Southwestern Chicken Panini

Southwestern Chicken Panini

1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup salsa verde
1/8 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp golden raisins
1 finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo + 1/2 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
4 slices Italian country-style bread
1/2 cup shredded colby cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook the onion in 1 tbsp oil for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Stir in salsa verde, nuts, raisins, chipotel chili and sauce, sugar, vinegar and cinnamon. Stir in chicken; heat through.
2. Preheat panini press or cast-iron skillet (or George Foreman Grill!). Brush one side of each piece of bread with remaining oil. Place one slice oil side down on the grill, followed by half the chicken mixture, half the cheese, and top it with another slice of bread. Repeat for the second sandwich. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden .

Notes: This recipe makes enough for 2 people, but it can easily be doubled for more. We've found that the old George Foreman grill from college makes a great panini, though you can toast it any way you want.

Recipe Origination: "Better Homes and Gardens" with a few tweaks

Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwich

Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwich

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb)
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
4 kaiser rolls (or some other type of bun)

1. Cut the tenderloin in half; place in 3-qt slow cooker.
2.Combine ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper; pour over pork.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Shred with forks. Serve with rolls.

Notes: It's a crock pot meal, so you know it's going to be easy. But, this one has practically no prep involved, so it can be accomplished in about 5 minutes. The pork would also taste great without a bun...just piled up on your plate in a heap of goodness with some cornbread. If you don't have cider vinegar, you can use plain white vinegar, but it loses a bit of the tangy flavor. I used rice vinegar with a pinch of sugar once and that seemed to work well, too.

Recipe Origination: "Taste of Home"

Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, cubed

1/3 cup 2% milk

2 sleeves Keebler Town House crackers (about 80-90)

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional

1. In a saucepan, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugars, butter and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly: cook and stir 5 minutes longer.

2. Place a single layer of crackers in a greased 9 x 13" dish; top with half of crumb mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining crackers.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour over crackers. (Sprinkly with pecans, if desired.) Let stand until set.

Notes: They set faster if you throw them in the fridge for half an hour. They melt in your mouth like candy!

Recipe Origination: "Taste of Home"

Raspberry-Chocolate Cheesecake

Raspberry-Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups macaroon cookie crumbs

3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Topping:

3-4 tbsp seedless rapsberry jam

1-2 tbsp milk chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Crust: Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom and 1" up the sides of a 9" springform pan. Wrap foil around bottom of pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

3. Filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the bottom of the cooled crust. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the chips.

5. Topping: Heat raspberry jam gently, until just liquid enough to drizzle over the top. Sprinkle remaining 1-2 tbsp chocolate chips over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until filling is set.

6. Remove cheesecake to wire rack and cool completely. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until completely chilled.

Notes: I followed the recipe exactly as is, and it was delightful :)

Recipe Origination: The only positive thing about waiting in the doctor's office is the opportunity to rip recipes from magazines; this one came from "Family Circle."

Apple Pizza

Apple Pizza

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
2 large apples, cored and sliced into thin pieces (Granny Smith or other tart varieties work well)
3 1/4 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp butter, softened

1. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon with sliced apples. Set aside.
2. Cut together: 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter. (If you don't have a cutting tool, use two forks.) Press in to the bottom of standard jelly roll pan.
3. Spread apples over crust.
4. Cut together: 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over top of apples.
5. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes: Make sure you really press the crust hard into the pan; otherwise, it won't form an actual crust but instead will crumble into pieces as you try to cut pieces.

Recipe Origination: This is from 7th grade cooking class!

Thai Peanut Dip

Thai Peanut Dip

1 cup smooth of chunky peanut butter

2 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp peanut oil

2-3 tbsp honey

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

Fresh cilantro, minced

1. Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice and oil in a mixing bowl until blended.

2. Add the honey, red papper flakes, garlic and hot pepper sauce, mixing well.

3. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro.

Notes: The dip goes great with veggies - bell peppers, carrots, celery - and pretzels. It also goes good with chicken or beef satays.

Recipe Origination: I got this one from Dom Geocaris. I believe it's originally a Pampered Chef recipe.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
1 lime, zest finely grated
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Add the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt and garlic powder to a lidded jar. Shake to mix. Pour half into a large resealable bag, adding the chipotle pepper. Refrigerate the remaining marinade still in the jar.

2. Add the pork tenderloin to the bag, move around to coat, remove air from the bag, then seal and refrigerate for 6-24 hours.

3. Remove tenderloin and reserved marinade from the fridge and let it warm to room temperature while the grill is warming up.

4. Warm up a charcoal grill (takes about 30 minutes), then oil the grill grate and put it at the lowest setting (closest to the charcoals).

5. Put the tenderloin on the grill, cooking for 12-15 minutes (or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees), rotating every few minutes.

6. Remove the tenderloin and wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour the remaining marinade in the foil "boat" and keep it tightly wrapped for 10 minutes.

7. Cut into slices on a cutting board and garnish with cilantro.

Notes: We've tried this with a shorter marinating time and the full day. Both are delicious :)

Recipe Origination: It's an Alton Brown recipe with no tweaks. It didn't need any!