Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Butter Dip

Ingredients

1 can pure pumpkin

1 can coconut milk

8 oz. cream cheese

3 tbs. powdered sugar 

4 tbs. brown sugar 

1 tsp. Vanilla 

1/2 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice 

Tarani pumpkin spice syrup 

Directions 

In stand mixer whip 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1 tsp. Vanilla, and 3 tbs. powdered sugar until fluffy. Add in 1/2 cup pure pumpkin and 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin spice. Mix well. 

In food processor pulse 20 biscotti cookies and 4 tbs. brown sugar into fine crumbs. While pulsing pour in approximately 1/3 cup coconut milk. Pour milk in slowly and stop when it is the texture of peanut butter. 

Add cookie butter to mixer and mix the cream cheese pumpkin mixture with the cookie butter until well mixed. Drizzle in tarani pumpkin spice syrup while mixing. 

Serve dip with apples and graham crackers 

Sun-dried Tomatoes and Zoodles

3 slices grilled chicken breasts 

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 leaves fresh basil, finely diced

6 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 zucchini, cut into zoodles

Olive oil

Butter

Salt and pepper 

I cheated a little bit and used pre-cooked frozen chicken breasts that were in my freezer begging to be used. I prepared all my veggies first and got everything ready, because it goes so quick, this took maybe 15 minutes start to finish. 

Add a little olive oil to a large lidded pan, add in chicken and onion, cook until chicken is heated through, add garlic, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir for a few minutes then add in evaporated milk and zoodles. Bring to a simmer and cover about 6 minutes until zoodles are tender. Add in Parmesan and toss. 

Banana Nut Bread

2 cups flour 

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda 

Whisk or sift together flour, salt, and baking soda well in a large bowl. 

2 sticks butter

1 cup white sugar 

1 cup light brown sugar

4 eggs 

2 cups mashed ripe banana 

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste 

1 cup chopped walnuts 

Using mixer cream butter and sugar, then turning down to low add eggs one at a time mixing after each addition, then stir in vanilla bean paste and walnuts. You can also add 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips at this time of you like. 

Pour banana sugar mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold and gently stir until all flour is moistened. Do not over mix. 

Pour into greased and floured bundt pan or two loaf pans and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Allow to cool ten minutes then invert and remove from pan allowing to cool on rack completely. 

To store left overs wrap in plastic wrap and foil to keep moist. 

Jumbalaya

Ingredients:

1 stick salted butter 

1/2 cup flour 

1 onion diced

2 stalks celery diced 

1 bell pepper diced 

2 cloves of garlic minced 

3 bay leaves 

1 tsp. oregano

1 tbs. old bay seasoning 

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper 

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. smoked paprika 

4 cups seafood stock

1/2 jar clam juice

1/4 cup white wine

1 lb. andouille sausage sliced

1 ham steak cubed 

2 cups water

1 cup long grain white rice 

1 lb. peeled deveined shrimp

1/2 lb. mussels 

1 tbs. gumbo file

Directions: 

Dice onion, celery, and bell pepper and mince garlic, set aside. In large Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir well to form a paste. Continue to cook rue until golden in color (medium golden to dark golden) this will take several minutes. If the paste gets too thick you can add a dash of olive oil. Once the rue has reached a dark golden color, add in the diced onion, celery, and bell pepper, stirring almost continually, cook until the vegetables start to soften and release their juices. At this point you can add in the garlic and cook additional 2 minutes. Add in the 4 cups of seafood stock, clam juice, and wine. Turning up heat and stirring constantly bring to a boil. Add old bay, oregano, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir well and boil until starts to thicken, reduce heat to a simmer and toss in bay leaves and cover. In separate skillet brown the ham steak and the sliced sausage in a little olive oil until it gets a little color. Add cubed ham and sliced sausage to the broth along with any juices from the pan and stir well. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit and season for about 2 hours.  Taste the broth and add additional cayenne or old bay or salt if needed. Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rice. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Add shrimp and mussels, return to boil and then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes being careful not to overcook the shrimp. Stir in gumbo file at the very end. Serve with a good warm crusty loaf of French bread and Tabasco sauce. I like mine with a bit more rice so I make extra rice to serve on the side. 

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups long grain rice 

1 small onion

1 stalk celery 

2 cloves garlic 

1 tbs lard

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce 

4 cups water

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 tsp salt

Directions 

Prepare water mixture. 4 cups of water and use 3/4 of the can of tomato sauce. Add in cumin, garlic powder and salt. Stir well. Measure your rice and dice you onion and celery. Mince your garlic or I also use the garlic that comes in a jar already minced. 

Heat lard in dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and celery. Cook about two minutes stirring frequently. Add rice. Cook about 5 minutes stirring almost constantly until rice is starting to take on a golden color. Add in garlic cook one minute more. Add in water mixture, do not stir. Some people add corn cilantro or other vegetables at this point. Bring water back to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 25-30 minutes. I usually stir at the 20 minute mark. 

Carne Guisada

Ingredients 

2 lb boneless beef country style ribs

1 small onion diced

3/4 bell pepper finely diced

1/2 jalapeño seeded and finely diced 

1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 cup beef broth 

1 tsp each of salt and pepper 

1 tsp ground cumin 

2 tbs chopped cilantro 

1/3 cup flour 

3 tbs lard

Directions 

Chop thawed meat into one inch chunks. Place in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt pepper and cumin and stir. To evenly distribute add half of spice, stir well, add other half, stir again. Add flour a little at a time and stir after each addition until all meat is lightly coated in flour. 

Add 1 tbs of lard to iron skillet and heat of medium high heat until lard is melted. Add 1/3 of meat and separate any pieces that are stuck together. Sauté about 3 mins per batch until outside is lightly browned but will still be raw in the middle. Add cooked meat to crock pot. Continue until all meat is cooked adding another tbs of lard before each addition of meat. 

Dice onion, bell pepper and jalapeño and add to crock pot. Add can of tomatoes and broth. Stir well. Cook on low 6-8 hours.  

When it's done if the broth is too thin... Heat 3 tbs lard or oil in a small skillet. Whisk in 3 tbs of flour. Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes. Pour roux into crock pot and whisk well. 

Serve with tortillas, grated cheddar, and sliced avocados. 

Before

After

Honey Lime Chicken Marinade

4-5 thin sliced chicken breasts 

4 tbs. chopped cilantro divided

9 tbs. soy sauce

6 tbs. honey 

3 tbs. fresh lime juice 

2 tbs. canola oil + more 

Dash of sesame oil

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp. chili paste 

In mixing bowl combine soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, chili paste, canola oil, sesame oil and half the cilantro, mix well. 

Place chicken in ziploc with half of the sauce. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator at least an hour or overnight.  Store the other half of the sauce separately. 

Heat a few splashes of canola oil in fry pan over medium high heat. Cook chicken in batches so to not overcrowd the pan. Cook until all sides of chicken are nicely browned but not necessarily cooked through. Discard the marinade that the raw chicken was in. Once all chicken is browned add all chicken back to the pan and pour the other half of the sauce over it. Bring to a boil reduce heat to a simmer and cover for ten minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve over rice. Pairs well with roasted asparagus.