Honey Garlic Meatballs (a la Liz)

What You Need:
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• ½ c. dry breadcrumbs
• 6 Tbsp. milk
• ¼ c. finely chopped onion
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¾ c. ketchup
• ½ c. honey
• ¼ c. soy sauce

How You Do It:
1. Preheat oven to 500º.
2. Combine meat, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, egg and salt.
3. Shape into 1-inch meatballs (they taste better when small). Place in a single layer on a jelly roll pan.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes.

5. Melt butter in pan and sauté garlic until tender.
6. Add ketchup, honey and soy sauce.
7. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
8. Add meatballs to sauce.
9. Return to a boil and then simmer 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally to glaze meatballs.

Carmel Apple Delight

8 oz. fat free cream cheese
soft carmel
apples
walnuts

Place cream cheese in middle of plate, position various sliced apples all around the cream cheese bar. Drizzle the carmel over the top of the cream cheese bar and top with walnuts.

Whoopie Pies

Makes: 18 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Bake: 350 for 12 minutes

Cakes:

1 box (18.25 ounces) devil’s food cake mix
3 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. HEAT oven to 350. Coat 3 large cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray
2. CAKES – in a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, 3 tablespoons water and baking powder. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes; batter will be thick. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart for a total of 36 mounds.
3. BAKE at 350 for 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies stand on sheet for 2 minutes, the use a thin spatula to quickly transfer cakes to wire racks. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. While cakes are cooling prepare filling. In a medium size bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and 1 ½ tablespoons water. Beat on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Spread a heaping tablespoon filling onto a cake. Sandwich with a second cake. Repeat.

Per Whoopie Pie:
250 calories
15g fat (5g sat)
3g protein
27 g carbohydrates
1g fiber
187mg sodium
64mg cholesterol

Holiday Drinks I want to try!

Bonbon of the Vanities
While martini purists may balk, everybody has a sweet tooth, and the Bonbon of the Vanities hits all the stops.

1.7 oz Russian Standard Vodka
.85 oz. banana liqueur
.85 oz. peach liqueur
2.7 oz. orange juice
.33 oz. Grenadine

Fill 1/3 shaker with ice before adding ingredients. Shake for 3-5 seconds, add 3 ice cubes to a highball glass, and strain the mixture over ice. Add Grenadine and garnish with an orange slice.

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Chic Cocktails
French Martini
1.5 oz vodka
1/2 oz Chambord
2 oz. pineapple juice

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge or a leaf from the pineapple for a sleek modern look.

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Chic Cocktails
Tinsel Bellini
2 oz. HPNOTIQ
1 oz. limoncello
1 oz. Champagne
Splash of lime juice

Rim the Champagne flute with a light coat of sugar. Pour chilled HPNOTIQ, limoncello, and Champagne into the champagne flute. Add a splash of lime juice.

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Belvedere Sparkle
1 oz. Belvedere Vodka
2 oz. cranberry juice with ice
1 oz. Moët & Chandon Champagne

Shake vodka and cranberry juice with ice. Strain into chilled martini glass and top with Champagne. Garnish with raspberries.

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The Flirtini
1 1/2 oz. Grey Goose L'Orange
1 oz. pineapple juice
Splash of Champagne

Serve in a martini glass. Once poured, finish with Champagne.

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Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Martini
2 parts EFFEN Raspberry Vodka
1/2 part chocolate liqueur
1/2 part Irish cream

Serve in a cocoa-rimmed martini glass with a raspberry garnish.


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Delicious Night Blackberry Martini
1 oz. p.i.n.k. Vodka
1 1/2 oz. cranberry juice
1 oz. blackberry brandy
1/2 oz. Cointreau
Splash of sour mix
Fresh blackberries

Combine ingredients over ice and shake well. Strain into a well-chilled martini glass. Pour 1 1/2 scoops of mulled blackberries

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 (1 1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, Italian seasoning, onion powder, cocoa powder, garlic powder, paprika, red pepper, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Rub the mixture evenly over pork chops and let sit for a few hours.
Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook for 3 minutes per side. Put the skillet in oven and bake the pork chops until cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven, transfer the chops to a serving platter and serve.

Pecan Praline Cake

Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Syrup
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon


Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Pecan Praline Topping


For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper; butter paper. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in chopped pecans. Divide batter between pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. If necessary, run small knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off waxed paper. Cool cakes completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.)

For syrup:
Stir 3 tablespoons water and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon. Cool.

Using 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom as aid, transfer 1 cake layer, flat side up, to platter. Brush some of syrup over top of cake. Spread 1 cup cream cheese frosting over top. Top with second cake layer, flat side up. Brush top and sides of cake with remaining syrup. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange Pecan Praline Topping all over top of cake, mounding slightly in center. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Mrs. Smith's Homemade Apple Pie

2 Mrs. Smith's 9" deep dish pie crusts
4 1/2 cups granny smith apples - peeled cored and sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinammon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons apricot preserves or jam, heated

Directions;
1. preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. in a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, sugars, salt, cinammon and ground cloves. Let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Strain apples, reserving liquid. Toss apples with cornstarch before transferring to a frozen pie crust.
4. Bring reserved juices to a boil in a medium saucepan. stir until mixture reduces to a syrup.
5. Add butter to syrup and stir until melted.
6. Pour mixture over apple slices in pie crust.
7. With rolling pin, roll second pie crust flat. Using apple-shaped cookie cutter or other decorative shape, cut holes in dough; top pie with crust and bake at 375 for 60 minutes or until juices bubble and apples are golden brown.
8. Warm apricot preserves on low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Drizzle over top of pie before serving.

Slow Cooked Pineapple

Slow Cooked Pineapple
From Food Network Kitchens

Prep Time:10 minInactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:4 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
8 to 10 servings, about 6 cups

Ingredients
2 medium pineapples (about 2 1/2 pounds or 8 cups fresh pineapple, sliced)
1 cup brown sugar
1 (6-inch) piece fresh ginger (about 5 ounces), thinly sliced
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
Coconut or Vanilla Ice cream for serving
Directions
If using whole pineapple: Peel, quarter, and cut away the core from the pineapple. Discard the core. Cut each quarter in half lengthwise then slice 1/4-inch thick slices crosswise.

Stir the pineapple together with the sugar, ginger, and cinnamon in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, until the pineapple is very tender and slightly sweet.

Serve warm with scoops of coconut ice cream on top. The compote keeps for up to a week tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

Cook's Note: Add some lime and fresh cilantro leaves for a delicious savory compote, perfect for serving with roast pork or grilled chicken.

Got this from Food Network, but saving to blog so I don't lose it! YUM

Outback Green Beans

Outback Steakhouse Steamed Green Beans
Author: CopyKat RecipesRecipe Type: Side DishPrep time: 10 minCook time: 10 minServes: 4
You can make seasoned steamed green beans like the Outback Steakhouse in your own kitchen. Fresh green beans are steamed, and then seasoned with a garlic butter sauce, and served of fresh. Maggi seasoning is found in a bottle in the ethnic section of your grocery store. It may be found in either the European or Asian parts of your grocery store. Maggi seasoning offers a beefy, smokey, and complex that flavor that adds so much to these green beans.
Ingredients
1 pound fresh green beans - french style are best
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Maggi seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
Steam green beans in either a steamer or your microwave until they are just done, you want them still firm. In my microwave it takes about 2 minutes to steam up the green beans, while the green beans are steaming, begin your seasoned butter sauce.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat add 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon Maggi seasoning, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. When the green beans are done, place in a bowl. Add about half of the butter mixture, in the bowl, and add the fresh steamed greens in the bowl. Stir the green beans until they are coated with the butter seasoning.

Puppy Chow (Humorous Treat for Kids at Halloween)

Ingredients

1/2 cPeanut butter
1/2 cButter or margarine
6 ozChocolate chips
10 cCorn Chex cereal
2 cPowdered sugar

How to Prepare Puppy Chow (Humorous Treat for Kids at Halloween)

Melt peanut butter, butter or margarine, and chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium heat.

Pour over Corn Chex, being sure that all cereal is coated.

Put 2 cups powdered sugar in a large paper bag. Put cereal in bag and shake gently until all cereal is coated. Pour out on wax paper to cool.

Manhatten Clam Chowder via Emerel and Chris

Manhattan Clam Chowder
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

Prep Time: -- Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: --
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 to 8 main course servings

Ingredients
8 pounds quahog or large cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed, opened clams discarded I used Wegman's already shucked clams AND glass jar of clam juice
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
3/4 cup diced carrot (I omitted this because I didnt' have carrots)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt

I also added Better than Bullion flavoring at the end to add additional saltiness and flavor

Directions
In a large stockpot bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add clams, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, quickly stir clams well with a wooden spoon, and recover. Allow clams to cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (this will depend on the type and size of clams you are using), or until most of the clams are opened. Transfer clams to a large bowl or baking dish and strain broth through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. (You should have about 6 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 6 cups.) When clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set clams and broth aside.

In a large heavy pot add bacon and render until golden and crispy. Pour off all fat except 4 tablespoons. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Do not allow to color. Add garlic, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and add potatoes, reserved clam broth, and chicken stock and bring to a boil, covered. Cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened somewhat. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add reserved clams and parsley and season with pepper and salt, if necessary. Allow chowder to sit for up to 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, then reheat slowly over low fire if necessary. Do not allow to boil.

Pierogies

3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
water
Cheese onion filling
1 lb. of pot cheese
1 onion chopped
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Combine flour, salt, egg and about 3/4 cup of water.
Dough - roll 1/16" thick. Cut 4" circles - 1 tsp of filling fold and pinch.
Drop in boiling water, let rise, drain.

Kulich

2 packages of Red Star active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
5-1/2 to 6 cups of gold medal flour* * if using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup of raisins
2/3 cup of chopped blanched blue diamond almonds
1 cup confectioners sugar
about 1 tbsp of water
tiny decoration candies

Grease three 1-lb. coffee cans. In a large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add buttermilk, eggs, 2-1/2 cups of the flour, the butter, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Blend 1/2 min. on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 2 mins. at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in raisins, almonds and enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. (Dough should remain soft and slightly sticky.)

Turn dough onto well-floured board; knead 5 min. or about 200 turns. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into well0rounded bun-like shape; place in coffee can. Cover; let rise in warm place until double. 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Immediately remove from cans. Blend confectioners' sugar and about 1 tbsp. water (if icing is too stiff, stir in a few drops of water); frost coffee cakes. Sprinkle with candies.

Jewish Apple Cake

Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/4 hours

3 cups flour (whole wheat)
2 cups sugar or 1 cup of honey
1 cup of wesson oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup of orange juice
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
cube 3-4 apples, toss with 2 tsp cinnamon
raisins
1 cup of walnuts

Mix well in a large bowl, add 1 cup of chopped walnuts and raisins.
Pour half batter in tube pan.
Add half apple mix
Rest of batter on top of apple mix
Top with apples and flatten in.
Slice to mix in slightly.