2012 Favorite recipes

It is New Years Day and I thought it would be fun to post the top 5 recipes that viewers seem to enjoy checking out and cooking. It has been a lot of fun writing the blog and getting feed back from others who have made the recipes I have posted. I am excited for 2013 and adding even more great recipes for appetizers, dinners, and even cocktails. Check out these recipes and let me know what you think and if any of them are your favorite.


The one recipe that reached a 1,000 views and seems to be the most popular is Olive Garden Dressing.
It is one of my favorites also. I like it because it is like a creamy Italian dressing that works on many different salads.

#1 Olive Garden Dressing

The other favorite is my chili recipe. It is very close to a 1,000 views and is quite simple to make. I have made this for my annual soup swap and some of the members ask me to make it the following year because they love it so much.

#2 Chili

My Ultimate Chocolate Chip recipe seems to also be a big hit on my blog. I am not surprised because it took me years to figure this recipe out and now I make them over and over to the point that I have memorized it. 

#3 Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

This Ravioli with Garlic Cream Sauce is a favorite of mine and my family so I am not surprised it is also on the top 5 list. It is super easy to make and your friends and family will think you are a chef because of how fancy it looks and taste.

#4 Ravioli with Garlic Cream Sauce

My Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast Flakes recipe has become quite a hit on pinterest and google. I think it is because of the Nutritional flakes. I can't tell you how addicting this popcorn is and how good it is for you. Try it and let me know what you think.

#5 Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Weenies in a blanket

My mother started making these when I was a teenager and they have become a staple appetizer at my house on Christmas day for many years after. I now live in NYC and am not home for the holidays so to help with my homesickness I make these every year for my kids and guests on Christmas eve.

They are really easy and taste so much better than the ones you buy in the frozen section. I have tried many frozen cocktail weenies at Trader Joes and Costco and all of them have this weird after taste I don't enjoy. Once you make these you will also feel the same way.

These are great for any party/get together you will have. Your guests will gobble them up so fast you will have a hard time getting one yourself. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
1 package of cocktail weenies (my favorite is Nathans but Hillshire is also good)
1 package Pillsbury Crescent rolls.

Directions

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unravel Crescent rolls. Cut each triangle into 5 small pieces and roll each weenie with that pieces. Line them up on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

I dip mine in yellow and spicy mustard but for kids you can add ketchup.


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Cleaning Cast Iron Skillet

Cleaning a cast iron skillet can seem quite difficult but it is actually quite easy and if you take good care of it, it will last you many life times.

I received my first cast iron skillet as a wedding gift. I thought it would be great because it was not seasoned and I was so excited to season it myself. I followed the instructions and and failed miserably. For some reason it came out sticky and stayed sticky. No matter what I did I couldn't get the sticky substance off. I got fed up and gave it away and stayed away from those pans for a very long time.

About 8 years later I went to the Martha Stewart Show and they allowed the audience to ask questions. I asked what I did wrong with seasoning my cast iron skillet and she said why would you ever buy one not seasoned. That wasn't exactly the answer I expected but I realized then I need to go and get a seasoned one immediately.

I received one as a gift last year and absolutely love it. It makes the best burgers and steaks. If you don't have one you should get one. They are inexpensive and perfect pan for heavy duty cooking.

Here are my tips on cleaving them. I watched an episode on Martha Stewart of a man showing how to clean them and now I am no longer afraid. I used to clean it with kosher salt because I was afraid soap would ruin it.  Well he used soap on his and he makes these pans for a living so I figured he must know.

Step 1. After you soaked the pan with super hot water take a brush and a little soap and scrub off all the bits stuck on the pan and rinse with hot water. 



Don't be shy it is a very sturdy pan and can handle quite a bit. 

Step 2. Rinse all the soap and bits off with very hot water.

Step 3. Dry it immediately and thoroughly. Water will rust your skillet so it is essential to dry it.

Step 4. Add a little vegetable oil in the pan to season it. It is important to season it after every wash so it stays nice for you for years to come.

Step 5. Use your paper towel and rub the oil into the pan thoroughly. It seems strange and once rub in all the way it is not sticky and ready to use for your next use.

Voila!!! 

Pecan Bars

I have been making these for years but this year I made them for The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap. I love them because they are very easy to make and simply Divine. I wanted to make something that could handle shipping and still taste great as the day I made them. By participating in this swap I received the names of 3 bloggers that I had never heard of to send a dozen cookies to each of them. And I also received a dozen cookies from 3 bloggers. It was so much fun to get such yummy cookies in the mail. My family enjoyed opening the boxes to see what lovely cookie we would receive. Each of the ladies took great care in making them and shipping them to me.

I hope the ladies I sent them to were as happy with them as me and my family were. My son Coolidge was sorry to see them go. I promised some yummy cookies were coming in the mail. I had a lot of fun swapping cookies with complete strangers.

I got this recipe from one of my favorite food magazines "Everyday Food." Try it and let me know what you think. I feel they freeze well too so you can pull them out and serve them to your guests later.

Ingredients
For the Crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces about 2 cups pecans

Directions

Make the Crust
1. Line 9 inch square baking pan with foil. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add butter, pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg, pulse just until a dough forms. 2. Transfer dough to prepared pan, press firmly into bottom and 3/4 inch up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 3. Prick bottom of dough. Bake until lightly golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool while preparing filling.

Make the Filling
1. In a large saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly, until smooth; continue boiling, without stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. 2. Remove pan from the heat. Whisk in cream and salt; mix in pecans.

Assemble and Bake
1. spoon hot filling evenly over crust, using spoon to arrange and press in nuts so they fit snugly (Create as flat a surface as possible). 2. Bake until bubbling and amber colored, 18-22 minutes. Cool Completely in pan. 3. Using foil lift cake from pan; peel off foil. With a sharp knife cut into 6 even strips; cut each strip crosswise into 4 even strips to make 24 bars.

Crust ready to bake

Ready to cut into bars

Ready to be shipped

Meat Sauce

When I moved to NYC the only way I knew how to make meat sauce was to brown beef and add Prego.
I worked for a family who made unbelievable sauce and showed me how to cook pasta al dente. After watching him and the food network I realized that making sauce was one of the hardest things to make if you don't know what you are doing. And with the right ingredients it is also the easiest.

When I first tried it I couldn't believe how bland it was and I had to add A LOT of salt. However once you learned how to make it you realize it is so easy and much better than any jar sauce out there. I am not opposed to jar sauce and here in NYC there are some very tasty ones out there. I showed my sister Brandi just how easy it is when she was here to visit and her and the kids gobbled it all up. Try this sauce and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
2 (16 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup red wine (if you have it)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp all spice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large pan add ground beef, break it up with spoon and brown on high heat. Cook for 2 minutes and then add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and oregano. Cook another 2 minutes and add chopped onion. Once the meat is cooked through add minced garlic and all spice and cook 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup red wine (if you have it) and cook 2 minutes.

Add tomato sauce another teaspoon of salt and pepper and oregano. Simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add sugar and cook another 10 minutes. Add parm cheese and simmer while you cook pasta.

Cook pasta according to directions and do not over cook. Serve sauce over pasta and add more grated cheese to the top.

(The red wine is not essential but adds another great flavor if you have it)

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

We used to buy these at the deli up on Broadway at least once a week. Sometimes it would be super delish and sometimes it was just alright. I had some leftover sauce from pasta I made a couple nights ago and decided to make chicken parm sandwiches. They turned out so well that now I can't even imagine gambling on the deli anymore. My husband and Coolidge just loved them. I think next time I might add parmesan cheese to the butter spread.

Try them and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

Basic Tomato Sauce
2 hoagie rolls
2 thin chicken cutlets
3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tbs butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper

Directions

Cook chicken just like we did in Chicken Parmesan and set aside.

In a small bowl add 3 tbs butter, minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Mix it together and spread it on the hoagie rolls. Place them under the broiler until lightly toasted.

Add chicken to the bottom side and place shredded mozzarella on the chicken and place back under the broiler until cheese has melted. Then add sauce to the top of the chicken and then top side of bread and cut in half and serve.

Chicken Spaghetti

I am a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman's cooking show. I think what draws me there most is that she cooks for a busy family and I can relate. I first saw this recipe on her blog and they way it is described on there I didn't find it appealing. Then I watched her make it on the Foodnetwork and my mouth started to water so I thought I have to give that a try. I went to her blog to get the recipe and realized it wasn't the same. I went to the Food Network and it was different so I printed it instead and made it for my family. 

My kids are not fans of cheesy pasta so I took this recipe and put it in two small 9X9 pans instead of one 9x13 pan. One I put in the freezer and the other me and my husband devoured. Luckily there was some left over for another night because it was big hit. I also loved that I could take the other half out of the freezer on a day I just didn't feel like cooking. 

I wish my kids were like Ree's but they are just not willing to eat everything I make. So when they wont eat cheesy pasta I make them plain pasta with a little butter. I also changed the recipe slightly so if you want it exactly like hers click her name above and it will take you there. 

Ingredients

2 heaping cups cooked chicken

3/4 pound spaghetti cut into 2 inch pieces

1 can cream mushroom soup

2 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 of a large onion finely chopped

1 cup low sodium chicken broth plus more if needed

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

salt and pepper



Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti for 9 minutes. Do not overcook, if anything slightly under cook it. When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, onions, seasoned salt, cayenne, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup chicken broth, adding an additional cup if needed. You don't want it too dry.

Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Ready to freeze