Fajita Seasoning Mix

Fajita Seasoning Mix 

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mix all ingredients together.
To use:
Coat your meat and vegetables lightly with olive oil  - then coat with the dry mix to prepare for cooking.  Tip: for your fajitas shells  - dip them in water before you place them in the hot pan or grill, it acts like a steamer and keeps the shells soft.  (don’t use this tip if you microwave, use the oven etc).

Miniature Shepherd's Pies Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Miniature Shepherd's Pies Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

 These mini pies are ideal for nibbling at holiday parties. If ground beef isn't your preference, change up the flavor with ground lamb and a teaspoon of dried rosemary instead.  Or ground turkey...

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
• 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2/3 cup beef broth
• 1/3 cup frozen petite peas
• 2 packages (17.3 ounces each) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 cups mashed potatoes

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, celery and carrot over medium heat until beef is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the flour, thyme, salt, nutmeg and pepper until blended; gradually add the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Stir in peas; heat through. Set aside.
• Unfold puff pastry. Using a floured 2-1/4-in. round cutter, cut 12 circles from each sheet (save scraps for another use.) Press circles onto the bottoms and up the sides of ungreased miniature muffin cups.
• Fill each with 1-1/2 teaspoons beef mixture; top or pipe with 1 tablespoon mashed potatoes. Bake at 400° for 13-16 minutes or until heated through and potatoes are lightly browned. Serve warm. Yield: 4 dozen.

 

Lemon Champagne Celebration Cupcakes

From Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

1

  box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix

1/2

cup water

1/2

cup dry champagne

1/2

cup vegetable oil

3

  eggs

2

  teaspoons grated lemon peel 

Filling

1/4

cup lemon curd (from 10-oz jar)

1

  tablespoon sour cream 

Icing

2

  cups powdered sugar

2 

tablespoons butter, melted 

3 

tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray.
2. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, water, champagne, oil and eggs. Stir 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel into batter. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 17 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not remove cake from pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Place pan of cake in freezer. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
4. In small bowl, mix lemon curd and sour cream until well blended. Set aside.
5. To assemble cupcakes, remove cake from freezer; using foil, lift cake from pan. Using 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 24 rounds from cake. Place 12 rounds top side down. Spread each with about 1 teaspoon lemon curd filling. Top with remaining cake rounds, top side up.
6. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, melted butter and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon about 1 tablespoon icing over each cake, allowing icing to run down sides of cake.
7. To serve, place each cake in decorative cupcake liner, and garnish with lemon peel curls, if desired.

Makes 12 servings

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces good-quality chocolate (12 ounces semi-sweet, 4 ounces milk chocolate)
• 2 cups whipping cream
• ½ tsp. instant espresso powder

Instructions:

Put chocolate in a bowl that can be heated.
Put the whipping cream in a pot and heat to a low boil. Add the instant espresso powder and stir. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute, then whisk it together.
Put it in the freezer for a half-hour or in the fridge for 3 hours so it will become the right consistency to spread.

From Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Pumpkin bread spread

1. cheesecake spread 

 Just soften some cream cheese, and then mix together with a bit of sour cream and powdered sugar and cinnamon, and then stick it in the fridge until it’s time to eat.

2. Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread

• 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 -3 tablespoons honey
• 2 -3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 -2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 -2 dash cinnamon
• 1 ounce crushed walnuts

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix with a blender.
3. Eat until gone.

Sesame-Crusted Tofu over Vegetables

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sesame_crusted_tofu.html

From EatingWell:  May/June 2011, EatingWell Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals (2011) Marinated, sesame-crusted tofu tops a delightful medley of stir-fried vegetables that includes bok choy, bell pepper, scallions and snow peas. The recipe packs enough vegetables that all you need to add is a little short-grain brown rice to make it a meal.
4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each | Active Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 3/4 hours

Ingredients

Tofu & Marinade

• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon mirin (see Notes) or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce (see Notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Sauce

• 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin or sherry
• 2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Vegetables

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 pounds bok choy, trimmed and very coarsely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas, trimmed

Preparation

1. To prepare tofu & marinade: Fold a clean kitchen towel and place it on a cutting board or large plate. Set tofu on the towel. Put another folded clean towel over the tofu and place a flat, heavy weight (such as a skillet) on top; drain for 30 minutes.
2. Combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin (or sherry), chile-garlic sauce and sesame oil in a bowl. Cut the drained tofu into 1-inch cubes. Add to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. To prepare sauce: Whisk water (or broth), soy sauce, mirin (or sherry), chile-garlic sauce, cornstarch and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. To stir-fry tofu & vegetables: Toss the tofu with sesame seeds in a large bowl. Heat 1 teaspoons peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook, turning often, until golden and crusty, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
5. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoons peanut oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy, bell pepper, scallions and snow peas; cook, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Make a well in the vegetables; whisk the reserved sauce and add to the center of the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, until thickened. Toss the vegetables with the sauce. Transfer to a large shallow serving bowl and top with the tofu.

Nutrition

Per serving : 232 Calories; 12 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 19 g Carbohydrates; 14 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 483 mg Sodium; 1006 mg Potassium
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Notes: Mirin is a sweet, low-alcohol rice wine essential in Japanese cooking. Look for it in your supermarket with other Asian ingredients.
• A blend of ground chiles, garlic and vinegar, chile-garlic sauce is commonly used to add heat and flavor to Asian soups, sauces and stir-fries. It can be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets (sometimes labeled as chili- garlic sauce or paste) and keeps up to 1 year in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Chutney

From Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 cup apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the cranberries, apples, cider vinegar, raisins and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes stirring often.
2. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce. Cool to room temperature and serve or cover and refrigerate. Bring chutney to room temperature before serving.