Broccoli Salad

My mom has this recipe for broccoli salad that is divine. She always makes it for holidays, but I got the recipe and made it with the Beer Can Chicken last Friday for dinner. I adjusted the recipe a little bit, and am going to share it with you. Make this anytime, because it's so delish and easy to make! But it's especially good in the summer, it's so refreshing.

Broccoli Salad
1 package broccoli (the one I got from Publix had 4 stalks in it, and this served 3 very hungry people)
1 cup raisins
3 green onions or scallions
1 cup cashews
1 cup cheddar cheese

First, cut the broccoli florets off the stalk. I like to start with the outside florets, working my way around the stalk, round and round, cutting each one off.

Next, you want to blanch the broccoli. Get a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Drop in the broccoli and let boil for a few minutes. Literally, only 2-3 minutes. You don't want the broccoli cooked all the way through, you just want that raw taste to be gone. Drain the broccoli, then dump immediately into a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking and help to retain the green color.

While the broccoli is taking its ice bath, chop up the green onions or scallions into thin slices. Put those in a bowl with the raisins.

(This picture kind of looks like the green onions and raisins are floating on the stove! They are in a bowl, I promise!)

Drain the broccoli and let drip dry onto a few paper towels. You want to get as much of the water out as possible, so the salad isn't watery.  Add the broccoli to the bowl and mix with the raisins and green onions.

Next, mix up the dressing.

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonaisse
5 tablespoons sugar (or sugar to taste, if you don't want such a sweet dressing)
3 tablespoons cider or white vinegar

You're going to have to use a whisk to get this mixed well.

So, if you're not going to serve this right away, just stop and put everything in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, rewhisk the dressing and pour over the broccoli mixture. Add in the cashews and cheese, and mix thoroughly. Serve in a pretty bowl and enjoy!

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love oatmeal raisin cookies mostly because I feel like they are healthier than regular cookies. I mean oatmeal and raisins, that's totally healthy.

So since you've already read my chocolate chip cookie blog, you know the process to make cookies, right?

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1/2  cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2  cup granulated sugar
2  eggs
1  teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon baking soda
1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon salt (optional)
3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1  cup raisins

Cream the sugars and butter until fluffy.

Add in the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Mix in the flour mixture little by little. Then add in the oatmeal and raisins.

The dough will be super thick.

Scoop the cookies onto a cookie sheet. I always use an ice cream scoop which gives really evenly sized cookies, so they cook more evenly.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, or until browned. Cool on a cookie rack.

Enjoy by yourself, or pack up into a cute box (I get mine from Joanne's) and give to your friends!

Beef Chili

Ryan and I bought a bunch of ground beef from Sam's awhile ago so we've been making a LOT of burgers and chili. Making chili is kind of like making cookies. Once you have the general formula, you can make almost any kind of chili you want. This time I made beef chili, like the kind you get on hot dogs. It's super easy and hits the spot on a cold day (like the days we've been having recently in Florida!).

There's no recipe, per se, and I usually don't measure things, so just go with the flow.

Start by browning your ground beef. While I'm browning it, I usually add in some spicy chili powder to add flavor. Drain and set aside.

Next, saute the onion and green peppers. For a pound of ground beef I use 1 onion and 1 green bell pepper. After the veggies are softened, add back in the ground beef. Add in a 14.5 oz. can of chopped tomatoes with the juice. Also add in a can of pinto beans, drained, you can rinse them if you want to. I usually don't.

Add some stock or water, and add in a BUNCH of chili powder. Like half a jar, or more. Be super generous. And make sure to taste along the way. If after 30 minutes, you don't think it's chili-tasting enough, add more chili powder. If it's too much, add more water. Let the chili simmer for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better. But if you put it on longer, after you get the consistency you want, make sure to cover it, so the rest of the water doesn't evaporate out. I like a thick consistency, but make it however you want it!

Serve with saltines or cheese or onions or whatever you want and enjoy!

Oven Beer Can Chicken

I've been hearing about beer can chicken for awhile (or has Brett informed me that Paula calls it: Beer in the Rear Chicken). So Ryan and I had a whole chicken in the freezer, and I was ready for an adventure! This is literally the easiest recipe for a whole chicken, and it's totally yummy!

I had to defrost my chicken, which took a few days in the fridge. Then wash and pat dry your chicken. Before washing your chicken, set yourself up for success. Get your cutting board and LOTS of paper towels ready, so you don't have to go around touching everything with your chickeny hands.

Next, make the rub. I've made a LOT of spice mixes in my day (everyone on my Christmas list this past year got a spice mix), and this is the BEST one I've tasted. It's sweet, spicy, salty, all in one.

Beer Can Chicken Rub
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Mix together. You can store this in a airtight container and use it again, I know I will!

Next, it's time to rub your meat. For this, I used one hand to rub, and one hand to sprinkle the mix. Put the mix all over the inside and outside of the chicken. You can be super generous so the skin tastes super yummy when it comes out.

Now, it's time for the beer. Get a can of beer. I wasn't sure exactly what kind of beer to use, and the website didn't specify, so I got some Bud heavy. Open the can and drink half of it. (Okay, so I couldn't stomach half a can of Bud heavy, but if you can, drink it. I just poured it down the drain!) I'm guessing if you got a different kind of beer, the chicken might taste different. Poke extra holes in the top of the beer can with a bottle opener, and put a few tablespoons of rub in the can.

Next, you want to put your chicken on the beer. Get a roasting pan, and set the beer in it. Grab your chicken and put the chicken, butt-sized down, onto the beer. The little legs should be facing down.

(Isn't that a cute little chicken?)

Bake at 350F for about 2 hours. Mine only took an hour and a half, because it was a bit smaller. But in order to avoid overcooking, check the temperature after about 75 minutes, and judge how much longer it needs to cook. Once the temperature reaches 165, take it out and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Carve up your chicken and serve! (The skin is the best part of this recipe!!)

Friday Happy Hour: Strawberry Lemon Drops

WOOO FRIDAY!! Cocktail time:)

A few weeks ago I made lemon drops, and my friend Ashley wanted me to make strawberry lemon drops. I found a recipe online, and they were super easy to make. Make them today, or for your next party!

Strawberry Lemon Drops
1 1/2 oz strawberry vodka
2 oz sweet and sour mix
3 drops lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar (I had simple syrup on hand, so I used that instead of sugar. I used about 1 1/2 tsp simple syrup.)

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass rimmed with sugar. Garnish with a lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of grenadine, if you want it to be pink.

Enjoy!

Homemade Almond Joys

Last week, my friend Becky posted a link to homemade Almond Joy bars. They looked too easy to not make, so I whipped them up on Friday. If you like coconut, you'll love these. They are SO yummy and super simple. And won't take you all day to make, like some candy!

Almond Joy Bars
7 oz sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup egg whites (about 3 extra large eggs)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
whole roasted almonds (unsalted)
4 ounces good quality chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Start by mixing the coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan.

In another bowl, measure out the egg whites and honey. Whip them with a whisk until they are foamy.

Then add the egg mixture to the coconut mixture in the pan. Mix well with a spatula.

Turn the heat on medium, and cook for about 10 minutes. You have to be very vigilant and stir continuously or else the bottom will burn. After about 10 minutes, you'll notice that the mixture has turned beige.

Add in the vanilla. Then, remove from the heat, and let sit until the mix has cooled a bit. You should be able to handle it without it burning your hands. Take spoonfuls of the coconut mixture and form into little bars. It's really up to you how big to make them. I tried to make mine about the size of real Almond Joy bars. The mixture is super sticky, so to help me out, I sprayed my hands with some Pam to make it easier to form the bars. I also lined my baking pan with parchment paper to help to prevent sticking. I got about 15 bars, the recipe says you'll get 18, so it really depends on how big you make the bars as to how many you'll get.

Press two or three almonds into each bar. Or just skip this if you just want mounds.

Bake the bars 20-25 minutes at 350F until they are browned. Let cool completely.

Over a double-boiler, melt chocolate and butter.

Dip each bar into the chocolate, and return to a parchment paper lined baking sheet to let the chocolate set up. You can put them in the fridge if you want to hurry the process, or just eat them with soft chocolate--nothing wrong with that!

Hope you enjoy these super simple tasty treats :)

Friday Happy Hour: Peach Bellini

It's Friday again... and that means it's cocktail time!

Today's cocktail is really simple--another champagne cocktail. I just LOVE champagne (as you know). It's already a "special" drink, and it's so easy to dress it up. This past weekend I had a delicious pomegranate-flavored champagne out at a bar, but today I'll show you how to make an easy peach bellini at home (for a fraction of the cost).

Start with those little bottles of champagne. I always have them on hand if I need a little pick me up in the middle of the week and don't want to pop the cork on a bigger bottle. Next, get some peach nectar, you can also get little cans so you don't have to open a big can for a few cocktails. Mix some of the peach nectar with the champagne and voila! How easy is that? (As Ina would say!) If you like your drinks a little sweeter, add more peach nectar to make it to your tastes.

Enjoy and happy weekend to you!!

Bistro Lemon Chicken

Ryan and I have been on a mission to clean out our freezer/fridge/pantry, and turn into semi-vegetarians. I had some leftover chicken breasts and legs and made them into a quick dinner on Sunday night.

First, get your favorite heavy-bottomed (oven-proof) pan super hot and set your oven to 400F. Put a little oil or Pam in your pan. Then, clean your chicken. I had chicken breasts on the bone, but use whatever you have. Boneless breasts will take less time to cook. But breasts on the bone will usually stay juicier. Get some lemon pepper & salt and season the first side of your chicken.

You can be generous with the lemon pepper. Put the seasoned side of your chicken down in your pan, and while that side is searing, season the other side of the chicken. After a few minutes, the first side will be crusty (not burnt though!) so turn your chicken. At this point, I sliced up some lemon and squeezed the juice over the chicken, then put the lemon pieces in the pan with the chicken. Put the entire pan in the oven and cook 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is done.
(Don't mind my pizza stone--I forgot to take it out since making focaccia the other night!)

Ryan and I ate this with a simple tomato & cucumber salad, nothing else needed! Hope you enjoy :)

St Patty's Green Velvet Cupcakes

I wanted to make something special for mine and Ryan's work colleagues for St Patrick's day so it HAD to be green. One of the blogs I read and LOVE because she has the greatest ideas (um how cute is THIS!?!?) is Bakerella, and she made green velvet cupcakes last week. So I decided to give them a whirl.

Bakerella's Green Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz. green food coloring

Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Be careful with the green food coloring, I got it ALL over my hands and the kitchen. Even after the batter is mixed, it'll still stain your fingers!

The wet ingredients:

Add the wet to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
(SOO green, right?!?!)

Use a spring ice cream scoop to fill your cupcakes. I got a little overzealous and overfilled my cupcakes so I only got 20, but if you only fill them 2/3 full you should get 24.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes (or until they look "done"). I baked mine for 25 minutes and they got a little dry. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add vanilla. Then add sugar, making sure to scrape down the bowl in between the cups.

This makes a LOT of frosting, so I had to be super generous when frosting my cupcakes. I think it's a recipe to frost a cake, which is why it makes so much. But it tastes so good, you can put the extra in a tupperware in the fridge and keep for a few weeks.

Bakerella has the most darling sprinkles, so she topped her cupcakes with little shamrocks. I just had green sugar, so mine weren't AS cute as hers, but they were delicious!

Ryan tried one tonight:)