Prime Rib Herb Paste

Prime Rib Herb Paste from Ziggy at about.com

This is a great rub to put on prime rib. (We use eye of round.)The combination of flavors with the olive oil make a good slow roasted rib roast perfect. Whether you are roasting, grilling or smoking this is a great rub.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (We used all dried spices that we had on hand, but fresh might be better...)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt blend (sometimes I use this, sometimes I don't)
  

PREPARATION:

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and even. Spread evenly over the surface of the (prime rib) roast.

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls - as seen on FoodNetwork

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
• 1/4 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 3/4 cups sharp Cheddar
• 1/4 cup freshly sliced scallions
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Blue Cheese Dip:

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup packed blue cheese, broken up
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Directions

Have oil heated to 350 degrees F.

Pick the meat from the chicken and discard the skin. Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the hot sauce, pepper, cheese, and scallions, and toss to combine. Roll the chicken into 2-ounce balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Roll each ball in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside.

When the oil is hot fry the chicken balls in batches. Cook for about 2 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken to paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the chicken alongside the dipping sauce.

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese - by Patti LaBelle, as seen on Oprah

Servings: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta , cut into small cubes
• 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms - from Margaret Zollars
Ingredients:
1 package whole fresh mushrooms (about 24 – 30 mushrooms)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
2. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Saute until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
3. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Marie - Helene's Apple Cake

Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake - as seen on Two Peas and Their Pod

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 large apples (use 4 different kinds-I used Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and center a rack in the oven. Butter an 8 inch springform pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform pan on it. Set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.

3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks.

4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, when it’s incorporated, add half of the melted butter, followed by the remaining flour mixture and butter. Mix in between additions so you have a smooth, thick batter.

5. Fold in the apples with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread with spatula so the batter is somewhat even.

6. Slide the pan in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for five minutes.

7. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove from the pan. Cool cake until slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the pan, wait until the cake is completely cooled. Slide a long spatula between the cake and pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving platter.

*Note-you can serve the cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Dorie suggests not covering the cake because it is so moist. Just press a piece of plastic wrap against the cut surfaces of the cake.

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Cookies

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Cookies - from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large ripe banana, mashed (about 1 cup)
2 cups old fashioned oats

Peanut Butter Honey Glaze:

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars, mix until smooth. Add peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract, and egg. Combine until smooth. Next, add the banana and mix until combined.

3. Slowly add in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the oats.

4. Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or Silcone baking mats. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

5. To make the glaze-combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, milk, and honey in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. If it is too thick or thin, adjust by adding more milk or powdered sugar. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Rocky Road Crunch Bars

Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson
(Copyright 2007, Nigella Express, Hyperion, All Rights Reserved)

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

2 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

--

Level:

Easy

Serves:

24 servings

Ingredients

• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup or 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 8 ounces plain hard and crunchy cookies
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Directions

Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a heavy based saucepan. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of this melted mixture and put aside.

Put the biscuits/cookies into a freezer bag and then bash them with a rolling pin. You are looking for both crumbs and pieces of cookies.

Fold the cookie pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture, and then add the marshmallows.

Pour into a 9-inch square foil tray; flatten as best you can with a spatula. Pour over the reserved 1/2 half cup of melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top.

Refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.

Cut into 24 fingers and dust with powdered sugar by pushing it gently through a tea strainer or small sieve.

Pea and Pesto Soup

Pea and Pesto Soup - as seen on the episode "On the Run" of Nigella Lawson on cookingchanneltv.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups frozen peas
• 2 scallions
• 1 teaspoon Maldon salt or kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) fresh pesto (not jarred)

Directions

The quickest way to proceed is to fill a kettle first and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan and put on the stove to come back to a boil.

Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.

Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.*

Pour into a thermos flask that you've left filled with hot water and then emptied and make sure you screw the top on securely.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Rachel's Snappy Balsamic Dressing

Rachel's Snappy Balsamic Dressing - from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 teaspoons crushed fennel seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, or cruet with a stopper, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, fennel seed, salt and pepper. Seal, and shake vigorously to mix. Shake again just before serving.

Caramel Apple Bread

Caramel Apple Bread - by Donna Currie, from SeriousEats.com, as seen on thekitchn.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 13 1/2 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) bread flour, divided, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 pound Jonathan apples (about 2 medium)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• About 7 ounces dulce de leche
• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened (optional)

Directions:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the apple cider and instant yeast. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add about 2/3 of the bread flour and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.

Add the remaining bread flour, sugar, and salt. Knead with the dough hook on low speed until the dough starts to become elastic, about 5 minutes.

Peel one apple, and working quickly so the apple doesn't go brown, grate it directly into the bowl, stopping at the core. Continue kneading dough on low speed until the apple is completely incorporated. Add flour as needed, until dough is supple and elastic, but no longer sticky (about 1/4 cup). Add olive oil and continue kneading until the oil is completely incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and return to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in volume, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Add dulce de leche and peanuts to small nonstick pan and heat slowly on medium-low heat. As the caramel begins to melt, peel remaining apple, core, and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Add to caramel immediately before apple begins to brown. Cook on low for one more minute and remove from heat.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Knead it briefly and form into rough square. Using rolling pin, roll dough into approximate 9-inch by 16-inch rectangle. Spread the caramel mixture onto the dough leaving 1/2-inch border along long edges and 2-inch border along short edges (rewarm caramel sauce as necessary if it is not spreadable)

Starting with one of the shorter ends, roll up dough jellyroll style, tucking in sides as you go and ending at the short end hat was left uncovered. Seal seam and the ends, and place in the prepared loaf pan. Cover loaf with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Uncover loaf, slash as desired (see note), and bake at 325 degrees until golden brown, about 45 minutes. For a soft brown crust, take the loaf out of the oven about five minutes before it is finished baking, and spread butter over top of loaf. Return loaf to oven and bake for the final five minutes. Cool loaf for five minutes in the pan, turn it out, transfer to a wire cooling rack, and let it cool completely before slicing.