Moroccan Braised Baby Carrots

Since moving to Utah I am limited with what I can cook. I don't have the wonderful kitchen at my parents house or the bottomless groceries :P, but today I felt like being experimental :) I feel so much better too.

This recipe all started about a week ago when I wanted to know how long to cook carrots just to make "Buttered Baby Carrots". I know sad right? Seriously you can ask me how to make Chocolate Souffle and Alfredo Sauce, but when it comes to making something like a baked potato, hard boiled egg, or "cooked carrots" I am clueless. While doing "research" I stumbled upon this website. It is quite amazing if you decide to check it out, I found it very interesting. It tells you all the different kinds of carrots, different ways to cut them up, and (my favorite) different ways to cook them :)

I noted the "Braised Carrot" section on the page. I had never even heard of doing this. I quickly jotted down the basic technique (which of course I ended up misplacing, but luckily I was able to find the site again) and told myself I would do something with that later.

Today around lunch time while I was rummaging in my fridge for something to make, I noted my baby carrots and remembered the braise technique.

If you know me, you know that I almost never follow a recipe to a T. I am always adding in my own things, and making it my own. I decided to do that with today's' delicious recipe.

Moroccan Braised Baby Carrots

Ingredients:
1-2 Pound(s) Baby Carrots
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Honey
1 tsp Moroccan Rub*
1 c Chicken Stock/Broth

1. Add butter to a skillet or large pot and let melt

2. Add honey, Moroccan rub, and chicken stock to pot, combine together, and bring to a boil

3. Meanwhile cut up baby carrots slicing them once length wise, and once width wise. (So there are four equal sections)

4. Once liquid in pot is boiling add in baby carrots and bring back up to a boil.

5. Cover put with a lid and turn heat down to medium, let simmer for about 10 minutes or until carrots are fork tender

6. Uncover carrots and let them continue to cook until most if not all liquid is evaporated

7. serve hot either by themselves or along side fish or steak

8. add salt and pepper to taste

*Moroccan Rub - The rub I use is a Pampered Chef product if you do not have this here are the spices listed in the rub are here (http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/use_care/detail.jsp?productId=18964) you can play around with it maybe using small pinches of each thing, or just make it your own. You don't have to use the rub at all, but I thought it complemented it nicely :) Let me know what you guys think!

Rotel Dip

Rotel Dip

(aka Crack Dip)

This is being added upon request for Lisa (I love you!) enjoy!

You Will Need:

1 can of Rotel salsa (tomatoes and green chilies)

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

1 lb of sausage (I just use regular Jimmy Dean)

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage in a medium sized pan and drain

2. Return sausage to stove, stir in cream cheese until melted in completely.

3. Add and mix in can of Rotel

4. Bring dip up to a boil, serve in crock pot to keep warm.

5. Enjoy :)

Easy Chicken Pizza

Easy Chicken Pizza

My mom recently bought a pizza stone from Pampered Chief (which I'm hoping to be come a consultant for soon, so if you want kitchen ware I'm the woman you want to see ;]) and Andrew and I had been wanting to use it. We really didn't have a lot to work with, but we managed to scrounge up enough ingredients to make a pizza :)

You Will Need:

(Dough)

1 pkg. Quick Rise dry yeast

1 c. lukewarm water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. honey
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. granulated onion

(Sauce)

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 to 1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon granulated garlic (or just more garlic salt if you don't have any)

1 teaspoon pepper

(Toppings [you can use whatever you'd like but we used these])

Monterey Jack cheese slices (cut into small squares)

Pepperoncini's (chopped)

Chicken Breast (shredded, and seasoned)

Directions:

(Preheat oven to 450 degrees)

1. Mix yeast in a glass bowl with warm water

2. Add vegetable oil, honey, flour, garlic, and onion to the yeast mixture

3. Mix dough well by hand (you may want to grease your hands with vegetable oil, as the dough will stick to you)

4. form dough into a rounded mound inside of bowl, drape a towel over the bowl, and let rise for 10-12 minutes.

5. Flatten dough out on a greased pan (or in my case a pizza stone, but you can also use a cookie sheet.)

6. (now for the sauce) place one 60z can of tomato paste in a medium sized bowl.

7. Whisk in water (the amount of water may very basically just add water until the thin or thickness of your liking.)

8. Whisk dried oregano, garlic salt, granulated garlic, and pepper into sauce

9. evenly spread sauce over pizza dough

10. Cut slices of cheese into small squares (or grate if you have a block, unlike us today)

11. Boil, shred, and season chicken (I used pepper and of course garlic)

12. Add all toppings to pizza (I also added pepperoncini's to mine)

13. Place pizza in oven and bake for 12 minutes

14. Enjoy =]

Butterscotch-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Butterscotch-Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are my absolute favorite to bake. They are always requested, and are very rich in taste. These cookies are loved even by members of my family who hate butterscotch, and so simple. It's pretty much just like a traditional chocolate-chip recipe, but with butterscotch chips added.

You Will Need:

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (softened)

3/4 cup of granulated (white) sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup (6 oz, half a bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup (6 oz, half a bag) butterscotch morsels (chips)

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

5. Fold in chocolate chips and butterscotch morsels.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

8. Enjoy =]

Sorry Adam no step by step pictures this time. I did this one before you made your suggestion, and am just getting around to posting it. Next time :)

Chicken Thigh Surprise

Chicken Thigh Surprise

You will need:

5 piece bag of chicken thigh meat (chicken breast if you'd prefer)
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 16 oz can of stewed cut garlic tomatoes
1 12 oz can of tomato sauce
1 bag honey mustard pretzel pieces (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 servings of long grain or white rice

1. In a shallow dish mix together flour, sage, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Coat each piece of chicken in flour mixture

3. Coat a large skillet with the olive oil, heat, and add chicken.

4. Brown chicken on both sides but do not cook all the way through

5. Pour stewed tomatoes and sauce over chicken and simmer covered until chicken is cooked through.

6. While chicken is simmering cook rice (I like to use minute rice, it's fast and easy) in a medium sized pan.

7. Serve chicken over rice and sprinkle pretzel pieces over top for an extra crunch (optional)

* (extra options) Instead of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and pretzel pieces cover and cook chicken in one 16 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

Pizookie

Pizookie

Menu Description: "A freshly baked, hot out-of-the oven, rich and delicious cookie topped with 2 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and served in its own deep dish.

You Will Need:

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon beaten egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons white chocolate chunks (or chips)
3 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts (optional, but taste really good with the white chocolate)
2 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream
1 pie pan

Today were are making the white chocolate chip macadamia nut, but you can also make Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or peanut butter. If you want the recipes for those please contact me via e-mail (khloe.voll@yahoo.com).

1. Preheat oven 475 degrees F

2. Combine butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla into a small bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

3. Fold in flour, baking soda, chocolate chunks, and macadamia nuts.

4. Press dough into a buttered (I spray down with pam) pie pan and bake for 5-7 mins or until cookie just starts to brown.

5. Let cookie cool for at least 1 min before putting two scoops of Vanilla bean ice cream on top

6. Enjoy

Not Your Average Mexican Enchilada

Okay so this what my family likes to call a "Gringo Enchilada", even though it came from my Mexican boyfriend Andrew. This is probably one of my all time favorite recipes. I make it at least once a month upon my family's request. Which is absolutely fine by Andrew and I, you'll never see one of us without the other in the kitchen.

Gringo Enchiladas (Also known as Sour Cream Enchiladas)









You'll Need:

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 small can of diced jalapenos (drained)
1 small can of diced green chillies
1 small can diced black olives (drained)
1 16 oz tub of sour cream
1-2 packages of flour tortillas
1 bag sharp cheddar cheese (graded)
2-3 raw uncooked chicken breast
Any kind of seasonings you have on hand (Garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper, seasoning salt)
1 13x9 glass baking dish
1 8x8 glass baking dish
1 medium sized bowl

Preheat Oven to 350

1. Boil raw uncooked chicken breast in water until cooked through

2. Take cooked chicken and shred in medium bowl with two forks (just like in the mac and cheese recipe)

3. Season Chicken with any seasoning you'd like (again just like the last recipe I like to use the ones listed above)

4. Add Cream of Chicken Soup to chicken along with 2/3 of the sour cream tub (you can add more if you desire. I usually don't use the whole tub, but I come pretty close).

5. Drain the can of olives and the jalapenos and add to chicken mixture (Again add as much as you'd like. I like olives and I really like spice so I put almost the whole can of jalapenos in, but if you don't like spice I'd suggest a few teaspoons.) Add Green chilies (as much as you'd like they are not really spicy they give more flavor then anything, especially if you didn't add a lot of jalapenos, then you'll want more of the green chilies)

6. Sprinkle a handful or two of cheese into mixture and stir together until blended well. (You might want to taste it now, and see if you want more of anything, sour creme, jalapenos, seasonings etc.)

7. (This is the tricky step. It Is easier to have two people running a system, but if not you can heat the tortillas fast in the microwave to make them more flexible) Heat one tortilla on stove top and lay it down in the 9x13 glass dish (the 8x8 is for any extra filling or tortillas you may have. I can usually fill both pans with this one batch of mixture) fill it with a few large spoonfuls of chicken filling, roll up the tortilla facing the seam down. Continue to do this until you feel like you've made enough or you run out of filling.

8. Once you have finished rolling up the enchiladas if you have any extra filling you can pour it over the top.

9. Sprinkle cheese over all enchiladas (as much as you'd like)

10. Place tinfoil over the top of each dish and place in the oven for about twenty minutes (Just until cheese is melted and insides are hot, everything is already prepared the oven is simply to warm it all up)

And Enjoy :)

I usually like to serve this dish with a side of rice. Andrew is my rice cooker though, I don't know how the man does it, but I swear it's like going out to a Mexican restaurant. I'll ask him for the recipe if anyone is interested. I know it's simple though. Please if you try the recipe let me know how you like it :)