Pumpkin Pie Frappe

I thought that since today is Halloween I'd post something super yummy and pumpkiny.

Ingredients:Coffee & Water In Brewer:3 T ground dark roast Coffee or Espresso
1/2 C Water
In Blender:2 C Ice Cubes (14 - 17)
1/2 C packed Brown Sugar
3 T canned Pumpkin Puree
1/2 t Vanilla Extract
1/4 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/3 C Evaporated Milk or Half & Half
Brewed Coffee from above

Directions:Blend until smooth.

Pinto Bean Soup

I had to double check to make sure I hadn't already posted this one. It's getting cold outside which makes me start thinking soups & stews. This is a true family favorite. We eat it as a soup one night with cornbread on the side and the next we drain off a bunch of the liquid, add more beans, heat and serve over tamales. Also, if you're a purest when it comes to cooking and you insist on using dry beans and soaking them, knock yourself out. I have 3 kids and three dogs (and if we're being really honest...a husband who acts like one of the kids sometimes), so the canned beans work just fine for me.

Ingredients:
32 oz. can Pinto Beans
1 lb. bacon, chopped
2 T minced garlic
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 C chopped onion
1 1/2 t Cumin
11/2 t Chili Powder
1 C Roma tomatoes, chopped
36 oz. Beef Broth

In a stew pot, cook bacon until well done. Add garlic, 1-2 T cilantro, and onions, cook until onions are translucent (about 10 min.). Add beans, cumin and chili powder. Stir in tomatoes & beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. (Note: To use as a simple side only put enough beef broth to cover the beans.)

P.S. In an effort to stay honest. I "borrowed" this picture from a website. I keep forgetting to take one of my own, but trust me, it looks just like that.

Sarah's Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Caramalized Onion

 

Ingredients

·         Cooking spray

·         4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         Salt-free roasted garlic seasoning (I used McCormich Perfect Pinch Garlic and Herb)

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 cup thinly sliced onion

·         2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, seeded and minced

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

·         2 bay leaves

·         2 teaspoons cornstarch

·         2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (I never do parsley)

Directions

Heat a stove-top grill pan or griddle to medium high heat and coat with cooking spray. Remove chicken from package and place on a plastic cutting board. Season both sides of chicken with salt, black pepper and garlic seasoning. Using tongs add chicken to hot pan and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat with oil. Add onion, jalapeno and sugar and cook 5 to 7 minutes stirring occasionally with a spoon, until golden brown. Add 3/4 cup of the chicken broth and bay leaves and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Pour remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth into a bowl. Whisk in cornstarch until it is completely dissolved and add to the pan. Bring onion mixture to a full boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Using tongs, discard the bay leaves and remove the pan from heat.

Serve chicken topped with Onions. Yum!!! I did this with Steamed Asparagus and Scott said it was the best mean he’s had!

Chicken with mushroom wine sauce and pasta

 (From Tina Thomas)

6 chicken tenderloins (seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
4 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
10 oz. of coursely chopped mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1/3 cup of dry white wine
little less than a cup of heavy cream
dash of ground nutmeg
cooked pasta of your choice (I used Texas Gourmet Pasta's whole wheat mushroom linguine)

add 1 tablespoon of butter in pan on high heat and sear the chicken tenderloins about 3-4 minutes on each side, set chicken aside.  Clean out the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes until tender.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they change color and start to turn brown.  Increase heat to medium high and add the wine, simmer until the wine has reduced about 2/3's.  Lower heat to medium low and add the cream and nutmeg, simmer about 5 minutes, do not boil.  Cut the chicken into about 1 inch pieces and add to the sauce, simmer another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over cooked pasta of your choice and add shredded fresh parmesian cheese.  Enjoy! 

Note:  I actually came up with this recipe today and tried it out, amazing!  We inhaled it.  I'm sure that you could try it with olive oil instead of butter and half and half instead of the cream to make it a bit healthier, but I like it nice and fattening and bad for you....lol

Tilapia Filets with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

 (from Sara Kollar)

Ingredients

Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms (cremini)

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 pint heavy cream (I used about ¾ of this, not the full amount)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and black pepper 

Tilapia:

6 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets

1/3 cup Jamaican jerk seasoning marinade

Directions

Tilapia: Heat large skillet to medium or medium/high heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Rub filets with jerk seasoning. Saute tilapia for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through and flaky. Remove from heat.

Mushroom Scallion Sauce: Melt butter in a large saute pan. Saute mushrooms and scallions for about 3 minutes. Stir in wine and heavy cream. Season with garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir until sauce thickens slightly. Keep warm until ready to serve. Serve over Tilapia.

This would be great with couscous or rice with a side salad or steamed broccoli.

Catching Up

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. It's not that recipes weren't coming in, or that I didn't have things I could post. It was that the site had made changes that messed up my access and now it seems they've finally gotten it straightened out. So, here goes...

XOXO -Misty