Chocolate Mint Apple Fondue

From the Noble Pig

Ingredients:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips
10 peppermint patties, chopped
Apple slices

Directions:
Combine a can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup chocolate chips and 10 chopped peppermint patties.  Cook over low heat until melted.  Serve with apple slices, strawberries, bananas, pound cake...whatever you like!

*This was a sweet and satisfying afternoon snack for my kids and I--of course they already love apples, but dipping them in melted, minty chocolate made them all the more better!  I had about 1/2 of a can of sweetened condensed milk leftover from a recipe not too long ago, so I used that and adjusted the amounts of the other ingredients to suite.  I put all of them in my mini crock-pot and the kids and I did a quick clean of our house while it heated through.  Wonderful bribery!

Basil and Garlic Grilled Chicken and Pasta

Chicken
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 T olive oil 
1 T lemon juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves


Directions:
In a food processor, process the garlic together with the salt and oil. Add the basil and pepper and continue to mix until well combined. Add lemon juice. Set aside. 

Pat the chicken dry. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag, add about half the basil paste and shake to coat the chicken evenly.  Marinate for 1 hour or so.

Preheat the grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the rack or pan. 

Grill the chicken, turning once, just until cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Serve hot. 

Spaghetti Side
Ingredients:
1/2 package thin spaghetti noodles, cooked per directions
remaining half of basil paste from above
1 tomato, diced
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
splash of olive oil
splash of white balsamic vinegar


Directions:
Returned cooked pasta to pot and add remaining ingredients until cream cheese is melted an absorbed.  Serve hot with chicken.


*This recipe was a just a combination of ingredients I had on hand and wanted to use up.  My husband said, "I've never had better chicken at any restaurant, this was just so flavorful and moist!"  It's nice when experiments/cleaning/being frugal results in a great meal.  I love my grill!  Next time, I'll cook more chicken, it was excellent.  I would probably make a change or too with the pasta--maybe use some chicken broth and cream in place of the cream cheese--I thought it could be a little more moist, and increase the basil to a full cup.

Tin Foil Oven Dinner

In casserole dish put raw meat (Hamburger, Chicken etc.)
Potatoes
Carrots
Onion
Green Pepper
Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper, Seasoning Salt all the above to taste.

Layer vegetables on meat (Nothing has been cooked)

Add
Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup (No Water)

Cover and bake @350 for 1 hr or 275 for 3 hours.

Cheese always helps my kids enjoy their meal.

*This is my sister-in-law's recipe, so I experimented with the ingredients and amounts.  I used 5 chicken breasts (added the seasonings over the meat), 6 medium potatoes, 4 large carrots, 1/3 onion, small green pepper and 2 cans cream of chicken soup.  It took about 1 hour 40 minutes to cook at 350 degrees F.  I would suggest placing the veggies on bottom and the meat on top (the veggies seem to cook better when submersed in the liquid).  This is a very simple, easy recipe made with ingredients that are often on hand.  Next time, I think I'll use one part cream soup and one part sour cream; also, add another chicken breast and one less potato.

Banana Nut Bread

½ c butter
2 eggs
2 c sugar
4 bananas
4 c flour
½ t salt
1 c sour milk (2 t vinegar to make milk sour, and then add 2 t soda)

Combine butter and sugar, add eggs.  Beat well.  Add bananas.  Add flour, salt, and milk, alternating dry and liquid ingredients.  Cook at 350 for 45-55 minutes, grease pans well and fill only ½ full.

I like to add walnuts, too, about 1/2 cup.

Makes 2 loaves.

Café Rio Style Shredded Pork & Fixings

Café Rio Style Shredded Pork (see other post for ratings and pictures)
5 lbs pork roast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 can Coca Cola
15 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1 can (use can from the green chile) brown sugar (not packed)

Sprinkle roast all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Pour Coca Cola in crock pot and then place roast in crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours.
After cooking, take roast out and shred with fork.
Dispose of remaining cooking liquid.
Place shredded pork back into crock pot.
Add the enchilada sauce and brown sugar, mix all together and heat through.


Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 Tbs finely minced onions (or 1 Tbs dehydrated onions)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 Cup tomato juice
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

Fry onion, garlic, cumin in olive oil. Add beans, tomato juice, cilantro and salt. Heat through.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 Cups Water

3 Cups Rice

3 Chicken bullion cubes

1 tsp salt

¼ Cup lime juice

½ small onion

2 cloves garlic

½ bunch cilantro, remove stems

1 small can green chilies

Place water, rice, bullion cubes, and salt in pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place lime juice, onion, garlic, cilantro, and green chilies in a blender and puree. Stir into rice. Turn heat down and simmer rice, covered, for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)

3 tomatillos

1 jalapeno

1 clove garlic

½ bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos. Cut each tomatillo in half and place on a greased cookie sheet. Using disposable gloves cut jalapeno in half, remove seeds, and place on cookie sheet with the tomatillos. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate. (If you are in a hurry you can skip roasting the vegetables).

Recipes from Amanda J

Other recipes to complete your meal:
Fresh Salsa
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Guacamole

*To make pictured enchilada, place meat, beans, rice, and some cheese in flour tortilla.  Pour enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle some cheese on top.  Warm through in oven until bubbly.  Serve with salsa, dressing, and guacamole.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)

3 tomatillos

1 jalapeño

1 clove garlic

½ bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos. Cut each tomatillo in half and place on a greased cookie sheet. Using disposable gloves cut jalapeño in half, remove seeds, and place on cookie sheet with the tomatillos. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once during roasting. 

Remove blackened skin from tomatillos and jalapeño, be sure to save the juices to add.  Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate. (If you are in a hurry you can skip roasting the vegetables).

*This was good, but didn't have quite the same texture has Cafe Rio's dressing.  The only change I'll try next time is using sour cream in place of the mayo when making the ranch dressing.  Again, this will make enough dressing to feed an army, but it will keep for a couple of weeks.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 Cups Water                                       

3 Cups Rice

3 Chicken bullion cubes

1 tsp salt

¼ Cup lime juice

½ small onion

2 cloves garlic

½ bunch cilantro, remove stems

1 small can green chilies

Place water, rice, bullion cubes, and salt in pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place lime juice, onion, garlic, cilantro, and green chilies in a blender and puree. Stir into rice. Turn heat down and simmer rice, covered, for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy.

*I actually used only 2 cups rice, 2 cups water, 2 bullion cubes, 1/2 t salt, 3 T lime juice, keeping the other ingredients the same.  This made a lot of rice, more than enough to feed a dozen people.  Next time I make it for my family, I'll cut it to a third.  Rivals Cafe Rio for sure! 

Adapted amounts:

1 c water

1 c rice

1 chicken bullion cube

1/2 t salt

2 T lime juice

1/4 small onion

1 clove garlic

1/4 bunch cilantro, remove stems

1/2 small can green chilies

Café Rio Style Shredded Pork

5 lbs pork roast

salt

pepper

garlic powder

1 can Coca Cola

15 oz can green chile enchilada sauce

1 can (use can from the green chile) brown sugar (not packed)

Sprinkle roast all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Pour Coca Cola in crock pot and then place roast in crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours.

After cooking, take roast out and shred with fork.

Dispose of remaining cooking liquid.

Place shredded pork back into crock pot.

Add the enchilada sauce and brown sugar, mix all together and heat through.

*I used a 4 lb pork roast and this made a lot of meat.  This could easily serve 10 hungry adults.  It is so good!  I did add back some of the cooking liquid and eyeballed the brown sugar.  Use it up in lots of ways--tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salad.