Magical Unicorn Rice Pilaf

 This is a recipe I've been meaning to post for quite awhile and am finally getting it done. I make this often when I have people over because it's a real crowd pleaser and couples well with many types of entrees. Even a couple of my nephews who aren't normally rice lovers had seconds of this pilaf. The Magic Unicorn Salt I use in this recipe is something I came across years ago in a specialty shop and decided to try it in a number of different ways. It can be ordered online and is also found at Whole Foods.

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati rice

1 &1/2 cups chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillion)

8 oz. portobello mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup diced shallots

4 cloves of fresh garlic

black truffle oil, about 2 tablespoons, divided

4 to 6 tbls butter, divided

About 2 tsp Magic Unicorn Salt

1/4 cup pine nuts or pepitas

Directions 

Cook rice according to directions using chicken broth versus water. Add about a quarter teaspoon of MUS to the broth along with a dollop of truffle oil.

While rice is cooking, saute' the mushrooms in about a half a tbls of truffle oil, a tbls butter, and a sprinkle of MUS until they caramelize, set aside. Add another dollop of truffle oil and a tbls butter, put shallots in the pan and season with MUS. Saute' until softened.

Return mushrooms to the pan with shallots, add 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute' until fragrant. Add prepared rice, another tbls of butter and dollop of truffle oil. Add one or two more minced garlic cloves and sprinkle with a bit more MUS. Mix well and allow to slowly integrate seasoning. Add your choice of either pine nuts or pepitas. Stir and cook a bit more for about 5 mins.  More butter and nuts can be added according to your preference for texture and taste.

 

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

This is a recipe that is a combination of a recipe from an old church cookbook, and another that was found on Allrecipes. I have people who asked for the recipe, so I've decided to put down the recipe as I make it to share with others.

Ingredients

4 cups cauliflower cut into small bite size pieces (can add some of the stems chopped up)

4 cups broccoli cut into small bite size pieces (can add some of the stems chopped up)

12 slices of bacon (more or less can be used according to taste)

1 cup of either craisins or dried cherries (according to your preference)

1 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds 

1 & 1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup either sugar or honey (can use a combo of both)

3 Tbsp. minced shallots

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Ingredients can be adapted to your personal taste. My sisters sometimes use pistachios instead of sunflower seeds...

Directions

Brown cut up bacon in skillet until crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.

Mix Broccoli, cauliflower, and Craisins or dried cherries.

Whisk Mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, sugar and or honey, shallots, vinegar and salt together in a mixing bowl. (I like to mix my dressing at least a few hours ahead of time so the ingredients meld.)

Pour dressing over salad, mix salad well, then add nuts and bacon and toss again until evenly distributed.

YUM!!!

 

 Beef Roast Chili

This is a chili I've made often but have never tried to write down the recipe. Since I've had people asking for the recipe, I guess it's about time I get this done as best I can. I can’t remember how long ago I started making this recipe, or why I decided to use a pot roast instead of ground beef, but it’s evolved into the recipe I now use. I love that it’s slow cooked, which allows the spices and flavors to meld.  Hope you enjoy and you can put your own spin on it if you'd like. :)

Ingredients 

2 lb. Beef roast

28oz. Can San Marzano Tomatoes

1-8oz. Can tomato sauce 

2-15.5oz. Cans Bush’s mild red chili beans

1-15oz. Can Bush’s mild black chili beans

2 Tbls. Chili powder (or to taste) *

1 Tbls.. Cumin

1/2 Tbls. Mexican Oregano

1 to 2 fresh spicy peppers of your choice (seeded and diced)

1 large onion diced

6 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed (add more to taste) I add another 2 or more after beef is shredded and everything is put together.

Brown sugar and salt to taste

I also may add some tomato juice if the chili is too thick and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Directions

Place rinsed and dried roast into a slow cooker. Begin by seasoning with chili powder, cumin, and Mexican oregano. Add crushed garlic, diced fresh peppers and onions in next. Then pour San Marzano tomatoes and tomato sauce into the pot. Be sure to crush the San Marzano whole tomatoes with your hands as you are putting them into the pot. You can now add the beans, put the cover on and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove beef roast, shred and return to the pot. I then put all the ingredients into a large pot and simmer the chili, adding salt and brown sugar to taste along with more pressed garlic. If the the chili is too thick I add a little tomato juice to thin it down and adjust seasoning accordingly.

If making a double batch with a 4 lb roast, I put all the ingredients in but the beans and add them later when fine tuning the flavor. I turn the slow cooker on high for 1 & 1/2 hours, then turn it to low for the remaining 6 & 1/2 hours

* I use all Spice House herbs and spices in all of my recipes. In this case I usually use their mild chili powder but have also included part mild and part medium chili powder.

Wing Ding Chicken Wings

This is a favorite and easy wing recipe from quite a while ago that I decided to make recently. I needed to update the recipe because the original recipe called for apricot baby food which I can no longer find. It is surprisingly yummy for having so few ingredients. 
 

Ingredients

3 to 5 pounds chicken wings

1 cup soy sauce

1 jar mango baby food

1 to 2 Tbls. apricot jam

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions

Combine ingredients to make the sauce. Marinate chicken wings in sauce for at least 3 hours, but best if overnight. Place wings on cookie sheet singly lined on parchment paper and reserve marinade. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes. Simmer marinade for 10 minutes and baste wings every 15 minutes. Pour marinade over finished wings. Serve thoroughly heated from crock pot or heating tray. Can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. ( I used drumettes and flats, so I removed the flats about 15 minutes earlier than the drumettes so that they wouldn't be over cooked.)

Rhubarb Crunch

 

Growing up, this was always a dessert we looked forward to when rhubarb was in season. This is my mom's recipe and was probably handed down to her from her mother. Vanilla ice cream is a must to go with this tart yet sweet dessert.

Ingredients

Crumb Base & Topping:

1 cup sifted flour

3/4 cup uncooked oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Fruit & Syrup Mixture:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup water

4 cups of rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces (If I don't have enough rhubarb I sometimes use raspberries too.)

Directions:

Mix together crumb base and topping ingredients until crumbly. Press half of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9x9 greased pan. Cover with cut rhubarb. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, water, and vanilla. Cook, stirring until thick and clear. Pour over rhubarb. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Don't forget the ice cream! :)

Fruit and Jello Jiggler Sea Creation

 The three year old little girl I nanny had a sea creature birthday party so I made her a Jello Jiggler treat. It took me awhile to think of edible things I could use for the treat but was happy with the results. It's a little busier than I would have liked but I know how much she would appreciate the gummy fish addition.

Things needed

Sheet pan

Cooking spray

2-6 oz packages of blueberry jello

1 orange

1 plum

2 or 3 mandarin oranges

Grapes

Raspberries

Black food marker

Gummy fish

Directions

As you can see I used half of a large orange for the crab's body and part of the other half for it's pinchers. The legs and rest of it's pinchers are made with mandarin oranges, with halves of a grape for it's eyes. I used food marker for the pupils on the eyes but you could easily use a little frosting and chocolate chips. The jelly fish is half of a plum for the body and the other half cut into legs. The gummy fish came from Oriental Trading. I put the bodies of the crab and jelly fish in place after spraying the sheet pan and then carefully poured in the jello. About an hour before the jello was totally set I added the rest of the items, pushing them in a little so they would stay in place.

Jello Jiggler Recipe

https://www.squirrelsofafeather.com/jello-jigglers/#mv-creation-1-jtr

I doubled the recipe.

Olive Dip aka Botox Dip

This is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Jean, who refers to it as Botox Dip because of the salt content.  I don’t use as much salt but keep to her recipe. Jean always served it with Fritos, which is also my chip of choice for this dip. You could serve it with crackers, pretzels, or any other chip of your choice. I find this dip highly addictive, so beware!

Ingredients

Cream Cheese 8 oz (softened)

Pimento Stuffed Green Olives 5 oz (I use either Lindsay Manzanilla or Trader Joe's Manzanilla olives)

Whipping Cream 4oz

Mayonnaise 1 TBLS

Worcestershire Sauce 1 TSP

Garlic Salt 1/2 TSP

Kosher Salt 1/4 tsp (about)

Garlic Powder (to taste) 

Directions

Chop jar of drained olives and set aside on paper toweling. Place softened cream cheese in a bowl along with a few drops of whipping cream, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Kosher salt. Use a hand mixer to whip until creamy. In another bowl whip the remaining 4 oz of whipping cream until stiff. Add half of the whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and whip together. Fold in remaining whipped cream and TBLS of mayo. Fold in green olives. Add garlic powder in sprinkles to taste.