Chicken Fried Potatoes

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Chicken-Fried Potatoes
Serves 3-5

2 medium russet potatoes, cleaned and sliced (about ¼-inch thick)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Peanut oil, for frying

For buttermilk dipping sauce:
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup buttermilk
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp. green chilies, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. chives, thinly sliced
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. minced thyme

1. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, heat oil to 350 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, toss potatoes, buttermilk, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes.

3. In a shallow dish, mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Remove potatoes from buttermilk and dredge in flour mixture.

4. Shake off excess flour and fry potatoes in batches until golden brown and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per batch. Drain onto a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

5. To make buttermilk dipping sauce, in a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Before serving, allow sauce to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then stir and adjust seasonings to taste.

Source: People.com

8 Summer Smoothies

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Makes 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 pounds baby Dutch yellow potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, cover and cook over medium-high heat until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  3. Place potatoes about 3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Gently smash each potato with the heel of your hand to about 1/2-inch thickness.
  5. Brush potatoes with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme.
  6. Bake potatoes, rotating sheet halfway through, until lightly browned and crispy, 30-35 minutes.

From http://www.twoofakindcooks.com/

Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Bacon and BBQ Sauce

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Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Bacon and BBQ Sauce
Makes 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

BBQ sauce:

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons grated onion
  • 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (optional)

Kebabs:

  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 strips apple smoked bacon, cut into lardons

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare the BBQ sauce:

  1. In a small sauce pan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare and cook the kebabs:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sweet paprika, smoked paprika, sugar and cayenne pepper, if using.
  3. In a food processor, purée the bacon until smooth. Add the spice mixture and pulse a few times until well combined.
  4. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the bacon paste to the chicken and use your hands to mix until well combined. Thread the chicken onto 6 skewers.
  5. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Place skewers in the pan, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until grill marks are visible and chicken is no longer pink in the center, 8-10 minutes.
  6. Transfer about 1/2 cup BBQ sauce to a small bowl to serve with cooked chicken. Brush the top of the kebabs with some of the remaining BBQ sauce, flip and cook for 1-2 minutes. Brush with more BBQ sauce, flip and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Remove kebabs from pan and let rest for 5 minutes; serve with reserved BBQ sauce.

 

From http://www.twoofakindcooks.com/ 

 

Nana's Best Ever Lasagna

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My mother in law Janet makes the best lasagna, cheesy and delicious!

Try it, you will love it! 

1 (8 ounce) package lasagna noodles 

1/2 pound ground beef 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes 

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce  

2 jars of Ragu (our favorite, but you can use the sauce you like) 

1 tablespoon dried parsley 

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream 

3 eggs, lightly beaten 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

2 teaspoons salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

2 (12 ounce) packages of shredded mozzarella cheese 

40 mins 

COOK 

1 hr 10 mins 

READY IN 

1 hr 50 mins 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the lasagna noodles, and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. 
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook and stir the ground beef, and garlic until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. 
Stir together the sour cream, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese in a bowl. 
To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin layer of the meat sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover with 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce, 1/3 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat this layering 2 more times. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly over the lasagna. 
Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. 

I highly recommend the Rachael Ray lasagna pan. I have several of these bakeware sets and they are durable and stylish. Perfect for from the oven to the table. 

You will also want to pick up the Rachael Ray lasagna lugger kit. This is such an easy and fun way to bring your homemade lasagna to a holiday party!

 

Starbucks Copycat Banana Bread

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Starbucks Copycat Banana Bread, so delicious! Here's how to make it! 

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups flour (bread flour is best)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed ripe (this is usually 2 or 3 bananas)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup margarine
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (divided into 2 (1/2 cup) portions

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size bowl combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt), stir together to combine.  In another medium size bowl combine margarine and sugar, with a mixer cream the margarine, and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add in mashed bananas, eggs, milk and mix well.  Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix until the flour is just mixed in, then add in the remaining flour and 1/2 cup walnuts, blend together until everything is mixed together.  Do not overstir.

Pour batter into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan.  Then top the batter with the remaining chopped walnuts.   Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Cup Fudge

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Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
Makes 64 1-inch squares

Special Equipment
3-quart heavy duty saucepan
Candy thermometer

1 and ½ cups (300g) sugar
¾ cup (160ml) heavy cream
⅔ cup (163g) creamy peanut butter (not natural style)
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 oz. (56g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures, chopped

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the fudge once it has set. Set aside.

2. Combine sugar and cream in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Stirring lightly every 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, stop stirring and allow the mixture to boil until the thermometer registers 250°F (121°C). Turn off the stove, remove pan from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla.

3. Gently fold in the chocolate, creating swirls. Do not stir to completely combine; you want those pretty chocolate swirls. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan. Do not scrape the sides of the saucepan. Smooth fudge into an even layer. Press chopped peanut butter cups on top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow fudge to set at room temperature, about 4-6 hours.

4. Once set, remove the fudge from the pan by lifting out the aluminum foil. Using a large sharp knife, slice the fudge into 1-inch squares.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 4 hours, 25 minutes

Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade Copycat

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Have you had the passion tea lemonade at Starbucks? It's delicious! Here's how to make it!

Each box of Tazo Passion tea comes with 20 tea bags. Put them all in the bottom of a gallon pitcher. Then boil 1 gallon of water in a pot on the stove. 

  • Once your water boils, pour it over your tea bags. Let it steep for 7-10 minutes. The longer it steeps, the stronger the flavor.
  • Once it is finished steeping, use one spoon to scoop out one bag at a time.
  • Since the water is still hot, I use a second spoon to squeeze out more flavor from each bag before I toss them.
  • Once you have all your bags removed, you place the pitcher in the fridge for it to cool.
  • In order to get the right measurements, I used a Starbucks cup. Fill your cup with tea to the second line (about 9 oz). Then add your lemonade until you reach the third line (about 3 oz).
  • When you buy this drink at the store, they pump their "classic syrup" into the drink. It's a clear syrup, so I'm guessing its a basic "simple syrup". To make a simple syrup you just bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil and let cook for a minute or so until the sugar is all dissolved. Let it cool in the fridge and you get a nice sugar syrup. Add this, or any other sweetener you like, to the tea. Adjust it to the sweetness you like.
  • Pour your tea mixture over your ice.
  • Put the lid on and shake it like crazy!
  • Delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

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INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, such as Aunt Jemima
1 1/4 cups cake flour, such as Pure as Snow
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 box (4 cups) powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons whole milk

DIRECTIONS

  1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the self-rising flour, cake flour, and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes on low speed. With the mixer on low speed add the butter one cube at a time, do not rush. Mix until it's a sand-like texture.
  3. Combine the milk and vanilla, and add 1/2 of the mixture to the batter. Scrape the bowl and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the eggs and the rest of the milk mixture to the bowl on low speed. Scrape bowl and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pans.
  5. Bake for 23 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
  6. Make the frosting: Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl often. When the mixture starts to thicken and appears dry add 2 tablespoons of milk. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy about 2-4 minutes. Add more milk as needed if you want a thinner consistency. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.
  7. Frost the cupcakes with an offset spatula.

Cheesecake Factory NY Style Cheesecake

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INGREDIENTS

For the crust:
1/2 cup almonds, finely ground
1/2 cup vanilla wafers, finely ground
1/2 cup graham crackers, ground
2 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:
24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
16 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the blueberry compote (optional):
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with melted butter or cooking spray.
  2. Make the crust: Thoroughly mix together the nuts, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Pat mixture into prepared pan, pressing firmly into bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides.
  3. Make the filling: Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on low until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a little at a time and beat until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until smooth after each egg. Add the flour, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix well. Add the sour cream, and beat well. Firmly tap the bowl against the counter to release bubbles from the filling.
  4. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, shaking the pan to ensure that the filling is evenly distributed. Cook on the oven's middle rack for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until firm. Turn off the oven's heat, and leave the cheesecake in the oven with its door propped open for 1 hour.
  5. Remove cheesecake from oven, and let cool completely on the countertop before transferring to the refrigerator to chill for at least 12 hours.
  6. Make the blueberry compote (optional): Combine the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch, and cook until the blueberries have broken down and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  7. Serve plain or with whipped cream, fresh fruit, or warm blueberry compote.

Cheesy Potato Wedges

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Cheesy potato wedges, perfect for the big game!  Here's how to make them!
Ingredients:
  • 4-6 Potatoes 
  • 1/4 c. Olive Oil Sea Salt 
  • Pepper 
  • your favorite Seasoning Salt 
  • 1 c. Sour Cream 
  • 1/2 c. Ranch Dressing 
  • 1/4 c. Milk 1 c. shredded Cheddar 
  • 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella 
  • 1/2 c. Real Bacon Bits 
Cut potatoes into "steak fries". Place on foiled baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Lightly toss with tongs. Sprinkle seasonings over the potatoes. Bake 400* for 40 min til fork tender.