Monterey Chicken

This recipe is an oldie, but a goodie.  I think I've been making this one since early marriage and that has been quite a while.  We love to cook and experiment so we are constantly trying new recipes here.  with the exception of some of our tried and true family recipes that we make often like Green Chile Stew, Greg's Chili or Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti, there are not a lot of recipes that are in regular rotation.  In fact, when we made this, we both agreed this is a recipe we should make more often.  I love grilled chicken.  One of the recipes that IS in our constant rotation is a Green Chile Chicken Sandwich.  Just a marinated chicken breast, grilled and topped with cheese and diced green chiles.  This chicken preparation is just a tasty variation of that.  It's a hearty main dish, it would be delicious as chicken sandwich, and it's a great way to use up a little leftover bacon and cheese. We will definitely be making this more often.  

One of our favorites. We need to make 
this way more often.

Once your seasoned chicken breasts
are cooked, brush them generously
 with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Add cooked and crumbled bacon,
diced Roma tomatoes and chopped
green onions.

Broil under a low broiler until cheese melts.

Serve with your favorites side dishes
for a delicious and flavorful main course,
or on a toasted bun for a
delicious chicken sandwich.

Be sure to add this one to your regular
recipe rotation.  I know we will!

MONTEREY CHICKEN 

(serves 2)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
your favorite seasoning
salt & pepper
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Roma tomato, diced
3 green onions (green parts only) sliced

Season your chicken breasts on both sides with your favorite seasoning.  We used Cuso's Southwest Sand and salt & pepper.  Place in a hot skillet with a small amount of neutral oil.  Cook approximately 4-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.  When the chicken breasts are done, place on a baking sheet that is lined with foil or parchment for easy clean-up.  Brush the chicken breasts allover with barbecue sauce.  Top with shredded cheese, bacon, tomatoes and green onions.  Broil in the oven on low broil until the cheese melts.  Serve immediately while the toppings are hot and bubbly.

Twinkie Poke Cake

I'm a sucker for nostalgic desserts.  One of my favorite things to prepare is Twinkies on our Blackstone Griddle.  Once they become crisp and caramelized, I serve them with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and call it Griddled Twinkie Strawberry Shortcake.  It's a really fun and impressive dessert, but it's not one I made when we are busy entertaining, or absorbed in watching a baseball game.  I say that, because I made this specific cake when we had guests over to watch OU Baseball playing their way to the national championship.  In the past both my Southern Pecan Praline Poke Cake and Coconut Cake have been huge hits.  And both start with a boxed cake mix.  I figured a Twinkie poke-style cake would be a huge hit, easily made ahead and a great dessert to enjoy while we watched the game.  This cake turned out unbelievably delicious, with a frosting that is so reminiscent of that delicious sponge cake filling. Seriously the frosting could just be in a post by itself, it is that good. 

A delicious, nostalgic dessert.

The ingredients.
Make sure you have oil and eggs 
to prepare the boxed cake mix.

Prepare the cake mix according
to the package directions.
Bake and let cool completely.

Mix together butter and marshmallow
fluff until smooth.  Add the powdered
sugar, milk and vanilla to create 
the tastiest frosting.

Place part of the frosting into a piping
bag and pipe into holes made in the 
cooled cake.

Use the remaining frosting to frost 
the top of the cake, spreading until smooth.

Serve and enjoy.

TWINKIE POKE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix PLUS: oil, eggs, water needed to make the cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 large (16 ounce) container marshmallow fluff
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions in a 9x13-inch baking pan.  Allow the cake to cool completely.  With the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes allover the cooled cake.

While the cake is cooling prepare the filling/frosting.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and marshmallow fluff, mixing until smooth.  Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until combined.  Add in the milk and vanilla.  Once this is smooth and combined, place about 1/3 of the frosting mixture into a piping bag fitted with a larger tip.  (The open-circle style works best.  I could not find that one, so I used a larger star tip and it worked just fine.)

Carefully pipe the frosting into the holes in the cake, making sure to fill them up.  Use a spatula to smooth out any overfill.  Use the remaining frosting to frost the top of the cake, spreading until smooth.

Roasted Tomatoes & Burrata Cheese with Crostini

Since all of the food recalls this year, I've been skeptical about serving lettuce and other ingredients.  Which is really frustrating because the weather has been so hot.  We should be right in the heart of cool and refreshing salad season.  Since we can't really trust the produce right now, we've mainly been sticking to stuff from our own garden, which means tons and tons of cherry tomatoes.  Earlier in the summer, the Devilish Nephew and family came to visit. I certainly did not want to make anyone sick so I kept it safe and made a watermelon and feta cheese salad.  The adults enjoyed that and the tiniest devils love a good wedge of watermelon.  Mr. Devilish Dish grilled some delicious spice rubbed chicken thighs.  We enjoyed a batch of Frozen Aperol Spritzes.  All I needed was something featuring my harmless and abundant cherry tomatoes from my garden.  I've seen variations of this recipe allover the internet, featuring all kinds of ingredients, but I decided to keep it simple.  You could definitely add olives, fresh basil or anything else you desire, but the simple combination of tomatoes, roasted garlic and cheese tastes absolutely delicious as is.  This was a huge hit with everyone.  It would make a lovely snack with a crisp glass of wine, but since we are not eating lettuce right now, this has become a side dish in our meal rotation with no complaints!

This is so good.
We could eat this every day.

Easy to make and easy clean up.
Everything goes in one dish.

While the tomatoes and garlic roast,
get your baguette ready to
toast into crostini.

Look how good this looks.
Roasted well and a tiny bit of char
on a few tomatoes.

Use tongs to squeeze the roasted
garlic cloves out of the head 
of garlic.

Grab a fork or potato masher
and mash everything together.

Get some burrata cheese.
Drain away the liquid.

Tear the burrata into pieces and 
nestle it down into the hot
tomatoes and garlic.

Once the cheese melts, stir
everything together.

Serve with toasted crostini.

So delicious and a great use
for a big harvest of cherry tomatoes.

Serve as a side dish, or enjoy as an 
appetizer with a crisp glass of wine.

ROASTED TOMATOES & BURRATA CHEESE WITH CROSTINI

2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes
3 heads fresh garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
one container burrata cheese
1 baguette

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Add the cherry tomatoes.  Generously drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Leaving the garlic heads intact, cut off the top.  Drizzle the cut part with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Nestle amongst the tomatoes and bake in the oven for an hour.  Remove the dish from the oven.  Using tongs, carefully squeeze the roasted garlic from its paper
squeezing the roasted garlic cloves into the tomatoes.  Discard the garlic papers.  With a potato masher or fork, smash the garlic and roasted tomatoes together.  Remove the burrata cheese from its liquid.  Tear into pieces and place in the hot tomato mixture.  Stir together allowing the cheese to melt completely.  Serve with crostini for dipping.

To make the crostini:  Slice the baguette into thin slices and place on a baking tray.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in the 400 degree oven approximately 4 minutes per side or until crisp.

Frozen Santoni Spritz in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker

I told you a while back that the Frozen Aperol Spritz has been my drink of summer.  Total Wine loves to see me coming for Aperol and Prosecco.  I had read an article a while back that said if you enjoy Aperol, to try Santoni. Santoni Aperitivo is a bittersweet Italian liqueur featuring botanicals, rhubarb and olive leaf.  Aperol is sweetest and lightest of these styles of bitter aperitifs.  Campari has the deeper more intense bitter flavor.  Santoni sits in the middle of those two.  A traditional Santoni Spritz is 2 parts Santoni, over ice with 4 parts Prosecco.  Garnished with an olive.  AN OLIVE.  In a spritzer.   Since I enjoyed the Frozen Aperol Spritz so much, I went straight for a Frozen Santoni Spritz without even trying the liqueur first.  The first drink I had was slightly more bitter than the Aperol I was used to.  I thought I had made a mistake.  Upon a few more sips, I realized the flavor is very good.  But it seemed like it was missing something.  I always garnish my Aperol Spritzes with an orange slice, so I thought I would stick to tradition and throw in a couple of Castelvetrano olives.  IN A SLUSH.  So here I am drinking what looks like a cherry Icee from 7-11 with the bitterly botanical flavor with olives floating around.  And you know what?  There's a reason Italian food is some of the best in the world.  Italians simply know what they are doing with flavor.  The addition of those olives with a touch of their brine completely changed the flavor of the drink.  If you don't like Aperol, then you probably will not enjoy a Santoni Spritz, but if you do like the flavor of Aperol or Campari, then most definitely give this a try.  If you don't have a slushi maker, then just make a traditional spritz that isn't frozen.  The sophisticated flavors and beautiful red color make this drink unusually refreshing. 

This is actually really good.
*IF* you like Aperol or Campari.
If you hate Aperol, you probably 
won't enjoy this as much as we did.

The traditional garnish is an olive.
The flavors compliment this liqueur
so much.  It's really a tasty drink.

I'll say it again...The Italians REALLY
know how to put delicious flavors together.

Despite looking like a cherry ICEE,
this grown-up drink is full of 
botanical flavor.  Truly a sophisticated sip.

FROZEN SANTONI SPRITZ IN THE NINJA SLUSHI DRINK MAKER

(1) 750 ml bottle Prosecco
1 cup Santoni Aperitivo Liqueur
2 cups Club Soda
1-2 tablespoons olive brine
Castrelvetrano olives for garnish

Combine the Prosecco, Santoni, club soda and olive brine in the drink machine.  Choose the spiked slush setting and one frozen, garnish with a couple of Castrelvetrano olives and enjoy.

For a TRADITIONAL SANTONI SPRITZ:

Pour 2 parts Santoni Aperitivo over ice.  Top with 4 parts Prosecco or sparkling wine.  Garnish with olives.

 

Creamy Broccoli Salad

I found my new favorite side dish for the rest of the summer.  Most of my weekends (and some week nights too) revolve around Mr. DD smoking some kind of meat.  Not my thing (except for the smoked tri-tip) but it does give me the opportunity to try a lot of new side dishes and desserts.  Bonus if they can be made ahead and then I just sit in the blow up pool and sample whatever new frozen cocktail I've been trying to master with the Ninja Slushi machine.  We've had some hits and misses, but this salad was definitely a hit.  His input was to add bacon, my thought was to add some chopped pecans or slivered almonds next time, but the be honest this salad is ideal exactly as it is.  Perfect for any barbecue or potluck meal as well.  A nice change from potato salad or coleslaw too.  And with the addition of the dried cranberries, I think this salad is not just for summer, but would be delicious alongside any fall or holiday meal.    

A delicious alternative to potato salad
or coleslaw.  This crunchy salad is 
full of flavor.

The ingredients...
So simple to make.

Combine the chopped broccoli,
red onion and dried cranberries together.
Make the dressing and toss to combine.

This salad tastes even better when you make it
a few hours ahead or the day before!

CREAMY BROCCOLI SALAD

2 broccoli crowns
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Chop the broccoli into small pieces and place in a large salad bowl.  Add the diced onion and dried cranberries.  In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice.  Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat evenly.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour to let the flavors meld together.  Toss again just before serving.  (This can easily be made the day before.)

Enjoy,

Frozen S'mores

We had a small 4th of July gathering.  Mr. Devilish Dish made "Brisket on a Stick" which is really giant ribs.  I made my Mom's Corkscrew Pasta Salad  because it is Little Devil's favorite.  We had baked beans and Vodka Slushes too.  I was trying to keep things simple and "make ahead" and I really wanted a make ahead dessert too.  Mr. Devilish Dish suggested Peach Cobbler, which I absolutely love, but I wanted to try something new.  The 4th of July and summer always makes me think of S'mores but right now we are in straight pool and patio mode in our yard, and the firepit is covered up.  Not to mention it is hotter than heck this time of year, and cooking dessert over a flame just didn't sound fun.  I thought about making a S'mores homemade ice cream, but again it is the lazy days of summer.  I thought surely some kind of frozen s'mores bar or ice cream sandwich exists.  And yes!  Here we are.  This was a simple but fun dessert to make and it turned out to be a huge hit.  Light and cool, it was the perfect bite after a big bbq meal.  I'll definitely be making this treat again this summer.  A fun alternative to the traditional s'mores!

A fun and cool alternative to the 
traditional roasted s'mores.

Just a few ingredients.

Mix the pudding mix and whole
milk together, then fold in a 
little bit of the whipped topping.

Line a pan with parchment paper
(See note below)
Top with cracker sections and then
the chocolate mixture.
Freeze.

Meanwhile, mix together the
marshmallow cream and cream cheese.
Fold in remaining whipped topping.

Spread this on top of the set 
chocolate mixture.

Make sure this is smooth.
See how I left parchment overhanging
the edges of the pan? This step is important
to ensure you can cut into neatly 
shaped bars.

Top with graham cracker sections and 
return to freezer several hours or overnight.
Use the parchment paper to lift the 
frozen slab out of the pan and onto a 
cutting board.  Cut into neat squares with a 
sharp knife.

Enjoy.  These made an ideal dessert 
for the hot Fourth of July!

FROZEN S'MORES BARS

1 (5.9 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix
2.5 cups cold whole milk
1 box graham crackers (you will have one package leftover)
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overhang the pan.  (This step is important.) Break the graham cracker rectangles in half, creating squares and line the bottom of the pan.  (I had to carefully cut a couple to fit around the edges)  Set aside.  In a bowl, beat together the pudding mix and cold milk until smooth and creamy.  Stir in quarter of the whipped topping (about a heaping 1/2 cup) and mix well.  Spread the chocolate mixture over the graham crackers and place the pan into the freezer.  Mean while, mix together the marshmallow creme and cream cheese until smooth.  Fold in the remaining whipped topping.  Remove the pan from the freezer and spoon the marshmallow mixture over the chocolate mixture and top with more graham cracker squares.  Cover the pan and freeze for several hours or overnight.  Remove from the freeze, and use the parchment paper to lift the frozen slab from the pan onto a cutting board.  Use a sharp knife to cut evenly into squares using the graham cracker sections as your guide.  Serve immediately or place the sections into an airtight freezer-safe container, placing parchment paper between each layer.  Keep frozen until serving.

Enjoy,

French Dip Sliders

The Oklahoma Sooners Baseball team had themselves quite a season.  They went on a historic run and won the Men's College World Series.  It's been a little over a month since their memorable win, and Mr. Devilish Dish still cannot get enough.  Almost every night he re-watches the highlights from the games.  So far he has ordered an engraved National Championship wine bottle, a new hoodie, and a flag for tailgate.  Safe to say he's quite the fan.  We entertained on our patio nearly the entire season, and one of the recipes that scored a homerun were these French Dip Sliders.  You can never go wrong with slider sandwiches for a crowd.  They can be assembled ahead and easy to serve and eat.  Perfect for a group of guys glued to the game.  Packed with rich, delicious flavor...these are definitely a crowd pleaser! 

A true crowd please for any occasion.

The Ingredients.

Layer cheese, then roast beef,
then more cheese onto the bottom half
of the Hawaiian rolls.

Add on the roll tops...

Melt the butter and add the seasonings.

Brush this mixture evenly onto the
tops and sides of the rolls.

Bake until golden brown.

Serve with the au jus for dipping.

These are so hearty and delicious. 

FRENCH DIP SLIDERS

1 12-count package Hawaiian dinner rolls
1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
12 slices provolone cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 packet au jus gravy mix
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.  Carefully slice the entire slab of Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, keeping the rolls attached together.  Place the bottom half of the rolls into the prepared pan.  Layer 6 slices of cheese over the bottom of the rolls.  Top with roast beef and then top with the 6 remaining slices of cheese.  Place the top slab of the rolls on and set aside.  In a small pan on the stove top, melt the butter.  Add 1 tablespoon of the dry au jus mix, Worcestershire sauce, sesame seeds, garlic powder and onion powder.  Whisk well and brush this mixture evenly over the tops and sides of the rolls.  Bake the sliders approximately 15-20 minutes until the tops of the rolls are golden and the cheese is gooey.  While the sliders are baking, place the remaining au ju mix into a small sauce pan over medium heat and add the amount of cold water indicated on package.  Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened.  Remove and cut sliders into individual sandwiches and serve with au jus for dipping.

Enjoy,