Halloween Decor

Just wanted to share some pictures of my mantle dressed up for Halloween....

Fish with Fruit Salsa

FISH WITH FRUIT SALSA

2 fish filets (Tilapia, Orange Roughy, Mahi Mahi are good ones)
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fruit Salsa

Salt and pepper the fish filets. Cook fish in olive oil over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes on each side until done. Add fruit salsa and cook until just heated through.

Fruit Salsa:

diced pineapple
diced mango
diced tomato
diced red onion
diced red bell pepper
minced jalapeno
chopped fresh cilantro
salt
pepper
balsamic vinegar
lime juice

Mix all ingredients in desired proportions.

Yield: 2 servings

Sorry for the lack of measurements! I just put it together, it's probably different every time.

Cinnamon Chipotle Brownies

These brownies were so delicious! They are a thick, dense brownie, but still moist and chewy. Everyone was surprised by the little kick of the cinnamon and chipotle, but they liked it. Just enough to make you feel warm inside!

CINNAMON CHIPOTLE BROWNIES
Emeril Lagasse recipe

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
4 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Grease and flour an 11 x 7 inch baking pan. Set aside.

Heat the butter and the unsweetened chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon and ground chipotle. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the flour/sugar mixture, stirring to combine. Add eggs, mixing until smooth. Stir in chocolate morsels.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Bake at 325 degrees until the center is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into small squares.

Note: I actually doubled the ingredients and baked them in a 9 x 13 pan. It worked out fine, but they were really thick and had to cook for about an hour. In the future, if doubling the ingredients, I will cook in 2 pans so they are not as thick and don't have to cook as long.

Reuben Dip

Who loves a Reuben sandwich? Here it is in an appetizer dip form!




REUBEN DIP

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup thousand island dressing
8 ounces sauerkraut (rinsed and squeezed dry)
4 – 5 ounces shredded or chopped corned beef
8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Mix well. Spread mixture into a small casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

I served this with cocktail pumpernickel bread. I toasted it in the oven during the last 10 minutes of cooking time for the dip.

Kitty Cuteness!

It's Sheldon's Birthday!

He's one year old today.

Sheldon says:

I'm too cool to wear the silly hat on my head.

Birthday dinner was delicious.

This is when I was first adopted last December.

Look how much I've grown!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I know, everyone else in the world already has a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip. I have eaten this many times, but never made my own. This is a compilation of several recipes found around the internet, made with proportions to my liking.


BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

1 (8 ounce) package of light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup chunky blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup hot wing sauce (Frank’s)
2 (10 ounce) cans premium white chunk chicken (Tyson)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese with next 3 ingredients. Then stir in half of the shredded cheddar. Move mixture into baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, uncovered. Then top with remaining cheddar and bake 10 more minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks. It was surprisingly good with the celery sticks!

Pork Chops with Pepper Jelly

So, it's been a while since I've tried any new recipes... School has been keeping me pretty busy lately and I'm on an evening shift rotation, so poor hubby has to fend for himself 3 nights a week.

I actually made this a couple of weeks ago. The pepper jelly is really great, sweet and spicy at the same time, perfect for the other white meat.







PORK CHOPS WITH PEPPER JELLY
recipe found at Taste & See

4 boneless pork loin chops
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper jelly

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops, and cook 6 to 8 minutes; turn and cook about 6 minutes or until done. Remove from skillet, and keep warm.

Add flour and jalapeno to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until flour is golden brown. Add wine, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet; cook 1 minute or until almost completely reduced.

Add chicken broth, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in pepper jelly until melted and smooth. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return pork to skillet; turn to coat. Serve pork with sauce.

Yield: 4 servings