Southwestern Rice March 15, 2010

Prep Time: 5 min

Total Time: 15 min

3 cups prepared rice

1 can corn, drained

1 can diced chilies, drained

1 can diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime juice

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2-3 tbsp taco seasoning

1 tsp chopped garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic in olive oil. Add all ingredients and cook until warm. Optional: top with sour cream and shredded cheese!

Southwestern Steak Marinade March 15, 2010

Another great recipe from Belinda Olsen! Try it with the Southwestern Rice!

Prep Time: 5 min

Total Tiome: 12 hour, 5 min (incl. marinating time)

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Place steaks in large plastic zip-top bag. Pour marinade over steaks and zip bag shut, letting out as much air as possible from the bag. Place bag in a small casserole dish (to contain any spills or leaks) in refrigerator over night to marinate. Discard any remaining marinade and prepare steaks as desired.

-Belinda Olsen

Panko Chicken Tenders February 12, 2010

I love using panko as opposed to regular bread crumbs for breading chicken; it has a much more “crunchy” texture to it, and is just as easy to use as regular bread crumbs. You can find panko bread crumbs alongside the regular bread crumb varieties in our store or with the Asian foods.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders

1 cup plain panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup 100% grated Parmesan cheese

*1-2 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Salt-free Garlic and Herb seasoning

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. fresh coarse ground black pepper

1 tsp vegetable or olive oil

Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly coat shallow glass baking dish (13X9″) with cooking spray.  In a large skillet, combine bread crumbs, cheese, seasoning, salt, and pepper. Gently stir to combine. Add oil and stir into breading mixture until well coated. Heat skillet to medium heat, stirring frequently, and toast breading mixture until golden brown. Remove from skillet and place in large zip top bag. Place 2-3 pieces of chicken tenders in zip top bag and shake to coat, repeat with all of the chicken tenders and place in glass baking dish. Discard any remaining breading mixture. Bake chicken 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

*Create your own special blend of bread seasoning by trying other flavors from Mrs. Dash seasonings, or other seasoning blends such as from McCormick.

-Recipe by Carrie P.

Æbleskivers December 28, 2009

Okay, so until a week ago, I had never heard of such as thing as an Æbleskiver, I still don’t think I even know how to pronounce it correctly! But these puffy little Danish pancakes were absolutely delicious, and very simple to make (at least they were once a customer explained to us the secret to making them, thanks again by the way!) I’ve included her “secret” at the end of the recipe.

1-3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, separated

1-3/4 cup buttermilk

lemon zest

Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt in bowl. Add buttermilk, lemon zest, and egg yolks one at a time. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. *Fill hot, well greased Æbleskiver mold half to full. Turn with skewers when browned.* Serve with powdered sugar, syrup, strawberries, apple sauce, preserves, butter, etc. Æbleskivers may be stuffed with a variety of fillings. To do this, fill mold half full, add filling, top off with batter to fill mold.

*Okay, so when we made our first batch to sample, we just sprayed our cast-iron Æbleskiver griddle liberally with cooking spray. Not a good idea, the spray burned before the pan even came to tempurature. So, with help of our customer friend, we found out the best way to cook the Æbleskivers is to fill each “dimple” in the Æbleskiver pan a little under half-way full of vegetable oil, and to heat the pan over medium heat. You can test the oil by placing a very small amount of the batter in one of the “dimples”, if it begins to bubble immediately, the oil is ready.

 Then, fill each “dimple” full with the batter (and by full, we mean like maybe 2 tablespoons of batter per “dimple”) Use a skewer or knitting needle to turn the Æbleskivers over once they are golden brown on the bottom. If you are worried about the middle cooking through, than only turn the Æbleskivers over a quarter of the way at first, and then once the insides have cooked a bit longer, flip it the rest of the way over so it can brown on all sides. Once done, let the Æbleskivers rest for at least a minute on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the extra oil.*

Gift Ideas in a Jar: Dreamsicle Cookie Mix December 4, 2009

1/2 cup orange breakfast drink powder

3/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups vanilla chips

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Layer in a quart-sized jar in the order listed. Attach the following directions to the jar:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Empty cookie mix in a large mixing bowl. Combine remaining igredients and mix until completely combined. Roll heaping tablespoonfuls into balls. Place 2-inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° F. for 12-14 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Remove to wire cooling rack. Makes 2-1/2 dozen.

Gift Ideas in a Jar: Chicken Noodle Soup December 4, 2009

While rustling through my recipes at home, I stumbled across a handout from our store from 2 years ago, featuring several different Gift Jar ideas for the Holidays, so I decided that this year for our store’s Holiday Celebration  (Dec 4th and 5th, 2009) we’d demonstrate a few of these delicious recipes so you can taste them before you make them up for your friends and neighbors! And, as always,we will have our displays set up with all of the things you will need to put together these charming and delicious jars!

1/4 cup red lentils

2 tbsp dried onion flakes

1-1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

1/2 tsp dill seed

1/8 tsp celery seed

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 cup medium egg noodles

1 bay leaf

Layer ingredients in a pint-sized jar in the order listed. Attach the following directions to the jar:

1-1/2 cups frozen corn or mixed vegetables

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in large saucepan. Stir in jar of soup mix. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 more minutes until vegetables are tender. Makes 9-1/2 cups of soup.

 

Black Beans and Cilantro December 2, 2009

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 cup chicken broth

lime juice from 1/2 of a fresh lime

fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small saucepan, heat black beans and chicken broth over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice, stir to combine. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Recipe by Carrie Powell

Green Beans with Cashews November 30, 2009

Prep Time: 15 min / Total Time: 15 min / Makes: 8 servings

2 lbs fresh or frozen green beans, trimmed

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 tbsp dried parsley flakes

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup salted whole cashews

Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and return beans to the pan. Add the butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until heated through. Sprinkle with cashews.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Easy Turkey Chili November 23, 2009

Prep Time: 10 min / Total Time: 33 min / Makes: 4 servings

1 onion, chopped

1 can (15.5oz) kidney beans, rinsed

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup salsa

1 tbsp. chili powder

2 cups chopped leftover turkey

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

8 corn tortillas (6 inch), warmed

Cook onions in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add next 4 ingredients; stir. Bring to a boil. Stir in turkey; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. Top with cheese. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 3 min. or until cheese is melted. Serve with tortillas.

Recipe from kraftfoods.com

Turkey-Cheese Pockets November 23, 2009

Prep Time: 15 min / Total Time: 27 min / Makes: 10 servings

2 oz. (1/4 of 8oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. salad dressing

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 cup shredded leftover turkey

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can (7.5oz.) refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

Heat oven to 400° F. Mix cream cheese, dressing, and mustard in small bowl until well blended. Add turkey and mozzarella; mix well. Press or roll out each biscuit to 3-1/2-inch circle; top with cream cheese mixture. Fold each in half; firmly press edges together to seal. Place on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 min. or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Recipe from kraftfoods.com