Sweet Potatoe Coins

This is by far the best way I’ve found to cook sweet potatoe fries; and it goes amazingly well with BBQ or for a snack/appetizer if you have some friends or family in!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes
EVOO
Basil
Garlic salt
Pepper
Paprika
(Any spices you love will do! – I’ve heard of people using Cumin or Curry powder as well)

Place on a baking sheet and cook at 400 for 15 minutes a side; they may take a bit longer; but keep an on eye on them; they burn quickly. Let them sit for a few minutes and enjoy!


A dip that we love to have with them is a Chipolte Mayo dip. You simply put Mayo in a dish and add chipotle spice – mix well – to your taste..the more you use the hotter it will be. We usually put quite a bit; we like our spice. I also refrigerate it for 10 mins before serving.

Marinated Curry Dijon Chicken

Whenever my husband brings this leftover chicken for lunch he gets asked for the recipe. I usually serve it with Basmati rice and broccoli but it's also great with mashed potatoes.

The Grocery List

• 14-18 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I use the "family pack" size from my grocery store)
  
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp flaked red chilies
  
• 1 tbsp onion flakes
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  
• 1/2 cup liquid honey
  
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Asian chili sauce (found in the Asian Food Aisle)

Cooking It All Up

Unravel the chicken thighs and thoroughly rinse in water. Shake off excess water and place in a shallow baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine all of the other ingredients and stir to mix.

Pour sauce over chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours - the longer the better, I usually try to prepare this the night before.
When you are ready to cook it up, heat oven to 350F. Cook for 50 minutes, turn chicken half way through.

Side Dish Hint
If you would like to serve this with Basmati Rice, the easiest method is to use a large oven safe dish that has a lid. Add 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of water, cover and throw it in the oven next to the chicken. Leave it alone until the timer rings (50 minutes) and fluff with a fork.

Recipe adapted from Sandi Richard cookbook.

Chocolate Berry Trifle

I challenge you to serve this and walk away from the table without a marriage proposal. It is that good.

The Shopping List

• 2 bags (260 grams) Two Bite Brownies, chopped
• 2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding or instant mousse mix, prepared
• 2 can of strawberry rhubarb (or any fruit variety you like) pie filling
  
• 1/2 container (8 oz) frozen whipped cream topping, thawed
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

Mixing It All Up

Chop the Two Bite Brownies into halves or quarters and layer half of them on the bottom of the trifle bowl.

Next layer half of your chocolate pudding or mousse mix.

Next layer 2 can of strawberry rhubarb pie filling.

Repeat the layers.

Top with whipped cream and sliced berries.

Enjoy!

The Hubby Burger

I call this one the "hubby burger" because my husband declared it the best burger he ever had. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as he does (and I do!).

The Shopping List

Burgers

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic (I used jarred)
  
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice
• 2 shallots, diced

Burger Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• hot pepper sauce (as much as you like, totally optional)
  

Cooking It all Up

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Divide mixture into 6 equal parts and form into burger patties.
BBQ over medium heat until you achieve your desired "doneness".

While the burgers are cooking up, you can make the easy peasy burger sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve with burgers.

Easy isn't it? And just wait.....oh. so. delicious.

Taco Pizza Pocket

This was a recipe that I invented out of necessity. I had ingredients in my fridge that needed to be used up before they expired and some left over cooked chicken. I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was and how my family gobbled it up, I'll definitely make it again!

The Shopping List

• 2 containers of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• 1/2 of a 250g block of cream cheese, softened
  
• 1/2 package taco seasoning
• 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 plum tomato, diced
  
• 1/2 cup green onion, diced
• Sour Cream and Salsa (optional)
  

Cooking It Up

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out one package of the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, this will be the base of your pizza pocket.

Spread cream cheese over the base, top with chicken, tomato and green onion.
Roll out the other package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, this is the top of your pizza pocket. Lay it over the "pizza" and seal the edges with your finger tips to form a sealed pocket.
Spray the top with olive oil spray and sprinkle on some more taco seasoning (this step is optional).

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Sour Cream and Salsa if desired.

Serves 4-5.

Fancy Chocolate Chip Muffins

There is nothing my kids like more than helping me in the kitchen, especially when it involves making a yummy treat like chocolate chip muffins.

The Grocery List:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp natural wheat bran (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup chopped chocolate that I had on hand)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Baking It All Up:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, bran, chocolate chips).
Add the wet ingredients (beaten egg, milk, and oil). Stir until batter is moistened.

Spoon batter into your muffin tins filling each one 3/4 full.
In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp of white sugar and 1 tbsp of brown sugar. This is the topping for your muffins and is what changes them from your run of the mill chocolate chip muffins into "fancy" muffins (at least that is what my 6 year old says). Sprinkle the sugar mixture over each muffin.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove promptly from pan.