Jalapeno Popper Dip

I admit it--I'm a restaurant junkie. As much as I love cooking, I would eat out every single night if I didn't have children. So, some of my favorite recipes are ones that are adaptations of my favorite restaurant dishes.

So when I came across this recipe, I just had to try it. And, oh yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

INGREDIENTS
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2-4 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Breadcrumbs to taste

Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers.
2. Pour mixture into a pie dish
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. If you would like a crunchy crust, sprinkle Breadcrumbs tossed with a couples dashes Olive Oil on as well. (Crust not shown in picture)
4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
5. Served with Sliced French Baguette Bread that has been slightly toasted in the oven
6. Enjoy!

Something Sweet...

This is my Mom's recipe, and they are sooooo good! Something sweet for the Superbowl Party!

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

1 ½ C. old fashioned or quick cooking oatmeal
¾ C. flour
¾ C. sugar
1/3 C. brown sugar (packed)
6 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 t. vanilla
½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
1 large egg
** 5 – 1.04 to 1.20 oz. heath bar, cut in ½ inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Large bowl, measure all ingredients except candy – beat at low speed until well blended. Stir in candy with a spoon. Shape dough into 1 inch ball; flatten slightly; arrange them about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 2 ½ doz.

Burger Bites

Well I'm not even sure if I'm watching the big game this year. Who to cheer for? I hate both teams. And the halftime show, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, seriously? UGH! Guess I'll just check out the commercials and root for lots of injuries! But if I were having a party or going to a party, this is what I would bring. Who doesn't like a burger? And my kids LOVE them!

BUNS
1 (11oz) can refrigerated breadsticks

FILLING
1 egg
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 lb. lean ground beef

1. Heat oven to 375. Separate dough into 12 breadsticks. Cut each into 4 pieces, place on ungreased cookie sheet.

2. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove from cookie sheets, place on wire racks until slightly cooled, about 5 minutes. Split each in half, keeping tops and bottoms together to form miniature buns.

3. Reduce oven temp to 350. Beat egg in medium bowl and add onion, milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs. Add ground beef, mix well. Press mixture into thin layer in bottom of ungreased 13x9 pan.

4. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. (If you want cheeseburger bites, add a few slices of cheese and return to oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted.)

5. Cut beef into 48 rectangles (8 strips crosswise, 6 strips lengthwise). Fill buns with mini burgers. Place ketchup in small bowl for dipping sauce.

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

Perfect for a Super Sunday with the family or at the big neigborhood bash! I usually add the brown and white sugar to taste! If I am in a rush, I use the baked cinammon chips that you can find in most grocery stores!

INGREDIENTS
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Fuji apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar (optional)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Fuji apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves.
2. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.
6. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
7. Spray again with cooking spray.
8. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges.
10. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes.
11. Serve with chilled fruit and spice mixture.

Chili Dog, minus the bark

Traditionally, we are not Hot Dog eaters in this house....BUT, I loves me a good roll up your sleeves, fork and knife Chili Dog. So, we get as close to "healthy" as we can with this recipe.

Ingredients:
Hebrew National Beef Hot Dog (or Turkey Dog)
2 Alarm Chili Kit
1 sm. Can Tomato sauce
Ground Turkey
Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns
Cheddar Cheese
Toppings (diced purple onion, pickle relish. mustard, ketchup)

Directions:
Brown Ground Turkey. Follow directions on 2 alarm chili kit (add less cayenne pepper if kids are indulging and I usually don't add the salt at all). While that is simmering....
Pan Saute' Hot dogs (brown em) or you can grill them.
Toast Buns lightly. Cover the bun with chili, put on the dog, then top with cheese and extra's.

Serve with chips or baked french fries. Cover those with chili and cheese while you are at it! If you have frito's, make frito pie.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

A friend of ours brought this to our house for our NY Eve party, and it was soooo yummy! It would be great for a Superbowl Party too!

2 (5 ounce) cans chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup Frank's red hot sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Frito corn chips, scoops

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing, and red hot sauce.
Fold in shredded chicken.
Spread mixture into pie plate sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Add cheddar to top and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with Frito scoops or celery sticks. Enjoy!!

Kyle's Kickin' like a Chicken Wings

Oh yeah, my man's got game!

Warm up your grill.

Cut of the small end of your garlic bulb, wrap in foil, and cook on the grill until soft. Squeeze the garlic paste out into a bowl and mash. Reserve for sauce ingredients.

Coat 2 pounds of chicken wings with canola oil and season with salt & pepper. Grill chicken how you like them.

Meanwhile, gather your ingredients for the sauce: 1 stick of butter
1 TBS honey
1/2 cup Cholula hot sauce
1 bulb garlic, roasted and mashed
1 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep warm.

When the wings are done, coat them in sauce and serve. Sweet and spicy - these are lip smackin' good!

Football Madness Menu WEEK

Today marks the beginning of our
Football Madness Menu
here at HOT MOMS COOK.
Maybe this week, we can get some Hot Dads in the Kitchen...

To start off the festivities, Sangria.
CHEERS!

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 large lemon
1 large orange
1 small apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup Grand Marnier

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Thinly slice 1/2 of the lemon and 1/2 of the orange. Combine in large pitcher. Juice the other halves of the lemon and orange and add juice and rinds to the pitcher. Add the apple, wine, Grand Marnier and chilled syrup to the pitcher and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours. Serve straight up or on the rocks. -Emeril

Spice Up That Salad!

Want a yummy BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE?

2 Tbs Honey (or a little more if you want it sweeter)
3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbs minced red onion
1/2 Tbs Dijon
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in blender and blend with oil. Got this one from my mom - good stuff!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

OK, OK - I know you can buy hot chocolate mix at the store, but have you read the ingredient list on those packets?

This recipe is adapted from my favorite geeky chef, Alton Brown. It only has 5-6 ingredients, all of which I can pronounce. Mix up a big batch and keep it in the pantry in an airtight container. When you want a hot cocoa fix, just spoon the mix into your cup 1/4 to 1/3 full, add hot water, mix, and enjoy.

Hot Cocoa Mix
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, cinnamon, or whatever spice you like to taste

How now sow?

Pork. Pig. Swine.

All forms are tasty and FINE!

Two cuts - you will need -

And a fresh sprig - time to feed!

Rosemary's baby...PORK - that is...

or if you feel hum drum - call it:

Grilled Pork with rosemary and bacon -

No need to fry this one up in the pan.

Two forms of meat to satisfy your MAN -

force feed it to the kids if you can...

Grill it outside and get a winter tan!

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless pork chops (I prefer a smaller cut instead of a larger butterfly)

2-4 slices of uncured bacon

2-4 fresh sprigs of rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Lay rosemary sprig onto pork chop and wrap with a piece of bacon tightly.

Heat the grill - and sear 1-2 minutes of high heat on each side.

Lower heat and cook 4-6 minutes on each side.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes and remove rosemary before serving. :)

My Name is BRUCE....

Any Nemo fans? (No, I am not frying up clown fish for breakfast)

A quick, delicious HEALTHY breakfast in our house is Sweet Potato Pancakes. Here is one of my personal fav "modified" versions...
(Amy, you should try it, even though it says "breakfast vegetable" on the label, it is SO GOOD, sweet enough to eat without syrup, now that is somethin'.)

Ingredients:
1 package Bruce's Sweet Potato Pancake Mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup of nuts (walnuts or pecans), finely chopped
1 banana, sliced
Syrup

Directions:
Mix sweet potato mix with water (follow directions on label)
Chop nuts and pour into pancake mix

Heat griddle and spray with Pam. Spoon out small amounts of pancake mix onto the griddle (hey, no pokin' fun of my lopsided pancakes. Ugly food can be tasty too...).

Once pancakes are brown on both sides, place on a plate, cover with sliced bananas, then maple syrup, as much as desired

You are serving a healthy breakfast that your family will love.

A Hot Moms Favorite

This meal is a favorite at our house, as well as some other of the "hot moms". Sarah brought this to me when I had Kathryn, it's a great meal to share with new mommies. (In fact that's what I did last night!) And Jodi featured it when she hosted Cooking Club. It’s quick and easy and there are several “kid” friendly tasks for little cooks. We serve it over rice with some corn and a salad.

Poppy Seed Chicken

*4-6 cooked chicken breast, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 roll of Ritz Crackers
½ cup butter, melted
Poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. In a medium bowl combine the soup and sour cream. Pour mixture over the chicken.

3. Crush crackers into crumbs with rolling pin. Mix with the melted butter and spread on top of chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

4. Bake for 30 minutes.


*If running short on time (like I always am) use a few bags of the Tyson Chicken Strips found near the sandwich meat. No one will know the difference!

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

I got this recipe from a sample at Market Street that Nathan LOVED. He has been a little difficult with eating dinner lately so I decided to make it the next night. He took one bite, and then promptly told me that I made it wrong! Margaret, on the other hand, loved it and had 2 servings, so I will call it a qualified success.

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup from Paula Deen Quick and Easy Magazine
1 lb. ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I left this out since my kids aren't fans of bell pepper, but I think it would be good with red or orange)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 oz.) box Chicken Broth
2 (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 T. firmly packed brown sugar (I left this out, maybe that's why Nathan complained)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. salt
2 c. broken lasagna noodles (small package)
5 oz Parmesan cheese
1 box Italian seasoned croutons
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or italian blend cheese)

Brown your meat with your onions, bell pepper, and garlic, drain. Add broth, tomatoes and spices and simmer 15 minutes. Add noddles and simmer until tender. Stir in parmesan cheese.

To serve, you can put it in oven proof bowls, top with croutons and cheese and broil for 3-4 minutes. Or you can do what I did and just throw the croutons and cheese on top and zap it for a few seconds in the microwave. The kids don't care.

On the first night it is a thick soup. The leftovers are just like a mixed up lasagna.

Quick Smothered Bacon Chicken

This recipe is SO easy and perfect for those days when the kids need some extra attention while you are in the kitchen! It is especially nice when it's brrr cold outside! Serve on top of warm rice and with a veggie or salad! The garnish is totally optional. If you are not a fan of sour cream, I recommend cutting the sour cream to about 4-5 oz.

SMOTHERED BACON CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 slices bacon
8 ounces sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
Minced Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and Grated Parmesan to taste

GARNISH (optional)
3-4 Fresh Mushrooms
2-3 Slices Bacon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cook bacon as specified on package
3. Wrap each chicken breast in 2 strips of bacon and place in a glass 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, and soup. Add Minced Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and Grated Parmesan to taste.
5. Cover the chicken with the sour cream/soup mixture and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until slightly brown on top.
6. Slice mushrooms and the rest of the bacon. (optional)
7. Saute mushrooms and bacon in butter. (optional)
8. Drain & pour over cooked chicken. (optional)
9. Serve

Hippy Chili

Earthy, crunchy Chili.....it might fool the average follower. But no promises. All ingredients can be subbed with regular in place of organic.

1 package of Yves fake meat. AKA: soy crumbles, meatless ground
1 pkg Pepperidge Farm Ranch dressing mix
(The remaining used items are Organic)
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 large can dices tomatoes
1/2 cans of each: drained black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans.(reserve the rest for Hippy Nachos)
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 can of corn

Pour all together in Slow Cooker and simmer over low until ready to eat. Serve with Keeblers puffed crackers, cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and sour cream.

Great Chicken Dish I Made Last Week

Toasted Almond Chicken
(adapted from SL Easy Weeknight Favorites pg.76)

6 skinned and boned chicken breasts halved
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp butter divided
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1 tbsp dijon mustard (I used stone deli mustard)
a little nutmeg (my deviation)
1 (2.25 oz) pkg. sliced almonds toasted

Place chicken between two sheets of wax paper or heavy duty plastic wrap and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 1/2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove chicken from skillet. Repeat procedure for remaining chicken.

Reduce heat to medium; add whipping cream and next 3 ingredients to skillet, stirring well. Add chicken; sprinkle with almonds and cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens. Makes 6 servings.

I served this with white rice. Yummy!

What's Cooking Tonight at Casa Prugh

Lemon Chicken

Boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 cloves garlic, minced, crushed, etc
parsley
basil (optional)
1-2 fresh lemons
breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
butter
olive oil
salt and pepper
white wine
low sodium chicken broth

Cut up boneless into fairly thin (about 1/2 inch) fillets.
Soak the chicken in beaten eggs, garlic, parsley, and zest of about 1 lemon. Let soak for an hour or two.

When you're ready to start cooking, remove chicken pieces and coat them in a mixture of breadcrumbs and parm cheese. Brown in a pot or Dutch oven that can go from stove top to oven (I use my fabulous Le Creuset for this). After each side is lightly browned, add some white wine to deglaze the bottom of the dish. Add chicken broth to a level so that the chicken will simmer in it but not boil - enough to make a little bit of a sauce at the end if necessary. Add juice of 1 or 2 lemons and some extra zest. Add some salt and pepper to taste and some chopped fresh basil if desired. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle a bit of parm cheese. Bake covered at about 375 for maybe 15 min; then uncover and leave to finish baking another 5 min or so. I like to serve it all on one big platter and then use whatever liquid is left in the cooking dish to make a little sauce. Just add a tiny bit of flour or more breadcrumbs and thicken slightly on the stove top.

One Cheeseball and a Minivan of Hot Moms

CHEESEBALL

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded sharp cheese or colby

1/2 C. blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 C. minced green onions - you only use the white part of the onion

1 jar diced pimentos, drained

3/4 C. pecans chopped - (divide them in half)

10 slices bacon - fried very crispy - then finely crumbled (turkey bacon works the best)

1/4 C minced parsley

1 T. poppy seeds
Serve with crackers (mutli grain wheat thins are my personal choice)

Place cream cheese in mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cheeses, onions, pimentos, 1/2 of the bacon and 1/2 of the nuts. Blend again until well blended. You may season to taste, however, keep in mind that cheese and bacon are usually salty enough.

Transfer mixture to large piece of plastic wrap. Shape, as best you can, into a ball and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze if you are not going to use it right away. (You may half the recipe and freeze one portion. It defrosts perfectly.)

Combine remaining bacon and nuts, parsley & poppy seeds in a large pie plate. Remove plastic wrap, shape cheese mixture into a "better ball", then roll in mixture until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

This recipe makes a great housewarming gift. Purchase a decorative plate to display the cheese ball on and give the cheeseball and plate as a gift. Don't forget the crackers.