Sesame Seed Pasta Salad

This is a great salad to take to a picnic or family pot luck. The sesame seed oil gives the salad a slight Asian flavor without being too strong or foreign. My sister gave me this recipe awhile back. I love using fresh cilantro in this recipe, but my husband doesn't like the taste of cilantro. Did you know that about a fourth of the population thinks cilantro tastes like soap? I heard that on the radio awhile back. I substitute dried cilantro. My husband says it's not so overpowering when it's dried. Fresh shredded chicken tastes best, but sometimes I substitute canned chicken without complaints from the family.

Ingredients:

1/4c. sesame seeds
16 oz bow tie pasta
1/2c vegetable oil
1/3c soy sauce
1/3c rice vinegar
1t sesame seed oil
3T sugar
1/2t ginger
1/4t black pepper
3c shredded chicken
1/3c cilantro, chopped
1/3c green onion

Boil pasta and rinse until cold. Toast sesame seeds in skillet. Combine oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, sugar, ginger, and pepper in a jar and shake well. Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat evenly. Mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.

Garlic Press

I bought my first garlic press a few years ago. It was a cheap thing that only cost a few bucks. I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to press a clove of garlic with it and the darn press wouldn't work. It turns out that I got what I paid for: a cheap piece of trash. I tossed it away and used minced garlic in a jar for a few more years. Secretly, I wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn't figure out how to press garlic. A few months ago, not to be defeated by a kitchen utensil, I decided to try again. Only this time I spent a little more (twelve bucks). I love my garlic press! I just peel the garlic and press it through. No mincing, no guessing how many teaspoons of garlic from the jar equals a clove of garlic, but more importantly, no bite of pasta that contains a bit of garlic that wasn't quite minced small enough. (Willard, it's safe to eat at my house again!)

There is a bit of a difference in the taste of pressed garlic and minced garlic. Pressed garlic is a little stronger. When you press the garlic you break up more of the garlic cells so there is a burst of flavor. Minced garlic is a little more subtle. If you don't really care for the taste of garlic the garlic press is probably not for you. But if you are looking for a more even flavor of garlic throughout your recipe, the garlic press is the way to go.

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 c. grated Romano Cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 (10oz) package Spinach (thawed and drained)
1/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350F, Grease 9X13 in baking dish
Chop and mix artichoke hearts, Romano, Parmesan and Garlic
Mix Spinach, heavy cream, sour cream, and mozzarella. Stir in artichoke mix. Spoon into dish.
Bake for 20-25 mins--until cheese is melted and bubbly

Rosemary-Sage Kebabs

Marinade:
3T red wine vinegar
1/2c olive oil
3/4T dijon mustard
3T chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4t dried rosemary
1/4t dried sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2t salt
1/4t black peppers

For Kebabs:
1 1/2lb cubed chicken breast
1 pint cherry or grape tomatos
1 container small mushrooms
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 skewers

Mix all the ingedients for marinade and put into quart sized ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinate overnight. Alternate chicken and vegetables (except tomatos) on skewers. Grill until chicken is cooked. Add tomatos to end of skewer before serving.

German Chocolate Cake

It was my husband's birthday yesterday. So I decided to try this German Chocolate Cake recipe that my friend Jen recommended. I was a little nervous when the cake was finished baking because it wasn't as sweet as store bought cake mix, but after I added the icing the combination is delicious. It was my husband's 33rd birthday, but he didn't want that many candles on the cake so I thought that three candles was a nice compromise. One for my husband and one for each of the girls who wanted to blow out candles, too.

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare 2 9 inch cake pans by greasing and flouring lightly.

3c flour
2c sugar
2t baking soda
1t salt
1/2c cocoa
3/4c canola oil
1t vanilla
2T vinegar
2c water

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together. Mix sugar, canola oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water together in another bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Divide the mix evenly between your two pans and bake for about 30 minutes.

German Chocolate Icing

1c soy milk (I used regular milk because that's what I had in the fridge.)
1/3c coconut milk
1 1/4c sugar
1t vanilla
1/3c cornstarch mixed with 1/4c water until smooth
2 1/2c sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2c chopped pecans

In a saucepan, mix the soymilk, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Cook for 1 min after it boils. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Allow this to cool 10 mins before spreading. The mixture should still be warm as you are icing the cake.

This makes for a 2 layer 9 inch cake.

Chicken Adobo

This is my husband's favorite dish. I've had this recipe the whole time we've been married, but I was always intimidated by the recipe and by how great it tastes whenever my mother made it. (In the interest of being completely honest, I also have no idea how to cut up a chicken so I'd put the recipe back in the box.) After about five years of marriage, I finally made this recipe. My husband loved it and instantly accused me of holding out on him. He still teases me about all the terrible stuff I cooked when we were first married when I had this amazing recipe hiding in my recipe box.

1 clove garlic, minced
4 whole black peppers
3-4 bay leaves
1/2c red wine vinegar
1/2c soy sauce
1c water

salt and pepper
seasoned salt
seasoned pepper
paprika
1 chicken (washed and cut up)

Put the garlic, whole black peppers, bay leaves, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and water in a pot. Season each piece of chicken with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, seasoned pepper, and paprika and place in pot. Cover pot and boil on med high for 30 minutes. Turn down heat to med low and boil for 30 minutes longer. Turn off heat and let chicken set in juice to really let the seasoning take effect. Reheat and serve over rice.

I love, love, love this recipe. Here's how I know it's a great dish. First, my husband accused me of holding out on him. That's a sincere compliment from a man who always told me dinner was good...even when I thought it was nasty. Second, when I make this recipe for dinner parties, my friends always go back for seconds.

In the crockpot: Season the chicken and place in the pot. Add garlic, black peppers, red wine vinegar, soysauce, and water. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice. The liquid doesn't completely cover the chicken. That's okay! It isn't supposed to.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I found this recipe just in time for the Super Bowl last year...and let me tell you that it is the yummiest dip I think I've ever tasted. It's super easy to make and your friends will be impressed!

1 8oz block of cream cheese
½ cup bleu cheese dressing
1 cup (or more) of finely chopped cooked chicken
¼ - ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (what’s your heat tolerance?)
(I used the Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce and it was just as awesome)
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Cheddar Cheese

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (for topping)

Heat the block of cream cheese and bleu cheese dressing in microwave for about one minute or, until the mixture is easy to stir. Add in the chicken, hot sauce, Monterey Jack cheese and salt/pepper. Blend together ingredients.

Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. I like to use a larger dish (or spilt into two smaller dishes) and have a thinner spread of the dip. Top with the grated cheddar cheese and place in oven. Bake at 350°F (180°C) until the cheddar topping is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately. The original recipe tells you to use Frito Scoop! Corn Chips, but we prefer the Tostitos chips. Also, if you want to pretend that celery sticks will make this more healthy, then, by all means, knock yourself out.