Peanut Butter Power Bites

Peanut Butter Power Bites

I am teased by my family that I don't need a cellphone.  More times than not, I miss their calls or fail to answer their text messages.  It is not that I am always ignoring them, but there are times I don't want to be so...accessible.

But today while I was cooking for a new EAT! client, my phone vibrated with 2 test messages within minutes of each other.  Being that it was during school hours and both messages were from my daughters, I decided to take a look at them.  The girls texted me saying how much they and their friends loved the Peanut Butter Power Bites I packed in their lunches.  A friend of one of my daughter's (and a frequent dinner guest at our house) even stated that she would do anything to get a few more of the crunchy and chocolatey peanut butter treats.

I made a batch of 50 Peanut Butter Power Bites yesterday afternoon and there are about 15 left.  It looks like it is about time to make some more.

Peanut Butter Power Bites

adapted from this recipe in the April, 2011 All You magazine

makes 50

4 tablespoons butter
1 1/3 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from heat and stir in peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, honey and vanilla. Stir in Rice Krispies and oats and allow mixture to cool.

Stir in the chocolate chips. Form mixture into 1-inch balls, pressing tightly to form balls. Store in refrigerator.

Stir Fry Chicken Kebabs with Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

Stir Fry Chicken Kebabs with Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

Who does not love dinner on a stick?  Look at how tasty the kebabs in the photo look.  It's supper on a skewer.  And Stir Fry Chicken Kebabs with Teriyaki Dipping Sauce combines a meal on a skewer with a popular and always favorite cuisine - Asian.

Without further adieu.......Stir Fry Chicken Kebabs with Teriyaki Dipping Sauce.

Stir Fry Chicken Kebabs with Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

makes 16 skewers, serves 6 - 8

Get a jump on making this recipe early in the day.  Marinate the chicken, cut up the vegetables, and make the teriyaki sauce in the morning.  At dinner time, skewer and grill chicken and vegetables.  Serve with basmati rice to complete the meal.

3 pounds of chicken tenders cut in 1-inch cubes

marinade --
juice on 1 lemon
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger root, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped

teriyaki glaze and dipping sauce --
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 green pepper cut in 1 inch pieces
1 yellow pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut in 1 inch pieces

In a large resealable bag, add the chicken and marinade ingredients.  Seal and squish the bag to combine the mariande with the chicken.  Let marinate for an hour at room temperature or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator.

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine the 1 cup water, soy sauce, ginger and garlic powders, honey, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.  In a separate small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup water and cornstarch.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat grill or grill pan to medium high.  Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and skewer alternately with the peppers and onions.  Grill for about 3 - 5 minutes per side basting with 1/2 of the teriyaki glaze during the final minutes of cooking.  The chicken should be just cooked through and the vegetables slightly charred.  Remove the skewers from the grill and serve with the remaining teriyaki dipping sauce.

Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce

Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce

In a word ...... amazing!

Not only was Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce simple to prepare, it was an entree that was both spicy and not too sweet - a favorite flavor pairing.  I love the combination of pork and fruit and this dish adds a bit of flair to dinner time.  Even my daughter who has a strict policy of no fruit and meat entrees (she is just a little odd that way) loved chili powder spiced pork chops topped with the blackberry sauce of mashed and whole berries.

The chops are quickly seared and then finish cooking in a covered pan.  The sauce is a marrying of shallots, wine and fresh blackberries.  A little butter adds just a touch of body to the sauce before topping the tender pork chops along with a few whole berries.  Sides of quinoa and creamed scallions rounded out the meal.

In a word ..... amazing!

Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce

adapted from a recipe in Cuisine at Home - June 2010 issue

serves 4

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6 -8 ounce) pork chops (3/4-1-inch thick, bone-in)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1/2 cup pinot noir
3 cups fresh blackberries (divided)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper and rub onto the chops.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the chops and saute 3 - 4 minutes on each side.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 5-7 minutes.  Remove the chops to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Saute the shallots in the pan over medium-high heat about 2 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the wine. Then add 2 cups of the berries, broth, and sugar.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.  Coarsely mash the berries with a potato masher or fork.  Simmer the sauce until slightly thick  - about another minute or 2.

Swirl in the butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork chops topped with the sauce and the remaining berries.

Baked Feta and Tomato Shrimp

Baked Feta Shrimp

3 starving kids who were looking for something hearty for dinner after a softball game and lacrosse practice = a big pot of pasta with ricotta marinara sauce.  )Just add about 1 cup of ricotta cheese to 2 cups of  homemade marinara sauce or purchased marinara sauce and viola....ricotta marinara sauce.)

2 parents looking for more than pasta for dinner on a Friday night during Lent = Baked Feta and Tomato Shrimp dinner.

With a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer and a couple pantry and refrigerator ingredients, our Friday night dinner was on the table in 20 minutes.  Baked Feta and Tomato Shrimp had all the flavor of a restaurant quality dish without the added expense of dining out.  I like to eat out just as much as the next person, but when making a delicious entree is so simple, it was just as easy to eat at home.

Baked Feta and Tomato Shrimp is loaded with garlic panko crumbs, fire roasted tomatoes, jumbo shrimp and salty feta cheese.  With a loaf of crusty bread and a salad of mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, dinner is complete.

Enjoy dinner at home tonight.  Your wallet will thank you.


Baked Feta and Tomato Shrimp

This recipe is just as tasty as one from your favorite seafood restaurant.  It can be made up to the point of just before roasting and stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.  Add a couple extra minutes to the roasting time if putting the entree directly from the refrigerator to the oven. 

serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for baking dish
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup panko
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, 21 - 25 per pound, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small saucepan over medium heat add butter and olive oil.  When butter begins to just bubble, remove the pan from the heat and add the garlic.  Let sit for 3 - 5 minutes.  Add the panko and stir to combine.  Set aside.

Brush a 9-inch baking dish with a little olive oil.  Add the shrimp and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  Top with the tomatoes, the garlic panko and sprinkle the feta.  Bake for 12 minutes or until the shrimp are just cooked through.  Remove from oven and top with the basil.