Boneless Buffalo Wings

I tend to go through these food craving phases where I only want to eat very specific foods. This month I've been hooked on spicy food, the spicier the better. A couple weeks ago I really wanted boneless buffalo wings, but when I finally ordered some from a well known wing place, I was so disappointed (they were so salty and over-battered). So instead, I decided to try making boneless buffalo wings myself. I came across this easy, 5 star recipe here and got to frying. The recipe was even easier than I imagined to follow (especially because we own a fryer) and the wings were really good. My craving was definitely satisfied and now I have a new appetizer to share with our friends and family!

Recipe: AllRecipes.com Boneless Buffalo Wings by Betty Cook

Eggs in a Basket

Okay, let me start off by admitting that this recipe was totally inspired by the movie V for Vendetta! I saw the movie a few years ago (if you haven't seen it, you should) and have been thinking about this recipe ever since. Hubby was actually the first to make this recipe at home about a week ago, unfortunately neither JD nor myself were home to try it. So this past weekend I decided to try making eggs in a basket myself. Not only is the recipe really easy to follow, but I promise the result will be really yummy too. You may never have plain toast again!

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bread 1-inch thick (I used French bread)
• 2 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Cut a hole in the slice of bread about 2" x 2", reserving the piece you cut out (you can toast these on the skillet too). Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the bread and the cut-out round in the skillet next to it. Crack the egg into the hole (you can also crack the egg in a bowl and pour it into the hole) and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the bread is golden underneath; flip carefully and cook the other side until golden, seasoning with more salt and pepper (don't forget to flip the cut-out round). Serve immediately and Enjoy!



Guinness Bundt Cake

I love to cook, but when it comes to baking I cringe. I can bake brownies, pumpkin breads and gooey cakes just fine, but an actual cake with frosting (even from the box) intimidates me. This past weekend my mother-in-law invited us over for corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick's Day, and I offered to bring dessert. I asked my friend Nika for suggestions (she's Irish) and she suggested I make a Guinness cake... cringe! Well, on Saturday I finally decided to put my cake baking fear behind me and picked up all the ingredients for a Guinness cake. That afternoon I made my very first bundt cake from scratch and guess what?! I really enjoyed baking it and according to hubby, JD and the Garcia family it was really good!

Guinness Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

•1 cup Guinness beer

•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

•3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

•2 cups all purpose flour

•2 cups sugar

•1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

•3/4 teaspoon salt

•2 large eggs

•2/3 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan very, very well. Bring 1 cup Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.

Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. 

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack or plate to frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting (Drizzle)

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 3-4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk
  

Directions: To make frosting/drizzle, beat together cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla and slowly mix in powdered sugar. Add milk to desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled bundt cake.

Note: I placed my frosting in a sandwich bag, snipped one corner of the bag and drizzled the frosting over the bundt cake.

Creamy Caramel Flan

Can you beleive that until recently I had never made flan from scratch (I can just picture my mom frowning as she reads this)?! Well, on a whim I finally decided to try to make one and was excited when I found a very simple recipe on All Recipes. With my trusty assitant chef JD lending a helping hand, I made my very first homemade flan. It was pretty easy to make and I'm guessing I was'nt the only one who enjoyed it; since everyone dug into it before I had a chance to take a pretty slice picture! If you love flan you have to try the recipe below, it really is easy to make and yummy too. Enjoy!

Creamy Caramel Flan

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook sugar, stirring, until golden. Pour into a 10 inch round baking dish, tilting to coat bottom and sides. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Beat in condensed and evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour into caramel coated pan. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake in preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, until center is just set. Cool one hour on wire rack, then chill in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. To unmold, run a knife around edges of pan and invert on a rimmed serving platter.

Recipe Source: All Recipes

JD's Meatball Sliders

Getting a toddler to sit down, stay still and actually eat dinner can be challenging, even if you have a toddler that loves to eat like we do! In recent months we’ve been trying a few new ways of getting JD excited about dinner. We include him in preparing dinner, setting the table and recently we started making our dinners more toddler friendly and bite size! Last night we had meatball sandwiches for dinner and I purchased mini buns to make meatball sliders for JD. It was so amazing to see how proud he was of his meatballs and he really enjoyed his sliders!

JD's Meatball Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (or 1/2 ground beef 1/2 mild Italian sausage) 
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs 
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 10-20 mini buns (Trader Joe's)
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 pinch salt and pepper, or to taste 
• 1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce 
• 1/2-1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, gently mix by hand the ground beef (or ground beef and sausage), bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Shape into 10 meatballs, place in a baking dish and drizzle meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, toast the mini buns in the oven during the last 5 minutes of the meatball's time, or until lightly toasted. While the bread toasts, warm the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. When the meatballs are done, cut them in half and transfer them to the sauce. Remove the meatballs, place 1 meatball half on a mini bun and and top with shredded cheese (you can hold the slider together with a toothpick). Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Cool and enjoy!

Baked Lemon & Garlic Salmon

Hubby has been requesting fish for dinner more often, so I've been looking for new recipes to try! I came across a really yummy white wine, butter and garlic sauce recipe and decided to add shallots and dill and try it on baked lemon salmon! It actually turned out pretty good, so I decided why not share the recipe. Enjoy!

Baked Lemon & Garlic Salmon

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets, bones removed
• fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 small shallot sliced (optional)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle fillets with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place 2 lemon slices on top of each fillet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove and tent with aluminum foil for 10 more minutes (the salmon will continue to cook during this time). While salmon is baking, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add minced garlic, sliced shallots and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in wine. Cook for 5 minutes or until sauce reduces by 1/3. Stir in fresh dill and remove from heat. Remove lemon slices from the top of the salmon and discard. Gently slide a serving spatula between the skin and the flesh of the fillet to remove the skin, it should separate very easily (I personally like to leave the skin on). Transfer to a serving platter and spoon white wine dill sauce over the top. Serve and enjoy! 

Thanksgiving Recipes: Maple Dill Carrots

Thanksgiving is only a couple days away and I'm super excited to be hosting at our new home for the very first time! The menu is finalized and I'm even throwing in some special request like this very simple but delicious maple and dill carrots side dish. Enjoy!

Maple Dill Carrots

Ingredients:

4 cups baby carrots

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Place carrots in a skillet and pour in just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat; simmer until water has evaporated and the carrots are tender. Stir in butter, brown sugar, dill, salt, and pepper.

Wordless Wednesday {Chef Julian}

For this recipe click here!

Mozzarella & Bruschetta Crostini

One of my favorite comfort foods is bruschetta, I know that may seem weird but I love it, it makes me happy. I try to find new and interesting ways to eat it; instead of just eating it with a spoon straight out of the bowl, yes I have been known to do that. So here is one yummy way to prepare it, which pairs perfectly with a pasta dinner and a glass (or two) of wine!

Mozzarella & Bruschetta Crostini

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf par-baked bread
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella sliced
• 16 oz. assorted heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 leaves chopped fresh basil
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Toss tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon sea salt and a pinch of pepper in a bowl, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice bread loaf into 1 inch slices, brush each side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake bread slices for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned; bread should be toasted on the outside but soft on the inside.

Once bread cools, add a slice of fresh mozzarella and top with bruschetta. Enjoy!

Sausage Stuffing

Every year for the last 5 years I've made stuffed bell peppers for Thanksgiving and this year is no exception. I've tried a few different stuffing recipes, but this one always seems to get the most compliments, so I've decided to share it with you. Enjoy!

Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound sweet or hot pork sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups (1/2-inch cubes) cornbread (about 3/4 pound)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a large bowl and set aside.

Add celery, onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until translucent. Add sage and thyme and cook about 1 minute more. Stir in broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add cornbread to bowl with sausage. Pour broth mixture over the top and mix until well combined. Transfer to a (9-inch) casserole dish and bake until hot throughout, 25 to 30 minutes. If you would like to make stuffed bell peppers using this stuffing, you can find the stuffed bell pepper recipe here.

Classic Cranberry Sauce

Due to some wonderful timing and the fact that my mother in law is cooking a huge turkey (that I doubt she wants to lug all the way to our place) for Thanksgiving dinner, I'm not going to be hosting Thanksgiving this year (but I have been tagged for Christmas dinner). I will still be making a few side dishes and desserts but other than that, I get to relax and eat cranberry sauce to my hearts content this Thanksgiving! Here is my favorite cranberry sauce recipe. Enjoy!

Classic Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 (12-ounce)package fresh cranberries
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Preparation:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 12 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove from heat; stir in rind. Cool completely. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Heirloom Tomato Caprese with Balsamic Reduction

I recently tried a Caprese salad with a balsamic reduction and wanted to try making it myself, I only wish I would have known sooner how easy a balsamic reduction is to make, because it really added an amazing flavor to one of my favorite salads. On Saturday the boys and I headed out to our local farmers market; we found some really yummy produce including some delicious orange heirloom tomatoes, so I thought today would be the perfect day to make a Caprese salad with a balsamic reduction and of course share the recipe with you!

Serves 4

• 1 8-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella
• 2 medium vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons Balsamic Reduction (recipe follows)
• 4 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
• 2 slices small red onion (optional)

Slice each tomato into 8 slices of equal width. Slice the mozzarella into 16 slices of equal width. To assemble the salad, place one tomato slice on the top part of the plate and season lightly with salt. Lay one slice of mozzarella; continue until all the slices are layered one on top of the other, lightly salting each layer.

Drizzle 2 tablespoon of olive oil on top of the tomato and around the plate. Drizzle 2-3 teaspoon of Balsamic Reduction around the tomato and mozzarella. To finish, garnish with chopped basil, I also like adding red onion slices. Serve chilled.

Balsamic Reduction

Makes 1/4 cup

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

In a non-reactive pan, bring the vinegar to a boil until it has reduced to 1/4 cup. Reduce the heat to low and cook until it is the consistency of syrup, about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch the sauce carefully; it can burn if it is reduced too much.

The sauce can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Candied Yams

I can't imagine Thanksgiving dinner without yams, especially candied yams! This is my favorite yam recipe and it's definitely on the Thanksgiving menu this year, I just hope they actually make it to the dinner table. Enjoy!

 Candied Yams

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; add potatoes and toss well. Spread in a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Combine orange juice, vanilla extract and butter; pour evenly over potatoes.

Cover and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Bake uncovered an additional 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away, so I'll be posting some of my favorite recipes and would love to hear about your favorite Thanksgiving recipes too! I had to start with a pumpkin recipe, because as many of you already know, I Love Pumpkin! Here is my pumpkin bread recipe transformed into a cupcake recipe, with yummy cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. each – ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Gently whisk by hand until just combined, don’t use an electric mixer or over mix the batter as it may become too gummy. Fill liners with 1/4 cup batter (cups should be approximately 2/3 full). Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well until it’s all incorporated.