Curried Crab Endive Boats

Many years ago, I was at an event with Gelson's (Grocery Store) catering. It was the first time I had ever consumed endive spear appetizers. They had put beef inside the spear. After that bite, I had to search for them for seconds and thirds. I've had these in the back of my mind. This recipe is with crabmeat, not beef.

With endive leaves, you can be creative with however you wish to float your boat. *pun intended*

Endives

Curried Crab Endive Appetizer
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 heads endive
6 oz crabmeat (canned)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp scallions, chopped
3 tbsp red bell peppers, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Wash and separate the endive heads into individual leaves

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowls. Scoop a generous about into each endive leaf.
Done!

You can add whatever you want in your endive boats. I actually used the leftover endive to make a small pear endive salad for the next day. Just cut endives crosswise. then top with small pieces of pear. Drizzle with dressing of your choice (I used sesame viniagrette).

BEST RIBS EVER (Made AT HOME!!!) - Dry Rub Included

BEST RIBS EVER!!! 
Make it at home today.

 
Up to this day, I never attempted to make baby back ribs.  Searched high and low for a dry rub. When I asked friends which dry rub they used, the response was the grocery store bought ones. After poking around recipe land, I found just what I was looking for...

This dry rub utilizes spices that many home cooks have on hand. That's why I love it.

Dry Rub for Meat
Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Ingredients:
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper (cayenne) - you may omit this if you don't want it to be spicy

Directions:
Stir together and you've created a mix that will make your meats even more delicious!

I ended up making another batch so that I could have a small jar for whenever I need it.

**************************************************************************

BEST RIBS EVER!!! 

I'm not exaggerating/kidding when I say that I HAD THE BEST RIBS EVER AT HOME!!!  Yes, Yes, IT'S TRUE.

I cook dinner for two. You can increase the pounds of ribs to your liking.

Best Ribs Ever (at Home)
Prep Time: 5 min      Bake Time: 3 hr
Marinate: 3 hr (Dry Rub in Refrigerator)
Ingredients:
1 lb pork ribs
dry rub (see above)
1/4 - 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I put a splash of whiskey in the bbq sauce...heheh)

Directions: 
Put dry rub all over the pork ribs one side at a time. Cover with plastic wrap and place it back into the refrigerator. The flavors will seep in more the longer you wait. This can be done overnight (but mine turned out fine after three hours).

Preheat oven to 300F. Place the ribs in a pan with the meat side down. Cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 2.5 hours.

Carefully take out the hot pan and uncover. Slather on the BBQ sauce generously on both sides of the ribs. Now bake with the meat side up. Cover with the foil again.

Bake for another half hour with the BBQ sauce.

Remove from the oven. Smell the aroma of meat and BBQ sauce. Then prepare yourself for RIB HEAVEN!!! WOW... Moist and juicy...finger licking good. I really should have taken a photo after I cut into the ribs so that you could witness the juiciness but I couldn't wait to taste heaven!!!

Ahh...as I am writing about it, I wish I had more ribs next to me to consume. Mmm... Mmm...

Enjoy!!

*Update*
Since making this, I have used the dry rub on chicken and steak.
It's delicious on everything!! I'll have to use the dry rub on pork next time.
Mmm...

Oatmeal _____ Chip Bars

I don't make cookies often. I prefer to make bars. The difference??

It's less work!!

The batter is the same but I don't have to roll the dough into balls or use a scoop for cookies. Don't have to worry about the spacing of the cookies in the oven while baking since it spreads. Just pour the entire batter into a pan. Then it's ready to bake.

This is my favorite oatmeal bar recipe. Baked it with cinnamon chips and another batch with chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
Prep Time: 10 min        Bake Time: 25-30 min

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (or 2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, optional
(3/4 cup raisins, optional)

Directions:
With a mixer, cream butter and sugars. Then beat in the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, add flour and baking soda. Stir with a spoon until the baking soda is incorporated into the flour.

Add half the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the first bowl. Beat with mixer. Dump the other half in using mixer.

Now that the mixer part is done, add oatmeal, chocolate chips (or any flavored chips you desire), and walnuts. Stir with a spoon, fork, etc.

Pour the entire mixture into a 9x13 pan. Smooth out the chunky mixture with a spoon. Bake for 25-30 min. I usually check it at 28 min.

Let the oatmeal bars completely cool; Cut into squares/rectangles. But I put some on top of ice cream for hubby while it was warm.

With cinnamon chips...

With chocolate chips...

Enjoy!!

Easy Truffles

The holidays are a time to make sweets!!
Who doesn't want homemade sweets made with love?

After sifting through many many truffles recipes, I decided to keep it simple. Didn't really want to buy heavy whipping cream and not use it all. Usually when I buy ingredients, I think of multiple recipes to use them in so that I am not throwing away a quarter of the whipping cream. That's why I finally settled on the recipe with cream cheese instead. One package open, all of it in...no waste!

Easy Truffles
Prep Time: 2 hr
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
3 cups confectioners sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)
3 cups chocolate chips (or pastilles or bar)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a big bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar a third at a time until well blended.

*************************** MELTING CHOCOLATE ********************************
For melting the chocolate, you can either do this in the microwave or use the double boiler method. If you choose to melt the chocolate in the microwave, do it for one minute. Take it out and stir with a spoon. Then microwave it for another minute. Stir with a spoon. Decrease the increments to 30 seconds so that you don't burn the chocolate. When all of the chocolate is melted, you are ready to use it.

If you wish to do the double boiler method but don't have one, you can easily create it by putting some water at the bottom of a pot. Place a bowl on top -- one that fits snugly. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bowl as it boils. This is key.
*************************** END MELTING CHOCOLATE ***************************

Stir the melted chocolate into the cream cheese-sugar mixture until well incorporated.

I like to divide the truffle mixture into two bowls. That way you can have two different flavorings.
If you do divide it into two halves, add 1 tsp extract of your choice for flavoring. I used rum. You can do vanilla, orange, almond, etc.

Place the mixtures in the fridge for cooling for about an hour.

Shaping the balls:
You can use a spoon and roll the truffle in your hand...OR to make it easier, use a mini ice cream scoop, 1 inch scoop, to have uniform round truffles. After you have the round truffles, you can roll them in whatever toppings you wish. I just rolled mine in cocoa.

Other ideas: The possibilities are endless!!
powdered sugar
chopped nuts
sprinkles

These make great gifts for your family, friends, or coworkers. Maybe you would rather keep them for yourself! heheh. But it's better to share or else you will have more holiday weight to shake off at the beginning of the year.

Happy Holidays!!!

Note: You don't have to stick to dark chocolate. Feel free to melt white chocolate or milk chocolate if you know people who prefer those instead.

My Favorite Mac N' Cheese (Macaroni or Other Pasta)

Happy Holidays!!!

I haven't had a post in a while. The good news is that I have cooked this Mac N' Cheese many times now. So it's now a staple that I can make without even glancing at the recipe. The original recipe is from Cooking Light found here. But I modified it.

My Fave Mac N Cheese Recipe
Prep Time: 10 min      Cook Time: 25 min
Ingredients: 
4 oz sausage (of your choice, chopped)
1 1/4 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups cheese
4-5 cups of macaroni (or pasta shape of your choice)
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
In a small bowl using a whisk, mix milk and flour until there are no lumps. Set aside.

In a big pot, boil water for your macaroni. I usually leave about 5 inches of space between the water and the top of the pot. If you don't have macaroni on hand, use whatever pasta shape you have. Make this recipe with rotelle, penne, shells, etc. Cook as the package instructs which is usually 8-9 minutes to al dente. Strain the pasta. Set aside.

Using the same big pot (You took out the pasta already. It is in the strainer.), brown chopped sausage on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. This will also create more aroma for your sauce.

Add the milk+flour mixture to the sausage stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken about the next 4-5 minutes. Add the cheeses. I like to use the Mexican Cheese mixture since it has monterey jack, mild cheddar and queso. You can find it in the grocery aisle. Stir until melted. Sprinkle the garlic salt to the sauce. Add cooked macaroni (or pasta). Mix until the sauce it incorporated with the pasta. DONE!!

If you want an element of veggie, you may add chopped spinach like I did.

For a more macaroni-like look, top it with parmesan cheese,

Be creative. At all the gathering where I have brought it my potluck dish, everyone has gobbled it up. When I make it at home for dinner, I see my husband refilling his bowl for seconds...and maybe thirds...lol.

ENJOY!!!

Note: The original recipe calls for some cream cheese but using whole milk already makes it thicker. That's why I omitted it. Also, I don't usually have cream cheese readily available.

Hearty Shredded Cabbage, Potato, Celery Soup

In Southern California, we are blessed with sunshine year round. This week, we experienced the beginning of fall nights. (We still have beautiful sunshine in the daytime.) Perfect weather for hearty soups! Originally when I bought the cabbage, I had planned on putting it in my carnitas tacos but on the days I made them, I was too hungry, and a bit lazy. There was no cabbage in my carnitas tacos.

With the real beginning of fall made me think of making warm soup for the nights. Usually my recipes come about with the ingredients I have at hand. You can add your own veggies and modify the soup. You will need a big pot. 

Hearty Shredded Cabbage Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes      Cook Time: 1-2 hours

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

1 can beef broth (You can use chicken or vegetable if you like.)

8 cups water

1 small head of cabbage

3 potatoes, diced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tsp dillweed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

bacon (optional)

Directions:

Place the butter in the pot to melt. Add the onions. Caramelize for about eight minutes.

Add the broth and water. Then all of your chopped veggies go in the pot also with the rest of the ingredients. The soup should cook for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, I decided to add meat. But my pot was very full. The only option at that point was to grilled some bacon. In a pan, I grilled my bacon on medium heat. Cut the bacon in smaller pieces before you add it to the soup. Place it in the pot with the soup and stir. Continue cooking the soup.

Warm and hearty soup.. It will leave you wanting to grab another bowl. No worries; there is plenty in the pot!! 

Simple Strawberry Smoothie (No Yogurt/Ice Cream)

This morning, we were eating breakfast. The basket of strawberries were a bit sour. Told hubby that we did not need to keep eating them. What to do with sour strawberries?

That's when I whipped out my mini smoothie maker. It's been a while since I've used it.

It's about the same size as the magic bullet. I love it since it doesn't take up much space and it's super easy to clean.

Simple Strawberry Smoothie
Prep Time: 10 min    
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries (3/4 cup to 1 cup)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup crushed ice (unless you have a heavy duty blender in which case it doesn't matter)
2 Tbsp honey

Directions:
Remove the stems of the strawberries. Placed the strawberries in. Add the milk. Pulse.

Add crushed ice and pulse it. If the consistency of your smoothie is too watery, add more crushed ice and pulse again.

Lastly, add the honey (or sugar). I like to do one tablespoon at a time. Sweetness is really to taste. You can always put more but you can't take out the sweetness if you go overboard.

ENJOY!!!

*Notes:
1) If you want a thicker smoothie, you can add a half cup of yogurt or ice cream.

2) You can make substitute the strawberries with whatever fruit you have on hand. Make a banana smoothie or mango smoothie or _____.

3) I highly recommend that you buy a mini blender. They are so useful!! You can also mince garlic quickly by pulsing it too. Easy clean up is huge plus!!