Alice in the Kitchen

Oreo Bars

At this point, you would think any variation on the marshmallow/butter/crunchy combination wouldn’t take me by delicious surprise.  After all, I’ve been eating Rice Krispies Treats my whole life – and I have made Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats more times than I can count.  But when I made these Oreo bars – wow.

After the first one, I didn’t think they were that great.  After the second one, I was sold.  Matt loved them, and others who tried them said they were delicious.  I believe Cory said these were the best thing I’d ever made.  So I got some ringing endorsements, and I think you’ll be a fan.  You’ll need:

• 2 regular size packages of Oreos, crushed fine in the food processor
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 bags of marshmallows

Combine the marshmallows and butter in a large microwaveable bowl.  Microwave in 60-second intervals and stir until they are combined.

Stir in the Oreo crumbs – slowly – and be prepared to use your arm strength.

and keep adding, and keep stirring.

Line a 9×13 pan with foil, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray.  Dump the mixture into the pan, and press flat with a glass or wax paper.

Cut into squares.  Or even rectangles as these are pretty rich and go a long way!

Chicken Fingers for Adults

Matt loves a good batch of chicken fingers.  So when I saw these “grown up” chicken fingers, I added them to the pile of recipes I had to try.  They were so good – and the dipping sauce was amazing.

For the sauce:

• 1½ cups mayonnaise
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tbsp. roughly chopped dill
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the chicken:

• 1,5 lb. boneless chicken breast tenders
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dry mustard powder
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups finely ground fresh breadcrumbs or panko
• Canola oil, for frying

Make the dipping sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the honey, dill, mustard powder, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir together until smooth; set honey-dill dipping sauce aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together chicken, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and mustard; set aside.

Place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow dishes; set aside.

Pour oil to a depth of 2″ into a 6-qt. pot; heat over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, coat chicken in flour, shake off excess, and dip in eggs; coat in breadcrumbs.  Fry chicken until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

Tastes like Lasagna Soup

Shortly after I joined Pinterest, I kept stumbling upon Paula Deen’s recipe for lasagna soup.  That seemed like a sign that I should make it.  And it’s good.  But don’t be misled.  It tastes like Lasagna SOUP.  It doesn’t taste like lasagna.  And that’s fine.  Turns out, I like lasagna flavored soup.

You need:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups large shell pasta
• 1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In your large soup pot, combine ground beef, garlic, and Italian seasoning.  Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles.  (I had a picture of this, but it basically just a shot of the steam over the beef, and you know what this part is supposed to look like.)

Stir in brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender (about 15 minutes).

Add parmesan.

Preheat broiler.  Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls.  Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly!

Yum!

Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Ever since I ordered these fancy (and melt-in-your-mouth delicious) cinnamon chips over at the Prepared Pantry, I’ve been waiting to find a great recipe to take advantage of them.  After a little thinking, I thought I could make a variation on the mint chocolate chip cookies that used a store bought sugar cookie mix (which I just happened to have in my pantry) – mixes like these are a great time saver and good way to try new things like this with confidence that the results will be a success.

You’ll need:

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
• 1 egg
• 1.5 cups of cinnamon chips

Preheat your oven to 350.  Combine the cookie mix, butter, vanilla, and egg until a soft dough forms.

Stir in your cinnamon chips.

Scoop out a tablespoon of dough and roll into balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet (or you can use wax paper).

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Delicious!  Would be good with a little frosting on top too.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is one of Matt’s favorite holiday treats – double layer pumpkin cheesecake.  The best way to describe it is as a vanilla cheesecake with pumpkin puree.  I think of this as pumpkin pie with a fancy twist – and it would be perfect to serve at any holiday event.  It has a very nice texture – and because of the double layers, it isn’t overwhelmingly “pumpkiny” but it will still take the spot of pumpkin pie on the dessert table, without any complaints.

You’ll need:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup cool whip

Preheat the oven to 325.  In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Blend in eggs one at a time.

Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended.  Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set.

Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.  Cover with cool whip before serving.

and you’ll have beautiful layers when you slice!

Great Baked Ziti

This is a great, zesty baked ziti.  The sour cream makes it really different and creamy but without the typical ricotta taste.  This is a simple alternative to lasagna and you won’t be disappointed!

You need:

• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat.  Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.  Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Layer 1/2 the ziti.

Layer provolone.

Then the sour cream.

Now half the sauce.

Then top with ziti, mozzarella, and remaining sauce.  Top with parmesan and bake for 30 minutes.

Delish!

Ham Delights

This is an old family recipe that I keep stumbling upon in different online recipe collections and food blogs.  It’s basically dressed up ham and cheese sandwiches.  But they’re pretty good and would be a good party food.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 (12 ounce) packages white party rolls (I used potato rolls)
• 1/2 pound chopped cooked ham
• 5 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together butter, poppy seeds, onion, Worcestershire sauce and prepared mustard.

Slice rolls in half horizontally and set aside tops.

Spread bottoms with the butter mixture.

Top with ham and Swiss cheese.

Replace tops and melt remaining mixture so you can pour it over the top.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

I also read online that these also freeze great!  Not the fanciest dinner (sorry Matt!) but they are really yummy.

Pasta Vodka

I still remember the first time I had vodka sauce.  I was in college on Spring Break in New Jersey, and we went out for brunch at a place with a cook-manned pasta bar.  I was probably 20 years old, and when I read the sauce options, “Vodka Sauce” certainly seemed like the most daring choice.

It was delicious.  Creamy, but not too creamy like an alfredo sauce, and still with a great tomato flavor.  Vodka sauce is an Italian sauce made from a relatively smooth tomato sauce, plus cream, vodka, and typical Italian herbs.  I knew I had to find my own version so I could make this delicious sauce at home.  This recipe is easy, delicious, seems fancy.  It reheats and even freezes great, and it is definitely one of my favorite Italian dishes.

You’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes(32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces penne pasta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

I like to serve mine with chicken, so I boil a few breasts and shred it.  Shrimp would be great too.  It’s also nice to serve with shredded parmesan, but it’s not necessary.

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness.

Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes.

Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer.  Season with salt and pepper.  While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente.  While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce.  When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat.

Drain pasta.  Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves (and chicken if you’re using it).

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

When I was in New Orleans in May, I was lucky enough to have a friend introduce me to the Palace Cafe where we had the most fabulous New Orleans BBQ shrimp.  I should point out that New Orleans BBQ shrimp isn’t really what I would call BBQ shrimp.  It’s more like gravy-shrimp.  Which is still totally delicious.  Maybe better than BBQ shrimp.

So I read a recipe for Emeril’s BBQ shrimp and this is a slightly modified version of that recipe – and it’s delicious!  It would be nice to serve this to company.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3 pounds large Gulf shrimp, in their shells
• 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 lemons, peeled and sectioned
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter

(And you’ll want to serve with biscuits or french bread to dip in the sauce, so buy that too.)

Peel the shrimp, leaving only their tails attached. Reserve the shells and set aside.  Sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning and fresh cracked black pepper.  Use you hands to coat the shrimp with the seasonings.  Refrigerate the shrimp while you make the sauce base.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onionsand garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining Creole seasoning, the bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine, salt, and black pepper.  Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat, allow to cool for about 15 minutes.  Strainnto a small saucepan. There should be about 1 1/2 cups.

Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook until thick, syrupy, and dark brown, for about 15 minutes.  Makes about 4 to 5 tablespoons of barbecue sauce base.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp and saute them, occasionally shaking the skillet, for 2 minutes.

Add the cream and all of the barbecue base.  Stir and simmer for 3 minutes.