Cheddar Ranch Grits

So I've never really liked grits OR made them - but I wanted to try something new for our hood progressive dinner so made these up.  They were a HUGE hit!!!  Rossy wants to try them with bfast tomorrow too :)

• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups grits
• 1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in grits. Bring heat to a med-low temperature. If quick-cook, cook approx. 5 minutes. If regular, cook 20-25 mins (according to package instructions).
2. Stir in Ranch dressing mix.
3. Stir in cheese.
4. Serve immediately.

Pecan Crusted Stuffed Chicken Breast

 Made this up for our hood progressive dinner and it was super yummy!!  Everyone liked it :)  It was easy to make too and put in the oven and by time it was time for our house, it was done!!!  The honey mustard sauce was my favorite part hahaha

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 ½ cups toasted pecans
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 2 cups honey mustard (I like Ken’s Steakhouse)
• ½ pkg. thawed and drained, frozen chopped spinach
• 1 ½ cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper

1. Set oven to 375°
2. Pour honey mustard in a shallow, wide bowl and set to the side.
3. Finely chop toasted almonds in food processor. Combine with bread crumbs, basil, salt, and pepper in a shallow, wide bowl and mix well. Set bowl to the side.
4. Mix spinach and cheese in a bowl and set to the side.
5. Pound and flatten chicken breasts to approx. 1/4″ thickness.
6. Put approx. 4 Tbsp. cheese and spinach mixture in center of the flattened chicken breast, pinch sides up and secure with toothpicks.
7. Take stuffed chicken and roll in honey mustard to coat well, evenly.
8. Roll honey mustard-coated chicken breast in nut mixture until thoroughly coated; set in greased glass baking dish.
9. Repeat with all breasts; bake for 40 minutes (check temperature to confirm readiness)

Fig, Pear, Walnut Flatbread

Needed a new pizza for Christmas tree picnic night and this was delicious!!!  Couldn't find figs anywhere so I had bought fig newtons and was going to scrape out the inside hahahaha BUT a friend hooked me up at a xmas party with some dried figs and those worked great :) 

ingredients

• 1/2 pound pizza dough
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 onion, sliced in long strips
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 70g brie cheese, sliced into thin strips
• 5 to 6 small figs, sliced
• 1/4 cup pear, diced
• 1/4 cup fig balsamic vinegar
• a handful of arugula
• a small handful of walnuts
• drizzle of honey

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instructions

1. If making homemade dough, prepare the dough according to the recipe. If using store bought dough, defrost to room temperature.
2. Start by beginning to caramelize the onions on a pan with 1 tsp of olive oil over low to medium heat. Stir occasionally, and cook until the onions are a golden brown color (about 30 minutes to 1 hour).
3. When the onions are about halfway done, set oven to 450F.
4. Roll out your pizza dough to about a 10-12 inch circle.
5. Spread 1 tbsp of olive oil evenly over the pizza dough, leaving an edge around the circle for the crust.
6. Spread out the slices of brie cheese evenly. Sprinkle the goat cheese crumbles over the pizza, trying to fill in the gaps between the brie cheese slices.
7. Place the fig slices evenly across the pizza. Sprinkle the diced pear over the pizza.
8. Bake until the crust is golden, about 10-15 minutes.
9. While the pizza is in the oven. Heat the balsamic vinegar on the stove until it comes to a low simmer. Continue to simmer the vinegar until it thickens up to a glaze consistency and reduces to about 1/3 of its original volume, about 5-10 minutes.
10. Remove the pizza from the oven. Spread a handful of arugula over the pizza. Top with a handful of small walnuts. Add a small honey drizzle over the pizza, followed by a light drizzle of your reduced balsamic glaze sauce. Serve.

notes

• Don't rush the caramelized onions. You won't be able to make them caramelize faster. If you cook them on too high heat, you will end up with black, burnt onions.
• You can caramelize a large bunch of onion slices at once and store the extra in the fridge for up to a week to use later.
• Make sure to heat up the vinegar slowly and only simmer on low heat. Remove from the heat as soon as it thickens up. If you heat it on too high heat or for too long, it will turn into a sticky, thick gooey mess.
• You can also make extra balsamic reduction glaze and store it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms

This was DELICOUS!!!  We had my Dad over for a special xmas dinner and this was SO tasty!!!  Expensive piece of meat but it was worth it!!!  I would add more mushrooms next time cause they cooked up quickly.

Ingredients

• 1 (4-5) pound whole beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup peppercorns, crushed, or fresh balck pepper
• kosher salt
• 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons salted butter

White Wine Cream Sauce

• 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

• 1. Allow the beef to come to room temperature for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

  2. Rub the beef with mustard and season generously with peppercorns and salt.

  3. In a large oven safe skillet, toss the mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the beef over the mushrooms and insert a meat thermometer. Add the butter to the top of the beef. Transfer to the oven and roast until the beef registers 120 to 125 degrees F for medium-rare/rare, about 25-40 minutes, dependent on the size of your roast.

  4. Remove the beef and mushrooms from the skillet to a serving plate and cover will foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

  5. Meanwhile, make the cream sauce. Place the same skillet used to roast the beef over high heat. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits off the pan. Simmer 3-5 minutes or until the wine has reduce by about 1/3 to 1/2. Add the butter and thyme and continue cooking another 2 minutes until the butter has melted into the sauce. Slowly pour in the cream and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

  6. Slice the beef and serve with the warm cream sauce and roasted mushrooms.

Apple Cider

 The perfect drink when it's cold outside :)

Just heat up some apple cider with some cinnamon sticks in a crock pot and make everyone happy :)

Holiday Honeycrisp Salad

Was looking for a yummy new salad I could prep ahead of time for the girls lunch today and this was easy and delicious!!  I just waited to cut the apples and it was perfect!!  So yummy!!

 

INGREDIENTS

• ▢½ cup light vegetable oil, such as sunflower or safflower OR extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢¼ cup unsweetened apple juice OR apple cider
• ▢2 to 3 tablespoons honey
• ▢1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ▢3 medium Honeycrisp apples (about 1 pound), thinly sliced
• ▢Juice of ½ lemon
• ▢12 ounces salad greens, spring mix, baby spinach, arugula, baby romaine, OR a combo of your favorites
• ▢1 cup pecan halves, toasted or candied
• ▢¾ cup dried cranberries OR dried cherries
• ▢4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• To prepare Apple Cider Vinaigrette, measure oil, apple cider vinegar, apple juice/cider, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a mason jar. Tightly screw on lid and shake vigorously until everything is thoroughly combined. Alternatively, you may briskly whisk the ingredients together in a medium bowl, or blend them in a blender or mini food processor.
• Place apple slices in a large plastic baggie and squeeze the fresh lemon juice (from the lemon half) over them. Close bag and shake to coat. In a large salad bowl, layer salad greens, apple slices, pecans, dried cranberries, and blue cheese. Just before serving, dress with desired amount of Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toss until salad ingredients are evenly coated.

Notes

You may prep the individual components of this salad ahead of time and then assemble everything just before serving.

A day or two ahead of time:

• Make the vinaigrette and store in the refrigerator. Before using, allow it to come to room temperature and then shake well.
• Toast the pecans, allow to completely cool, and store in an airtight container.
• Wash and dry the salad greens (if they're not already washed).

A few hours ahead of time on the same day:

• Cut the apples and shake the slices with a generous amount of lemon juice. Squeeze the air out of the bag and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the salad. Honeycrisp apples will typically hold their bright color (shaken with lemon juice) for several hours. Other varieties of softer apples (such as Gala) will brown more quickly, so those shouldn't be sliced and shaken with lemon juice until just before serving.

Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese

 I am a sucker for anything cheese to make my charcuterie boards even more yummy and this was it :)  Everyone loved it too!!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup 3-inch-long thyme sprigs, plus leaves for garnish
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1 large log, 10.5 oz. goat cheese
• Crackers and apple slices and grapes, for serving

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring the honey and thyme sprigs to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until the honey is infused with the thyme, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
• Scrape the honey from the thyme sprigs; discard the sprigs. Spread out the walnuts in an even layer on a cutting board.
• Carefully roll the cheese in the nuts, pressing to adhere. Transfer the cheese to a platter.
• Drizzle the cheese with the thyme honey, and garnish with the thyme leaves.
• Serve the cheese with the crackers and apple slices and grapes.

Halloween Snacks for kids

My boys sure LOVE these cutie Halloween snacks :)  So easy and fun!!

 Ingredients:

Cheeseballs

Baggie (just tape to look like pumpkin stem)

Raisin box

Masking tape (wrap around raisin box to look like mummy)

Clementines

Celery (cut to look like pumpkin stem)