October 2 - Honey Chicken Kabobs

Miraculously, my little sister, little brother and I *all* had a Saturday with no plans, so we decided to get together. Now, you see, Steph is 25 and Zach is 22, so the fact that my Saturday was wide open doesn't say much...the fact that THEIR Saturdays were wide open was honestly an anomaly. And to make an awesome day even better, Steph brought her friend we affectionately call "Uncle Kaitlin." The kids had a blast spending time with their aunt and uncle(s?!) and it was great getting the three of us together for some silly fun. Scott was a good sport and endured the countless Seinfeld references and other assorted inside jokes (the two cases of beer they brought probably helped with that). Below is Steph, Miss Linds and me.

When I realized we'd all be here for a "lupper" (lunch/supper), I had to figure out something to make. I kind of have a reputation in my family for being a crap cook - stupid food fails that I've mentioned here if you haven't been keeping up regularly - so I needed to come up with some really impressive. I wanted to grill since it was a gorgeous day and decided to do some honey chicken kabobs, grilled veggies and rice. I also made buffalo chicken dip since it's a Hoover favorite.

Steph and Zach teased throughout the afternoon about the concoction I was making, but were quickly silenced when they started eating. Score one for me! And I think the veggies were extra delicious because I bought them at the farmer's market (and unfortunately no one will get that joke since neither of them read my blog regularly :P). Below are the pre-grilled skewered kabobs, the boy grilling (we split the task - he started them, I finished), and the food completely finished.

It was the perfect dinner to make - all the prep work was done before guests arrived and all that was left was making some rice and doing the grilling. Everything was delicious and everyone loved it! I made them pose for a photo and then pose for a "candid" photo so I could prove they actually ate it. The last one down there is of me and my broken "china" - stupid plastic utensil broke while I was trying to eat.

Here are the recipes for the marinade and for the buffalo chicken dip (thanks to Sharon Massey for her dip recipe - it's become a staple at Hoover family functions!):

Honey Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
Assorted veggies and fruit (I used zucchini, red onion, green and red peppers, mushrooms and pineapple)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Place the chicken, veggies and fruit in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for medium-low heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

 Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
1/2 cup hot sauce (more or less, depending on your taste)
1 cup ranch dressing
20 oz cooked chicken, chopped (I use 2 boxes of Perdue short cuts original roasted and chop it up)
2 - 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Mix the above ingredients and put in a pie dish and bake for 45 minutes until slightly browned and bubbling. 
3. Serve it with tortilla chips.

It was good!! :)

Salsa!

After looking through all of the delicious veggies we got from Vollmecke Farms, I realized we had all the ingredients to make a really kick ass salsa. I never made my own, so I looked up some other recipes, but threw together my own little thing. I pulsed the stuff individually in the food processor so it was good and chopped up and did a lot of draining, but man, when that was finished - well, let's just say jarred stuff will NEVER be as good. I was amazed how delicious it was and how well I did with no recipe (you know me - I just *have* to have something to go off of when I cook).

I used about a dozen cherry tomatoes, an onion, a green pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 jalapeño peppers, 1 habanero pepper, a splash of red wine vinegar, a drizzle of EVOO, a little sugar, a little salt and some cilantro. It had a GREAT kick to it after you swallowed it, but a sweet tang to it, too. I brought it over to a dinner party we had with some friends and came home without any left. I was happy it was a hit (but super bummed not to have any to much on today!).

Brie Recipes

We're going out to dinner tonight, so I won't have any fun recipes to share for dinner. Instead, I figured I'd do a "theme" morning and post a couple Brie cheese recipes that are very tasty. I don't have any photos, but trust me, these are fantastic!

Baked Brie
Ingredients
Wedge of creamy Brie
Jam of choice
Tube of refrigerated crescent dough

Directions

1. Line a baking pan with 3/4 of the crescent dough.
2. Break up wedge of brie into smaller chunks and place on top.
3. Cover with half a jar of jam.
4. Piece the remaining dough on top.  
5. Cook on 350 approx 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

Candied Brie Dip
Ingredients
8 oz of Brie
1/3 cup candied pecans (i used crushed regular pecans)
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Place brie in 2 qt crockpot and cover with pecans and cranberries. 
2. Cook for two hours or until brie is gooey all the way through. 
3. Serve with cracker and sliced apples.

Mar. 22 - Beef Stew, bread & applesauce

I was up around 3 a.m. with Luke, who was, again, fussing throughout the night (teeth come in please!). As I tried rocking him back to sleep, I was thinking about how our gorgeous, sunny 70 degree weather was going to come to a crashing end come morning. I realized I had all the fixings for a beef stew, except the beef was frozen. I finally got him back to sleep, ran downstairs and pulled the beef out, and then went back to bed.

I put together the stew this morning and let it sit in the crockpot for a good 8 hours. I love how simple this recipe is - honestly, it takes *maybe* 15 minutes to put together. Originally, I only used 1 1/2 cups of beef broth, but toward the end (especially with the addition of the packet of stew mix), it looked a little too thick, so I added the cup of water.

Later, when the kids were napping, I put together the bread (Jo's Rosemary Bread from allrecipes.com) and tossed it in the bread machine. I tell you what, the more I use that thing, the more I fall in love with it. It could be one of my favorite kitchen appliances. The loaf I made today was, by far, my favorite as of yet!

The meal was a hit with everyone - even though the boy isn't a huge stew fan. I mixed up some olive oil and cracked pepper to dip the bread in and it was strikingly similar to Romano Macaroni Grille's recipe. Delish! I also made up some applesauce to round out the meal. Here are the recipes - enjoy :)

Beef Stew
Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup of water
1 packet beef stew mix

Directions

1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. 
2. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, water and packet of stew mix.
3. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Jo's Rosemary Bread
Ingredients
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 packet of yeast

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. 
2. Select white bread cycle; press Start 

From Allrecipes.com

Applesauce
Ingredients
6 apples, peeled & cored (I used Gala this time)
4 packets of Splenda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup of water

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a deep pan and bring to boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Blend in food processor to desired consistency. 

March Munchin Mamas Recipes

For March, the Munchin Mamas had a "green" theme. Food could either be green in color, organic, served in a green dish, etc. - it was all up to each participant. If you remember, I made a coconut-pistachio pie, but there was so many other delicious dishes there, too! Here are recipes for some of the others:

Green Pepper Dip
Ingredients
2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 large green pepper (chopped into chunks about a quarter inch in size)
1 onion, chopped

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until softened. 
2. In a medium saucepan, combine eggs, sugar and vinegar over medium heat until it thickens. 
3. Pour over cream cheese and blend. 
4. Stir in green peppers and onions. 
5. Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers and/or pretzels.

Spinach Cheddar Bake
Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and undrained
1/3 cup crushed saltine crackers (I used regular ritz crackers)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the spinach, saltines, egg, onion powder and salt. 
2. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. 
3. Transfer to a greased 2-cup baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese. 
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Harvest Fluff Dip
Ingredients
1- 10 oz jar pumpkin butter (I got mine from Kitchen Kettle Village)
1- 8 oz container marshmallow creme
16 ounces cream cheese
Apples, pears, crackers, or ginger snaps for dipping (I used cinnamon-sugar Ritz crackers.)

Directions

1. Blend cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth. 
2. Add pumpkin butter and blend thoroughly. 
3. Place in refrigerator to chill. Makes about 10-15 servings.

* More recipes from March's Munchin Mamas Club to come!!

Jan. 21 - Leftovers & Bee My Honey Fruit Dip

We have lasagna and chili leftovers to eat tonight, so no fun dinner to share. I did, however, make a fruit dip that I'm taking to a lunch with friends tomorrow...and it is deeeeelicious! I hadn't had a chance to make it before, but now that I have, I will definitely make it more often. Here's the recipe:

Bee My Honey Fruit Dip
Ingredients
8 oz. softened cream cheese (I used reduced-fat)
7 oz. marshmallow fluff
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Assorted fruit for dipping

Directions

1. Blend first six ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
2. Serve chilled with fruit.

You can't beat this low-fat, scrumptious dip!