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Um…Our Cruise Ship is Leaving

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Shortly after we were married, my wife and I went on a three night cruise with one of her sisters and brother-in-law. This was back in the time when cruise ships had two seating times for dinner and they told you not only what table you sat at but who sat with you. The four of us were sat at a table with a couple on their honeymoon and over the course of the cruise we had quite a few good conversations with them.

One of the stops was Cozumel, Mexico, and after an afternoon of snorkeling in an underwater nature preserve, we all decided to stop in a cantina for a drink. We went out on the patio and found the other couple sitting there. They invited us to join them and we ordered our drinks. This patio was by the main harbor and as our ship was too big to dock, it was anchored out in the bay (we had used smaller boats to get to shore).

As I gazed out on the Gulf of Mexico, I saw something that at first I thought was an illusion. A further look confirmed what I suspected – our ship was no longer anchored but was moving. I told the rest of the table, “Um…Our cruise ship is leaving!” After checking what we thought to be accurate documentation about our return time, we decided to just sit and finish our drinks. Running to the end of the dock would do no good, so we might as well enjoy things.

Luck for us, the ship was just repositioning and we were able to re-board an hour later.

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These cheesy enchiladas were bolstered by the addition or some corn and red beans.

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I started with the base recipe.

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After getting the mix together, I knew it would not feed my family of four without some additions.

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I added some corn and a can of kidney beans to add some greater volume.

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Start with some sauce at the bottom. This turned out to not be enough to ensure the tortillas wouldn’t stick. Next time grease the pan first.

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There was too much to fit in one dish, so I employed a second.

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Out of the oven.

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A gooey, cheesy great tasting dish!

Three cheese enchiladas

Prep Time: 0 hr 0 min | Cook Time: 20 mins | Makes: 1 serving | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 cup picante sauce
  • 1 diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 8 soft flour tortillas
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Chopped tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 2/3 rds of jack, cheddar with the cream cheese, 1/4 cup picante, pepper, onion and cumin. Spoon into tortillas, roll and place seam side down in baking dish. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Cover with lettuce, cheese and more picante sauce.

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O-H-I-O

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One of the traditions of fans of the Ohio State University is getting four individuals together to spell out Ohio with their arms. The first and last person in the line make a giant “O” with their arms over their head. The second person puts both arms straight up to form the “H” (with their head acting like the crossbar). The third person in line puts both arms above their head with each palm touching the other to make an “I”. All together O-H-I-O! People do this everywhere. There are pictures from around the globe, and in a number of cases one or more of the letters is a local landmark (think Washington Monument standing in for the “I”).

Several years ago, my family made a trip to Mt. Rushmore. It was very impressive and after walking the grounds and getting great pictures we decided we wanted to do our own O-H-I-O with the heads of Mt. Rushmore in the background. We were at the overlook near sunset and asked a gentleman wearing an Illinois sweatshirt to take our picture. We positioned ourselves between him and the heads and lined up. Up went our arms and “click” went the camera. We thanked him and walked on.

Later we remembered to look at the picture and found that while it was a nice clear picture of our O-H-I-O, there wasn’t the Mt. Rushmore heads in the background! We could have been in our own back yard.

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This was a quick little side dish I whipped up for a Mexican meal I made.

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The recipe was a can of black beans, the equivalent amount of corn, one red pepper, 1/2 onion, about 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, a tsp of cumin and a couple of tablespoons of lime juice.

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It was delicious!

Not That Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

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General Tso’s Chicken. Kung Pao Chicken. Beef and Broccoli. Pork Lo Mein. Walnut Shrimp. Cashew Chicken. These are often the dishes that I will order at a Chinese restaurant. There are plenty more (Sesame Shrimp, Orange Chicken, etc…) but what I won’t order is Sweet and Sour anything.

Frankly, I’m not a great fan of the sauce. The radioactive glow doesn’t bother me but it just doesn’t taste that great to me. If I go light on the sauce, the big puffed breaded balls of chicken/pork/shrimp are pretty bland in their own right.

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This is not that kind of Sweet and Sour chicken. This one tastes great!

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I purchased my chicken already cut up.

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So as to not crowd the chicken in the pan, I used two at a time.

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I made the sauce in just one though.

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Adding the chicken to the sauce.

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I transferred the contents to a roasting pan for the oven.

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The chicken was succulent and terrific!

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 12 minutes | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 3 1/2-to-4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound shallots, halved
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Dust the skin side with flour. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and pour off the excess fat. Tuck the shallots under and around the chicken and cook until just golden, about 2 more minutes.

Push the chicken aside, then stir in the tomato paste and thyme and cook until the paste darkens, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar, apple cider and raisins, bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken until just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a heatproof serving dish and return to the oven (turn the oven off). Bring the sauce left in the pan to a boil and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat and whisk in the butter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Per serving: Calories 722; Fat 38 g (Saturated 12 g); Cholesterol 181 mg; Sodium 203 mg; Carbohydrate 38 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 55 g

Source:
http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/400118

Buying Stove Top by the Case

4 Comments

Looking for an easy side dish? Look no further!

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Delicious and looks good on the plate as well.

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We buy Stove Top by the case….well….at least the warehouse club size. Because of that, the white packet in the back is the individual packaging for the stuffing.

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The recipe calls for stuffed tomatoes but I decided to make a mix of tomatoes and peppers.

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Destined for the oven.

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A great little side.

STOVE TOP Stuffed Tomatoes

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 6 tomatoes
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) spread or margarine, cut up
  • 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Savory Herbs Stuffing Mix

Directions:

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

CUT tops off tomatoes; remove seeds and pulp, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Chop pulp; drain. Set aside for later use. Discard tomato tops and seeds. Invert shells on paper towels to drain.

MEANWHILE, combine water and spread in large bowl. Stir in stuffing mix and reserved pulp. Let stand 5 min. Place tomato shells in greased shallow baking dish; fill with stuffing mixture.

BAKE 20 min. or until tomatoes are tender and stuffing is heated through.

Source:
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/stove-top-stuffed-tomatoes-57389.aspx

Tastes Like a Caprese Duck

4 Comments

I love me some caprese salad.

As covered in previous posts Mini Caprese Salad Bites, Mozzarella Cheese MakingCaprese Salad Crostini and Grilled Portobello with Caprese, I make it quite a few ways. While this is not technically caprese (it has baby spinach instead of basil) it really is very similar. It looks very much like caprese and has a similar taste. If it looks like a duck and tastes like a duck….

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This is a great little salad to put together. Too often pasta can be a heavy dish but the pairing with the spinach actually makes it seem light.

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So simple.

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Boil the pasta.

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Combine and serve!

Spinach, Tomato, and Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Makes: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups) | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups multigrain rotini pasta (such as Barilla Plus)
  • Italian Dressing
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes
  • 1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Rinse with cold water; drain.

2. While pasta cooks, prepare Italian Dressing. Combine dressing and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add pasta and spinach; toss well, and top with cheese.

Source:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000104754

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