Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Here's what my hubby and I had for supper tonight. It probably wasn't the healthiest meal, but it was delicious. (I made the kids hotdogs, some scrambled eggs, and frozen peas. They were happy. We were happy. It was a good way to start the weekend.)

This made a lot, and I only had 6 jumbo mushrooms so I'm going to bake the rest of the cheese mixture with some cheese on top and serve it as a hot appetizer with tortilla chips later this weekend. You could always just use 12 jumbo mushrooms instead if you want lots.

SAUSAGE STUFFED MUSHROOMS
6 jumbo mushroom caps
1 pkg. ground Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 pkg. cream cheese
Molto Bene sauce (2 tbsp. Epicure's Molto Bene Secret Sauce, 1/4 c. water, 2 tbsp. olive oil)
grated cheddar cheese

Remove mushroom stems and dice them. Sauté onions and mushroom stems in a bit of butter until soft. Add sausage and cook until browned. Stir in tomatoes, cream cheese, and Molto Bene sauce. Scoop mixture into mushroom caps. Place in a baking dish lined with tinfoil (or a grilling pan - I did mine on the bbq). Top with grated cheese, and bake until golden brown.

To die for!

Crockpot Caesar Chicken Wraps with Balsamic Sriracha

CAESAR CHICKEN WRAPS WITH BALSAMIC SRIRACHA
3-4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. Epicure's Caesar Salad Dressing Mix
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. olive oil
2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. Epicure's Sriracha Sauce Mix
1/6 c. ketchup
1/6 c. balsamic vinegar
tortilla wraps
lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc
grated cheese

Place chicken in the crockpot. Combine Caesar dressing mix, mayo, lemon juice, milk, oil, and parmesan cheese. Pour over chicken and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove from crockpot, discard excess liquid, and shred chicken with forks. In a small bowl, combine Sriracha mix, ketchup, and vinegar. Put chicken and other toppings in a tortilla wrap and drizzle with Sriracha sauce.

This was delicious!

Maple Sriracha Chicken Wings

I saw this recipe online and adapted it to use some of the new Epicure products from the Spring/Summer 2014 catalogue.

MAPLE SRIRACHA WINGS

2-3 lbs. chicken wings

1 c. flour (I think I would cut it down to 3/4 c. next time just to get more flavour on the wings)

2 tbsp. Epicure's Oh Canada Dry Glaze

2 tbsp. Epicure's Jamaican Jive Dry Glaze (I might use 4 tbsp. of this next time and leave out the Oh Canada, since there's already lots of maple flavour from the sauce at the end)

salt & pepper

2 eggs

3 tbsp. water

3/4 c. maple syrup

2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce (homemade by using 1 tbsp. Epicure's Sriracha spice, 1/6 c. ketchup, and 1/6 c. vinegar - this makes just a little bit more than the 2 tbsp. you need for this recipe)

Combine flour and seasonings in one bowl. Combine eggs and water in another bowl. Dredge chicken wings in flour mixture, then egg wash, and then back in the flour mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil. Bake at 375 F for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, bring maple syrup and sriracha sauce to a boil, then simmer until sauce has reduced to about 1/2 a cup. When wings are done, toss them in the sauce before serving.

Bali Glow Shrimp & Scallops with Coconut Rice

This recipe features a new Epicure product (Bali Glow Dry Glaze). It's very simple to make, and tastes delicious!

BALI GLOW SHRIMP & SCALLOPS WITH COCONUT RICE
1 pkg. frozen shrimp & scallops (I bought this at Sobey's - it said to cook from frozen, so that's what I did. You could use fresh shrimp & scallops too.)
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2-3 tbsp. Epicure's Bali Glow dry glaze (I didn't measure - this is approximate)
1 can coconut milk (1 c. is for the rice, and the rest is for the sauce)
1 c. basmati rice
Optional: 1 red bell pepper (I didn't have one, but it would be perfect in this recipe!)

In a pot, combine 1 c. water, 1 c. coconut milk, and 1 c. rice. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat, simmering for about 15 minutes.
In a wok or frying pan, heat oil over medium-high. Add shrimp & scallops and sprinkle with Bali Glow. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the liquid and set the seafood aside. Add the rest of the coconut milk to the pan and sprinkle a bit more Bali Glow. Bring to a boil and then simmer until slightly thickened. Toss the shrimp & scallops in with the coconut sauce and serve over rice.

Flavours of lemongrass, lime, chili, and coconut - yum!

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP (based on this recipe)
coconut oil (or any oil)
1 onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp. Epicure's Mango Curry Dip Mix
1-2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
3 chicken breasts, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
3 c. chicken broth (3 c. water + 1 1/2 tbsp. Epicure's Chicken Bouillon Base)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 can coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
fresh basil

Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onions over medium heat. Add garlic, Mango Curry Dip Mix, and ginger and cook for a few minutes. Add chicken and brown it on all sides (if possible). Add red pepper and carrots, and pour in chicken broth and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. (The carrots were really soft so maybe I would only cook this for 1 hour instead.) Add mushrooms and coconut milk and continue simmering for 30 minutes. Stir in lime juice and fresh basil before serving.

Mmmm, that was a good way to warm up when it's -40 outside!

Easy Christmas Baking - Homemade Turtles & Candy Cane Pretzels

I'm not sure if this qualifies as "Christmas baking", because I barely used the oven, and I didn't dirty a single bowl or spoon. (I can't take credit for the recipes because they are probably all over the internet from numerous sources.)

Check out these ridiculously simple treats:

HOMEMADE TURTLES
pretzels
Rolos
pecan halves

CANDY CANE PRETZELS
pretzels
dark and white chocolate chips
crushed candy canes

Lay pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Put a Rolo or a few chocolate chips on top of each pretzel. Put in the oven at 350 F for 3-5 minutes, until chocolate has melted slightly (you don't want the Rolos to melt completely - I only baked the Rolo pretzels for 3 minutes, but the ones with chocolate chips took about 5 minutes. I did one tray of Rolo pretzels first, and then I did one tray of candy cane pretzels later.) Remove from the oven, and immediately squish a pecan half into each Rolo, and sprinkle some crushed candy cane over the chocolate chips. Allow them to cool, and then transfer the pan to the fridge to solidify the chocolates. Once they are hard, you can take them off the baking sheet and store in the fridge or freezer.

These are going in little baggies for teacher Christmas gifts!
I made 5 dozen Turtles and 5 dozen candy cane pretzels in less than half an hour.

Lemon Balsamic Beets & Potatoes

LEMON BALSAMIC BEETS & POTATOES

beets, peeled and chopped

baby potatoes, halved or quartered (use however many beets and potatoes you need to feed your family)

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt & pepper

Toss the vegetables with oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Spread on a baking sheet (leaving excess liquid behind) and season with salt & pepper. Roast at 400 F for about 40 minutes (depending on the size of the vegetables).

Mmmm, I finally found a beet recipe that I like!