Apricot Ribs

I really thought that Randal would like these apricot ribs from Kayotic Kitchen. I think the reason he felt that they had too much of an Asian flavor was because of the sesame oil, so if I were to make these again I would either leave that out or reduce the amount.

Pork baby back ribs
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 275.

Combine the apricot preserves, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, lime juice, ginger, red pepper, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Stir together and cover the ribs with the sauce, leaving some for later.

Wrap the ribs in foil and place on a baking sheet, bake for 3 hours.  Pour the remaining sauce over the ribs return to the oven for just a few minutes.

Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers

Randal loves jalapeno poppers, he also loves cornbread so when I saw these cornbread stuffed jalapenos over at oh, bite it! I knew I had to make these.  I added a little cream cheese to the jalapenos which was not part of the original recipe, I just knew that Randal would prefer that.

 

1 box of cornbread mix
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup canned corn
Fresh jalapenos
Cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Make the cornbread according to package directions.  Mix in the corn and cheddar cheese.

 

Slice the jalapenos in half and remove all the seeds.  If using cream cheese and a small amount to the bottom of each jalapeno.  Fill with the cornbread mix, place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

 

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Chicken tikka masala, jasmine rice, naan bread

Tuesday: Spag bol and salad

Wednesday: Beef stroganoff, peas

Thursday:  Sausage ravioli, salad

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Chicken Parm Meatballs

This recipe from Dinner: A Love Story is one of the best dinners we have had in a while.  The original recipe for these meatballs used ground chicken, however my new favourite thing when making chicken meatballs is to use chicken thighs and grind them up in the food processor, making them this way always makes for incredibly moist and tender meatballs.  I also added more herbs and seasoning than the original recipe as Randal and I tend to like heavily seasoned food.  I cannot say enough good things about these chicken parm meatballs though, Randal even wanted me to try some rolled in panko before baking and those were delicious also.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 egg, whisked
Zest of a lemon
Salt and pepper
Marinara sauce
Sliced mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400

In a food processor, pulse the chicken until coarsely ground then transfer to a bowl.  Mix in the onion, parsley, garlic, fennel seeds, parmesan, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and salt and pepper. 

Shape into balls, place onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and spoon on some of the marinara sauce and top with mozzarella.  Cook for another 5 minutes, to melt the cheese.

Linked to: A Pinch of Joy, This Gal Cooks,

Garlic Knots

I had some puff pastry that I needed to use and thought these would go great with the spaghetti I was making for dinner.  You can't go wrong with cheesy, garlicky pastry!

1 sheet puff pastry
1/4 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. chopped fresh pasrsley
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
All purpose flour

Pre heat oven to 400.

Mix the melted butter, garlic and parsley together.

Sprinkle flour on counter, roll out the pastry into a 10 inch square.  Brush the pastry with the butter, top with the cheese.  Fold the pastry in half and cut into half inch wide strips.  Tie each strip into a knot, place on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining butter.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Rainbow Swirl Cookies

I was so thrilled that Payton and Parker asked me to make their birthday cakes this year. They were both very specific in what they wanted (especially Parker Kate, who wanted a purple ombre littlest pet shop cake).  Payton however wanted a rainbow cake with turquoise frosting that looked very grown up, the addition of zebra print came after a trip to Michaels where she saw a sheet of Wilton's edible zebra print sugar sheets.  I also knew that I wanted to make these rainbow swirl cookies that I had seen over at Sprinkle Bakes.  The original cookies were red and flavoured with strawberry, I wanted these cookies to match Payton's cake so I coloured them turquoise and used a blue raspberry flavouring. 

2 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp raspberry extract
1/2 tsp turquoise food colour
2 tbsp cake flour
Rainbow jumbo sprinkles

In a food processor combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and icing sugar, pulse to mix. Add the butter slowly, pulsing until combined. Add in the vanilla and process until the mixture forms a ball.

Divide the dough into 2, put one half back into the processor, add the raspberry flavouring and the turquoise food colour and the 2 tablespoons of flour and mix until combined.

Roll out the vanilla dough and the flavoured dough between wax paper, to form a rectangle around 11 x 8. Place the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Place the sprinkles into a large dish.  Remove the top sheet of wax paper from both doughs, carefully flip the coloured dough onto the vanilla dough, press together and remove the wax paper from the top.  Trim the edges and roll the dough starting with the long side, once rolled into a log place in the dish containing the sprinkles, roll in the sprinkles until completely covered. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours. 

When ready to bake, heat oven to 325.  Slice into 1/4 inch rounds and bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes.

I also made Payton some zebra print brownies.  Here's a picture of everything together.

 

Her sliced rainbow cake.

Just because I don't want to leave Miss Parker Kate out of this post, here is her littlest pet shop cake and the cookies I made for her.

 

Parker's sliced ombre cake.

 Thank you for asking me to make your cakes, girls.  I hope you liked them!

  Linked to: made in a day, mandatory mooch, mom on time out, two yellow birds, what's cooking, love?, craftionary, tutus and tea parties, i should be mopping the floor,

Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

I don't make Italian sausage often because I am not a fan of it, even though Randal loves it. These sandwiches from pass the sushi appealed to me because it mixed the sausage with beef so I thought I would like it enough, and I knew Randal would enjoy these. The original recipe was made in the slow cooker, but I decided not to do that and they turned out great.

1 lb sweet sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
2 15oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
Sliced provolone
Fresh rolls

Brown the sausage and ground beef in a large pan.  Add the roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, and peppers into the meat and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat.

Butter split rolls and toast in a hot pan until lightly browned, add provolone and top with the sausage mixture.