Cheese Tortellini with White Wine Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast, cooked and cut into strips
Tortellini
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves
2 T. capers
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken stock
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. all purpose flour
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 to 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil with salt.  Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Usually takes about 12 minutes so it works well to start this first while making the sauce and it should be finished just as you are completing the sauce.

Cook chicken breast in a large pan with olive oil. Once fully cooked remove chicken and set aside.  Melt butter in same pan used to cook chicken and add onions.  Cook until translucent.  Add garlic and capers and cook an additional 2 minutes.  Slowly pour in the white wine and cook until reduced by half.  Add chicken stock and lemon juice.  Whisk in flour until thick.  Slowly pour in heavy cream and continue to whisk until all flour has been incorporated and no longer chunky.  Bring to a low boil.  Add spinach and let it wilt.  At this point I would add salt and pepper and season to your taste.  Cut the already cooked chicken breast into strips, add to sauce.  When your tortellini is cooked drain the water and add the pasta to the sauce.  Serve hot.  Top with freshly grated Romano Cheese.  YUM!

Recipe by: Tracy Lytle 

Apple Crumble Dessert Pizza

All I have to say is OH.MY.GOSH.DELISH!  It took some serious will power to not eat half the pizza.  Looking down at my growing belly helped me stop grabbing for more :)  It is a bit involved, but so worth it!

Preheat oven to 425.

Pizza Crust (makes 2 large cookie sheet thin crust dough's)

1 2/3 c. warm water (80 degrees)
2 T. sugar
2 T. oil
2 t. salt
4 1/2 c. all purpose flour (I used all purposed whole wheat)
2 t. yeast

Put all ingredients in order listed in bread machine and select "pizza course".  Or you can put all ingredients in order listed into a stand mixer with a kneading attachment.  Knead for 5 to 6 minutes and then let it rise until doubled.

Once doubled, cut in half.  Roll each half out into a thin crust, spread a light layer of oil over the crust and on the cookie sheet.  Set aside.

**I used one crust for the dessert pizza and one for a normal cheese pizza.  

Apple Base


2 large apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/3 c. water
1 T. butter
2 t. cinnamon
pinch of all spice and nutmeg
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2 t. corn starch
4 T. cold water

Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and cover for another 5-10 minutes or until apples are soft.  Remove from heat and add cold water/corn starch mixture until thick.  Set aside.

Cinnamon Crumble 


1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. butter, cold
1 t. cinnamon

Mix ingredients into a bowl and cut in the butter until it resembles a course mixture.

Icing


2 c. powdered sugar
3 T. cold milk
1 T. melted butter
1 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients and put into a plastic baggie and place in refrigerator.
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Pre-bake the plain pizza crust in oven for 3 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread apple mixture evenly over pizza.  Then sprinkle the cinnamon crumble over the apples.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until crust is browned and apple mixture is bubbling.  Let cool slightly then cut a hole in the icing bag and drizzle over pizza.  Serve warm.

Recipe by: Tracy Lytle

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Posted by Debi via The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

I found this recipe on Pinterest! Haven't tried them yet, but I will!!

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Posted by Debi

Three-Berry Cobbler

Yield: 4 custard dishes

CRUST:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/4 pound, butter, cut into cubes and kept cold
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

FILLING:

1 1/2 pounds each, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the over to 350.

Crumble together the flour, baking powder, sugar and butter until it is the texture of coarse cornmeal. Blend in the egg and milk. Mix and form into a ball. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out just larger than the custard cups.

Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. When the mixture is thick and syrupy, remove from heat. Spoon the mixture into baking dishes. Cover loosely with the crust and bake for 15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned and the berry filling is bubbling out around the edges. Let cool before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream

Prep time: 1 hour

Recipe from McCormick and Schmick

Apple Halibut

Yield: 2 Servings.

INGREDIENTS:

2 (6 - 7 ozs.) fresh halibut fillets
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
3 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons butter
3 - 4 baby red potatoes, quartered and grilled
3 strips smoked, diced bacon
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 medium apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup Lemon Butter Sauce (recipe follows)
2 Tablespoons chopped chives

DIRECTIONS:

Season the halibut with salt and pepper. Lightly dust in the flour. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Sear the halibut over medium-high heat until golden brown. Remove from the pan and hold in a warm oven. Saute the bacon, red onion, and apples in the same pan for about 2 mintues. Place the red potatoes in the center of your plate. Pour the bacon, apples, and onions over the potatoes. Place the warm halibut on top. Pour the Lemon Butter Sauce over the fish, and sprinkle with chives.

Lemon Butter Sauce:

Yield: 1 cup

6 ounces white wine
3 ounces white wine vinegar
3 whole black peppercorns
1 shallot, quartered
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces cold butter, cut into pieces

Combine wine, vinegar, peppercorns, and shallot in a noncorrosive saucepan (stainless steel, Teflon, Claphalon). Reduce until the mixture is just 1 to 2 Tablespoons and has the consistency of syrup. Add the cream and reduce again until the mixture is 3 to 4 Tablespoons and very syrupy. Remove the pan from heat. Add the butter pieces, about 2 ounces at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each piece to melt in before adding more. (If the mixture cools too much, the butter will not melt completely and you will have to reheat it slightly.) Strain and hold warm on a stove-top trivet or in a double-boiler until you are ready to use.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup packed cilantro
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:

Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Photo Credit: ourbestbites.com

Orange & Avocado Salad

This salad is deliciously fresh and is a great addition to a Mexican dinner - or any meal really. We love it! From Eating Well.

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup orange segments
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup slivered red onion
Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, diced (optional)
1/2 cup Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (recipe follows)


DIRECTIONS:

Toss greens, orange segments, avocado and onion in a salad bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.

Nutrition Information:
Per servings: 223 calories; 19 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 14 g Mono; 0 mg. Cholesterol; 14 g Carbs; 3 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 142 mg Sodium; 612 mg Potassium

4 Servings
Prep Time" 15 minutes

Posted by Debi