Eating Dinner With My Family

I have my own odd food prejudices that I believe always apply even thought my husband delights in pointing out every time I enjoy one of those taboo foods.  One of those issues is with BBQ sauce.  Now I know there are a multitude of varieties of BBQ but I just kind of have an innate dislike of them.  If I am to eat BBQ, the sauce must be tomato based and a little sweet and a little spicy.  I really did like these sliders.  I took a BBQ sauce I "enjoy" and the addition of the whiskey was really great.  These weren't hard and they are great as dinner or party snacks.  Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders 2 pounds Ground Meat (beef, Bison, Turkey) Salt And Pepper 4 Tablespoons Butter 1 whole Large Onion, Diced 1/2 cup Whiskey 1 cup Barbecue Sauce 1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Slices (more To Taste) 12 whole Slider Buns Or Dinner Rolls, Split Form the meat into 12 (or so) miniature patties and salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the but...

Ok, I didn't pick the dessert this time, my husband did.  I don't like a recipe that starts with a box of anything.  The fact it said half a box was annoying too.  I doubled the recipe so I used the whole thing.  I also melted some currant jelly to fill some of the cookies rather than make them all caramel.  Despite my distrust of the box and my somewhat indifferent attitude towards sweets, I liked these.  The rest of the family, who do not share my prejudice, loved them.  Cheesecake Cookies 1/2 a Box of White Cake Mix 1 Egg 4 oz. Cream Cheese 2 tbsp. Melted Butter 1 Cup Caramel Sauce 1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs A cupcake pan In a medium bowl mix together the Cake mix, melted butter, egg & cream cheese.  use a spoon to really smear it and blend it well into a dough-like consistency! Scoop some batter into a cupcake pan .about 1/4 the way up the sides… Bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes, just until they’re...

This recipe took some time but it was oven time so inactive time.  It was a nice take on a chicken soft taco.  It had some heat, but not too much.  If you have kids or diners that are really sensitive to spicy, you could half or eliminate the chipotle, but the sauce won't be nearly as good.  On a personal note, I think I am now half way through my back log of posts, and am feeling extra good/lazy so another short post :) Chicken Tinga Tacos 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 1/2 pounds trimmed, skinless, bone-in chicken thighs Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large onion, thinly sliced 3 large garlic cloves, minced One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes 2 canned chipotles in adobo, coarsely chopped 1 cup chicken broth 24 corn tortillas 2 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled  (I used feta) Sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, for garnish 1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season ...

Ok here is a place you will really see the slacking. :)  We liked it and it was easy.  Company worthy? No.  But just because it wasn't an OMG doesn't mean write it off.  It was a snap to make and I thickly sliced some zucchini and broiled it right along with the salmon and the meat and veg was done at the same time.  I did use the thinner wild salmon and we like our veggies crisp if any of those don't apply to you, that would alter the cooking times.   I think I got it from allrecipes.com and you can feel free to grill the salmon like the recipe says, but I recommend following my instructions I added at the end.  Easier and faster clean up that way.   Grilled Salmon 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets lemon pepper to taste garlic powder to taste salt to taste 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garli...

I got a craving for beer cheese soup.  I know I have had it in the past, but can't for the life of my remember where.  (or much about the soup itself for that matter)  So to the internet (insert your own batman music here).  I found this recipe and thought I would give it a go.  I have put off the post for so long, my recollection of the dish is vague.  Perhaps that is the best way to judge a dish, does it stay with you?  Well I do remember liking it, and I believe the rest of the family did too. Beer Cheese Soup 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped 1 sweet onion, finely diced 1/2 red pepper, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons flour 2 cups of your favorite beer (I find that lighter wheat beers work best) 1 cup half and half 4 ounces sharp white cheddar, freshly grated 4 ounces extra sharp yellow cheddar, freshly grated 4 ounces colby jack, freshly grated fresh herbs (I like ci...

I am not a huge sweets person.  I do enjoy a sugary treat now and then, but savory is what I crave.  There are certain flavors of dessert that do strongly tempt me: Salted Caramel, Coconut, and Lemon!  Oh lemon just might be the biggest temptation of all.  (Lemon and Key lime that is;)  So when I saw this drool worthy pin for drenched lemon loaf cake, I knew that was a sweet I had to make.  It was worth every minute of work and calorie consumed.  That was just my opinion, my husband liked it even more!  Considering that I am a idiot when it comes to baking, and that I pulled it off, I think it is safe to assume that it was easy to make:)  I have a bit of a confession.  Check out that lovely picture of my lemon loaf cake over there to the right.  Check out the bottom of the post to see what it really looked like if you saw it from the other end :) Lemon Loaf Cake 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/...

While I can't say anyone was wowed by the dish, it wasn't bad, and it seems like it would be pretty healthy and waistline friendly.  I love savory bread puddings, but I would switch up the fillings next time and see if it was the ingredients or perhaps it is just the lack of egg yolks:).  This recipe is worth doing just to learn the basic savory bread pudding technique because it is a great way to use up a bunch of cooked meat or veggies and because it makes a great (and easy) breakfast. Arugula & Chicken Sausage Bread Pudding 4 large egg whites 4 large eggs 1 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil 4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices) 5 cups chopped arugula, wilted (see Tip) 3/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts, frozen (thawed) or canned 1 cup diced cooked chicken sausage, (5 ounces) 1. ...