Mango Rum Chicken

SO simple, and quite amazing on the grill!

1 package FRESH chicken breast tenderloins (about 6-10 tenderloins)
1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
Fresh basil leaves, to taste (I use 4-5 large leaves, coarsely chopped for best flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
3/4 c. Cruzan Mango Rum

1. Combine all ingredients & marinate overnight, up to 3 days.

2. Coat grill with olive oil or non-stick spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

3. Grill chicken until done (until juices run clear). Chicken is amazingly tender & flavorful. Serve with salad & side of choice. Enjoy! 

Carolina Crab Cakes

So simple to make, these crab cakes make a great summertime meal, served over salad, or alone with your favorite remoulade sauce.


Carolina Crab Cakes:

1 small jar lumb crab meat, cleaned of any leftover shells or cartilage
1 c. bread crumbs
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1 clove fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. pimento, well drained
1 egg, well beaten
2 tsp. Duke's mayonnaise
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
fresh cracked pepper
sea salt, to taste
Flour (about 1/3 cup, to dredge cakes)
Olive oil, for frying

1. In cast iron or heavy skillet, preheat olive oil (enough to completely cover bottom of pan) on medium-high heat.

2. Place flour in quart-size resealable bag.

3. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together well (except flour), forming a ball. Pinch off small amounts from ball, and form into small crab cakes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Place cake in bag of flour & dust both sides well.

4. Place carefully in hot oil. Brown on each side. Transfer to plate with paper towels to drain. Serve while hot, either over salad, or as main dish. Enjoy!

Twice-Baked Loaded Potatoes

Makes 10-12 servings.

6 medium-large red potatoes
1 c. low fat sour cream
1 c. reduced-fat shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese, plus some for topping
6 slices cooked low sodium bacon, crumbled
1/4 stick butter
1 tsp. Tony Sachere's Creole Seasoning
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. minced onion OR 1/2 small sweet onion, like Vidalia, chopped fine
Butter wrapper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Wash & pat dry potatoes, prick several times with a fork. Wipe down outside of each potato with butter wrapper. Sprinkle Tony Sachere's on every side, making sure it sticks to potato. Wrap in a square of aluminum foil & bake on foiled cookie sheet until done, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Cut into halves.

2. Scoop out inside of warm potatoes using a spoon. Leave enough pulp to keep form inside potato skin. Place in bowl. 

3. Cut butter into small pieces, add to potatoes in bowl. Add garlic, pepper & onion. Using a fork, mix well. Try to smooth mixture out as much as possible.

4. Add 3/4 of cheese & sour cream. Mix well. Fold in bacon.

5. Spoon mixture into potato skins. Mixture will be somewhat lumpy, and will need to be mounded in potatoes to evenly distribute mixture. Top with cheese.

6. Place cookie sheet with loaded potatoes back into oven. Bake just until cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Kinda-Homemade Fruit Cobbler

The great thing about this recipe is that you can incorporate any fruit to make a great cobbler. My experience has been to use canned or fresh fruit, as opposed to frozen, to make the best cobbler. If you used frozen, you will need to sprinkle fruit with about 2 tsp. sugar to get the same great taste. Sugar in the Raw is a GREAT choice for sweetening fresh fruit. Use measurements provided.

1 c. sugar (If using fresh fruit, use 12-14 packets Sugar in the Raw to sweeten. Distribute well.)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1 can any kind of fruit, or you may use fresh fruit
1 tsp. cinnamon OR apple pie seasoning (recommended)
1/2 stick butter, cut into small pieces, plus 4 small pieces of butter, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease medium glass Pyrex dish. Melt butter pieces in the bottom of the dish, in oven (reserve small pieces of butter to add on top of cobbler).

2. In medium bowl, mix sugar, flour, egg, vanilla flavoring & apple pie spice with wisk. Mix for about one minute. Batter will be lumpy.

3. Pour 3/4 of the batter into hot Pyrex dish, over melted butter.

4. Add fruit evenly over batter.

5. Pour rest of batter over filling. Dot top of cobbler with butter.

6. Place in hot oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 250. Cobbler should be slightly brown on top, inside not completely set.

7. Allow to bake for another 10-15 minutes on low heat.

8. Check for doneness by inserting knife or toothpick into center. When center is set, remove from oven & let cool.

9. Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream while still warm. Enjoy!

Rosemary & Garlic Red Potatoes for 2

A super-simple, healthy side dish. Goes great with Twice-Cooked Ribs!

Rosemary & Garlic Red Potatoes for 2:

3 medium-sized red potatoes
2 fresh minced garlic cloves
2 tbs. olive oil, or EVOO
2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Dice potatoes. Drop into resealable quart bag.

3. Pour olive oil over top. Quickly shake to coat.

4. Add other ingredients & shake well.

5. Let marinate for 10-30 minutes. Leave bag on counter, if you'll be cooking potatoes soon (you can marinate up to 24 hours. If marinating for more than 2 hours, place bag in fridge). Marinades work better at room temperature.

6. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Bake in hot oven until slightly brown on top, about 18-25 minutes.

7. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Quick Barbecued Chicken Pizza on Homemade Honey Crust

This pizza is AWESOME as a thin crust pizza cut into small pieces served as a heavy appetizer, or as a meal! It goes great with a medium-bodied red wine, like merlot or cabernet sauvignon for a quick, tasty party pleaser. Use your favorite thick, sweet barbecue sauce. Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Brown Sugar sauce is perfect in this recipe.

Quick Barbecued Chicken Pizza's:

1 homemade no-yeast pizza crust with honey (enough for 2 pizzas)

Toppings (for 2 pizzas; divide measurements in half if only baking one pizza)

6 oz. package pre-cooked chicken strips, cut into small pieces
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Brown Sugar barbecue sauce, or your favorite sauce
1 1/2 c. grated low fat mozzarella cheese OR 2 small fresh mozzarella balls, pressed to remove water & sliced very thin
1 c. grated gouda or gruyere cheese (cheese is much easier to grate if placed in freezer for 5 min beforehand)
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. Vidalia or sweet onion, finely diced
10-12 leaves fresh sweet basil, coarsely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic


1. Preheat oven to 425, lightly brush crust with olive oil & bake for 8-10 minutes. Crust will be slightly doughy on inside. Bake 2nd crust.

2. In plastic resealable bag, add chicken & about 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce. Shake gently to coat.

3. Add barbecue sauce to pizzas. Add as much, or as little, sauce as your family prefers. The easiest way it to simple squeeze it directly from the bottle to the center of the pizza, then use the back of a spoon to spread almost to edge. 

4. Divide minced garlic & sprinkle onto sauce.

5. Divide gouda or gruyere & sprinkle evenly onto pizzas, then add mozzarella. If using fresh mozzarella, place slices close together.

6. Add chicken on top of cheese.

7. Sprinkle onions over chicken, then add tomatoes. Finish by placing chopped sweet basil on top. Drizzle very lightly with EVOO.

8. Bake in oven until cheese is melted & sauce is bubbly. Serve with salad or fresh veggies, & enjoy!

Reduced Fat Three Meat Pizza w/ Honey No-Yeast Crust

Note - These measurements are for TWO pizzas. Designed to burst with flavor, not fat, feel free to use additional spices, as needed (add at end of browning time for meat, as they will burn if cooked too long).

For a busy day ahead, make the pizza crust the night before, bake as directed, add all toppings & cover first with wax paper, then saran wrap & put in the fridge. When you get ready to make dinner, pop the pizza in hot oven for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted for a very quick dinner. Serve with salad & dinner is done in 10 minutes.

Reduced Fat Three Meat Pizzas:

1 homemade no-yeast pizza crust recipe (enough for 2 pizzas)

Toppings (this will make 2 pizzas; divide measurements in half if only baking 1 pizza):

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
4 oz. sausage, hot or mild (about 1/4 roll)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. minced onion
1 tsp. fresh-cracked pepper
4 slices pre-cooked bacon, crumbled (use low-sodium, if you can find it)
Fresh sweet basil, coarsely chopped (as much or little as you prefer)
2 1/2 c. grated low fat mozzarella cheese OR 2 small fresh mozzarella balls, pressed to remove water & sliced very thin
1/2 c. fresh Roma tomatoes, finely diced
1 c. favorite pizza or pasta sauce (I use Ragu's Traditional Pizza Sauce - tastes very similar to Papa John's pizza sauce & will not overpower the flavor of the toppings)

1. Preheat oven to 425, lightly brush crust with oil & bake for 8-10 minutes. Crust will be slightly doughy on inside. Bake 2nd crust.

2. In large saute pan on medium-high heat, brown ground beef & sausage together. Don't add oil. Season with sea salt & pepper. Add HALF the garlic & minced onion just before meat is done (spices will burn if added too soon). Remove from heat, pour into colander & RINSE with water. Allow to drain.

3. Pour 1/2 cup sauce on each pizza & spread almost to the edge.

4. Sprinkle rest of minced garlic over pizzas, then cover with cheese. If using fresh mozzarella, place slices close together.

5. Divide meat mixture & place on pizzas.

6. Add crumbled bacon & Roma tomatoes.

7. Sprinkle fresh sweet basil over top & drizzle each pizza with about 1 tsp. olive oil.

8. Place in hot oven & bake until cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.

9. Serve with salad or fresh veggies. Enjoy!

Homemade No-Yeast Pizza Crust with Honey

This recipe makes a GREAT thin crust! You can also use dough to make bread sticks (if making thin crust pizza), as it produces enough dough for about 2 pizzas, or rub outside of leftover dough ball with EVOO & seal tightly in plastic bag. Leftover dough will keep for up to 1 week in fridge. Making two pizzas is a great idea, with different toppings to satisfy everyone in the family. See other recipes for more topping ideas, or use your favorite toppings.

3 1/2 cups self-rising flour 
1 1/2 cups hot water 
1/2 cup olive oil (do not use EVOO in crust)
2 tbs. honey


1. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly oil round pizza pan with butter wrapper, nonstick spray or olive oil.

2. Mix all ingredients together until you form a good dough.

3. Dust your hands in flour and knead dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.

4. Use rolling pin or your hands and  stretch - make it as thin or as thick as you like.

5. Lightly brush with olive oil before pre-cook dough for about 12 minutes, before applying toppings.

Daddy's Favorite Low-Carb Macaroni & Cheese

This dish is just as great as leftovers, as it is fresh. Leftovers will keep well up to one week in tightly sealed container in fridge. My dad requests this about once a week! The first time he tried it, I didn't tell him it was made with low carb pasta, and it said it was the best mac 'n cheese he's ever had.

Note - You can substitute regular elbow macaroni, semolina rotini, seashells or penne for the low-carb elbow macaroni, if you would like. I've tried this with rotini, but the recipe doesn't work quite as well. Increase stove-top cooking time to 12 minutes if using regular pasta. Do not overcook low-carb pasta.

16 oz elbow macaroni (I use Dreamfield's, found at Harris Teeter stores.)
2 1/2 cups milk
12 slices American cheese, cut or torn into small squares
2 c. shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese, divided into individual cups
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Half-stick sweet cream butter (do not use margarine)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large glass Pyrex dish with butter wrapper or non-stick spray.

2. Cook elbow macaroni in heavily salted, boiling water about 9 minutes, depending on low carb vs. regular pasta. Drain. Lower burner to medium.

3. While pasta is draining, return pot to stove. Add milk, butter, salt, pepper, American cheese slices, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, beaten eggs and ground mustard. Stir constantly, until all ingredients are melted & incorporated, about 4-6 minutes.

4. Add cooked pasta, stir well. Mixture will be soupy. Pour in greased Pyrex dish.

5. Top with rest of cheddar cheese. Bake until bubbly and cheese is melted & only slightly browned on top, about 15-18 minutes.

6. Pasta will continue to cook in oven, so make sure you do not overcook it on the stove. Enjoy!

Best Ever Crock-Pot Pot Roast

Choose the best and most inexpensive cut for your needs. I prefer a sirloin roast -  it has a bit more fat, but is more flavorful & generally less expensive than chuck roasts.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sirloin roast
1 tbs. olive oil (do not use EVOO - it will burn in this recipe)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, coarsely chopped
3 red potatoes, diced
3 cloves minced fresh garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. red wine
Pepper, to taste
10-15 baby carrots

1. Pour olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion & saute' for 5 minutes, under tender & almost translucent. Add garlic & potatoes. Saute 2 minutes more. Arrange onions & potatoes around side of the pan, to make room for the roast.

2. Generously season roast on both sides with sea salt & pepper. Place in hot pan; brown on first side, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add red wine. Lower heat to medium. Let simmer 8-10 minutes to burn off alcohol. Flip roast & let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off burner.

3. Add entire contents of pan to crock-pot. Turn on high heat.

4. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over roast.

5. Add can of cream of mushroom soup & 1.5 - 2 cans of water, enough to cover roast. Add carrots.

6. Let roast cook, undisturbed, for up to 8 hours. Stir occasionally after 4-6 hours, if possible (if not, no worries! This dish pretty much cooks itself!). After 8 hours, turn heat to low, if not ready to eat (roast will be just as good after 12 hours - trust me).

7. Allow to cool slightly, serve with roasted veggies, mashed potatoes or rice (roast makes an incredibly gravy), garlic bread, salad & enjoy!

Twice-Cooked Barbecue Ribs

In this recipe, you will first boil the ribs to remove a lot of the fat & cook them faster (they are also more firm, with white flesh), add a simple rub for texture, then quickly grill & baste often to give the ribs their traditional sweet & smoky flavor.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. country-style pork ribs, washed & patted dry
4 cloves minced fresh garlic 2 tbs. sea salt, plus a pinch to season
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh-cracked pepper
1 tsp. paprika
2 tbs. brown sugar
Pinch of ground mustard (about 1/2 tsp.)
1 green OR Vidalia onion, very finely chopped (I prefer Vidalia)
1 - 1.5 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Brown Sugar)

1. Spray grill with non-stick grilling spray & preheat to medium heat (low-medium flame).

2. Heat large pot of water to boiling. Add 2 tbs. sea salt. Season ribs lightly with dash of salt & pepper, lightly covering both sides. Prick lightly on both sides with fork. Rub salt & pepper into ribs.

3. Place ribs in large pot, making sure they are covered with water. Add minced garlic. Boil 15-20 minutes, until fat has rendered on top of pot. Remove from stock with tongs & transfer to plate to cool for approximately 5 minutes (use stock to cook egg noodles as a side dish, or freeze for later use. Skim fat before using or freezing).

4. Mix the rest of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Using your hands, rub finely minced onions onto ribs. Some pieces will stick to ribs, which is totally OK! Then, generously massage spice-rub into ribs, being sure to coat both sides.

5. Place ribs on hot grill. Immediately baste with your favorite sauce. Grill quickly on one side for 2 minutes, then flip. Lower heat to very low flame.

6. Flip & baste ribs every 1-2 minutes, until sauce begins to caramelize (about 9-11 minutes). Remove from grill, serve with grilled veggies and a side of sauce & enjoy!

Russian Tea Cakes

Russian Tea Cakes

Recipe by Anne Thorton, Food Network

• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• Salt
• 1 1/3 cups roasted, salted, chopped pecans
• Confectioners' sugar, for rolling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the butter to your standing mixer, put it on medium speed, then add your sugar right into the bowl. Turn it up so it gets nice and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the edges. Continue to beat it until it's almost white. Now you're ready for your eggs. Keep the mixer on low and add them 1 at a time. Wait to add the other egg until the first one is fully incorporated into the butter and sugar. Now add the almond and vanilla extracts.
Add the baking powder to the flour and whisk really well, fully incorporating the baking powder into the flour and making sure any little clumps of flour are broken up. Add just a pinch of salt. Now add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture. Add in the pecans on slow speed.
Scoop the batter with a small ice cream scooper, melon baller, or even a soup spoon, just make sure they are all the same size. And don't worry about spacing them out too much on the baking sheet, they aren't going to spread out, they're going to stay like little balls.
Put the trays in the fridge for an hour or so. You want the butter to harden up, making the cookies crispy and delicious when baked.
Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden brown. While still warm, roll them in confectioners' sugar. It will adhere slightly to the cookies, looking like snowballs.

'Homemade' Chicken & Dumplins

These days are all about comfort food, but keeping my weight under control. Here's a super-easy & healthy recipe for 'Homemade' Chicken & Dumplins.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut up & giblets removed; skin still on
1 tbs. olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs. dried rosemary
2 tbs. regular iodized salt
1 tbs. sea salt
1 tbs. dried minced onion
pepper to taste
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 can flaky buttermilk biscuits

1. Season chicken with sea salt & pepper, to taste. Place cut up chicken in large pot. Cover with water; add 2 tbs. iodized salt & heat to rapid boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium.

2. Add olive oil, rosemary, minced onion & garlic. Continue to boil chicken until meat falls off bone, about 25 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low.

3. Remove chicken with slotted spoon; transfer to plate & allow to cool.

4. Keep stock on low boil. When chicken is cooled, discard skin & pull meat off bone (may save skin & bones for additional stock, or freeze for later use). Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces, removing any extra skin or cartilage.

5.  Open can of biscuits & separate into pre-cut size. Then, peel / flake each biscuit into 3 smaller, very thin biscuits. 

6. Quarter each thin biscuit into four pieces by cutting with a knife, or tear for more 'homemade' texture. Dredge each piece in flour, covering each side well.

7. Drop each small piece of biscuit slowly into low-boiling stock. May need to gently push biscuits further into stock with spoon as they cook, but do not stir. Continue until all biscuits are covered with stock. Cook 10 minutes on low boil, until they puff up & begin to thicken into dumplins.

8. Slowly add chopped chicken. Gently push chicken around in dumplins & stock to incorporate, but again, be careful not to stir. Carefully sample (chicken & dumplins will be very hot); adjust salt & pepper as needed. Allow to cook for additional 15 minutes, up to 3 hours. Dumplins will be thicker & less 'dumplin-like' the longer they are cooked, but the flavors meld well.  

9. When desired consistency is achieved, ladle into bowls, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy!