Frozen Margaritas

These are simple and easy to make, have made numerous times, 10/10!

Original recipe link: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/32649/margaritas/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

ice (enough to nearly fill blender)

8 oz. (2/3 of 12oz. can) frozen limeade

6 oz. tequila

3 oz. triple sec

Directions:

1. Fill blender nearly to top with ice.

2. Add remaining ingredients. 

3. Use "chop" setting or "frozen drinks" (if you have one like mine does). Blend until desired consistency is achieved. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

Braised Chicken with Shallots & Tarragon

Outstandingly delicious, 10/10 for sure! I made this with my mom; everyone (including us, of course) loved it. The tarragon is really what makes this dish different and special. We served it with egg noodles--perfect pairing!

Link to original recipe: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/braised-chicken-with-shallots-and-mushrooms.html

Recipe below contains our modifications.

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs (skin-on, bone-in) and 4 chicken drumsticks

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

olive oil (enough to coat the chicken pieces)

6 medium shallots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bottle (750mL) Barefoot Chardonnay (or other full bodied white wine)

3 T. dried porcini mushrooms (in small pieces)

1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

2 T. fresh tarragon, finely chopped, divided

3/4 c. heavy cream

~1 T. fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on each piece of chicken, then rub to coat all over. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large, heavy skillet (we used cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken pieces and brown on both sides (we went about 4 min. per side). Transfer to a plate and repeat for remaining half of chicken pieces.

3. Check amount of oil remaining in pan; if it is less than 1 T., add some olive oil to reach that amount. If there is more than 1 T., pour off excess to leave about 1 T. in pan (we did not have to pour any off). Leave pan off burner for a minute (to cool a little), then return to burner on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots/garlic have softened (around 3-4 min). 

4. Heat oven to 350°F.

5. Add the wine to pan. Increase heat to level needed to bring to a boil. Let boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half (around 12 min.).

6. Turn off heat. Stir in the porcini and 1 T. of the tarragon. Pour mixture into a roasting pan deep enough to hold all the sauce plus the chicken (we used a 13"x9"x3"). Place chicken pieces in the sauce skin-side up and transfer to oven. Roast for 35-40 min, or until chicken has reached internal temperature of 165°F.

7. Increase oven temperature to 400°F and roast for additional 5 minutes (to crisp skin). Remove from oven and transfer chicken pieces to plate, then cover to keep warm.

8. Skim any excess fat from top of sauce (we didn't have much, so we skipped this). Place pan on burner (or transfer sauce to a pan that fits your burner) and heat sauce to boiling. Keep it at boiling, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 min, or until reduced by about half.

9. Stir in the cream, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.  Return chicken to pan, along with any accumulated juices. Turn chicken pieces to coat fully in sauce. 

10. Sprinkle with remaining 1 T. of tarragon and the Italian parsley. Serve with desired side and enjoy!

Teriyaki Salmon

Easy, quick, delicious! 10/10. As you can see in the video, my salmon filets were no longer filets by the end of cooking lol, but they were still tasty anyhow :) Rice noodles are a perfect pairing. Try it tonight!

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/9fZn9-tbF3E

Original recipe: https://www.eatwell101.com/teriyaki-salmon-recipe

Amounts below reflect my modifications.

Ingredients:

3 T. honey

1 T. brown sugar

2 T. Tamari soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)

1 T. sesame oil

1/2 T. bottled minced garlic

1/2 T. bottled minced ginger

1 T. Sriracha

~1 T. canola oil

~1 lb. salmon filets/cut in individual portions

optional: chopped green onion

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together honey, brown sugar, Tamari, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha.

2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add salmon filets and cook until done to your liking, turning as needed (at least once).

3. Drain off excess oil from skillet, then return to stove and lower heat to medium-low. Add the sauce mixture to pan. Stir to coat the salmon and let cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. If desired, add the green onions to the sauce mixture and let cook 1 minute.

5. Remove from heat and serve with desired side, enjoy!

Almond Bars

The original recipe calls these "elegant", which just sounds a bit silly to me, so I'm just going to call them almond bars. Delicious almond bars, that is! These are great, 10/10, will absolutely make again! They are fairly easy, but do require a couple of ingredients not likely just hanging around in your pantry. 

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/wV4t9pa4M38

Link to original recipe: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/elegant-almond-bars/7fe30441-a4da-40ea-9170-09561efe8827

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

cookie base--

1 pouch (17.5 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 egg

filling--

1 pkg. (8 oz.) almond paste, crumbled into small chunks (see video for more on this)

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

~1/4 c. blanched slivered almonds, lightly toasted, finely chopped (original recipe calls for 1/2 c. sliced almonds, so you can use those instead if desired)

topping--

2 oz. white chocolate baking bar (I used Ghirardelli), broken up in small pieces (*I think I will use 3 oz next time)

2 tsp. butter flavored Crisco

optional: maraschino cherries, for garnish/decoration when serving

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 

2. In a large bowl, stir together all cookie base ingredients only, until combined into a soft dough. Press/spread dough in an even layer into an ungreased 9"x13" baking pan. Bake for 15 min.

3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand/electric mixer, mix together the almond paste, sugar, and butter on low speed until blended. Add the eggs and beat on low to begin, then increase to medium, beating until well combined. Mixture may still be lumpy; this is normal.

4. Spread the almond paste mixture over the baked cookie base using a flexible spatula/scraper. Sprinkle the finely chopped almonds evenly atop the mixture. 

5. Bake for 18-20, or until filling is set and edges are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for at least 1 hour before topping (next step).

6. For the last topping--Prepare a double boiler and place the white chocolate pieces and shortening in the top part to melt. Stir until completely melted and combined, then drizzle atop the cooled bars. Cut into squares and serve! (with the cherries, if desired, a nice addition :))

Shortcut Sugar Buns

These are really tasty and probably far too easy to be safe for your waistline lol, 10/10. One slight modification to the recipe I made was the use of butter to grease the muffin tins instead of non-stick spray. Since my pan is already non-stick, I avoid using spray, as it tends to leave a gummy residue on non-stick pans. Even with the butter, these did stick a little in a couple of places, which may have been that I didn't get those quite as well coated. Tip: thaw the puff pastry in your fridge for best pliability. I had mine in the fridge for around 3 days and it was fine (was worried this was too long), even though it was past the date on the package (what I'm saying is, don't throw it out if yours is, too :)) I thought I had pictures for this recipe, but cannot find them, so I will post some next time I make this!

Link to original recipe: https://www.bhg.com/recipe/shortcut-sugar-buns/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

6 T. sugar

3 T. light brown sugar (packed)

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 tsp. kosher salt

1 package (17.3 oz./2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed in fridge

6 T. unsalted butter, softened, plus for for coating pans

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Butter (lightly but thoroughly) 12 muffin cup areas on muffin pan(s).

2. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt in a small bowl.

3. Sprinkle counter/work space with 1 T. of the mixture. Open one of the pastry sheets on the prepared surface and press gently to coat with mixture on bottom.

4. Spread 2 T. of the butter over the top of the puff pastry, then top with 2 T. of the sugar mixture. 

5. Cut into six equal strips and roll each into a coil. Place each coil in a muffin cup (spiral side up/down). Repeat with second pastry sheet.

6. Transfer to oven and bake for 30-35 min, or until golden brown and puffed. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 T. of butter (I used the microwave). 

7. After buns come out of oven, let them cool for 2 minutes, then brush the top of one with melted butter. Roll the dipped part in the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and transfer to a plate to finish cooling. Repeat for remaining buns. Serve and enjoy!!

 

Lemon Butter Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

Very tasty, will be even more so when I make again and tweak a bit. The picture on the original recipe site is very deceptive, as there is NO way the onions can come out looking like that if you follow the directions (like I (mostly) did). I'll be adding the veggies in later the next time I do this. I'm going with a 9/10 as written, will update after next time I make it. I am also modifying the butter mixture part's directions (see below).

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/5D7Zgrb2E_o

Link to original recipe post (you may hit paywall if you've visited other Delish recipes and/or aren't a subscriber): https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a37418736/sheet-pan-chicken-thighs-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

2 T. butter, softened

6 T. butter (does not need to be be softened)

~1 lb. baby potatoes, halved

kosher salt

coarse ground black pepper

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp. dried thyme plus 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (or 4 tsp. fresh if you have the time/patience)

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, divided

~ 2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 small red onion, halved and cut into 3/4" wedges (I will use a regular sized red onion next time)

10 cloves garlic, unpeeled (or even more cloves if you love garlic)

zested lemon sliced up

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, spread the 2 T. of softened butter (as best you can; this is not exactly easy) in a rectangle big enough to hold all the potatoes (see the video for how this looked). Place the potatoes on the buttered area, then season with kosher salt and coarse pepper. Place in oven to roast for 10 min.

2. Modification from what is in video: Meanwhile, use microwave to melt the 6 T. of butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, thyme, and 1 tsp. of the oregano.

3. Season chicken thighs with kosher salt and coarse pepper. Nestle the thighs among the potatoes, then pour about half of the butter mixture over them to coat. Return baking sheet to oven for 25 min.

4. Nestle the onion wedges, garlic, and lemon slices among the potatoes and chicken on the sheet. Pour remaining butter over all items on the sheet. Turn potatoes if desired. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. oregano, then return sheet to oven for additional 20-25 min, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165°F.

5. Squeeze roasted garlic out of the paper shells and stir in with veggies to serve alongside chicken. Enjoy!

Penne with Creamy Pancetta Mushroom Sauce

Yuuummm. This is another 9.5/10, will make it again and again! (It's just barely below the full 10 level.) I created this recipe based on others I found when I was trying to find a recipe to use up my mushrooms in the fridge. I also had bacon that was going to be in this, but the bacon had gone bad :( so I decided to go for pancetta instead (which I also had on hand). Excellent results, glad it ended up this way!

Ingredients:

8 oz. penne pasta, cooked according to package directions, reserve the strained pasta cooking water

4 oz. diced pancetta

~1 tsp. olive oil

1 T. butter (I used unsalted; if you use salted, adjust seasoning accordingly)

8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

salt, to taste

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 T. fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 c. dry white wine (I used Château Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc)

1/2 c. heavy cream

coarse ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish 

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over just under medium heat, cook pancetta in the olive oil, until just starting to brown a tiny bit. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, leaving behind rendered fat.

2. Add the butter to the pan and swirl to combine with the rendered fat. Add mushrooms to pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have given their liquid and it has mostly evaporated.

3. Stir in the garlic and rosemary, followed by the white wine. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until wine has reduced by around half.

4. Stir in heavy cream and pepper, along with 1/4 c, of the reserved pasta cooking water. Return the cooked pancetta to pan and stir in. Bring to a simmer and keep simmering for around 5 min, or until sauce begins to thicken a bit.

5. Remove from heat, then stir in the Parmesan, followed by the pasta. Serve garnished with additional Parmesan and enjoy!