about 3 cups of watermelon juice from a 1.5kg (3lb) chunk of watermelon. Cut away the skin and rind then cube the flesh, remove seeds and puree in a blender or processor."
Optional: you can add about 1 tbsp vodka and some mini chocolate chips (for "seeds") if you'd like, but I didn't try that)

Magic Cookie Bars

These are a BIG hit at a party or cookout!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into about 30 bars. Store covered at room temperature.

Turkey Zucchini Burgers

Turkey Burgers with Zucchini
From: Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 burger no bun • Old Points: 3 pts (bun extra) • Points+: 4 ptsCalories: 156 • Fat: 6.8 g • Protein: 18.6 g • Carb: 5.5 g • Fiber: 1.3 g

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
1 small zucchini, grated
1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tbsp red onion, grated
salt and fresh pepper
oil spray

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, grated zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Make 5 equal patties (I actually made 8 smaller burgers out of it).Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through (We made these on the grill and put bbq sauce on top- YUMMM)

Summer Orzo Salad

Literally, one of the best pasta salads I have ever had!!!! It's light and fresh. The longer it sits, the better, so make it a day ahead! Taken from: http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2011/06/13/summer-orzo-salad/

Summer Orzo Salad

3 cups chicken broth (I had to add 1 cup more of water because it was sticking! Stir it constantly!!)
1 1 lb. box orzo pasta
1 6 oz. jar marinaded artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small red onion, diced
5 jarred pepperoncini peppers, minced
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbsp chiffonade of basil
Red Wine Vinaigrette (below)

Cook the orzo in the chicken broth to al dente, according to package instructions (about 8 minutes); drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, toss orzo together all ingredients. Serve room temperature or cold.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp minced fresh oregano
1/2 tsp minced fresh mint
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together everything but the olive oil. While whisking briskly, drizzle in the olive oil until fully combined.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

2 - (8oz) blocks of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips
18 vanilla wafers
Foil cupcake liners (Do not use paper liners. They will stick to the cheesecakes.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place foil cups in muffin tin. Place one vanilla wafer in each foil liner.Mix cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat with mixer till well blended about 5 minutes (I did this in Kitchen Aid with whipping attachment). Fold in the chocolate chips.Spoon cream cheese mixture onto vanilla wafer. Fill liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 13-14 minutes.

Chicken Marsala

from: Julie
Source: McCormick

1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp marjoram leaves
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp basil leaves
3/4 tsp parsley flakes
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
6 thinly sliced bonless skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 frozen breasts whole)
3 tbsp butter, divided
2 tsp olive oil
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup Marsala wine

Mix flour, garlic, marjoram, onion, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Reserve 1 tbsp flour mixture. Coat chicken with remaining flour mixture.

Heat 2 tbsp of the butter and oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook several of the chicken pieces 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add mushrooms to skillet, cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

Mix broth and reserved flour mixture. Add to skillet along with the wine. Bring to boil, stirring to release browned bits on bottom of skillet. Stir in remaining 1 tbsp butter and basil; cook 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve. Sprinkle with parsley.

Rachel's Scallop and Proscuitto Risotto

Adapted from Michael Symon's Live To Cook

Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup diced prosciutto
1 cup Arborio rice
1 generous pinch saffron (didn't have any on hand, so I left it out)
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock, warmed
1/2 pound bay scallops, or 1/2 pound sea scallops cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sweat it for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat it for 2 minutes more. Add the prosciutto and cook it until it crisps, about 1 minute. Add the rice and let it toast slightly in the hot fat, about 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to med-low, add the saffron and wine, and stir continuously until most of the wine has cooked off. Add 1 cup of the stock and stir continuously until the liquid has cooked off, about 3 minutes. It should be at a high simmer but NOT a boil...if it starts to boil you will cook the rice and it won't work right. I had to adjust the temp up and down continously to get the right temp. Continue to add stock in 1/4-cup increments until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy.

Add the scallops and continue to stir for 2 minutes, or until the scallops are heated through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the thyme, parsley, butter, and cheese and serve immediately.

Beer Butt Chicken

From:  danies08

Beer Butt Chicken
1 Chicken, whole w/ insides removed
1 can beer (Budweiser works best)
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Seasons (what ever you want)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
One Beer-Can Chicken Holder (Wal-Mart)

**I rubbed on the oil and seasonings beforehand, and let it sit in the fridge for about 5 hours before I cooked it this last time. Made it even better**

Pre-heat oven to 450. Coat the outside of the chicken in the olive oil. Make a mixture of seasonings (I use all kinds of stuff), then rub them on with your figertips all over the outside of the chicken. I also like to rub them on the inside of the skin, too. Pour about 1/4 of the beer out of the can, then put the whole, peeled garlic cloves inside. Put the holder in an aluminum pie pan (to catch the drippings) and put the holder and pie pan on top of a cookie sheet (I usually use a 1/4 baking sheet, but a 1/2 is fine too). Put the beer can in the holder, then slide the chicken over it, butt first! Put it on the oven rack as low as it can go. Bake for one hour, or until done.

Tasty Chicken Tenders

I made this earlier in the week, and unfortunately did not photograph it. I plan on making this again soon and will update the post. I only had 10 chicken tenders and for hubby and I; that was plenty but I probably could've eaten more if I wanted to stuff myself silly! They were A-mazing! I adjusted the recipe for a larger amount of tenders since I made such a small amount.

2-3 lb. chicken tenders
2 c. flour
1 Tbs. Emeril's essence seasoning (I used an old spice bottle to mix a batch of this, it keeps for a while and it great to use as an all purpose seasoning)
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
2 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Vegetable oil

Mix flour and Emeril's essence in a shallow dish. Mix buttermilk, milk and egg in another dish. Mix bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper together in a third dish. Set up in an assembly line heading towards a very large, shallow skillet with a thin layer (1/4") of vegetable oil. Set skillet on med-high heat.

While oil is heating, dredge the tenders in the flour, then milk and egg mixture, then finally into the bread crumbs. Once oil is hot add chicken tenders to the skillet, careful to not overcrowd and let the oil temperature drop. Fry on each side for about 4-5 minutes. Depending on how many tenders you have it may take several batches. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt immediately after taking out each batch. Keep warm in the oven or under a piece of foil covered loosely.

Serve with an oven baked mac 'n' cheese and a salad for a comfort food filled meal.

Thin Mint Chocolate Mousse Pie

I made this last night, after I found a recipe online using Jello pudding but switched it up with the Chocolate Mousse and adding Mint Extract for extra mintyness!

Ingredients
2 boxes Dr. Oetker Dark Chocolate Truffle Mousse
2 c. cold milk (per Dr. Oetker's instructions)
1/4-1/2 tsp. Mint extract, depending on how minty you want it
approx. 20 Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookies, or enough to border your pie rim, plus 4 for crushing to sprinkle on top
1 pie crust, baked off and cooled (I used an 8" pie plate)

Follow Dr. Oetker's instructions on the box, mixing the 2 c. cold milk, packaged mousse mix, and the mint extract.

**You may have extra mousse that won't fit in your pie shell so if you want pure chocolate set at least 1 cup aside, then add the mint extract to the rest of the mousse. I had 2 cups of extra mousse since my pie plate was smaller.

Pour mint chocolate mousse into the baked pie shell, place the whole Thin Mint cookies around the border of the pie to create a crown look. Put 4 Thin Mints in a sandwich ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Sprinkle crumbs over top and chill in the fridge according to Dr. Oetker's directions.

Danie's Mama's Meatballs

Barbequed Meatballs

Meatballs: 

 1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk

3 lbs ground chuck (or lean hamburger)

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup chopped onion

2 t. salt

2 t. chili powder

2 eggs

½ t. garlic powder

½ t. pepper

Mix and shape into balls (about the size of a golf ball), place in flat pan. (Only place ONE layer on the pan.)

Making meatballs ahead of time will enhance flavor but isn’t necessary.

Sauce:

1 ½ c. catsup

1 ½ c. chili sauce

3 T. liquid smoke

¾ c. chopped onions

2 c. brown sugar

¾ t. garlic powder

If Baking:
Mix thoroughly and pour over UNcooked meatballs.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees, uncovered.

If Crock-Pot Making:
Bake meatballs without the sauce on cookie sheets at 350 for 20 minutes, then put them in a crockpot, stir in the sauce, and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours, test for doneness.

Chicken with Zucchini and Mushrooms

This is a recipe that I kind of threw together last night for dinner, and we both LOVED it. Hubby said it was "better than anything he ever had in a restaurant". Score!!! Give it a try! It was under 30 mins start to finish.

2 thin, boneless chicken cutlets (about 4 oz each)
just enough flour, salt and pepper to coat chicken
2 tbsp butter
1 cup each sliced white mushrooms, and sliced zucchini (i made little "moon" shaped slices)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp italian seasoning
2 cloves (about a tbsp) of garlic, chopped

1. Pound chicken cutlets until very thin and even. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large pan and add chopped garlic. Coat chicken in flour, salt and pepper mixture. Cook chicken in melted butter until no longer pink and remove from pan.

2. Add the other tbsp of butter to pan and add vegetables, italian seasoning mix and chicken broth. Stir well, and scrape up the bits of flour and garlic at the bottom of the pan to incorporate flavor. Cover and cook for about 15 mins or until veggies are fork tender and a "sauce" has developed from the chicken broth. (you can add a tiny bit more flour or broth to adjust)

3. Add chicken back to pan and cover and simmer for a few minutes so that the chicken warms back up and everything incorporates. Serve over couscous or rice.

Enjoy :)
(for the WW girls - I counted this a 8 pts per serving - because only the 3 oz of cooked chicken and 1 tbsp of butter per serving have points values. The veggies, broth and seasoning are free!)

Tortellini Sausage Soup

Source: Unknown

3 links Italian sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
1/2 c water
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 c apple cider (don't leave out)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c sliced carrots
1 tsp dried basil
2 medium zucchini, grated (I left this out)
8-10 oz pkg cheese tortellini (I used a 20 oz bag)
2 Tbsp dried parsley (yes 2 TBSP)

Remove the casings from sausage and crumble into large soup pot.

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently (may need to drain halfway through). Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and sausage is cooked.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, cider, water, broth, carrots, oregano and basil. Cover and simmer for 30 min. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 min. or so.

Add the tortellini and cook until tender. Serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.