Wordless Wednesday: Look What I Got For My Birthday!

Today is my birthday, and look what my wonderful husband got me ... a Canon Rebel EOS T2i plus an additional lens, bag, and memory card. I am so excited because I consider myself a wanna-be photographer trying to learn as I go. Now I have a really great camera to work with! This is the most wonderful gift I have ever received in my life. No one has ever done anything like this for me before. I am still blown away...

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Ranger India Pale Ale Cheesy Popcorn Soup and 1554 Enlightened Black Ale Battered Onion Rings @newbelgium @foodbuzz

I was given a challenge by New Belgium Brewing Company and Foodbuzz to come up with the ultimate recipe using one of the many types of beer produced by New Belgium Brewing Company. I was thrilled to take the challenge and I consider the challenge a great success! Not only did I come up with a main dish, but I also added a twisted side dish to accompany my Beer Cheese Soup. Instead of adding a boring loaf of bread I added Beer Battered Onion rings to round out this amazing meal! 

Beer cheese soup is really popular in the Midwest according to my husband. He loves it and asked me to make it one night for dinner. I did, but in my opinion the recipe I used was subpar. I wanted a beer cheese soup that was not only bold, but I wanted to kick it up with a little spice. I suppose you could say that’s the southern girl in me. If the recipe doesn’t have a lot of flair it typically doesn’t interest me. What can I say I am a Cajun girl and require everything to be kicked up? Enjoy!

*Ranger India Pale Ale Cheesy Popcorn Soup* 

Ingredients

• 3 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 medium white onion chopped
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning  (In a pinch you could use season salt )
• 2 cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
• 2 cans condensed nacho cheese soup
• 2 cups of Jalapeno Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1 1/2 can chicken stock
• 2 cans  of evaporated milk
• 1 bottle of Ranger India Pale Ale
• 6 cups of popped popcorn to garnish

Directions

1.      In a large pot add chopped celery, chopped onion and salted butter sauté’ for about 5 minutes until your vegetables are tender.

2.     To your vegetables add cayenne and old bays and cook for another minute.

3.     Add all four cans of cheese soup, Jalapeno Pepper Jack Cheese, chicken stock, evaporated milk, and 1 bottle of Ranger India Pale Ale. Stir all together until the condensed soups are well stirred in.

4.     Simmer on a medium heat until the soup is heated through. Try not to bring the soup to a boil to prevent burning. A slow cooked soup only makes this recipe better.  

5.     Garnish the Beer Cheese Soup with popped popcorn once it’s ladled in each serving bowl. Enjoy!

*1554 Enlightened Black Ale Battered Onion Rings*

Ingredients:

  

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1/4 teaspoon white pepper

·         1/2 teaspoon paprika

·         1/2 teaspoon season salt

·         2 large white onions 

·         1 cup 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

·         vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Combine all of your ingredients above (except for the oil) in a bowl and mix all together.
2. I recommend refrigerating for at least one hour which helps allow the batter to thicken, and the flavors to mingle, but it’s not necessary to still make the recipe amazing!
3. Preheat your vegetable oil in a frying pan to 375 degrees. 3 inches of oil
4. Peel onions and cut the onion into rings.
5. In small batches, dip the onions in the onion ring batter then place them in the oil. Fry the onion rings until the are a nice golden brown.
6. Once your onion rings are cooked place them on a paper towel to drain. Add salt and pepper if desired.
7. While you are cooking the other ring you can place the cooked onion rings in a pan in a warm oven heated at 2oo degrees just warm enough to keep your rings warm while the others are being cooked.

*As required by the Federal Trade Commission: Colie's Kitchen was compensated for this post. All that was asked of Colie's Kitchen was to review the product, and create a recipe.* 

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Happy Easter Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

This is such a great recipe! If you need a quick recipe for today and you want something easy and no bake here is a recipe for you. This is an excellent recipe that’s super-fast. I had them completely made in less than 1 hour. I threw all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and the shortening in the food process, and mixed it all up. I shaped the eggs (no very well I might add) stuck them in the refrigerator made up my chocolate then decorated and they were ready. I left them in the refrigerator until dessert! These are great! As you can see I am not a chocolatier!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2-1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• Pastel sprinkles

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter; gradually add the confectioners' sugar, cracker crumbs, peanut butter and vanilla. Shape into 16 eggs; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip eggs in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Decorate with sprinkles; return eggs to waxed paper. Chill until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: 16 eggs.

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Easy Fried Ravioli

I have to first start off by saying this recipe is great! I was able to pick up frozen ravioli for a really great price a few days ago now what to do with it? My husband loves fried ravioli so I decided to give making it homemade a try.

If you buy it as an appetizer at a restaurant it’s a little expensive, but making it at home is not only easy, but it’s half the price. This is an easy and delicious recipe that made the entire family very happy.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 (24 count) box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
•  Store bought marinara sauce, heated, for dipping

Directions:

1. Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.
2. While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
3. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl.
4. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.
5. When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.
7. Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Original Recipe

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Tartar Sauce

A few nights ago we had shrimp for dinner and I wanted to include a tartar sauce on the side. Typically the rule of thumb with a recipe like this is to allow the finished product to set over night to allow all the spices and flavors to mingle together thus creating the ultimate recipe. This tartar sauce recipe was no exception. I allow it to refrigerate overnight and the end results were fantastic! After trying this recipe out I could never imagine myself buying store bought tartar sauce again! 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise or 1 1/4 cups Miracle Whip
• 1 medium dill pickles (or 1/4 cup dill relish)
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes (or fresh)
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all together in the food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds until finely chopped, but not smooth.
2. Best if refrigerated for an hour before use.
3. Note: Can be made without the food processor, using dill relish or finely minced pickle.
4. Lasts quite a while in the refrigerator.

Original Recipe

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Neely's Spicy Sweet Potato Fries (Chips)

One of my favorite cooking shows is Down Home with the Neely’s! I love this husband and wife dynamic duo! They have such amazing chemistry in the kitchen that I find watching their cooking show both educational and entertaining. I saw the Neely’s making spicy sweet potato chips that I later turned into fries and knew I had the try them because I love sweet potato fries and I love spicy. As always they delivered with an amazing recipe that I am in love with. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes paired with the spiciness of just the right spice combination makes these fries a sweet and spicy delight! The only thing I changed from the original recipe was changing them from chips to fries.

Ingredients:

• Peanut oil, for frying
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large sweet potatoes, well scrubbed

Directions:

In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, thinly slice the sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Add the sliced sweet potatoes to the hot oil and fry, in batches, until crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Original Recipe

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Oven Fried Bacon

I love bacon, but I hate the mess that comes with frying bacon. I decided there had to be an easier way. I decided to figure out how to “fry” bacon in the oven, and now that’s the only way I do it. First off I don’t have to scrub down my kitchen after making bacon now, and I don’t smell like fried bacon after cooking it! That’s a huge plus! This is simple and fantastic!

What you need:

• 1 pound of bacon
• 1 jelly roll pan
• Heavy foil
• Optional oven safe cookie cooling racks

1. Line a baking sheet with heavy foil. This will make your cleanup much easier. I like to use the heavy foil to insure that the grease doesn't get on my pan. Yep it's called lazy.
2.  Arrange your bacon on the foil. I put my bacon on cookie cooling racks in the middle of my foil lined pan. This helps the grease drip off your bacon.Place the baking sheet in a cold oven. Turn you oven on to 400°F. 
3. Check your bacon within 15 to 20 minutes. This will vary based on the thickness of your bacon. Check back often you don't want burnt bacon. Let your nose be the guide. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. 
4. Remove pan from the oven and remove your bacon from the pan. Place bacon on paper towels to allow the excess grease to drip off. 

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I've Got the Need, the Need for Fried Cheese

I found this recipe while watching Guy Fieri’s “Guy’s Big Bites” on Television. He made this recipe look easy and in truth it really was. The flavor is fantastic, and these cheese sticks make great appetizers. I had fun making them, and loved eating them. No doubt you will too!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 8 ounces mozzarella string cheese, individually wrapped
• 16 thin slices salami, 2 1/2-inches in diameter
• 8 egg roll/spring roll wrappers

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, add oil and heat to 325 degrees F.
2. In a medium shallow bowl, whisk eggs and milk thoroughly. In another medium bowl mix panko and Italian bread crumbs.
3. Dredge 1 entire side of egg roll wrapper into egg wash. Place 2 slices of salami in the center of wrapper, towards the edge closest to you. Place 1 stick of cheese on top of salami. Roll wrapper edge closest to you over the filling. Tuck ends and continue to roll until it forms an egg roll shape.
4. Dredge rolled wrapper in egg wash again, and then thoroughly coat in bread crumb mixture. (Wrappers can be frozen for future use at this point.)
5. Add 1 to 2 rolled wrappers to oil at a time, cooking 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook, or cook on too high of a temperature as wraps may explode. Remove fried cheese to a paper-towel lined plate and serve immediately

Original Recipe Source


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Potato Cups

This is a fantastic recipe! It’s so simple to put together and then all you do is pop it into the oven and the potato cups are done. I waited until mine were crispy on the outside before I took then out of the oven and they came out perfect. I used a cheese grater to shred the potatoes and I also used it to for the onions. It was super easy and went quickly. I needed something last minute and this recipe came together perfectly. The potatoes have a great flavor and got rave reviews. Here is the original recipe, but I actually changed it up a lot from the original recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded potatoes (You could use frozen and thaw them before measuring)
• 2 tablespoons onions, minced
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• butter, to grease the muffin tins

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.
2.  Mix together the potatoes, onion, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Generously butter 6 muffin tins, 2-1/2" size.
3.  Press the potato mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Bake 45 minutes or until the edges are well browned.
4. Remove from the oven to a rack to cool slightly. Loosen and invert the potato cups onto a plate.

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Wordless Wednesday - Cereal Runneth Over

I really was wordless or even speechless when I realized how many boxes of cereal we had in the pantry when I decided to organize the pantry this past weekend. Most of these boxes are not even open. In truth I believe only two boxes were open. These are the 13 I kept. The remaining boxes were just bits and pieces that I ended up throwing away.  If all else fails we always have cereal!

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Pull-Apart Peazer Bread

This is a really great recipe. Not only is is dirt cheap to make, but it's easy, requires very few ingredients, and tastes great. It also makes a great presentation. It's my version of a monkey bread. The great part about this concept is you can do just about anything with the recipe. Keep the margarine and lose everything else, add a little cinnamon and sugar then you have a great monkey bread. You could also make a great garlic pull apart bread too. So simple yet so diverse! Love it!!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury Grand’s Biscuits
• ½ stick margarine
• 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsp. bacon bits (not Bacos)
• ½ tsp. garlic powder

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a microwave safe bowl melt margarine. 
3. To the melted margarine add garlic powder, bacon bits, and thinly sliced green onions and mix together. Set mixture aside. 
4. Quarter each Pillsbury Grand’s Biscuit half the biscuit then half it again. 
5. Take the quartered Pillsbury Grand’s Biscuits and add them to the margarine mixture and slowly mix the ingredients together. 
6. Once everything is well combined spoon the biscuit mixture into a 3 quart baking dish. Pretty much any baking dish will work as long as the biscuits will stick together.  
7. Cook on 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Test the middle biscuits to insure they are done before removing them completely from the oven.

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