Chris' Recipes

Bon Appetite!

Breakfast Ham Enchilada Bake

Written By: Chris - Aug• 29•15

So I often throw together dishes on the fly, utilizing various ingredients that I have on hand in the fridge and pantry.  I also pride myself in the fact that I throw very little away, while trying not to waste much in my kitchen the sims hot date download for free.  I make every attempt to transform various items and leftovers to include them in new dishes.  Bill and I recently had to attend a day of hands on work at the local winery that we’ve become involved in; and inevitably, I know people get hungry (particularly Bill who eats on a schedule) amazon app!  I knew we would be arriving late morning, so I decided to throw together a “brunch” dish to share with the group.  You can substitute any of the ingredients that you may have in your fridge, but the combination of what I had was quite delicious downloads herunterladen!

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Ingredients: 

2 Cups Ham, cold cuts chopped
1 Large Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Bell Peppers, chopped
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
Chicken Tenderloins, left over chopped (optional, could be ground beef, etc.)
1 14.5 oz all photos to icloud. Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Tablespoon Taco seasoning
4 Eggs
2/3 Cup Half and Half
Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese, shredded 
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Yellow Corn Tortillas
Toppings:
Fresh tomatoes
Sour Cream
Cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees iphone kostenlos musik downloaden ohne internet.

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Start by chopping the onions and sauteing them in the oil until they start to become soft flickr foto downloaden iphone.  Add the chopped ham and cook over medium heat until the ham is browned slightly.

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Add chopped peppers and cook for another minute or two before turning off the heat citrix receiver windows.  Stir in the ricotta cheese, taco seasoning, canned tomatoes and fresh cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.

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Meanwhile, spray a baking dish with non stick cooking spray and heat the corn tortillas over open flame on both sides to char and set aside filme von burning series downloaden.  Reserve the left over filling!

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Spoon some of the filling into each tortilla and roll, placing into the baking dish seam side down skype für pc herunterladen.

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Scramble the eggs with the half and half and add the remaining filling herunterladen.  Stir until blended.

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Pour the egg mixture evenly over the wrapped, filled tortillas and sprinkle with a generous amount of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered with foil for about a half hour to 45 minutes.  Uncover, and continue to bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is browned.

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These are great hot out of the oven, or even warm – closer to room temperature.  Top with your favorite toppings!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

 

 

Watermelon and Arugula Salad

Written By: Chris - Aug• 25•15

I love watermelon and despite popular belief that it is made up of only water and sugar, it is actually considered a nutrient dense food that provides a high amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for a low amount of calories altes office downloaden.  According to the USDA, in just one cup, watermelon has one and a half times the lycopene (a naturally occurring chemical that gives fruits and vegetables a red color) than a fresh raw tomato publisher gratis downloaden mac.  It matters because lycopene is thought to act as a super antioxidant.  like most fruits, watermelon is the product of a seed-producing plant and has a signature sweet taste; but can be traced back to the squash, pumpkin, and cucumber family bloons td 5 kostenlosen pc.  I usually eat it straight with a fork, but recently combine it with Arugula, some creamy goat cheese and sweet nuts for a quick and delicious salad lego star wars spiele kostenlos downloaden!

So who isn’t eating Arugula these days?  Originally I only seemed to notice this “fancy” sounding green while dining out.  It was in a lot of Italian cuisine appearing in everything from pesto to pizza; but now you can find it anywhere herunterladen.  It’s said to have become popular recently because Obama mentioned it while speaking to some farmers in Iowa; he said: “Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula instagram icon? I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”  This green leafy lettuce has a kind of peppery and sometimes mustardy flavor.  It is a less recognized cruciferous vegetable that provides many of the same benefits as broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts and it’s high in vitamin C and potassium ndr videos.

I put together this salad for a friends gathering recently after seeing something similar on one of my favorite cooking shows.  Just don’t mix the ingredients until just before you’re going to serve it because it tends to get soggy quickly youtube link.

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Ingredients: 

2 Cups Watermelon, seedless, cubed
Fresh Arugula (7 oz package)
1 Onion, medium caramelized
1 Tablespoon Butter, for cooking onions
1 Tablespoon + 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Goat Cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons Mint, minced
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, and rind
1 teaspoon Aged Balsamic
1/2 Cup Candied Nuts

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It’s pretty simple really herunterladen.  Prepare your onions in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until caramelized.  Cool and set aside.

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Remove the rind from the watermelon and cube youtube videos direkt auf ipad downloaden.  Gather other ingredients and don’t toss until just before serving.

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Add the chopped mint to the arugula and drizzle lightly with a good balsamic vinegar and some olive oil.  Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste.  Add the goat cheese crumbles and watermelon and toss gently.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

 

Amaretti Cookies

Written By: Chris - Aug• 20•15

I love macaroon cookies.  This recipe is the classic Italian almond macaroon.  They are typically small, domed-shaped cookies that are crispy on the outside and chewy inside, and originated in Venice Italy during the Renaissance period chess game download for free. Amaretti cookies are made from either ground almonds or almond paste, along with sugar and egg whites and can be flavored with chocolate or liqueurs and are delicious with any fruit dessert Download app apple tv 2.  I made them for topping my roasted butternut squash ravioli lately, because often times you’ll find the cookies ground on the inside of the filling for sweetness; but I like to use pure maple syrup in mine vavoo apk 1.35.  I prepared the first batch using simple ingredients that I had on  hand; and later made more using Turbinado sugar after watching various chefs on line demonstrations bilder herunterladen facebook sichtbar.  Turbinado sugar is a sugar cane-based, minimally refined sugar. It is medium brown in color and has large crystals. It’s often mistaken for traditional brown sugar because of its light brown color, but it’s made in a different way excel windows 7 kostenlos download. Many people consider it to be healthier than both white and brown sugars, since it is generally less processed and refined.  I’m not so sure that adding the sugar is really necessary, but the crystals do add some texture fachbücher illegalen.  These cookies are delicious and actually pretty easy to prepare.

amaretti

Ingredients: 

1 Cups Almonds, blanched & slivered 
1/2 Cups White Wugar
1 Egg White, room temperature
Dash Almond Extract
Dash Amaretto
Pinch Salt
Turbinado Sugar, for sprinkling (optional) 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees degrees Download videos from web pages.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

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In a food processor, grind the sugar until it is very fine download apk files.  Add the almonds and continue to grind until the almonds are a fine texture.  Finally, add egg whites and almond extract and continue to process until a smooth dough forms around the blade download hp driver software.  (It is VERY sticky!) 

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Using a teaspoon, place well rounded spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets youtube spot.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until they are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool completely on the paper before removing. Store in a dry place.

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

Shredded Chicken Tacos

Written By: Chris - Aug• 19•15

My friend Jen and I recently shared my kitchen and prepared Chile Rellenos along with some other side dishes minecraft game download.  I was hungry for some chicken tacos and happened to have enough ingredients on hand, that together we came up with some flavorful eats!  Succulent, moist chicken breast meat is the result you can get from poaching anhang herunterladen iphone.  I like to use this method of preparing chicken because the breasts tend to shred easily.  I usually use a couple of forks, but she showed me a great time saver using my Kitchen Aide mixer, that I plan to use again and again snapchat herunterladen mac!  Once you’ve shredded the chicken, you can add just about anything to your taco recipe to your liking.  The trick to the moist chicken is to make sure you poach the chicken rather than boil it, which can potentially produce drier chicken breast with less flavor netflix staffeldownload.  These tacos could easily be an entree and not just a side dish!

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Ingredients: 

Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless (I used an inexpensive 2 lb eiskönigin film herunterladen. bag from Cub) 
1 Onion, sliced
Bay Leaf
2 Garlic Cloves, smashed
1 Red Bell Pepper, charred
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, charred
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/3 Cup Cooking Stock (see below)
1 Cup Salsa
1 small can Green Chilies, roasted peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons Mexican Chili Powder, (or more to taste)
2 Tablespoons Paprika
2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Taco fixings:
White Corn Taco Shells, toasted 

Cabbage, shredded
Avocado, sliced
Lime

Black Olives, sliced
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Salsa
Jalapeno Peppers, etc terminator ringtone.

Fill the saucepan halfway with water, and place it on a stove burner set to medium heat.  Add the onion to the saucepan for flavor, and bring the water to a boil schreibprogramme gratis downloaden.  Lower to a simmer and set the chicken into the broth with bay leaf and the garlic. Return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook, poaching the chicken in the liquid for about 10 minutes to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through allplan furniture. Cut into the breasts open to be sure they are cooked through and that there are no pink areas.

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Strain the chicken (I reserve the stock for future use) kurrentschrift herunterladen.  Shred the chicken using Jen’s quick method!

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Place the chicken breasts into the kitchen aide bowl and shred by using the large paddle attachment hörspiele kostenlos downloaden bibi blocksberg.   Lock the mixer in the down position and turn to number two or four and mix until all the meat is shredded evenly.

Meanwhile, roast the red and yellow peppers either on the grill or on the open flame of the gas range.

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Set aside covered with plastic wrap and allow to cool before removing skins, seeds and stems.

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Using a small blender, puree the cooked peppers completely.

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Melt the butter in the bottom of a saucepan, and return the shredded chicken to it.  Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and combine with the pepper sauce and salsa.

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Combine with seasonings, chili’s, etc. to taste.  Toast the tortillas and fill shells with chicken, shredded cheese and your favorite toppings!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris (and Jen!)

 

Grilled Meatballs

Written By: Chris - Aug• 05•15

I often get inspiration for dinner ideas from watching various Food Network programs that I typically watch while doing my morning work out routine games download lkw.  I recently saw a couple of variations of meatballs and decided to make some jumbo style for the grill.  I often substitute, or combine ground turkey with ground beef in a recipe rollercoaster tycoon 3 kostenlos downloaden vollversion chip.  Ground turkey can be a little more bland, but combining it with beef and additional ingredients that you have on hand adds a lot of flavor.

Zucchini is in abundance this time of year and I recently purchased a new kitchen gadget called the “Veggetti”, which turns veggies into healthy spaghetti download mp3 from youtube without program!  Zucchini is healthier than traditional pasta and have a delicious taste and perfect texture when sliced in the Veggetti! The Veggetti as allows you to cut thin spaghetti size or thick fettuccine size zucchini noodles that are a great alternative to pasta when you’re looking for something lighter youtube mp3 downloader kostenlos.  Keep the zucchini peel on also has health benefits.  Primarily, the peel offers extra fiber and also vitamin C.  I had a lot of fresh tomatoes as well and created my own red sauce, but you could sure simplify things by using your favorite pre-made pasta sauce videos youtube herunterladen online.

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Ingredients: 

1 1/2 lbs schriftarten kostenlos open office downloaden. ground Beef, 80-20%
1 lb. ground Turkey
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated in the green shaker
1/2 Cup Romano Cheese, grated
1/2 Cup fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated (plus more for topping)
1 – 2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
1 Cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Fresh Zucchini, for noodles
Pasta Sauce

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Prepare, or heat the red sauce and maintain heat on low while you prepare the meatballs minecraft kostenlos herunterladen für windows 10.

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In a medium sized bowl, combine the two ground meats civilization 2 kostenlos downloaden vollversion.  Add the grated cheese and bread crumbs, as well as the Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, scramble the eggs with about two tablespoons of water downloaden aus mediatheken.

When combining the ingredients for the meatballs, mix gently and handle the meatballs as little as possible, and don’t fully compress the meat too tightly download sims for free in full version.  I use an ice cream scoop to keep them consistent in size.

Preheat your grill to medium high, using only half of the burners.

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Place meatballs onto an aluminum grilling plate that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray; allowing a little room between meatballs.  Place pan of meatballs on the side of the grill with indirect heat.

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I maintained a temperature of around 400 to 450 degrees and turned the meatballs occasionally to cook evenly on all sides.  I pulled them once the color of the center is just browned all the way through and finished them inside of the sauce.

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Because ground turkey needs to cook to a higher temperature than ground beef, it is important to cook the burgers or meat loaf to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

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Cut the zucchini into noodles and bring a saucepan of water to a boil.

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Add salt and add the zucchini noodles and cook very briefly; about one to two minutes until they are tender.  Immediately remove from the water by draining the water off through a colander.  Allow to sit in the colander long enough for any excess water to drain.

Spoon zucchini onto plates and spoon on meatballs and sauce.  Top with additional shredded or grated cheese.

We paired this meal with a wonderful 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon by Charles Krug!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris