Vegetarian rosti

What I had:

• bag of frozen hashbrowns
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapenos, diced
• 1 pint mushrooms, sliced
• olive oil, 2 tbsp
• salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• shredded cheese (I used Mexican style mix)

What I did:

• sauteed the onions, peppers and jalapenos in a little bit of olive oil till soft, add mushrooms and spices and cook for another minute. Set aside
• browned the hashbrowns in a 12 inch pan till they are well done (or crispy to your liking)(they should cover the bottom of the pan)
• layered the vegetable mix over the potatoes
• whisked the eggs and poured over the vegetable mix
• sprinkle shredded cheese over eggs
• covered and cooked till eggs were cooked through

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Bars

What I had:

• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Skippy Honey Roasted Extra Chunk)
• 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

What I did:

• Mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1/2 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8X8 glass baking pan.
• Mix the 2 tbsp peanut butter and 3/4 cup chocolate chips in  a microwaveable bowl and melt, using 30 second increments. 
• Spread over the prepared crust. 
• Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares. 

 Why don't I have photos of the finished, cut product? Well, I took them to 2 different houses and they were all gone before I could take a photo.



Personally, I would prefer more peanut butter flavor, so next time, I will lower the graham cracker crumbs to peanut butter ratio, but others seemed to love it the way it was.

Sopa Seca (Mexican noodle casserole)

What I had:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for pan 
• 12 ounces fideos (Mexican vermicelli) 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp Mexican chili pepper 
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1 18.5 oz can crushed tomatoes 
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, made from 2 bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use 2 cans of Costco chicken)
• 1 cup coarsely grated Cabot habanero cheddar cheese (4 ounces) 
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema

What I did:

• reheat oven to 375F.
• Brush a large casserole dish with oil. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fideos and cook, turning them, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the toasted noodles to a bowl. Set aside
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, coriander, oregano, chili powder, and bay leaf, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes to the pot. Add the cayenne pepper, increase the heat to high, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, the toasted fideos, salt, and pepper, to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes. Water can be added to thin the mixture if needed while the noodles cook. When the noodles are tender, stir in the chicken.
• Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, and cover loosely with foil. Bake until the cheese melts and the casserole is hot through and through, about 20 minutes. Serve with some crema drizzled over the top.

Chicken meatballs - a hit with the toddler

What I had:

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup Philly Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

What I did:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Combine all ingredients and form into golf sized balls; I got about 45 meatballs
• Place on cookie sheet and cook for 18 minutes
• Enjoy!

We've had them as is, with different dipping sauces. Oliver ate them for dinner 2 nights in a row and loves them. What higher endorsement could I get? I forgot to take pictures :( but I promise they looked and tasted great!

Eggplant parmesan - no fry

What I had:

• a medium eggplant, sliced thin
• 2 eggs, beaten
• panko bread crumbs mixed with some Italian seasoning
• 1 lb mozzarella sliced thinly
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan
• dried basil
• 1 c pasta sauce

What I did:

• salted the eggplant sliced and left them sitting for 20 minutes to let the water out
• dip the eggplant slices in the egg, then the bread crumb mix, and lay them on a cookie sheet
• bake the slices for 10 minutes on each side at 350 degrees
• layer half the pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 pan
• layer half the eggplant slices over the sauce
• place mozzarella cheese slices over the eggplant and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over that
• do another layer of sauce, eggplant, cheese and cheese
• sprinkle dried basil over everything
• bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees

Enjoy!

Slow cooker BBQ short ribs

What I had:

• 3 lbs beef short ribs, quartered
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce, I used Jack Daniels
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 4 carrots, peeled and cit into 1/2 inch circles
• a little bit mustard
• salt, pepper and garlic to taste

What I did:

• rub the ribs with salt, pepper and garlic and refrigerate overnight
• put the onions and carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker
• put the ribs over the veggies
• pour whole bottle of BBQ sauce over ribs
• pour a little bit of mustard into the mix
• cook on low for 8-9 hrs
• serve over mashed potatoes or rice

It might not look good but oh my goodness, it was delicious. The meat was tender and the veggies were almost caramelized.  We had it over rice and Oli ate a bowlful by himself.

Garlic knots

What I had:

• a can of refrigerated biscuits
• 1/4 cup meted butter
• powdered garlic
• dried oregano
• parmesan cheese

What I did:

• take biscuits out of the can and cut each in half
• roll each half into long strings
• knot each string
• mix rest of ingredients and brush over each knot 
• bake at 450 for 9-12 minutes keeping an eye on the bread till it's brown
• brush some more of the butter mixture as soon as you take the knots out of the oven
•  eat them all within 15 minutes enjoy as a side with your favorite meal