Antipasto salad

My family absolutely loves my take on the traditional antipasto salad. I always have to make large batches to last several days. The biggest benefit is that the portion that sits in the refrigerator longest tastes best after the flavours have been melding for days. 

Antipasto Salad

Ingredients:

        8 oz Tri-Colour Rotini

        1/2 c Vegetable Oil

        3 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar

        1 clove Garlic, minced

        1 tsp Basil

        1/8 tsp Red Pepper

        1 tsp Salt

        1/4 c Parmesan

        2 c Broccoli Florets

        1/4 lb Pepperoni, sliced

        10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

        1/2 c Mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

1. Cook pasta until al dente, Drain
2. In large bowl, stir together oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, pepper and salt
3. Toss with warm macaroni to coat well.
4. Toss with Parmesan.
5. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.
6. Add Broccoli, pepperoni and tomatoes; toss well. 
7. Sprinkle with mozzarella and serve.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Baked Penne with Beef.

The other day we were at the Cream Cheese Festival. While there I bought a cookbook with Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipes.  We weren't able to find any of the cooking creme called for in the recipe so I made a substitute. I also adjusted the amounts of each ingredient. My family loved this! 

Baked Penne with Beef

Ingredients:

        1 lb Penne, cooked

        2 lbs Ground Beef

        1/2 cup Onions, chopped

        1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper, chopped

        24 oz Pasta Sauce

        1 cup Mozzarella, shredded

        2 cups Cooking Creme

  

For Cooking Creme:

        8 oz Cream Cheese

        1/2 cup Beef Broth

        1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

        3 Tbs Parmesan, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook Penne, al dente.
3. Brown meat with onions and peppers.
4. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or mozzarella is melted.
6. Add pasta, mix lightly.
7. Spoon into casserole dish.
8. Top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella, and cover. 
9. Bake 15 minutes, uncover, and continue cooking 5 more minutes. 

Tip:  Italian Sausage can be used in place of Ground Beef.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Brown Sugar-Maple Glazed Thighs

A few years ago I shared a recipe for Maple-Glazed Chicken. The recipe is amazing, but I decided to tweak it one day. My family all agreed that they preferred my version of the recipe. Try both recipes and let me know in the comments which one you like best. This recipe is adapted for my large family.

Brown Sugar- Maple Glazed Thighs

Ingredients:

        9 Chicken Thighs

        Dash Salt

        Dash Pepper

        1 cup Real Maple Syrup (I use New York State syrup, it's the best!)

        1/2 cup Brown Sugar

        just<1/2 cup Mustard

        1 Tbls Garlic Powder

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 450°.
2. Put thighs in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.
4. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly in small bowl.
5. Pour contents of bowl over thighs.
6. Brush to coat. 
7. Cook 55 minutes, basting occasionally. 

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Quick Chili

This family favourite came about during a moment of panic. I was told that my daughter had signed me up to bring chili to the high school football game. And I needed to bring it in within one hour! I threw together some ingredients and it became a hit!  Afterward, I was asked to bring this every home game. Feel free to try some of our other favourite chili recipes. We have a variation of this one, a healthy version, a sweet maple chili and a delicious white chicken chili.

Quick Chili

Ingredients:

        2 lbs Ground Beef

        1 Onion, finely chopped

        3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

        1 cup Diced Tomatoes

        8 oz Tomato Sauce

        1 cup Water

        1 can Kidney Beans

        1 can Pinto Beans

        2 Tbs Chili Powder

        2 Tbs Sugar

        1 Tbs Hot Sauce

        1 Tbs Ground Cumin

        1 Tbs Salt

        1 tsp Pepper

        Shredded Cheddar

Directions:

1. Lightly brown ground beef, drain if necessary.
2. Add onion and garlic, cook until onion is translucent.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes until done.
5. Sprinkle with Shredded Cheddar.
6. Serve with Corn Muffins

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Chicken in Sour Cream, and Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I have to admit that my favourite piece of chicken is the thigh. It has so much more flavour than the breast. And lots more meat than the drumstick.  I love using the Maple-Glazed Chicken recipe, but variety is good too. I found an interesting recipe over at AllRecipes and decided to tweak it a little bit.  First of all, I have no Cream of Mushroom Soup and couldn't find a substitute recipe (see bottom). So I came up with this one that was a complete hit.

Chicken in Sour Cream

Ingredients:

        8 chicken thighs
        1 Tbs Vegetable Oil
        1 pinch Ground Black Pepper
        1 pinch Salt
        1 pinch Paprika
        Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
        1 (1 oz) pkg Dry Onion Soup Mix
        1 cup Sour Cream
        1 Tbs Lemon Juice
        1 tsp Dried Dill Weed

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish. 
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
3. Combine mushroom soup, onion soup mix, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill weed.
4. Pour over chicken.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (175 degrees C) for one hour, or until chicken is tender and sauce is brown.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

        Butter  (I used unsalted) 

        Mushrooms, chopped

        Garlic

        Flour

        1 cup Milk

Directions:

1. Melt Butter.
2. Add chopped Mushrooms.
3. Saute until slightly brown
4. Add chopped Garlic, Flour, 1 cup Milk
5. Heat to a nice roux.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Maple-Glazed Chicken

This is one of my family's favourite recipes. It has just the right amount of sweetness and is pull apart tender. The taste is amazing!

Maple-Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

        1.5 lb package of Chicken Thighs, six pieces serves three people
        1/2 cup of Dijon Mustard
        1/4 cup of Maple Syrup (I use New York State Maple Syrup)
        1 Tbs of Rice Wine Vinegar
        Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. 
2. Then, mix together dijon mustard, maple syrup, and rice wine vinegar. 
3. Put chicken thighs into a foil-lined, oven-proof baking dish. 
4. Then, salt and pepper the thighs. 
5. Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated. 
6. Put the chicken thighs into the oven.
7. Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF.
9. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. 
10. Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top. 

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Bacon Roses: A creative treat for your loved one

The photo for this cute idea had been making it's rounds on Facebook.  I was lucky enough to find it in Pinterest via wacky owl and originally posted it in my family blog, Walking Between the Grapevines.Walking Between the Grapevines .

Bacon Roses

All you need to have bacon slices, bunch or artificial roses, baking tray. Drill gun and baking accessories. 

Just cut thin and even layers of bacon and wrap each layer in the form of a rose flower. 

Put them in a baking tray having small separate baking compartments. Place the tray in the oven and bake the bacon well before ending. Pull out the golden brown bacon roses from the baking tray and let them cool by putting them on the surface on a paper towels.

Now, take the artificial bunch of roses and remove the roses carefully from the bunch. Detach the lower part of the artificial flower and stopper from the artificial branches. 

Now, reattach the lower part with the artificial branches and insert the bacon roses on the pointed ends of the branches. 

Put the branches having the bacon roses on them in a glass vase and enjoy your wacky but tasty creation.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid