Sautéed Green Beans and Jarred Onions with Bacon

Adapted from the Cooking Light recipe for Sautéed Green Beans and Onions with Bacon. I loved the way it came and out will definitely make it again. It is a really liked it and the jarred onions add a really nice taste...well so does the bacon! And it is from Cooking Light - so it is sanctioned....right???

Ingredients
1 lbs Green beans, trimmed
5 Bacon slices
1 (16-ounce bottle) Jarred Onions (we used White Holland Style Onions), drained
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dried thyme
1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 tbsp White balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper

Directions
1. Cook beans in boiling water 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse with cold water; drain and pat dry.
2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp (around 5-7 minutes). Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
3. Lower the heat to medium and add drained onions to drippings in pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, thyme and rosemary and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the beans and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.
5. Stir in crumbled bacon just before serving.

Enjoy with almost entree!

ROLO Pretzel Delights

(Adapted from the Hershey's Kitchen recipe. These are simple, taste amazing and are kinda fun to make. I changed the recipe because I think the original cooks too long - making for a messy candy treat. Perfect for the holidays...or any day!

Ingredients:

You will need equal numbers of the following (up to around 40 on a cooking sheet at a time)

• Small pretzels (I used mini twists) 
• ROLO Chewy Caramels in Milk Chocolate 
• Pecan halves (raw)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line a flat cookie sheet with parchment paper. (NOTE: use a cookie sheet without a lip for easy removal)
2. Place pretzels on the cookie sheet (they can be as close as 1" to each other). Top each pretzel with one unwrapped ROLO Chewy Caramel in Milk Chocolate.
3. Bake 3 minutes and remove from oven.
4. Carefully, slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto a flat surface (NOTE: This will help it not melt as much)
5. Top each pretzel with Rolo with a pecan half, pushing down onto the ROLO. If you want, add sprinkles here before the chocolate cools.
6. Leave on parchment paper until cooled completely. You may speed up the cooling in the fridge (use a plate or tray under the parchment paper). If they touch as they cool - that is not a problem as they break apart nicely.

Enjoy!

Michigan Biscotti

(Adapted from the Barbara Karoff's The best 50 Biscotti Recipes (Bristol Publishing, 1995) & my Cranberry and Orange Biscotti. I have long wanted to make a Michigan Biscotti with cherries - this is my first attempt! They are just fantastic. The have cherries (the fruit most associated with Michigan) along with chocolate and walnuts. Definitely a great treat with a hot cup of tea, hot chocolate or coffee on a cold day.

Ingredients
3 cups All-purpose Flour (plus some for shaping biscotti)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Sugar (plus some for topping)
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter or Margarine (room temperature)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
2/3 cup Dried Cherries (cut in half if large)
2/3 cup Walnut pieces (crushed small)
2/3 cup Chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and set aside.
3. Combine in a mixer or mixing bowl butter or margarine, white sugar and brown sugar until blended. Then add vanilla extract and eggs. Then blend until thoroughly mixed.
4. Slow the mixer and add the cherries, walnuts and chocolate chips (one at a time). Then add the flour & baking powder until blended.
5. You will make two logs from this batter. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet (or grease with butter or a cooking spray) and prepare a place to work on the batter (wax paper with flour will work fine). Form each half of the batter into a log about 3 inches wide and about 3/4" to 1" high. (NOTE: If your hands have flour on them, it will be easier to mold). When you have two logs (do not worry about a bit of flour on them), lightly sprinkle the tops with sugar.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (test with a toothpick that it comes out clean). Let cool on the baking sheet for about twenty minutes (leaving the oven on).
7. Using a spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife (electric knives work great), cut on the diagonal into 3/4" slices (be as consistent as possible). Cutting on a diagonal gives you longer pieces. Place sliced pieces back onto the cookie sheet with a small gap between the cut slices (this will allow the biscotti to be baked again on the sides). Put back in the oven for 20 minutes.

Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Seeded Bread Twists

Seeded Bread Twists

Adapted from the Poppy Seed Twists recipe from Cooking Light, way back in 2001. While this is a bit of work, using frozen bread dough makes it much easier! Making this for Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/4 cup Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Poppy seeds
1 tsp Caraway seeds
1 tsp Sesame seeds
a pinch of Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
a pinch of Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 (1-pound) Loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
1 tsp Skim milk
1 large egg

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature in a bowl. Stir in poppy, caraway and sesame seeds along with kosher salt and pepper.
2. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (around 14" x 12") on a lightly floured surface.
3. Spread the onion mixture lengthwise over half of rectangle. Fold dough in half lengthwise; press edges of dough firmly to seal. Then cut the dough into 12 (6-inch-long) strips. Gently lift both ends of dough, and twist. Place twisted dough strips 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper or coated with cooking spray. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let sit for around 40 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°.
5. Combine the milk and egg in a bowl and brush over dough. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet, and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Enjoy. These will reheat nicely if frozen.

Apple Pork Chops

Adapted from the Recipe Inspirations Apple & Sage Pork Chops recipe from the McCormick site. I really liked it and will definitely try it again.

Ingredients
3 tbsp Flour
2 tsp Sage, dried
1 tsp Rosemary, dried
1 tsp Thyme Leaves, dried
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Allspice, Ground
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
6 boneless pork chops, around 3/4 inch thick (or boneless pork sirloin chops - cut in half)
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or two cloved)
1 red apple, thinly sliced (I used a large honeycrisp)
1/2 cup Apple juice or cider
1 tbsp & 1 tsp Brown sugar

Directions
1. Mix flour, sage, rosemary, thyme, paprika, allspice, kosher salt and black pepper in small bowl. Reserve 1 tbsp of the flour mixture and use the remaining to sprinkle on both sides of the pork chops.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add pork chops and brown on both sides (around 3-4 minutes on first side and 2-3 minutes on the other). Remove pork from skillet.
3. Heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and garlic, then cook for around 3 minutes. Add apples and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. To the pan, stir in juice, sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed. Return pork chops to skillet & bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for an additional 7-9 minutes.

Enjoy with potatoes and a green vegetable.

Chicken Stew With Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

Adapted from a recipe for Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew at Eating Well. I wanted to make something in the slow cooker that was a nice Chicken stew - so this is my first stab at it.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 Large onion (or two smaller ones), cut into thin slices
3-4 Chicken breasts (frozen)
2 tbsp Cornstarch (or flour)
1 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
2 tsp Dried rosemary
4 cloves (or tsp) garlic, minced
2-3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" slices
1-2 lbs Carrots (adjust to taste), sliced into 1" pieces (bite sized)
1 cup White wine
1 cup Chicken or vegetable broth

Directions:
1. Place sliced onions into the bottom of a slow cooker.
2. Place the frozen chicken breasts on top of the onions. Sprinkle the cornstarch, kosher salt, pepper and rosemary on top of the chicken.
3. Add garlic, sweet potatoes and carrots on top of the chicken and then add the liquids (wine and broth).
4. Cook on Low setting for around 8 hours. You can go to 10 hours if you are away at work.

Enjoy - especially with bread! The chicken will break apart easy - so you can do that before you serve.

Red Stew

Adapted from a recipe from Fantastic Slow Cooker Beef Stew that is also on my blog. I wanted to make something that would be a great source for beta-carotene - so this is rich in Carrots and Sweet Potatoes. This came out great and I will definitely make it again.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 bay leaves
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
2 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" slices
1-2 lbs Carrots (adjust to taste), sliced into 1" pieces (bite sized)
1 large Parsnip, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 cups beef broth

Directions:
1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, pepper and paprika; pour over meat and mix thoroughly.
2. On top of the meat, add garlic, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, onion, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and beef broth.
3. Cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours. (The low setting is ideal here).

Enjoy!