Bean Dip and Babies!

The other night our friends, Brian and Chrissy, invited some couples over for game night. While I was there, I not only fell in love with her mother-in-laws recipe for bean dip - I also got my baby fix. Brian and Chrissy, have 4 children, who I have no choice but to believe they are all Cabbage Patch children come to life. They have the perfect dimples, button noses, and curls and just when you think they can't get any cuter - they smile and their dimples get even bigger! Thanks Chrissy for letting me inhale grossly inappropriate amounts of bean dip and letting me get my baby fix!



Chrissy's Bean Dip
1 can (9 oz) Fritos Bean Dip
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
8 to 10 drops Tabasco

Beat above ingredients. Fold in 1/4 cup green onions. Layer half of the mixture in pie plate. Spread 1 cup of jack/cheddar cheese over mixture. Repeat layer and add 1 cup of jack/cheddar cheese to top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

"Barefoot" Baked Shrimp Scampi

This is my friend Amanda. She is a caterer. Everything she makes is amazing - and she finally told me her secret. Are you listening? Most of her recipes are "tweaked" recipes from the Barefoot Contessa. She made this recipe for a girls night out and it was AMAZING! Try it at your next get together.



Barefoot Contessa's Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Check out Reviews of this dish at the Foodnetwork HERE.

Gourmet Club: Western Style

About two weeks ago our invitation arrived for Gourmet Club! You can imagine my surprise when the recipe I was given to make was "Armadillo Knuckles"! As I looked further at the recipe, I knew I could eat anything if it was wrapped in bacon!
Giddy Up - we were going to a Hoe-down!!!



The "Big Red Kitchen" Ranch was the location of our get together and of course Robin Sue and "Himself" went all out to Hoe-Down! There was a saloon set up in the corner of the kitchen, ax throwing outside, and bottle target in the living room! Being a drunk, ax murderer and sharp shooter - I knew I had hit the Jackpot! Just kidding, although being a wife, mommy, and homeroom mom sometimes I feel like the previous! Check out that Cowboy Caviar in the picture above - Mosey on over to "Bri's Tiki Bar" for the recipe. It was Rootin' "Tootin'" - and I mean Tootin' - but oh so good!



Robin Sue, left in picture, was our mess hall manager for the night. Sabrina, right in picture, was ready to wrangle the boys for dinner (or was that wrangle the boys FOR their dinner)? I was the sheriff in town - and no one was getting by me! (Literally - I ate so much that night, no one COULD get by me!)



Robin branded our steaks, and even though she put her name over all the steaks - we insisted that we should get to eat one! She agreed and let us each own our own cow - Bessy was mighty fine!



Everyone had a wonderful time and all the touches throughout the house were amazing - down to the yellow roses of Texas as our centerpiece!




Check out the adorable place setting. Swing over to the "Big Red Kitchen" Ranch to see where they came from! Very funny!



Now that I have given you a little tour around the "Big Red Kitchen" Ranch - let me give you the recipe for the "Armadillo Knuckles".



Doesn't this bowl look like it could be just that. Thankfully it is only a bowl of wonderful little waterchestnuts. These crunchy little morsels make the appetizer unforgettable!



Bacon Wrapped Armadillo Knuckles
2 cans whole water chestnuts
1 pound bacon with slices cut into thirds
Wrap bacon around each nut and secure with a tooth pick. Place in a tin foil lined baking dish (to help with clean up) and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until bacon is cooked through. Remove "knuckles" from the grease, keep toothpicks in, and place in a clean lightly greased baking dish. Use something nice so you can serve it in this as well.
Mix together:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup white sugar
3 T. soy sauce
Pour over bacon wrapped knuckles and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and gooey!




At the end of the night, when all the cows were put away (in our tummies) and all the wood had been chopped (at least sliced a little), and all the bottles had been shot (then recyled of course) we knew we were very fortunate cowboys. We took off on the "Happy Trails" knowing we had good friends, full tummies, and happy hearts! Life is good!



Check out that bleach spot on the back of my hubby's shirt. That will teach him to let a cowgirl do his laundry :-)

Stuffing Balls (a.k.a. Thanksgiving in a bite)

My magazine collection was taking over my bedroom, and I decided it was time to go through all my cooking articles and rip out the 2 or 3 pages I thought I would really use. I stumbled upon this recipe for Stuffing Balls in the Food & Family Holiday 2005 issue laying next to my bed. (Now you know how long they had been sitting there!)



1 lb ground pork
1 package (6 oz Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
3/4 cup cranberry sauce
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter



Preheat oven to 325. Brown meat; drain. Combine with dry stuffing mix in a large bowl.

Stir in cranberry sauce, egg and 1 cup water. Shape mixture into 16 balls. Place balls on foil-covered baking sheet; brush balls with melted butter.

Bake 20 minutes.

Makes 8 servings. 2 balls each.



My girls loved these. My oldest, Logan, said that it tasted like Thanksgiving in a bite.
This will definitely go into my "Fast Fix" meal rotation - now that sports are in full swing!

Brown Sugar & Walnut Brie Wheel

This is one of my go-to Appetizers. If we are having a large group of people over, and I am going to serve mostly appetizers - this is always on the list! It takes 2 minutes to prepare - and 2 minutes to DISAPPEAR!



Buy the big "Wheel-o-Brie" at your local Costco or Sam's club. I find they have the most reasonable price.
Cut off top rind of Brie.



Add 1/2 cup Brown sugar to top of Brie.



Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Enjoy - and try not to let your guests see you devour the entire thing!

Crab Cakes with Cilantro Tatar Sauce

Two scoops please! Or should I say Lumps...and two is not really enough when you taste them. I LOVE crab cakes, but I am a crab cake snob. I absolutely love the ones Sweetwater makes. A little spice a lot of crab! There is nothing better. This is the closest recipe I have ever had to those delectable treats! It comes from a sweet little gal named Annie who used to do cooking classes in her home. We would roll away from her house on those nights!

Annie's Crab Cakes
1/2 cup red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 cup Panko crumbs, or unsalted soda crackers, finely crushed
Unsalted butter and canola oil, for frying
Lemon wedges

In a small skillet on medium heat warm a Tablespoon of butter. When butter begins to foam, add the red pepper and onions and saute over medium heat until onions are translucent and peppers become slightly tender. Set aside to cool.



I spread them on a cutting board and let them cool.



In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Cayenne and Old Bay. Add in the cooled peppers and onions and fold in the crabmeat. Add about one third of the crackers or crumbs. Shape into 16 small cakes or 8 large cakes about 1 inch thick. Coat the crab cakes with the remaining crumbs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate for a least two hours (or for up to one day before cooking).
In a large skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter and 2 Tablespoons of the oil. When the butter and oil begin to bubble, add half the crab cakes and cook over Medium-high heat until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove crab cakes from pan and set on paper towels to absorb any extra oil and place in a warm oven. Repeat with the remainder of the crab cakes, adding butter and oil to pan as needed. Garnish with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.



I did these the day before my dinner group and just reheated them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Perfect!
Make extra - because lets face it - the best part about having a crab cake for dinner....is having a crab cake sandwich for lunch the next day!



Cilantro Tartar Sauce
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Stir together all sauce ingredients, Serve.

Baby Twice Baked Potatoes

These little gems were such a hit at our last BBQ! They started out as part of the appetizers - but the remainder quickly became part of everyone's meal. We had about 5 left at the end of the night - which became part of our breakfast in the morning! These were a little labor intensive - but worth all the effort when you see those smiles on your guests faces!! Kids loved them as much as the adults! I doubled this recipe - Thank goodness!



1 1/2 pounds of small red potatoes
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded pepper jack
1 garlic bulb, roasted
1/2 cup sour cream
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (4.1 oz) Idahoan Baby Reds flavored mashed potatoes (or any instant potatoes)
(This is my favorite brand - no one will know - I promise)
If you double the recipe - you still just need 1 bag of the instant mash potatoes.

Slice a small spot off each end of every potato. Then cut each potato in half. This ensures all potatoes will sit up nicely on the cookie sheet. Cut top off garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place on same baking sheet. Toss potatoes in olive oil and bake at 400 for 35 to 40 minutes.



I used my tomato "Top-taker-offer" (one of my 1066 kitchen gadgets) to scoop out each potato when they cooled down.
I did not get enough "guts" out of each potato - and thus made a bag of instant mashed potatoes to add to my bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl of potatoes except the jack cheese.



Put mashed potatoe mixure in ziplock bag and cut tip. If you are adding bacon or some other yummy ingredient - just remember it needs to be pretty tiny to fit back through the ziplock bag hole.



Pipe mixture back into those little "mouths" waiting to be filled with that yummy filling! Put back in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes! Remove and top with Jack cheese - Serve and watch disappear!



These can be made any way you like your potatoes. Add blue cheese, bacon, cheddar, chives...you name it! Next time I would do 1/2 Jack cheese and 1/2 cheddar. The Jack cheese was a little hot for the kids - but they still managed to pack them away!
What would you add?

Lemon Basil Dip

If you have Basil coming out your ears about now - this is the perfect way to use it up! My next door neighbor Jennifer first introduced me to this delicious dip about 6 years ago and it has become one of my favorite dips to serve with cold shrimp, cooked and cooled tortellini, or lightly cooked asparagus. I had not thought about it in a while - when low and behold, my friend Merry (who is just as happy as her name) brought it unexpectedly to a get together. I told her I was going home and putting the recipe on the blog!



1/4 fresh lemon juice (don't forget to "Beat the Lemon")
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup mayo

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except mayo. Process until smooth. In a medium bowl, whip mayo until creamy. Stir in herb mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This dip SCREAMS summer!

Rindy's Radar: EAT!'s Chicken Nuggets

Which came first- The chicken or the egg? This is how I served the chicken nuggets, on my deviled egg plate and an Easter ramekin to hold the sauce. I laughed - my children didn't. Oh how we mom's entertain ourselves!
Once in a while a recipe you read on someone's blog will get your attention. That is exactly what happened when I read EAT!'s Chicken Nuggets blog! I could not get those things out of my head. I knew it was a meal my kids would love - but those tasty little morsels looked like I would love them too! I am not a big "fryer" girl. I can't usually work up the muster to make my kitchen into a disaster area (look at pictures below) for the sake of one meal; let alone the smell that lingers through the day whenever you fry something. Those darn chicken nuggets kept "Chirping" in my brain. One rainy day - I decided - today is the day. I have nothing on the calendar and nuggets on the brain, so I decided to make my kitchen a disaster area and my family one happy flock!!!



EAT!'s Chicken Nuggets:
I did not have Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning so I bought Sylvia's chicken coating in the store and it was very yummy. The package said it would make Col Sanders cry - so you have to try a product that can even make a dead guy cry - right?


Remove the nuggets from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with honey mustard, barbecue sauce or EAT!'s Dill Sauce.


EAT!'s Dill Sauce:

I added a teaspoon of lemon juice and made it more into a dill tarter sauce - yummy both ways!



My kids opted for the honey mustard route: 2 Tablespoons honey to 1 teaspoon yellow mustard.
More Mayo for me - Yeah! Can you really ever get enough of that "White Butter"?

"Devilish" Eggs

Here is the scenairo: You have promised your best girlfriend that you would bring the deviled eggs to the picnic. You strategically plan your day around making your speciality. You give yourself a 2 hour window (10 minutes to bring eggs to boil, 20 minutes to hang out in water, 30 minutes to cool, 10 minutes to take the shells off, 20 minutes to assemble, and 30 minutes to chill again).
You are so proud of yourself and your ability to time manage when.....

...your eggs start coming out of the shell looking like this!!!! This, my friend, does not fit into your egg strategy! Never fear - turn those hard-to-peel eggs into - "Devilish" eggs.

6 hard boiled eggs
3 or more bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. minced onions (you can substitute onion powder)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. horseradish - or to taste
1 1/2 cups cheddar or jack cheese - shredded

Mash hard boiled eggs. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Shape mixture into balls and roll them in cheese.

Most importantly - act like you planned it all along!