Jalapeno Poppers

 Honey and I decided to make Jalapeno poppers, and here is our recipe and our poppers.

We loved these.  They were so filling.  We will definitely have them again.  

6 large jalapenos
1 package cream cheese softened.
2 Tbs shredded italian cheese blend
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon Tarragon

We fried these in a deep fryer at 325.
Preheat the fryer.
1st you need to get the seeds and ribs out of the jalapeno, if you have a good way, work it out, this is what we did.  It worked, but it was a little work.  We cut the jalapenos down the middle on one side, then cut across the top on one side creating a T in the cut.  We then used a spoon to scrap out the seeds and ribs.  Try to wear gloves to  keep your fingers from setting on fire.  I did not use gloves, and I am paying for it as we speak. Then mix the cheeses, with the salt and pepper, Tarragon. Put mixture into a baggie and pipe it into the jalapenos.  Dredge the poppers in flour, then the egg/milk mixture, then Panko bread crumbs.  Repeat process for crispier poppers. Fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day, one of the things I made was a puff pastry filled with brie, dried fruits and pecans with caramel. Oh eM Gee, it was good. It might look like I used too large of a plate for this, oh no. We needed all the space we could get, because Honey and I tore into this dish.

I had also made dark chocolate brownies with a caramel sauce. Stuffed chicken, asparagus and twice baked potatoes. The chicken I stuffed with spinach, gorgonzola, onions, and bacon. If this dinner wasn't heavy enough, I decided to make a bearnaise sauce to cover the asparagus and the chicken. It was quite delish.

There is really no recipe for this dish. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry to about 14 inches, brush with some Caramel sauce, sprinkle with dried fruits and nuts, place on some Camembert cheese and wrap the pastry around the cheese. Place on parchment paper and cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes on 350. Make sure when you wrap the pastry, place the overlapped pastry on the bottom.

Freezer Food

OK, so I have this idea. I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner tomorrow night. What do I need to pull out of the freezer. Chicken, beef, something already made? The choices, should I make something that takes time because I am off tomorrow night? Or how about something that is already made; chicken burrito mixture, because I have tortillas, and viola. Anyhow, while standing there going through the freezer, trying to figure out wth is up in here, it got me thinking. A. I got alot of crap up in here. B. I do not need to go to the store for awhile. C. I could make things really easy on myself, with a little planning. D. OMG, I could create a meal each night from the freezer and blog about it. Yeah!!! OK I seriously need to get a life. No I will not be the next Julie and Julia LMAO, however, it would be a personal triumph, if I could successfully pull this off. Not stopping until that freezer is empty. Hell, I might even have enough room for some ice cube trays soon. Yes, some of us are primitive and do not have ice makers. I hate those half moon shaped ice cubes anyway. Funny story, when I was a kid, I was chewing a piece of ice. That is not suppose to be the funny part, anyway, the half moon shaped ice cube got turned in my mouth and lodged my mouth open for what might have only been a couple of seconds, but at the time, was an agonizing lifetime. So I guess everything worked out in the long run since we do not have an ice maker. Off to make some dinner plans.

Sweet craving at midnight

Tonight, I had a sweet tooth like nobodies business. Not a damn thing in the house to munch. Once I had committed that my sweet tooth had taken over my senses, it was off to the kitchen. To my surprise, the mess from fixing dinner still awaited me. We had company tonight, and then a very late dinner and I had put off cleaning up the mess. No problem, throw it all in the dishwasher, oh did I fail to mention that I had yet to empty it of the clean dishes. Well, at least they were clean. Once I had conquered the kitchen it was time to whip up something sweet. After the raid on the cabinets to uncover what I ingredients I had to work with, I came up with Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies.

Here is the recipe:

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup packed Splenda brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons warm water
2 1/2 cups sifted flour plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 handful chopped walnuts
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 handful chocolate chips (that was all I had)

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Toss the nuts and chips and 1 tablespoon flour

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugars, mix well. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoons on cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

And the kitchen is clean again.

Blazin Curry Chicken

Honey and I were having another one of our Saturday Soiree's. Tonight's theme was a little eclectic. The atmosphere did not entirely match the cuisine but it was fierce none the less.

And here is the Blazin Curry Chicken. It was gorgeous and hot. I want to throw another shout out to my sister Lisa for the dish. She found the bowl/platter at a yard sale, and I love it.

I do not really have a recipe for this dish but here the highlights. I first cut up 3 pieces of boneless skinless chicken and tossed it with 1 tablespoon of flour. Brown and set aside. I then tossed into the skillet some garden fresh yellow squash, and red peppers. I added salt and pepper, some minced garlic. About 2 cloves. my mother in law had sent me some Hot curry powder. And it was HOT. Thank you Helene, it was delish. I am not sure that Honey loved it as much as I did. I only put in about a tablespoon of the curry powder. Maybe next time I will try to make it with a teaspoon, for Honey. Anyway, I threw the chicken back in, tossed in about a cup of coconut milk and let simmer to a golden bubbly. YUMMO.

Merry Christmas 2009

I made my first Buche de Noel last year and even though it was gorgeous, it was like sucking on a stick of butter. Everything was fabulous but the butter cream icing. This year I was determined to do it again only tweak it a bit. I used my pumpkin roll recipe as a jumping off point and away I went. I 86'd the nuts, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. I added tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup cocoa. Instead of the usual filling, I used a new recipe. (1/3 cup peanut butter, tsp almond extract, 1 package cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners sugar) I also used a new butter cream icing recipe. The one on the back of the powder sugar package. lol Tomorrow is Christmas day and hopefully dinner will be fierce. We are having more of a Thanksgiving dinner so I won't be posting any of that. Been there done that last month. But I had to post this years buche de noel. OK I know I am a little too excited about this cake. Maybe next year I will try a gingerbread house. I hope you had a great Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, and don't forget tomorrow is Kwanzaa. However you choose to celebrate may it be yummy, safe, and fabulous. Mele Kalikimaka!

As a special mention I made Paula Deans Coconut Flan last week. As always it was fabulous. When it comes to sweet goodness its hard to top Miss Paula. Enjoy.

Hawaiian bread

My cousin Chris gave me the recipe. I took the liberty of adding some crushed pineapple.

Wonderful Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

4 eggs, well beaten

3 cups of mashed ripe bananas (6 bananas)

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

8 oz crushed drained pineapple

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F (180°C Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bananas and eggs and beat until well mixed. Mix dry ingredients and blend with banana mixture, but do not over mix. Pour into 2 lightly greased loaf pans or a bundt pan. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour; test for doneness (toothpick inserted in middle and comes out clean) and cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Freezes beautifully

I can't wait until I have enough to freeze some.
Thanks Chrissy it was delicious!