Red Pepper Risotto

This was divine. Absolutely divine.Red Pepper Risotto

From: The Pioneer Woman

8 cups chicken broth
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 3/4 cup arborio rice
3/4 cups dry white wine
salt to taste
5 oz. goat cheese
1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp.turmeric (optional)

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium pan. In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium to medium-low heat. Add diced onions and cook until translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add red peppers and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Add uncooked rice and stir for a minute or two, allowing it to be coated with the other ingredients.Pour in wine and cook for a minute or two.

Now, start adding broth a cup to a cup and a half at a time, stirring gently and allowing each addition to absorb into the rice. Repeat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rice is al dente. You may not need to use all of the broth.

At the end, stir in a little more liquid and turn off heat. Stir in turmeric if desired.
Add cheeses and stir. Serve immediately!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These are the best mashed potatoes, aside from the ones at Carrabba's, of course. This recipe makes a ton. I usually half it.Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

From: The Pioneer Woman

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and rinsed
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream (or milk if your a wuss)
3-5 heads of garlic
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast garlic by drizzling 1-2 Tbs. of olive oil in the bottom of a pie plate, turn to coat the bottom. Cut the tops off of the garlic to expose the cloves. Place in the pie plate. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the cloves. Coat well so that they don't burn. Sprinkle clvoes with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with foil and put in over for 45-60 minutes. Squeeze cloves out of papery skins.

Cut the potatoes into pieves and cook in boiled water until fork tender. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the potatoes over low heat until lost of the steam escapes. Next, mash in the softened butter, cream cheese, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Dump in 3-5 heads of the roasted garlic, mash into the potatoes and check seasonings. (I like to mash up the cloves of garlic on a plate with a fork before dumping it in. It helps you not to get chunks of garlic.)

Chicken Chili Blanco

I do believe that this is one of my husband's favorite soups. If I'm feeling like making soup, this is typically what he requests.Chicken Chili Blanco

From: Mom Solter

3 cans great northern beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1/2 Tbs. oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 can green chilies, drained (I typically just throw the whole can in)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups colby or monterey jack cheese
Garnishes:
sour cream
fresh cilantro
chopped tomatoes
tortilla chips

Saute onions in oil until golden. Combine remaining ingredients except for the sour cream and cheese in a large pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add sour cream and cheese. Heat until melted.

Serve with desired garnishes.

Garlic Cheese Ball

This is one of my favorite things to make to snack on when we have people over. You really can't go wrong with cheese. Clearly this one had already been dug into.Garlic Cheese Ball

From: Jennie Chappuis

4 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I prefer to use sharp cheddar)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder

Cream all ingredients together. Form into a ball and chill for 2 hours. Serve with assorted crackers and vegetables.

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche

This is simple and oh so very yummy.Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche

From: Kraft Foods

1 cup green onions, sliced
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
12 slices of bacon
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
12 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Reserve 2 Tbs. of the onions and tomatoes. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel covered plate, reserving 1 Tbs. of the bacon drippings in the skillet. Add the mushrooms to the skillet, cook and stir 2 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Chop bacon and add to the mushrooms along with the onions and tomatoes, mix well.

Beat egg and sour cream with a wire whisk until well blended. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with bacon mixture and the cheeses. Bake 30 minutes or until the center is set. Sprinkle with reserved onions and tomatoes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into pieces to serve.

Chicken Carbonara

Yummy, yummy, yummy!
Chicken Carbonara

From: The Domestic Goddess

2 tsp. olive oil
6-8 sliced, bacon, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh basil , chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
salt
1/2 lb. spaghetti
2 cups chicken, coarsely shredded/chopped
1/2 Tbs. finely grated lemon peel

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add bacon and garlic and saute until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly. Cook chicken in some of the leftover fat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil and parsley. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until just tender. Drain. Add the chicken to the bacon and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes. (DO NOT boil or you will end up scrambling your eggs). Season pasta to taste, with pepper and salt if needed. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve. (I always end up using more lemon zest than this as I love the flavor that it adds.)

Mom's Sweet Potatoes

These are the sweet potatoes that I grew up on. Mom made them every Thanksgiving and sometimes we could convince her to make them other times too if we begged enough. Except my mom NEVER put marshmallows on top. That is to please the husband.Mom's Sweet Potatoes

From: Mom Solter

4-6 sweet potatoes
1 stick butter
1-2 cups brown sugar
1/2 can crushed pineapple, with juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1-1 Tbs. molasses
1/4-1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Mini Marshmallows, if desired

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Scrub potatoes and cut into 2" chunks. Cover with in a large pot and bring to a boil. When potatoes are fork tender, poor off the water. Cover with cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Peel skins off with a knife or your fingers. Cut into 1 - 1 1/2" rings. Place in a 9x13 pan and set aside.

Place at least one stick of butter in a pan. Melt butter and add brown sugar. Add crushed pineapple and juice (I usually add all of the pineapple and such because I figure you can't go wrong). Add salt, Karo Syrup, molasses, cloves and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour over sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with mini marshmallows, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes. Ladle sauces over potatoes and serve.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

This was a little bit spicy but oh so yummy. Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

From: Your Everyday Mama

2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I used 2 large peppers and wished I would have used just one. Though the soup still tasted great it was too spicy for the kids.)

2-3 cups corn, either fresh or frozen (definitely go for 3+ cups)
1 cup leeks, cliced
1 large vidalia onion or other sweet onion, chopped
5 sweet potatoes, roasted and cubed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbs. Thyme
2 Tbs. Marjoram (I used the powdered and as I was dumping it in realized I should have used the dried, so I ended up only adding 1 Tbs. as I worried that 2 would have been overdoing it. It turned out fine.)
2 (32 oz.) boxes of chicken broth (I didn't use nearly this much at what I did use was a bit too much. It was just more soupy than chowdery.)
8-10 slices of bacon, cooked crumbled, drippings reserved.

Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil, do not pierce and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour at 375 degrees. (I roasted mine for 45 and it was too long.) Once soft, peel and cube. Some of these will get smashed and some will not, so cube to desired size.

Cook leeks, onion, corn, thyme and marjoram in the reserved bacon fat, stirring constantly until tender. Add cubed sweet potatoes, 1-1 1/2 boxes of chicken stock and chipotle peppers, simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. (I would really only add one box max.)

Using an immersion blender, blend 1/3-1/2 of the soup, leaving some of the corn and potato cubes whole. (I don't have an immersion blender and just ladled half of it into my blender and then returned it to the pot.) If needed you can add more chicken broth at this point, not forgetting that you will be adding the cream later.

Simmer chowder for another 10 minutes, add heavy cream and combine well. If your chowder seems to thick you can add more chicken stock to thin until you reach the desired consistency. Top with crumbled bacon. (not pictured)

Serve with some corn chips or yummy crusty bread.

Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo

From: Duo Dishes

4 chicken thighs, bone in (I used chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 peppercorns, crushed
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. grapeseed oil (I didn't have any so I just used olive oil)
1/4 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups rice (I prepared more than this as it requires more to feed my family)
3 cups water
2 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut, minced
1/2 cup parsley, minced
4 scallions, chopped
Kosher salt

In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, brown sugar and bay leaves with chicken. Marinate for at least an hour or overnight.

When ready to cook, swirl a bit of olive oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, lay chicken thighs down, leaving marinade in the dish. Brown chicken on both sides, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Pour in the marinade and chicken broth and cook until it begins to boil. Once it begins to boil, add chicken again and cover. Cook about 10 minutes.

Whisk 1/4 cup water with cornstarch and add to chicken. Turn chicken pieces over, cover again and cook until juices run clear, approximately 6-9 minutes.

Cook rice. Add scallions, parsley, ginger and coconut to cooked rice. Toss to combine.

Serve chicken over rice and drizzle with a little sauce.