Thursday, January 30, 2014

Cowboy Caviar


I love this side dish, relish, snack, appetizer or salad topping.  It has many uses. 

The obvious way to enjoy the Cowboy Caviar is with tortilla chips but I also like to use the left overs for salads and sandwiches.

Honestly, you can add anything to this wonderful array of color served in a bowl or take out what you don't like.  

I think these are some of the best recipes because they are so easily adaptable to your own families likes and dislikes.   I know that when I make it when my Mom is in town to leave out the black-eyed peas--she hates them.  I know that if I am going to be eating it I have to make a small batch for myself without the peppers.  I just learned that I am very allergic to bell peppers (and here I thought it was the eggs--LOL)

Do you see how this can be altered and recreated a ton of different ways.  I think adding jicama to this would also be really good.  I just thought of that so next time I will change it up a bit.

I like to serve this dish warm instead of cold.  My teeth are really sensitive to cold things. I just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, enough to take the cold edge off.

I think we will be making this soon, I smell a good football game right around the corner.

ENJOY!





Cowboy Caviar

Prep Time:  15 minutes
Serves: 6-8

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz can of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup of orange bell pepper, chopped small
2/3 cup red onion, chopped small
1 15 oz. can white or yellow corn, drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped small
1/2-1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1.5 cups of your favorite Italian salad dressing
Salt to taste
Jalapenos (optional--not pictured)

Combine all ingredients into a medium bowl. Stir well

Serve with chips, as a salad topping, over fish or by itself.

Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.




Thursday, January 23, 2014

Italian Loaf



This sandwich is a family favorite!

I wanted to share it with you right before the big Super Bowl game coming up on February 2nd.

What I enjoy about this sandwich is that you make it the night before and let it sit all night.  Then when you are ready to eat, you simply pull it out and slice it up like a big pie or pizza.  The wedges look amazing, your guest will be thrilled with the flavors and the best part--you are not spending a lot of time away from the game.  

You did all the work the day before.

As with all of my recipes, I urge you to use the best ingredients to bring out the full flavor and potential of this show stopping meal.

Serve with a few of your favorite side dishes, chips, a vegetable platter and some cold drinks.  You should be set for the game!
ENJOY.




Italian Loaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 8-10

1 (6-8 inch) round loaf of your favorite bread (Use a gluten free loaf to make this gluten free)
4-6 slices of ham
12-15 slices of Genoa salami
4-6 slices of turkey
10-12 slices of pepperoni
3-4 slices of provolone cheese
3-4 slices of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup olive medley-recipe below
2 slices of red onion
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
A handful of Arugula or lettuce greens
Dash of olive oil
Dash of balsamic vinegar-your favorite flavor

To prepare bread:  Cut a 5-inch circle in the top of the round loaf of the bread.  Using your fingers, dig out the inside so that you have a hollow shell of crust. Remove any extra bread on the "lid" of your loaf.

Layer your meat and cheese in any order on the bottom. 

To make the olive medley: Buy three different kinds of your favorite pitted olives; add them to a food processor. Pulse a few times.  Add this medley to your sandwich after the meat.

Layer the onions, sun-dried tomatoes and fill the top in with your favorite lettuce greens.  

Top the lettuce with a dash of olive oil and vinegar.  Replace the 5-inch circle and wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap.

Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.  When ready to serve, slice like a pie. 

Serve with your favorite side dishes and condiments.

Written by Sherron Watson



Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Crustini



Easy is what I am looking for in my meals recently.  I also need something that I can make fast.

Holding a baby in one hand has allowed me to get really good at doing things with my left hand and using only one hand.  Not to mention my right arm is getting pretty buff.  Now I need to find the time to work on my left arm or I may look like Popeye pretty soon, or half of Popeye.

The one hand "everything" also applies to eating.  I really can't hold a sandwich very well. The insides seem to be falling out constantly or I spill mayonnaise onto Finnleys outfit or forehead.  She does not like that much.  Speaking of Finnley, here she is at 3 months old.   Her hands are keeping her very busy these days.

So I find that these small crustini appetizers work well for me.  I can buy the baguettes or make my own bread, cut them into small rounds and load them up with what I like.  On this day I chose to mix the sweet flavor of cantaloupe with a bit of mozzarella cheese and Prosciutto.   The melted mozzarella was a nice touch.

MMMMMM, my taste buds were thanking me on this day.  I love pairing sweet with salty ingredients. I also love to add a bit of tartness so I drizzled a few drops of my favorite balsamic vinegar, this month I chose the bordeaux cherry flavor.

Other combinations that I like to use are: cream cheese, ham, chicken salad, fresh herbs, olive oil, sharp cheddar cheese--really, the options are endless.

If you have time, share with me your favorite combination of flavors and textures when you prepare a platter of crustini for your family or friends.


Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Crustini

Prep. Time:  15 minutes
Bake Time:  15 minutes

16 slices of baguette style bread
2 T. olive oil
8 slices of mozzarella cheese, cut in half
1/2 cantaloupe
8 slices of Prosciutto
Flavored vinaigrette, optional
Mint leaves, optional 


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cut bread into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Brush each side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3.  Bake bread for 10 minutes.  Remove, add 1/2 slice of mozzarella cheese and return to oven for 5 more minutes.  

4.  While the cheese is melting.  Use a potato peeler to make thin slices of cantaloupe.  Cut Prosciutto in half. 



5.  Remove crustini from oven and lay a folded piece of Prosciutto on top of cheese, add folded cantaloupe, top with a small leaf of mint.


Optional:  add a drop or two of your favorite balsamic vinegar. I used Cherry (see picture).

Written by Sherron Watson

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Merlot Meatballs


Back in October I was sent a gift basket that included a bottle of Merlot, along with cheese, crackers and an apple slicer.  At the time I was tending to Finnley and put the bottle under the cupboard for a later date.  To be honest, I forgot about it until I ventured into the kitchen to make these wonderful creamed mushrooms.

I guess I was in the mood for something creamy and warm.  I ended up on Pinterest scrolling though some easy recipes because I was out of some of the ingredients to make the Creamed Mushrooms.

Bummer.

It was a bummer until I found this recipe for Merlot Meatballs by The Midnight Baker.  They sounded easy enough; plus,  I had the Merlot.

The recipe below has been adapted from the original.  I modified it to fit our families taste buds and to use what I had on hand.

Delicious sums up the end result of this dish.   Pre-made meatballs are easy but I think homemade meatballs taste better.  Here is an easy recipe for Homemade Meatballs that I use quite often with a variety of meatball dishes or this recipe for Turkey Meatballs would work well too.

As with some recipes, they tend to taste a little bit better the next day.  The sauce on the meatballs got a bit thicker and the flavors really shined through.  I enjoyed the meatballs but the sauce was the star of this dish.  I highly recommend that you have some fresh bread  (gluten free bread found here) on hand.


Recipe:  Merlot Meatballs
Adapted from The Midnight Baker

Makes 16/18 meatballs
Prep. Time:  30 minutes

1 bag of pre-made meatballs (16-18 count)
1/2 cup diced mushrooms, small
1/2 cup diced onions, small
2 T. butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Merlot wine
1 1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon honey

Loaf of Italian Bread, optional

1.  Bake meatballs according to package directions.

2.  In a large saute pan on medium high heat, melt butter; add garlic, mushrooms, salt/pepper and onion.  Cook until onion is clear. 

3.  Turn heat down to medium, add wine, cream, honey and parsley.  

4.  Add Meatballs and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened.  Sauce should simmer for at least 15 minutes. The longer it reduces the thicker and creamier the sauce will be.

5.  Serve in a large bowl, over noodles, or in individual serving dishes as an appetizer. 

The sauce is too good to waste, use the bread to sop up every last drop.

Written by Sherron Watson

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