Chicken Chili

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
1 med onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
2 t ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
1/4 - 1/2 t cayenne pepper
3 cans (14.5 oz each) Great Northern beans, drained, divided
1 C monterrey jack cheese, shredded
chopped jalapeno pepper, optional

In a dutch oven over a medium heat, cook chicken and onion in oil until lightly browned. Add garlic, cook 1 min longer. Stir in the broth, chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low. With a potato masher, mash 1 can of beans until smooth. Add to saucepan. Add remaining beans to saucepan. Simmer for 20-30 mins until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender.

Top each serving with cheese and jalapeno pepper, if desired. Yield 10 servings.

Banana Chocolate Crater Cake

From: Lauren at Servingfromhome.com

1 cup butter
 2 cups sugar
 2 eggs beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3 ripe bananas
3 cups flour
 2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
 1 cup sour cream
 1 tsp.cinnamon
 1/2 cup brown sugar
 1 1/2 cups (or more) chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add beaten eggs and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla and mashed bananas.  Mix until smooth >Sift flour, baking powder and soda and add to banana mixture, alternating with sour cream.  End with dry ingredients. 

Pour half the batter into a greased 9 X 13 pan.  Combine cinnamon and brown sugar.  Sprinkle half of mixture over batter in pan.Top with half the chocolate chips.  Repeat.  Bake at 350 for forty-five to fifty minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean

Lemon Loaf

Another knock off Starbucks recipe, but this one is "not from scratch" as it uses a cake mix.

Ingredients

Cake
• 1 box yellow cake mix OR lemon cake mix (if using lemon, omit 6 T freshly squeezed lemon juice)
• 5.1 ounce (large/family size) instant Lemon pudding mix (can be replaced with instant vanilla pudding & 2 tsp lemon emulsion/extract)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2-3 lemons)* omit this is using a lemon cake mix
Lemon Topping
• 1/4 C butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon emulsion/extract
• 
  

Instructions

Make Lemon Loaf
1. Turn oven to 350F. Line 2 loaf pans with foil & spray with non stick spray, or butter and flour the pans. Set aside.
2. Combine all the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl, add about 1 cup of wet ingredients, beat with a mixer !on low speed! for about 15 seconds, then add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low speed for another 15-20 seconds. DO NOT over beat, or your cake will deflate.
4. Divide batter evenly between two loaf pans.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden in color or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, before removing and allowing to cool on a cooling rack.
Make Icing
7. Beat butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice & lemon emulsion until smooth and supple.
8. Spread evenly on top of both cakes.
9. Allow the glaze to harden up before slicing.
10. This recipe can be used to make a cake, cupcakes or even small individual squares like I did using a brownie square pan (see link to picture below the post).

Onion Peels

This is an Applebee's knockoff recipe

1 large White Onion

Creamy Horseradish Dipping Sauce (Recipe Follows)

1/2 cup all-purpose Flour

1/2 cup Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 1/2 cups Milk

4 -6 cups Shortening, as required by your deep fryer *Or fry in vegetable oil in deep fryer

 

Directions

1. Heat the shortening to 350 degrees in a deep fryer.
2. Slice the stem end and the root end off onion, then, with the onion resting on a flat side, cut down through the onion, slicing it in half.
3. Slice each half 4 to 5 more times in a spoke fashion to create wedges of onion.
4. Separate the onion pieces.
5. Create batter by combining all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
6. Whisk in milk until batter is smooth then let the batter sit for 5 minutes.
7. It should thicken.
8. Whisk batter again.
9. When oil is hot dip each onion piece in the batter, let some of the batter drip off then drop the coated onion piece carefully into the hot oil.
10. Repeat, frying 8 to 12 at a time for 1 to 2 minutes or until light brown.
11. Drain on a rack or paper towels.
12. Repeat until the onion is used up, stacking the newer batches on top of the old ones to keep them warm.
13. When they’re all done, serve the fried onion slices on a plate or in a paper-lined basket with horseradish dipping sauce (recipe below) on the side.

Creamy Horseradish Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared Horseradish
• 2 teaspoons White Distilled Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Water
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Ketchup
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon medium grind Black Pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne
• 1 dash Garlic Powder
• 1 dash Onion Powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl with a whisk.
2. Mix until creamy then cover and chill until ready to use.

Angry Whopper

A burger king knock off recipe - it's pretty spicy, but one of Brian's favourites. It's really good!

• Thick-cut Smoked Bacon,
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Spicy Onion Petals (click to see recipe, you don't need the horseradish sauce part)
• Ripe Tomatoes
• Spicy Jalapeno Slices
• Angry Whopper Sauce (Recipe Below)
• Toasted, sesame seed bun

.Build the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up: bottom bun, hamburger patty, Pepper Jack cheese, jalapenos, bacon, Angry Whopper sauce, onion petals, tomatoes, lettuce, top bun.

Angry Whopper Sauce

• 3 tablespoons packed Brown Sugar
• 3 tablespoons Ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared Yellow Mustard (not the powdered yellow mustard)
• 1 tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
   
•  
• Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Crock Pot Tortellini

1 bag of frozen tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups or vegetable broth
1 block of cream cheese

Directions:
Put all ingredients in crock-pot, chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 5-6 hrs

Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut

1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scraped down the sides and bottom.
2 Slowly add the powdered sugar, taste as you go adding more sugar until you have reached the desired sweetness.
3 Fold in the coconut. Spread onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle on a bit of extra shredded coconut on top and serve.