Sunday, August 5, 2012

Crescent Pepperoni Roll-ups


1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
40 slices pepperoni
4 pieces of mozzarella string cheese, cut in half
garlic powder
oregano 
pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 375.

Unroll crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles.  Spoon a small amount of sauce on triangle.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano.  Place 5 slices of pepperoni on each crescent roll.  Top pepperoni with string cheese half and roll up.  Place rolls on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve with a side of warm pizza sauce.

Antipasto Squares



Ingredients
2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/4 pound thinly sliced boiled ham
1/4 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami
1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni sausage
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained, cut into thin strips
1 egg
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
Unroll one package of crescent roll dough, and cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Layer the ham, provolone cheese, Swiss cheese, salami, pepperoni, some of the parmesan cheese, and red peppers, on top of the dough.
In a bowl, beat the egg lightly, and stir in the black pepper. Unroll the second package of dough, and place over the top of the peppers. Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove foil, and bake another 10 to 20 minutes, or until dough is fluffy and golden brown. Cut into squares. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Shredded Beef Chipotle Tacos


Shredded Beef Tacos
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (or 2 small)
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Flour tortillas
  • Favorite taco toppings – lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, lime, cilantro, etc.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and rub on the meat.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.
Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Leave the pan on the heat, and deglaze the pan with the beef stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.  Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours .
Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks (if necessary – mine was so tender it just fell apart when I took it out of the slow cooker).  Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.  I like to top mine with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cut into bite sized pieces
10-12 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Marsala cooking wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
8 oz. Marscapone Cheese
1 pound dry pasta + water for cooking (I used penne, rigatoni is also good)
1 cup Parmesan cheese + more for serving
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
minced, chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Makes: 4-6 servings

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet until foaming. Cook chicken until lightly browned. Transfer to plate when done. 

Boil water and cook pasta according to the directions.

Melt additional 1 tablespoon of butter in skillet, add garlic, mushrooms and onion and cook for about 6 minutes. Add cooked chicken back into the skillet. Add the Marsala, chicken broth and Marscapone cheese and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce is is slightly thickened.  Add a flour/water mixture to thicken if necessary.

Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Return the pasta  to the pot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the mushrooms and chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 1 minute, adding the reserved cooking water as needed.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional Parmesan cheese and a garnish of chopped parsley.