Hot Diggity Dog! A Cure for the Summertime Blues!

I'm not going to lie, sometimes I really like a gooooooood hotdog!  Grilled of course!  Buuuuuutttt....I wanted to experiment; that's just a part of the magic of me.

The homegirlz were game once I threw in words they knew, like taco and pizza.

So this is what we did:

The Taco Dog:

We grilled some dogs and flour tortillas.  (Just place the tortillas on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes and turn when you're satisfied with the grill marks and/or doneness.)  We also put an assortment of fixin's; a blend of grated cheddar and Monterrey jack cheeses, diced onions, black olives, jalapenos, sliced green onions, and taco sauce.  Put out whatever you like on a taco.

I slathered on some taco sauce, topped the dog with onions, cheese, black olives, and green onions.

We actually rolled the dogs burrito style.  The flavor was amazing, they were light.  I liked them much better than using a hot dog bun with all the bread. 

About two weeks later, we tried these:

Pizza Dogs:

I infused some butter with garlic and drizzled it on the bun.  We then  placed grilled dogs on the buns and ladled pizza sauce over the dogs and sprinkled a combination of grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top.  The dogs were placed under the broiler until the cheese was sufficiently melted.

The pizza dogs were good, but my favorite no question -  the taco dogs.  The homegirlz concurred.

So when you have the summertime blues or you just want to change things up....go for it, who knows, you may may see Hot Dog Cordon Bleu or Hot Dog Carbonara on here sometime!



So tell me, really, who let the dogs out?

Special Dark Chocolate Cake

Have you ever seen this? I had no idea....

Why oh why did I have to glance around to  check out coffee prices and see this?  It's August for goodness sakes!  It's been hotter than hell, but of course this little container had to jump right in my face.

It as fate, that has to be it, yeah it was meant to be.

Seriously, I'm not a big chocolate freak, but dark chocolate or semi-sweet, the good stuff, oh yeah baby.  Now make a chocolate cake with this...I only managed to get one thin slice,  it was all my conscience could handle.  Actually, once my husband, the homegirlz and their friends got a hold of the cake, my conscience was lucky.  My taste buds threw a parade. 

It's simple, just make this cake.

Cake Batter:

1 stick butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces

2-1/2 cups AP flour

2-1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 cups sour cream

3 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pans, I used a Bundt pan.

 

Melt butter and chocolate together in microwave on HIGH until melted and smooth, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, stirring at 30 to 45 seconds or halfway through. Remove melted chocolate from the microwave and reserve. 

In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly blended.

Add sour cream, eggs, water, chocolate mixture and vanilla; to the flour mixture and beat 30 seconds on low speed, until dry ingredients are combined then beat for 2 more minutes. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until  a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan on rack  for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and finish cooling on a rack.

I wish I was a better photographer!

Icing:

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped up in small pieces

1/2 cup shortening

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened special dark cocoa

 

 

Melt chocolate in the microwave for about 1 to 1=1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Stir until smooth and set aside.

 

 

Beat shortening, butter mil, vanilla, salt, 1 cup of the sugar and the cocoa powder in a medium size bowl until creamy.  Gradually add in the remaining sugar and melted chocolate alternately and beat until thick and smooth.

 

It's going to be a great week!

Corn, Corn and More Corn Casserole!

I had printed this Paula Deen recipe out a couple of years ago and found it while I was looking for something else.  Always on a quest to add new life to staples sides like corn, this is a keeper.  The corn lovers at your table won't be able to get enough.

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)

1 cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapenos (optional)

1/2 stick butter, melted

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the 2 cans of corn, the corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a large casserole dish prepared with non-stick cooking spray.



Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Yum, it smelled like popcorn when it came out of the oven!

Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly bubbly. Let casserole rest for 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Enjoy your weekend!

Orange Chicken Fingers with Orange Teriyaki Glaze

The Homegirlz have been asking me to make Chicken Nuggets and I just wasn't in the mood to fry anything.   I was in the mood for some good crunchy chicken though.  Even grown kids like me enjoy chicken nuggets or chicken strips from time to time.  This is the result of Kaitlin and me experimenting in the kitchen and learning that compromise is good and figuring out how to make some good crunchy chicken a little less fattening, a lot more healthy and not lose a bit of flavor.

Chicken Fingers:

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds - or toast your own (see below)

6 cups corn flake cereal

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders

Orange Teriyaki Glaze:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and lightly mist with nonstick cooking spray.

Toast the sesame seeds in a small nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Toast, tossing them around the skillet often, until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Put the corn flake cereal in a re-sealable plastic bag and crumble using a rolling pin until crushed.

In a shallow bowl combine the toasted sesame seeds, crushed cereal and orange zest and lightly season with salt and pepper.

In a second shallow dish, beat the egg whites with the teriyaki sauce.

Dip each chicken tender in the teriyaki-egg mixture and then the cereal mixture, pressing to coat well. Place the chicken on the rack and mist the chicken with nonstick cooking spray. Bake until the crust is golden and the chicken is cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes.

In a small pan, heat the marmalade, teriyaki and ginger over medium heat until melted and thoroughly blended.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Serve the chicken with some of the sauce for dipping.

You'll feel good about enjoying this meal with your kids.

Potato Souffle

By chance last week, I happened to catch Sandra Lee making this dish.  Normally, I don't pay a whole lot of attention, but when she was using Parmesan cheese in this recipe, she got my undivided attention.

Have you ever "souffled"?  Me either, this is my first time.  Thank you for being here to share this souffle experience.  Are you afraid to souffle?  I was, that's why I haven't made one before.  Now I'm a souffling maniac!  One word of caution, timing is critical with this dish.  The moment it comes out of the oven it needs to be served or yes, the horrible will happen, it will deflate a little.  It will still taste amazing, but the show stopping fluff will be a memory.

If you ever want to impress your dinner guests, with eye candy and flavor, plus saying "souffle" is fun  and it sounds so sophisticated.; this is the golden ticket.

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 (3.6-ounce) packet instant roasted garlic mashed potatoes, made according to package directions and cooled completely (recommended: Betty Crocker)

4 eggs, separated

3/4 cup cream

1 tablespoon freshly snipped chives

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter bottom and sides of a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish. Add Parmesan to dish and roll dish to coat inside (just like preparing a cake pan with butter and flour); set aside.

In medium bowl, stir to combine cooled potatoes, egg yolks, cream, chives, salt and pepper; set aside.

In another medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Careful not to overbeat.

Stir 1/3 of egg whites into potato mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites until just incorporated.

Transfer to prepared souffle dish and bake in preheated oven 60 to 65 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Now you've souffled, go forth and show-off to all of your friends and family!

New York Strip with Goat Cheese Crumbles

I know that a good steak can stand on its own.  But...sometimes I just feel the need to change things up a bit.   The fresh, tart taste of goat cheese turned these goat cheese crumbles into a fantastic steak dinner my sweetie and I shared.  It's so quick and oh so very simple!

2 tablespoons goat cheese
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 New York Strip steaks (rib eyes, filet mignon or sirloin cuts will work great too)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup beef stock
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup onions, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with non stick cooking spray and  set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, crumble goat cheese and combine with bread crumbs, Herbs de Provence, and 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil; set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper place in skillet. Sear 1 to 2 minutes per side just to brown. Top with a pat of butter, remove skillet from heat.  Us e a pair of tons and carefully place steaks on prepared baking sheet.

Top each steak with half of the goat cheese crumbles. Finish cooking steaks in preheated oven for 4 minutes for medium-rare, 6 minutes for medium, and 8 minutes for well done.

Return skillet to the stove and deglaze with sherry.  Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Add the beef broth, garlic and onions and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce liquid by half.

Remove steaks from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving to allow juices to re-distribute.

Serve steaks with the sauce ladled over the top.

So sublime!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Broiled Fillet of Flounder in Cajun Shrimp Butter

I found this recipe by my favorite chef, John Folse, tried it and had to share it with you.  When I put the first bite in my mouth, I felt like I was dining at one of the best restaurants in New Orleans, that's just how good this dish is.

Looking at how this recipe is layed out, it is really pretty simple and goes very fast.  Timing is the key with this keeper.  Get your shrimped peeled and the veggies chopped for the Cajun butter sauce first.  Chip up your butter and put it in a bowl and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready for it.  Once you put the flounder in the oven, get started on the Cajun butter.

The flounder, a nice green salad and a glass of wine and you've just treated yourself and that special someone to an unforgettable dining experience!

For the Flounder:

2 Flounder fillets
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup of water
1/2 stick of butter, melted
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
paprika for color
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

For the Cajun Shrimp Butter:

1/4 cup melted butter
1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 lb. butter chipped
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 Use a baking pan large enough to accommodate the fillets.  Pour wine, water and butter over the fillets. Season the fillets to taste with salt, cayenne and sprinkle generously with paprika and parsley.  Bake for about 10 minutes, until fish is flaky to touch.  Heat broiler and place fish under broiler for about 1 to 1-/2 minutes, just to brown up the seasonings on top just a bit.  Be careful not to burn or overcook the fish. 

Remove from oven, tent with foil to keep warm.

In a heavy skillet, heat butter over medium high heat, add shrimp, green onions, mushrooms, tomato and garlic and saute for about 7 minutes, until vegetable are wilted.

De-glaze the skillet with the white wine and lemon juice and reduce by half.

Add heavy whipping cream and bring to a low boil and reduce until thickened.

Slowly add the chipped butter a few pieces at a time.  Swirl until complete melted before adding more chips of butter. 

Season to taste with salt and cayenne.

Place a generous serving of Cajun butter in the center of plate and top with broiled flounder.

I hear ya, even this early in the morning I'm still drooling!