Brie with Fresh Raspberries & Blackberries

Yesterday while I was shopping at the commissary, I came across mini fillo shells (yes, I know it's phyllo but that's what the box says!) I thought they were cute and would make a cute, fun treat for my boys. I used one of the recipes from the box and the boys really enjoyed it.

Brie with Fresh Raspberry (and Blackberry in our case)

5 oz Brie cheese
15 Athens Mini Fillo Shells (1 box)
15 Fresh raspberries, figs or pear slices (or blackberries)

In a food processor, pulse Brie cheese (including rind) until smooth. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of Brie into each Fillo Shell. Top with one raspberry (or whatever fruit you have). Bake in preheated oven 350 F oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve warm.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

So thanks to my new addiction, Pinterest...I have found even MORE recipes to try. This was one of those I knew my boys would love. They have quite the affection for buffalo wings AND egg rolls, how could I go wrong? I found a picture of the egg rolls on Pinterest linked to this site. I made a few changes.

As a side note...I am participating in a Pinterest Challenge over on Bohemian Transplant's blog. You can check it out here.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

makes 12

12 egg roll wrappers (roughly 4 square inches) - I actually used lumpia wrappers, I don't like how thick egg roll wrappers are and always use lumpia wrappers when I make egg rolls of any type.

1 cup cooked and shredded chicken (6 ounces)

1/2- 2/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)

1 cup broccoli slaw or cole slaw (dry) - I used the cole slaw

Small bowl of water - I like to use a cornstarch slurry - 2 tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 water

Nonstick cooking spray

Blue cheese dressing, for serving - we also used Ranch since I can only handle so much blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, stir chicken* (see note below) and hot sauce until well coated, using more or less sauce depending on your spice preference. The meat should be moist with sauce.

Begin by placing one tablespoon of the slaw on the diagonal of the bottom right corner of one of the wrappers. Next, place 2 tablespoons of shredded spicy chicken evenly on top of the slaw. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles over the chicken. Do not overfill.

To fold: Fold the bottom right corner over the stuffing mixture so that it covers it completely, with the tip of the corner now pointing to the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the bottom left corner, followed by the right, so that you now have formed an envelope. Roll the wrap upward one time, leaving the top left corner open. Wet your index finger in the small bowl of water and press to moisten the top left corner. Now fold that down on top of the filled roll, sealing it like you would an envelope.

Repeat with remaining rolls.

Place the rolls on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet (or just on a greased cookie sheet) coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spritz each roll evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the rolls crisp and turn a light golden brown.

*Note: To make the chicken, place 1/2 lb of uncooked chicken breast in a small pot and fill with enough water just to cover it. Bring to a boil on your stovetop, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat.

Refrigerator Pickles

These pickles are a huge favorite in our home. My 10-year old will just pull the half gallon jar out and sit with a fork and just eat.

I found this recipe here, last summer and it's a great one!

One clean, sterilized jar and lid

One 8-10" cucumber
Small white onion cut into slices
Several sprigs of dill or 1-2 tsp dry dill (I've used both and both work well)
3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled.

Layer your jar with 3-5 cucumber slices*, a couple of onion slices, a garlic clove, and a sprig of dill. Repeat the layers, filling the jar. The goal is to get all the flavors layered in against one another.

Brine:
2/3 cup of water
2/3 cup of vinegar
2/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of coarse salt (Kosher or sea salt both work well).

Stir to blend, and bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Pour brine over your veggies, filling up to about 1/2 inch from the top. Put lid on, and flip jar. Allow to cool, and store in the fridge.

*If you like crunchy pickles (like Claussen's) then you'll want to chill the cucumbers first in ice water for a few hours.

Easy Red Chili Sauce

I've had a lot of people ask me for a red chili sauce, here is a simple one I use for lots of different recipes. I buy most of my stuff online at Mexgrocer.com because I live in an area that doesn't have these chili's readily available! I've linked the chile to that site so you know what I'm talking about! Enjoy!

Red Chili Sauce

For a mild sauce, use more California and less New Mexico chilies: For a spicier sauce, use less California and more New Mexico chilies.

• 1 Bag dried chile ancho/pasilla
  
• ½ Bag dried chile California
• ½ Bag dried red chile New Mexico
  
• 2 medium onions diced
• 6-8 cloves garlic diced
• 1 Tablespoon cumin powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove the stems from the chilies (not the seeds) and place in a sauce pan with 2 quarts of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place the chili and water mixture in a blender and liquefy. Pour through a strainer and push through with a rubber spatula. Put the residue back into the blender with one quart of broth (you can use any kind of broth you like but you might want it to match up with the protein you will be serving the sauce with, so chicken, pork or broth - homemade is always best!). Liquefy and repeat straining again.

Pour the chili into a sauce pan and add onion, garlic and cumin. Simmer over low heat for ½ hour. Chili will become darker. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Potato Bake

Growing up, my mom always made the marshmallow covered sweet potatoes. I never ate them (unless you consider picking off the toasted marshmallows, eating them). I don't like my sweet potatoes, overly sweet. Since I didn't eat them, I continued making them the way I saw my mom make them when I got married. Kevin enjoyed them. Quite a few years ago, I stumbled across this recipe in one of my Taste of Home magazines and it has been a staple on our table every Thanksgiving and Christmas ever since. Everyone loves it and I've been known to sample a spoonful every now and again.

Sweet Potato Bake
3 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes (prepared without milk or butter)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

In a mixing bowl, beat sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a greased 2 qt baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown!

Creamy Corn Dip

*Maybe one day blogger will let me upload pics again*

One of the ladies that works at the building I do most of my volunteer work at shared this recipe with us. I was apprehensive at first because it didn't look like much and I'm not a big fan of sour cream but I really enjoyed this.

I had my 13 year old whip this up the other day and my family LOVES it. In fact they were disappointed when the bowl ended up empty.

Creamy Corn Dip

1 cup sour cream
1 can Rotel
1 cup mayo
1 can fiesta/mexicorn, drained
2 cups cheese (whatever flavor makes you happy)
chopped green onions

White Bean Chili

White Bean Chili (Paula Deen's Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
• *I added additional chicken broth because I like a little more liquid, I added about 3/4 cup but you could play with that.
  

Directions

Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Put the beans in large pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with cornbread, if desired.