Cara's Yummy Recipes » Index

Sam’s Backyard Margaritas

Cara — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:16:06 +0000

Ingredients

1/2 cup tequila (Sauza Blanco won the blind taste tests and costs about as much as Jose Cuervo. If you wanted a $10 margarita, I’m sure Patron would also be tasty.)
1/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup lime juice (fresh from your backyard lime tree, otherwise you have to change the name of this drink to Sam’s Store Bought Margaritas)
2 tablespoons simple syrup

Directions

Mix. Serve over crushed ice. Drink. Enjoy.

Makes enough for two margaritas.

Jan’s Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Cara — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:57:14 +0000

Ingredients

6 large portabella mushrooms
24 handfuls of fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, diced, or 1/2 cup salsa, drained
1 -2 cloves garlic, diced
1 (red) onion, diced
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/4 cup Mozarella, grated (optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
Olive oil
Salt, pepper

Directions

Wash mushrooms quickly under running water. Drain, stem down, while you dry them with paper towels. Remove stems. Cut off ugly end of the stem and chop remaining part of stems, set aside. Rub outside of mushroom caps with oil, salt and pepper. Place round side down in baking dish.

In large frying pan, saute onions and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushroom stems, and sautee a minute or two. Add spinach and stir only until just wilted. Put half of the spinach onto the mushroom caps. Put a few spoonfuls of tomatoes/salsa on each cap. Sprinkle the swiss and mozarella cheeses onto each cap. Sprinkle half the parmesan on each cap. Cover with reamining spinach. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

Bake at 350 about 20 minutes until mushrooms are cooked. They will give off some of their juices. The cheese will just be melted.

Gary’s No Knead Bread

Cara — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:42:59 +0000

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 cup bread flour of choice (ie. unbleached flour for white bread, wheat flour for wheat, rye flour for rye, etc)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (can reduce to 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1+ cups water

Directions

Mix dry ingredients by hand or with a bread hook in a bowl that is big enough to allow the bread to rise. Add 1 cup water and mix. Continue to add water in small increments and mix until all of the flour has been integrated.
Coat a piece of wax paper with olive oil. Place the wax paper, oil side down over the dough. Let rise for 14-18 hours.
Place a dutch oven pan in the oven and preheat to 525. Remove dough from bowl and place in the center of the dutch oven. Bake for 25 minutes with the dutch oven lid on, then remove the lid and bake for 3 minutes longer, or until the crust is done.

Mom’s Tri Tip Marinade

Cara — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:55:43 +0000

Ingredients

2 pounds tri tip steak
3/4 cup shiraz
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dijon

Directions

Combine ingredients and refrigerate for 1-8 hours. BBQ until done. Slice and serve.

Serve with Herbed Potato Salad.

Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir-Fry

Cara — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:49:13 +0000

Ingredients

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
5 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 cup red bell pepper strips
3/4 cup (2-inch) slices green onion tops
2 cups hot cooked white rice

Directions

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup chopped green onions, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add beef to pan, and sauté for 4 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan.

Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; heat over medium-high heat. Add beans and pepper to pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 3/4 cup green onion tops; sauté 1 minute. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve with rice.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Chops

Cara — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:45:12 +0000

Ingredients

Cooking spray

4 garlic cloves, minced and divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

5 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil, diced

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Preheat broiler.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, tomatoes, and spinach; sauté until moisture evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and rind.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper over pork. Arrange pork on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6 minutes; turn pork. Brush remaining mixture over pork; broil 2 minutes or until done.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Cara — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:51:29 +0000

Ingredients

8 ounces Ghiradelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
2 tablespoons Hersheys cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brandy
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled

Directions

Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, water, and brandy in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into egg mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes.

Using electric mixer and clean bowl, whip egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk last few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape any unwhipped whites from bottom of bowl.

Using whisk, sir about 1/4 of whipped egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until just a few white streaks remain.

Using electric mixer, whip heavy cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whisk until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 15 seconds more. Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into mousse until no white streaks remain.

Spoon mousse into 6-8 dessert bowls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 days. To serve, allow mousse to soften to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream, chocolate shavings (shave a bar of chocolate with a carrot peeler) and raspberries.

Best Chicken Enchiladas

Cara — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:37:12 +0000

Ingredients

Sauce

1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 7-ounce can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Filling

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, grated
1/2 onion, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
10-15 medium white corn tortillas
lots of vegetable oil

Directions

Blend tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt and broth in blend until smooth. NOTE: if doubling the recipe only make one batch of sauce at a time or the blender will overflow. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tomato mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.

Boil chicken until done. Shred. Mix chicken, cheese, onion and cilantro in a medium bowl.

Heat vegetable oil in a fry pan. Dip each tortilla in the oil for 3 seconds a side. Then dip each side in the sauce. Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the tortilla and roll. Place seam side down in a 9×13 dish (or two 9×9 dishes) that has been coated with cooking spray. Repeat until pan is full. Pour remaining sauce over the top and cover with some more grated cheese.

To serve immediately: Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes.

To freeze: Cover with foil and freeze. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes straight from the freezer. Uncover and continue baking until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.

Suzie’s Meatballs

Cara — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:27:09 +0000

Ingredients

1/4 onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup fresh italian parsley
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal (or beef or pork)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup grated parmesian
1 tesaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
3-6 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Place onions, garlic and parsley in a blender or food processor. Puree. Add chicken broth and mix. In large bowl, combine pureed onion mix, meat, parmesian, red pepper flakes and salt. Using both hands, combine until mixture is uniform (do not overmix). Add breadcrumbs and egg, and combine until mixture is uniform (do not overmix).

Put a little olive oil on hands. Form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls.

Pour 1/2 inch olive oil into straight sided 10″ wide saute pan. Heat over medium high flame. Add meatballs. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are brown on all sides.

Meanwhile, heat marinara sauce in stockpot over medium heat. Using slotted spoon, lift browned meatballs into marinara sauce. Stir gently. Simmer 1 hour. Alternatively, place browned meatballs on cookie sheets, and bake in oven at 350 for 25 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

Velda’s BBQ Pork

Cara — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Ingredients

2 pound Boston Butt Roast (pork sirloin tenderloin)
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon ginger, diced
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons wine
1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 cup honey
hot mustard
sesame seeds

Directions

Score each side of the tenderloin with 3 slashes 1/4″ deep. Comine sugar through honey, mix well. Combine pork and marinade in a ziploc bag. Marinate 2-4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375.

Take pork out of marinade (reserve marinade) and place on a rack in a roasting pan filled with 1/2 cup water. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Turn over. Back for 17-20 minutes. Turn oven to broil. Baste both sides of pork with marinade. Bake 1 minute on each side.

Remove pork from oven and cool. Slice into 1″ think slices. Serve with hot mustard and sesame seeds.