Smokin’ Mozzarella Balls

Vegetable oil for frying

8 oz container Fresh Mozzarella “Ciliegine” (cherry tomato size)

1/2 Cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

2 teaspoons adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers (add more if you like it spicy)

½ Cup Italian Bread Crumbs

¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

¼ Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 Cup of your favorite marinara or pasta sauce, warmed

1. Pour a couple inches of oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to 350 degrees F. with an appropriate thermometer.

2. Drain liquid from mozzarella balls and pat dry with paper towels. Place flour, salt and pepper into medium size bowl. Place egg and adobo sauce into a second bowl; whisk to combine. Place bread crumbs and parmesan cheese into a 3^rd bowl; mix to combine. Roll mozzarella into flour, then into eggs, then press into bread crumb mixture.

3. Carefully place 4-5 coated balls at a time into hot oil. Use a “spider” to constantly move them around in oil. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until golden. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Continue until all have been fried.

4. Place all balls onto a serving plate along with a bowl of marinara sauce. Serve warm.

4 servings

Lucky Green Velvet Baby Cakes

1 Box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 Cup water

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 Cup plain yogurt or sour cream

5-8 drops Green decorating paste (food coloring will work, just won’t be as bright green)

Frosting

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 stick softened butter

1 lb powdered sugar

Yellow food coloring or decorating paste is what I used

Gold Pearl Dust or Sprinkles if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, add cake mix, eggs, water, oil, pudding, and yogurt. Beat on medium for 1 1/2 minutes. Slowly beat in 5-8 drops of green decorating paste until you get desired color of green. Scoop batter into paper lined mini cupcake tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely.

2. To prepare frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar until creamy and thick. Divide frosting into 2 bowls then add in a few drops of yellow food coloring or decorating paste into one.

3. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with gold pearl dust or sprinkles if desired.

36 mini cupcakes

Oven Fries

• 5 large russet potatoes
• 3 T. oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste (I usually use about 1 T. salt and 1 t. pepper)
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Fill a large bowl halfway full of cold water. Slice the potatoes lengthwise into ovals about a 1/2 inch thick. Then, slice each oval into individual fries. Immediately place the cut fries into the bowl of water. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours.

2. Place 2 cookie sheets in a cold oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

3. Thoroughly drain water from the potatoes and pat dry. Toss with the oil and salt and pepper. Spray the heated cookie sheets with baking spray or lightly brush on some additional oil. Spread the potatoes onto the cookie sheets in a single layer.

4. Bake the fries until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, if using, and bake an additional 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is caramelized. (If not using Parmesan cheese, flip the fries after 20 minutes and cook an additional 5-8 minutes.)

Salted Caramel Brownies

• FOR THE BROWNIES:
• 6 ounces, weight Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
• ¾ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• 2 cups Sugar
• 3 whole Eggs
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• _____
• FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Sugar
• ½ cups Water
• ¼ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 2 packages (about 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon) Powdered Gelatin Mixed With 1/4 Cup Water

Preparation Instructions

FOR THE BROWNIES:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter or baking spray.

In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until melted. Add sugar and stir gently until combined. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Add a small splash of eggs to chocolate mixture, stirring immediately (but still gently). Drizzle in the rest of the eggs, stirring constantly.

Add flour and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased baking pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.

FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream. Do not boil.

In a separate tall saucepan, combine sugar and water. Do not stir. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns an amber color—not too dark, but definitely amber. Remove pan from stove.

Add warm cream, butter, and salt. Stir gently until mixture is smooth and well combined. When it is smooth and calmed down a bit, pour in gelatin/water mixture and stir.

TO FINISH:

Pour caramel glaze all over completely cooled brownies. Allow to set completely. Cut into small rectangles and serve.

***Lining the pan with foil would allow you to lift the brownies out of the pan after the caramel glaze sets. Then you can use a long, serrated knife and slice more easily.***

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

• 4 c. dry oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking)
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3/4 – 1 c. canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. raisins

1. Dump all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir, by hand, just until completely moistened and combined.

3. Press into a greased 13×9 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into individual bars.

A few notes about this recipe:

~ I’ve always prepared this recipe with 1 full cup of liquid. However, I was running low on oil today and had no applesauce in the house. So, I used 3/4 cup of oil and the bars turned out great! Also, as you can probably tell, I usually use some applesauce in place of some of the oil.

~ If your family isn’t too keen or raisins, you can substitute with other dried fruit. Or, if you’re especially daring, I suppose chocolate chips might work as well.

~ These bars freeze beautifully. I usually wrap the cooled and cut bars individually and then freeze. They can be thawed in about 2 hours, or if you’re in a hurry, cook in the microwave on the defrost cycle for about 20-30 seconds, depending on the size of your bars.

Crockpot Puffy Pizza Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1.5) ounce packet of spaghetti mix (if using store-bought, look out for hidden gluten. I like the McCormick brand. You can also make your own using the recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

for puffy topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour (I use Pamela's Baking Mix as my AP flour)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
20 pepperoni slices
1/2 cup sliced olives, optional

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Mix
yields 1 packet

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons green pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker (if you only have a 6, that's okay, it will just cook faster. Check it after 3 hours on high.)

In a very large skillet, brown beef, onion, and garlic on the stove top. Drain fat, and add spaghetti sauce mix, oregano, tomato sauce, and water. Stir over low heat until tiny bubbles appear. Remove from heat and scoop into the slow cooker (you might want to spray it with cooking spray).

In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for your puffy topping: flour, milk, eggs, and cheese. Pour evenly over the top. Place pepperoni slices and olives on top of the topping.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the topping has turned golden brown, puffed up, and pulled away from the sides.
I have not tried to cook this yet on low. I'd check it after 6 hours (in a 4-quart, 4 hours in a 6-quart).
If you do opt to cook it on low, I'd love to hear your timing results!

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

*Notes: Keep the corn tortillas wrapped in plastic or covered with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use – they will dry out quickly. The casserole can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days. To bake, cover tightly with foil. Bake about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake until cheese has browned, about 10 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes.

*Serves 6

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced medium
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped with 2 teaspoons sauce (decrease the amount of sauce to 1 teaspoon if you want it less spicy)
2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat and cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
18 (6-inch) round corn tortillas
Vegetable cooking spray
6 ounces cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
6 ounces Monterey jack cheese shredded (about 2 cups)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell peppers, cumin, chili powder, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and the onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chipotles with adobo sauce, beans, and tomatoes; simmer until the flavors have blended about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup cilantro, the lime juice and pepper.

Place a damp paper towel on the bottom and top of the corn tortilla stack. Microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute until they are soft and pliable.

Toss the cheeses together in a medium bowl. Spread 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in a lightly greased 9X13 inch dish. Layer 6 tortillas on top of the filling, overlapping as needed, and sprinkle with 1 ½ cups of the cheese. Repeat the process to form a second layer.

Spread the remaining filling in the baking dish. Cut the remaining 6 tortillas into quarters and arrange over the top and finish off with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving. Serve with additional accompaniments, such as salsa, diced avocado, sour cream or sliced green onions. The casserole can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days. To bake, cover tightly with foil. Bake about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake until cheese has browned, about 10 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes.