Best. Hummus. Ever.

This post is short and sweet... I have tried a few hummus recipes in my day, and this one's the best I've found yet. Thanks for sharing it, Patrice!

http://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

Smoky Bacon Scalloped Potatoes

Wow, it's been a while! In my defense, we HAVE moved to the other side of the world, so I haven't just been sitting around doing nothing :) But my friend Chaoyi reminded me that at one point I DID post recipes on this blog, so I'm trying to do a little better! And what better excuse do I need than the fact that Thanksgiving is coming up?!?

A couple years ago, I wrote a post and listed (with links) our basic Thanksgiving menu. I thought I'd post the link again in case you are looking for some ideas this year:

http://karensrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving.html

The big difference this year is that Jeremy is smoking our Thanksgiving turkey! For graduation from residency, he got a Big Green Egg and I've been fighting for his attention on the weekends ever since ;) Just kidding... kind of. Last weekend he "practiced" for Thanksgiving with a 12-pound bird, and this is what we had for dinner:

It really was amazing. It only took 90 minutes to cook, and it tasted UN.BE.LIEVABLE. Usually I can go without the turkey on Thanksgiving--I look forward to the side dishes more... But no longer! And now I feel like this crown jewel needs something new to go along with it! Something less "traditional" on the menu than what we're used to... And something with a smoky flavor to complement the turkey. So I looked at FoodNetwork.com for some fresh ideas. Of course they didn't disappoint.

And so I give you... Smoky Bacon Scalloped Potatoes! It's a variation on a recipe from the Neelys at Food Network; click HERE for the link to the original recipe. But I modified it quite a bit, so I'll just write it out with my changes below. You're welcome in advance :)

Smoky Bacon Scalloped Potatoes

3 TB butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 C half-and-half
2-3 tsp smoked paprika (I used Penzey's Hungarian Smoked)
8 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
8 slices cooked bacon, chopped
2 C smoked Gouda cheese, grated
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 dish with 1 TB butter; melt the remaining 2 TB in a large saucepan (trust me, you want it to be big--you'll be putting all the potato slices in it). Once the butter foams, add the shallots and garlic and sauté till softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes (but watch it, you don't want it to burn). Season with salt and pepper; then add the half-and-half, smoked paprika, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes; again, watch this--I know from experience what an unbelievable pain it is to scrub the burnt stuff off the bottom of the pan...

Pour half of the potato mixture into the buttered casserole dish. Shake the pan to arrange the potatoes in an even layer. Sprinkle half of each of the cheeses and half the bacon on top of the bottom potato layer. Add the remaining potatoes, even the layer out again, and sprinkle on the rest of the cheeses and bacon. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes or until bubbly. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden and browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. 

Eleanor's breadsticks

My cute cousin Eleanor sent me this recipe a few months ago, and Jeremy made it last night. So glad he did--these breadsticks were awesome... and easy!!! They're a perfect last-minute addition to a yummy soup-and-salad dinner. We paired these with Krista's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and my re-creation of Olive Garden's bottomless salad. YUM!!!

Eleanor's Excellent Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs yeast

1 cube butter

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Parmesan cheese

Garlic salt

Combine sugar, yeast, flour and salt. Add water and stir. Knead on floured board for 3 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into rectangular shape (the size of your cookie sheet). With pizza cutter, cut lengthwise in half and then into inch-wide strips. Melt butter and dip strips in butter (or pour butter over top) and place on greased cookie sheet. Generously sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

Let rise for 15-20 minutes, then bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until Parmesan cheese turns golden color.

ENJOY!

Karen's Mock-Olive-Garden Salad

I crave this salad on an almost-continual basis, but as the closest Olive Garden is about 20 miles away, we don't get there very often. Last night, I decided to try and re-create it on my own with ingredients I had on hand, and I think it worked pretty darn well!

Let me know what you think...

Karen's Mock-Olive-Garden Salad

Romaine lettuce

Spinach

(A mix with red cabbage in it would add extra color)

1 seeded cucumber, chopped

Whole grape tomatoes

Sliced red onion

Sliced pepperoncini (banana peppers in jar)

Assorted croutons (white, pumpernickel, etc.)

Ken's Lite Caesar Dressing

Shredded Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top

Cafe Rio Black Beans

A very simplified recipe, but it works!

Cafe Rio Black Beans

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 C tomato juice

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving, add cilantro.

Cafe Rio Pico de Gallo

Pretty easy, but makes a big difference...

Cafe Rio Pico de Gallo

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and let sit for at least 1 hour. Best when served fresh (not as good the next day)...

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing, Take 2

I posted a recipe for this dressing a while ago, but I think this new one is better. It tastes more like the real thing, in my opinion. It's important, people! Just trust me on this one...

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing, Take 2

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

1 C buttermilk

1 C mayonnaise

1-2 tomatillos

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed

Blend together in food processor till smooth--NO chunks! Let dressing sit for a few hours for best taste...

Vegetable Lo Mein

This recipe is from a great book called "How to Cook without a Book" by Pam Anderson. It might sound counter-intuitive, but the whole point of the book is to teach you how to use variations on the same basic ingredients to come up with all kinds of different dishes. It's a wonderful resource--check and see if your library has it!

So... in keeping true to the book, you can change this recipe up--I've only ever used vegetables, but you can add chicken, beef, shrimp, pork or tofu (you'd cook it first before adding the veggies). I like to have Lo Mein as a side dish to complement whatever meat I'm using. You can try it with my Teriyaki Chicken or Jennie Call's Sweet & Sour Chicken...

Vegetable Lo Mein

2-3 cups vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces (I use any combination of broccoli, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc)

1 onion, sliced into strips

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1-2 Tbsp soy sauce

2-4 Tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz. spaghetti/linguini/fettuccine noodles, cooked

1 batch of Lo Mein sauce (see below)

**toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Heat a large skillet on high, then turn down to medium and add 1-2 Tbsp oil and onion. Cook for a minute until onion is a little soft and slightly browned. Then add your vegetables, one variety at a time, and cook till crisp-tender before adding the next group. When veggies are all in, add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 more minute. Then remove from heat and put veggies in a bowl.

Next, put the now-empty skillet back on the heat and add the rest of the oil. When the oil is shimmery, add noodles and stir-fry for a minute till coated and hot. Put the veggies back in, pour Lo Mein sauce over everything, mix well till coated, top with toasted sesame seeds if you want, and serve immediately!

Lo Mein Flavoring Sauce

1/4 C chicken broth

1/4 C soy sauce

2 tsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sugar

Honey Carrots

I am always looking for ways to spice up my veggies. Here are a couple of great, easy ideas from my sis...

Honey Carrots

6 carrots

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp butter

 

Cook carrots 15 minutes. Drain well. Add butter and honey. Mix well and serve immediately.

Party Broccoli

Party Broccoli

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli

2 Tbsp onion, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 C sour cream

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Cook broccoli till tender. Drain well and set aside. Microwave onion and butter for 2 minutes, then stir into broccoli with remaining ingredients. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve immediately.

Cafe Rio Rice

As stated before, this is great in a flour tortilla with the pulled pork. The best way I've had it, however, is at the bottom of a toasted tortilla with a little cheese, then topped with black beans, lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro sprigs, shredded chicken and crunchy tortilla strips. Then comes the magic: Creamy Tomatillo dressing. But that's another post... (see below :o)

Cafe Rio Rice

3 cups water

1 can green chilies

1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed

1/2 onion

4 tsp. chicken base or bouillon

4 tsp. garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. butter

2 cups rice

Bring water to boil. While waiting, blend cilantro, green chilies and onion together in food processor till pureed. Once water is boiling, add all ingredients, including puree--then cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

I honestly don't know what to say about this dressing... I hear it has caffeine in it, and that's why it's so addicting--but this recipe doesn't have it, and it's still good. So there!

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 1/3 cups sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 bunch cilantro

1 package dry ranch dressing mix

4 Tbsp. salsa verde (green salsa made with tomatillos)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce

juice of 1 lime

Mix together all ingredients in the blender... and enjoy!

Pesto

Yum is all I have to say...

Quick, Easy & Delicious Pesto

3 packed cups fresh basil leaves (stems removed)

2 large fresh garlic cloves

1/2 cup pinenuts

3/4 cup packed fresh parsley

3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 melted butter

salt to taste

Combine everything in a blender or food processor on low, then medium speed. Thoroughly work everything into a smooth paste. Toss with hot, drained pasta or spoon onto hot gnocchi. Also fantastic as a side to dip bread in...

*** I use this pesto recipe to make my Pesto Chicken Pasta.

Grilled vegetables

OK, so Lisa H. asked me to post some good ideas for veggies on the grill. Perfect timing, because recently I went to Target's outdoor section, and they had all their grill stuff on clearance. So I bought a little metal basket-type thing with holes in it for grilling veggies... right up my alley! You don't HAVE to have this little contraption in order to grill veggies, but it's made it a lot easier for me. You can also form a low-lying rectangular box with edges out of foil and put it right on the grill. It's just a little more precarious.
Here's what I did: I just cut up all different-colored peppers, fresh mushrooms, yellow squash, pre-boiled red potatoes, and an onion (red or yellow), tossed them with some olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh-ground pepper, threw them in my little basket and put the basket on the grill next to my chicken. It's that easy! Just turn the veggies a couple times and cook them till they look right to you. You can also toss in some minced garlic and/or parmesan cheese, if that's more of what you're in the mood for. Just experiment and have fun!

Summer Veggie Bake

Here's another idea for using those wonderful, colorful summertime vegetables.... This dish is great with grilled or broiled fish. I'm trying out a new Parmesan Salmon recipe next week and will post it if it's good!

Summer Veggie Bake
2-3 large tomatoes, sliced
2-3 green bell peppers, sliced into rings
1-2 large yellow squash, sliced
1 red onion
3-4 T butter, cut into small pieces
salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Spray the inside of an 8x8 or 9x13 glass pan (depending on how much you want to make). Layer it kind of like lasagna--one layer of each vegetable, then sprinkle on a little salt, pepper, butter, and parmesan cheese. Repeat as many times as you need until the dish is full. Then sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top, cover it with foil and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. For the last 10 minutes or so, take off the foil and allow the cheese to brown.
***Feel free to use other large vegetables--whatever you have that will go well together. The point is to keep it colorful and make it taste good. Good luck!

Black Bean & Mango Salsa

This is the salsa that goes great with Garlic Lime Chicken. It’s also amazing by itself—just add a bowl of tortilla chips and prepare to be impressed. And addicted...

Black Bean & Mango Salsa
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix
1 16-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10-oz. package frozen white corn, thawed
1 cup chopped ripe mango
½ cup chopped red pepper
1/3 chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup lime juice

Mix all ingredients until well blended; cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.