A Cooking Baker

I tossed this together with things I had on hand to bring to a pizza party at a friend's house the other night.  It was super easy, and was a nice alternative to Caesar salad or just a plain dinner salad.  I didn't really measure, so I'm guessing below, but like I always say, do what looks right to you! Italian Tossed Salad 2 hearts of Romaine, chopped, washed, dried  about 1/3 c. chopped hard salami about 1/3 c. chopped Picante Provolone cheese 1/2 of a small red onion, sliced very thin banana pepper rings (a few forkfuls from the jar) 2 tbsp. Italian dressing (I poured a little in, and then tossed to coat, and adjusted as needed) 2 tbsp. of grated Parmesan freshly ground black pepper Note: If you're bringing the dish somewhere, add the dressing when you get there so it doesn't get soggy. Add lettuce to a large bowl.  Sprinkle in salami, cheeses, onion, banana peppers, a few good grinds of black pepper, and toss to combine.  Add dressi...

I tried a recipe from the "try it eventually" folder last night for some Asian chicken sliders, and they were decent, but unremarkable.  It was still a fruitful effort, however, because I found a super simple, tasty side to serve in the future (although the kids were not fans). I guestimated on the measurements, since I just chopped and added - do what looks right to you.  I made about 1/2 of this recipe, since it was just for 2 of us, but you could easily multiply it for a larger crowd, too. Asian-Inspired Slaw 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice 2 tbsp. EVOO 1/2 c. cilantro, minced pinch of kosher salt a few turns of freshly ground black pepper 2 c. red cabbage, shredded 1/2 c. carrot, julienned or grated on the large holes of a box grater 1/2 c. red onion, finely diced (could do thin slices if you prefer) 1/2 c. red bell pepper, julienned or diced You could get crazy here, and add some sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, minced jalapeno, garlic, etc.  I'll be e...

I was looking through my Pins for a recipe I wanted to make tonight, and found this one .  I decided to try it, and oh. my. word.  They are so good.  I did have to tweak it a little, though. For me, following the suggested baking time resulted in the 2nd photo - burned to a crisp (ha ha, get it?). So I baked mine for HALF that time, for 4 minutes at 375 degrees.  I also added a TEENY sprinkle of cayenne pepper on some to try it, and I liked the kick - might be a good variation next time, with cumin, garlic powder, oregano, etc.  I will be experimenting a lot with these babies, for sure. This combo was some freshly ground black pepper, grated Parmesan, and some dried parsley, since I didn't have fresh.  I also sprinkled a little garlic powder on some. On my wonton wrappers, it says 1 serving is 8 wrappers, and if you slice them in 1/2 (like top photo), you'd get 16 crackers.  If you went with the lil' triangles like the 2nd photo, you'd get doub...

I LOVE French Onion Soup. I made a big pot this weekend. I froze half of it, and served the rest for a Sunday lunch. The kids don't mind it, but they tend to supplement a smaller portion with a grilled cheese or salad. 
The key to the amazing flavor is the caramelizing of the onions, so take your time and do it right. You can do the onions a day or two in advance if you like and then finish off the soup, as long as you're cool with onion-ing up your house for 2 days (my kids are always horrified with the oniony aroma when they come home on a day I've been reducing a big pot of onions), or do it all at once, and then either serve the soup right away or stick it in the fridge for a day or two (or freeze it!). Making the soup a day or two before you're going to serve it improves the flavor, in my opinion. The recipe below looks a little involved, but it's really not bad at all. You can walk away from the onions while they're in the oven, as long as you se...

I pretty much always have the ingredients to whip up a pasta dish like this for the fam.  It's something I know everyone will eat without complaining or picking things out.   It's a great way to use up things in the fridge, too.  Here's the basic recipe - use what you have on hand and tweak as you like. Easy Penne with Chicken & Broccoli Serves 4-6 1 box (8 oz.) penne or your favorite pasta noodles 1 rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, or 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 1 whole chicken, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces 2-3 crowns of broccoli (asparagus is good, too), cut into spears 1 c. chicken broth (I use Swanson Natural Goodness) 1/2 c. Asiago cheese, grated 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 c. (ish) Half & Half (I just poured a little - may have been a little more) 1/2 container (ish) of grape tomatoes, halved (or use 2 Romas, seeded & diced) 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 biggie) 1/2 small onion, diced salt...

I hosted my first "carbo cram" recently (a big carbohydrate-laden meal the night before a sporting event, mostly meant for team bonding).  It never ceases to amaze me how much food 10 teenage dudes can put away!  I made spaghetti & meatballs (the meatballs are based on a recipe from a friend - I sort of 1-1/2'd it, and are GREAT for freezing, so make a big batch and freeze them, and take out as many as you need for dinner, or to bring to someone), baked penne alfredo, bread, salad and ice cream dessert. Meatballs 3 lbs. ground chuck 2-1/3 c. Italian bread crumbs (I used Panko with some Italian seasoning - it's what I had) 3 eggs 2-1/4 c. sour cream (I used light) 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper Preheat oven to 375.  Mix all ingredients well and form into loosely-packed balls.  I actually weighed all of mine, and it made 57 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 oz. meatballs.  Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for about 25 minutes. I froze min...

I made this dessert for the first time for a carbo cram for my son's team.  It's great for a crowd, and you can, of course, make it in advance, which is hugely helpful when you're entertaining lots of people. I didn't make everything from scratch for this dessert, and I decided to live dangerously and serve it anyway.  You do what you need to do - find a better, super healthy dessert, make your own homemade components of this one, or just go nuts and do it this way.  An offset spatula is a handy tool for building this dessert, if you have one. Oreo Ice Cream Dessert 1 pkg. regular Oreos 3 tbsp. butter, melted 1 1/2 gallon container chocolate ice cream, softened 1 1/2 gallon container vanilla (or cookies & cream, or mint chip), softened 1 jar of fudge sauce (I grabbed Mrs. Richardson's) 1 container Cool Whip Line a 9" x 13" baking dish with foil or parchment.  Set aside.  Process 30 Oreos (the whole cookie - none of this scraping out the ...