Showing posts with label Tuesday's Recipe Swap. Show all posts

Don't Waste The Easter Ham Bone


I've had this recipe post sitting in my drafts since Christmas which the last time I baked a ham and decided to wait to post it right before Easter which clearly didn't happen. SkinnyTaste beat me to the punch by posting their Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham last week which is almost identical to my recipe (except their photos look much more appealing).

Grilled Mexican Street Corn

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I made this delish recipe a while ago but didn't manage to snap many good photos. The original recipe has much more enticing photos if you want to check it out. This was my first time trying Mexican Street Corn and I really love how it turned out. I left out one or two ingredients that I didn't think were necessary and adjusted the cooking method slightly so here's my version of the recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

For the Spread
4 ears fresh corn, husked
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp. light sour cream
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

For the Topping
1/4 cup grated Cotija cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
Chopped cilantro

    What To Do:
    1. Soak 4 wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes. 
    2. Pierce a skewer halfway into the end of each corn cob.
    3. Preheat the grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees F).
    4. Combine the spread ingredients in a bowl and the topping ingredients in a separate bowl. 
    5. Smear the spread over each cob and sprinkle on the topping mixture.
    6. Wrap each corn individually in a piece of aluminum foil securing it so the toppings don't fall out.
    7. Place the foil wrapped corn directly on the grill, cover at let cook for a total of 20 minutes, turning often until the kernels are tender.

    Serve immediately and enjoy!

    Here are a few other Mexican Street Corn recipes I found if you want to experiment with different/healthier ingredients and cooking methods.  


    Recipe links: 1 * 2 * 3

    Bite Me Dip


    This is my mother in law's recipe which makes an appearance every year at our family gatherings for Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving. "Bite me" dip is one of the staple appetizers we share while dinner is cooking and it goes extremely quickly because of how delicious it is. The ingredients are also very random but they blend together nicely to make a cheesy dip that has lots of flavor and a little bit of kick.

    I decided to try my hand at making my MIL's famous dip to bring to Kate's annual holiday party back in December hence the festive serving dish. It's a great appetizer to feed about 15-20 people.

    Ingredients:
    8 oz. sour cream
    1 bunch green onions, chopped
    1 jar sliced jalapeños, chopped
    16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
    1 small can chopped olives
    1/2 cup chopped deli ham (not shown in photo above)
    1 round loaf of sourdough bread


    What To Do:
    Hollow out bread to1 inch thickness and keep pieces for dipping. Combine all other ingredients. Mix well and put into bread. Wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Serve with torn bread pieces, tortilla chips, crackers or bagel chips. 


     Enjoy!

    A Different Mimosa



    I cooked up Sunday brunch at home recently for K and myself and decided to experiment with the ingredients I had at home to make mimosas. I used Pinot Grigio wine instead of champagne along with some strawberries for garnish and we loved how they tasted.



    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup chilled white wine
    1/3 cup ginger ale
    1/4 cup chilled orange juice
    Frozen strawberry halves

    Makes 1  Mimosa cocktail


    What To Do: 
    Combine all liquid ingredients and use a cocktail stirrer to mix the flavors.  Add frozen strawberries to the top so they help keep the cocktail cool while also providing a hint of strawberry flavor.

    Sip and enjoy!

    10 Best Recipes from 2015

    Over the years I've picked up the love of cooking new recipes. Sometimes I go to a restaurant and try something amazing and have to recreate it at home. I also get a peace of mind knowing what ingredients go into the meals that I eat and try to use less saturated fat, sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients when I can. I also use so many herbs and spices that salt is never added to my recipes and I prefer to use coconut oil and anti-oxidizing ingredients such as garlic to give my recipes flavor.

    These are some of my favorite recipes that I made in 2015 and shared on the blog:



      







    Homemade Moscow Mule Cocktails


    This cocktail recipe is so simple and delicious. I made the mistake of presuming ginger beer was alcoholic so I couldn't find it in the grocery store only to find out it's not alcoholic and can be found in the same aisle as all the sodas such as Coke etc.

    Serving size: 1 cocktail

    Ingredients:
    Ice cubes
    2 oz. Vodka
    6 oz. Ginger Beer
    1/2 oz. lime juice
    1 lime wedge (for garnish)


    What To Do:
    Fill cup with ice cubes and pour vodka and lime juice over ice. Then add ginger beer and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge.

    Most restaurants serve Moscow Mules in a copper mug. Either way they're delicious with a nice combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Here are some fun variations of this recipe that I found on Pinterest (titles are clickable):

    The Angry Mule


    The Apple Pie Moscow Mule


    Strawberry Basil Moscow Mules


    Moscow Mule Margarita


    Blackberry Moscow Mule


    Joining the gals over at The Sequin Notebook for their monthly cocktail linkup.

    Broccoli Salad

    Kate and I are going to be ending the Recipe Swap after this week, but we've had so much fun hosting this link up the past two years and loved having so many of you join us! Thank you all!

     

    I made this recipe for a potluck at work (I doubled the recipe to feed more people) and there was not one scrap leftover so that leads me to believe everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. My recipe was adapted from this Creamy Broccoli Salad recipe which is very similar.

    Ingredients:
    1 head of fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces
    1 small red onion
    1/2 cup crumbled bacon
    1/2 cup dried cranberries
    1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels
    2 tbsp. white vinegar
    1 cup mayonnaise
     1/2 cup sugar


    What To Do:
    Mix together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar in a bowl. In a separate larger bowl toss broccoli with cranberries, onions, bacon and sunflower kernels. Finally add the dressing over the broccoli mixture and toss well. Place in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Toss one final time before serving.


    Enjoy!

    Martinis & Bikinis

    1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

    2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

    3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.


    Holiday Cheese Ball


    I made this recipe for a friend's holiday party a few weekends ago and it got so many compliments. The good news is it's incredibly easy to make and only takes a few minutes to put together. I'll definitely be making this recipe for future gatherings and parties.


    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
    1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
    1/4 cup light mayonnaise
    1/3 cup green onions, chopped
    1/3 cup dried cranberries
    1 cup sliced almonds (or more as needed)
    Serve with crackers



    What To Do:
     Soften cream cheese and mix together with mayonnaise. Add all remaining ingredients except the almonds in a large bowl and use a hand mixer on low speed to blend well. One mixed together well shape the cheese mixture into a ball. Layer of piece of plastic wrap on a plate and cover with sliced almonds. Roll the ball around until it become fully covered with almonds. Cover the ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours before serving.


    Enjoy!

    Martinis & Bikinis

    1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

    2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

    3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.


    Easy Pumpkin Soup



    Soup season is upon us and one of my favorites since childhood has been pumpkin or butternut squash soup. I randomly bought a whole pumpkin so I was able to a make a few recipes with it including the Turkey and Pumpkin Chili recipe I posted a couple weeks ago. Pumpkin soup is really easy to whip together and only requires a few basic and inexpensive ingredients.


    Ingredients

    4 cups chicken stock
    1/2 Medium white onion
    2 tbsp minced garlic
    4 cups fresh cubed pumpkin
    1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
    Ground black pepper, to taste
    2 tsp curry powder (optional)
    1 tsp ground nutmeg
    Bacon crumbles, optional


    What To Do:

    Bring chicken stock, 1/2 inch cubed pumpkin, chopped onion, and garlic to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered or until pumpkin is cooked through fully. Use a blender or food processor to puree the soup carefully. Return puree soup to pot on medium heat and add whipping cream, black pepper, curry powder, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with bacon crumbles, peppercorns or fresh parsley.


    Enjoy!

    Martinis & Bikinis

    1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

    2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

    3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

    Havarti & Ham Stuffed Chicken


     This recipe is very similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu but instead I made use of ingredients I had at home which happened to be black forest ham (lunch meat) and sliced Havarti cheese.

    Ingredients:
    2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    4 slices of black forest ham
    2 slices of havarti cheese
    1/2 tsp paprika
    1/2 tsp onion powder
    1/2 tsp garlic powder
    black pepper to taste
    cooking spray
     

    What To Do:
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and beat into 3/4" thickness.
    3. Lay chicken flat (smooth side down) on one sheet of plastic wrap.
    4. Add two slices of ham and one slice of cheese.
    5. Roll chicken using the plastic wrap to keep together.
    6. Unwrap the chicken and use toothpicks to keep chicken rolled. Sprinkle the seasonings and black pepper over chicken.
    7. Bake on greased baking sheet for 35-40 minutes or until fully cooked.

    Enjoy!

    Fall Ground Turkey and Pumpkin Chili


    Chili is not the prettiest food but it was very tasty and a great warm meal for Fall that also goes a long way. This recipe was adapted from Trader Joe's Turkey Chili with Pumpkin recipe. The original recipe calls for 2 cans of Pumpkin but I had some fresh pumpkin at home that I wanted to incorporate it into the recipe so I used only 1 can of pumpkin.


    Ingredients:
    1 Tbsp Olive Oil

    Optional Toppings:


    What To Do:
    If you are using fresh pumpkin, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake the cubed pumpkin on a greased baking sheet for 25 minutes. Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute diced bell pepper and onion for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook for only 1-2 minutes before adding the ground turkey. Cook turkey mixture until browned, approximately 8 minutes.

    Transfer turkey mixture to a large pot and stir in pumpkin, kidney beans, corn, diced tomatoes along with black pepper and cayenne to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. I added 1/2 cup water since the consistency seemed thick. Cook for 20 minutes on low stirring occasionally.

    Garnish with toppings of your choice. I used light sour cream.


    Enjoy!

    Martinis & Bikinis

    1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

    2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

    3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.