Spicy Corn Dip

During the Holidays I love to try different appetizers ...especially since we attend so many get togethers and parties. I usually like to bring a dish and I find that bringing an appetizer or dessert is usually the best dish to bring. 

I got this appertizer dip from "The Chic Site" I did tweak it a little according to my taste. 

Spicy Corn Dip 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups corn (frozen) 

2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded

3 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded

2 cups cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups mayo

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons chipotle in adobe puree

2 tablespoons hot sauce, or more if you like it super spicy

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Heat a LARGE skillet over medium heat. Add butter and sauté the onions, garlic, red bell pepper, and corn until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese until combined.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl with the cilantro, green onion (scallion)  and cream cheese/corn mixture. I left about a cup of cheese to sprinkle over the top and added a few pat if butter just so it can get a nice brown cheesy top. 

Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Pour the dip into an oven-safe baking dish. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling.

Serve hot out of the oven with TORILLA chips!! 

 Enjoy!

Before going into over and sprinkle with extra cheese on top.. 

Pizza in a BUNDT pan

Ingredients: 

1 can of grand biscuit (cut into 4) 

1 C pepperino (cut in half or 4) 

1 C harvarti cheese 

Dash Tony's Chacherie 

1/2 t Italian Seasons  

Cut everything into bite size 

I just toss a few BIG pieces of pepperoni on top so it can look pretty 😉

Toss everything into a grease bundt pan 

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes .. I think it depends on your oven and the pan that you used. 

Enjoy!! 

Can use some marinara sauce for dipping 

Pepperoni Pizza in a Bundt Pan

As a mom .. We are always looking for fun, easy and delicious meal to make for the kids. My kids LOVE pizza but I do want to make it different ways with different ingredients that would make them eat it. 

Today I used what I had on hand.. Grabs biscuit 

Ingredients: 

2 can grabs biscuit 

1/2 bag of pepperoni 

1/2 bag of mozzarella cheese 

1/2 t Italian seasoning 

1 T Parmesan cheese 

1/4 t garlic powder 

Grease bundt pan 

Preheat oven to 350 

Direction 

Cut the biscuit into 4... Drop them on bottom of bundt pan ... I cut my pepperoni into halves...then layer them with mozzarella cheese .. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese... Repeat until you used up the grand biscuit.

Place in oven at 350 for 45 minutes. 

Enjoy!! 

You can dip with marinara sauce 😉

doTerra essential oils

I just came across doTerra and I am interested in incorporating it into my cooking.. So stay tune 

You can visit my doTerra site 

http://www.mydoterra.com/felicialnguyen/

Witch Hat

These are by far the easiest treat to make for the kids during Halloween. 

Ingredients: 

1 pack Keebler stripe fudge cookies ( you can use OREO but I find it's too thick) 

1 pack Hershey's kisses 

1 tube of frosting --- you can use the one in the can but I just find it gets pretty messy 

Sprinkles 

Take 1 Hershey's kisses and dab it with the frosting ... I use the chocolate side of the cookie. 

Then sprinkle with some Halloween sprinkle ... Wala 

Enjoy!! 

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

White chocolate bread pudding 

Ingredients: 

6 cups whipping cream

2 cups of milk

1 cup sugar

20 oz of white chocolate broken into small pieces

3 whole eggs

15 egg yolks

2 loaves of stale French bread, sliced into 1 inch thick pieces

preheat oven to 350; in a huge stock pot,

hat cream, milk and sugar over medium heat.

When hot, take off heat and add white chocolate pieces and stir until it all melted and incorporated. 

Combine eggs and egg yolks

Pour slowly into cream. 

Layer the bread, pour over sliced bread and squish.. Let it sit for awhile before baking. I usually let it sit for about 10 minutes. 

Bake: 

1 hour with foil on

½ hour with foil off

SAUCE: 

16 oz white chocolate

1 cup whipping cream

melt, stir and pour over served hot bread pudding

garnish with shaved chocolate and slivered almonds!! 

Enjoy!! 

Shaved White Chocolate

Letting it soak before I bake 

Right from the oven.. I added silvered almond on top 

Chicken Pot Pie

I have always wanted to make this dish. Every time I go to KFC I would buy one. But lately the KFC by my house is closed. So now I have to learn how to make one.. I started with an easy version and maybe some day I would use a puff pastry or make my own pastry. This time I used the chicken from my bake chicken (I just shredded the whole chicken) and I used 2 can of chicken soup with herbs instead of using the flour and milk version. 

Ingredients: 

1 chicken shredded --I shredded 1 whole chicken ( I like it with just cubed up chicken breast more--- the chicken holds better when you use cubed chicken breast-- just remember if you are using cubed chicken breast ...you need to cook it longer if you aren't precooked got first) 

1 stick butter 

3 stalk of celery-chopped 

1 small onion-chopped 

1 bag of veggies (frozen section-carrots, peas, green beans and corn) 

2 can of cream of chicken soup with herbs 

1 can chicken broth (low sodium) 

2 cup milk 

1 C of grand flaky biscuit 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

Pepper 

Dash of salt--because the chicken soup is already salty-and the biscuit also 

Deep baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 

Direction: 

In a big sauté pan.. Sauté up the onion and celery with the 1 stick butter. Cook until it's translucent and then throw in your shredded chicken... Pour in the 2 can of cream of chicken soup with herb, chicken broth and milk. Turn heat down to medium low and add all your seasoning.. you don't really need seasoning because the cream of chicken soup is very flavorful. Taste to see if it's to your liking.. Remember not to add to much salt because the biscuit is kinda salty. 

Cook for about 5-10 minutes.. Making sure everything is incorporated. If you are using raw cubed chicken breast..then you must make sure it's cooked longer and the chicken is cooked!! Because when it's in the oven..you aren't really cooking up the chicken mixture because the biscuit cook up really fast. 

Next pour the chicken mixture into a deep baking dish and spread out evenly. Place your biscuit on top of the chicken mixture... Try to place the biscuit next to each other. I would half the biscuit into 2 per biscuit... So that it would bake all the way through. In top of each biscuit.. Put a pat of butter on top of each biscuit so the biscuit would have that buttery taste and crunch ;) 

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Depending on your oven.. Just make sure it's golden brown. 

Enjoy!!! 

Roast Beef Sandwich (chuck roast)

We LOVE LOVE this sandwich. Every chance I get ... I make it.. It's delicious and easy. I usually serve ours with cole slaw on top... Lightly mayo and mustard.

When I have left overs...I usually eat it with mash potato or on top of a bake potato ;)

Ingredients: 

2 huge piece of CHUCK ROAST --cut into 4 pieces or cube (making it cook faster and easier to shredded)

1 chopped onion 

6 cloves of garlic --minced 

1 package of Lipton onion mix 

1 TBS garlic powder 

1 tsp Tony Chachere's (you can use salt) 

1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce 

1 tsp pepper 

1 tsp sugar 

2 C water mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch 

Mix all the ingredients in the crockpot then place the CHUCK ROAST in the crockpot. 

Turn on high for 8hrs 

About midway..turn the chuck roast so that it can cook evenly.. 

Right before serving.. Taking a fork and shredded the meat out. 

We love to eat ours on little mini buns with cole slaw and a little mayo and mustards!!! 

Enjoy!!! 

Chicken Eggplant

Chicken eggplant 

ingredients:

1 pound eggplant, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 TBS  cornstarch, mixed with

2 TBS water, to make a paste (set as) 

I fried up these eggplant with a little oil..I just add some oil to a pan and throw in the eggplant .. 

Sauce:

2 TBS oyster sauce 

2  TBs lite soy sauce (don't use the dark..it's really SALTY) 

1 C water

1 TBS rice wine vinegar

1 TBS granulated sugar

1 tsp black bean garlic sauce 

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

4 stalk of sliced green onion (white and green part) 

1/2 small onion --chopped 

4 cloves of garlic--minced 

2 Carrots-- peeled and cut into little pieces 

1 TBS minced ginger 

1 pound chicken breast--I minced my own from 2 huge piece of chicken breast--- you can use ground chicken 

DIRECTION: 

In a little bowl combine all the sauce ingredients to make your sauce--mixing well and set aside. 

In a wok, add a little oil and fry the eggplant for about 4 minutes.. Remove eggplant and drain on paper towels. You shouldn't have a lot of oils since we just stir fry them. You can deep fry them if you prefer.. It would make it more crunchy. 

Meanwhile add a little more oil into your wok and start to  stir-fry garlic, onion, ginger and minced chicken. Next add your carrots and fried eggplant.. Cook for about 5 minutes then add your sauce. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for a couple of minutes then add your 1 cup of water. Then to thicken the sauce you add in the cornstarch/water paste. 

Garnish with sliced green onion. 

Serve immediately with white rice 

My husband and I love it spicy so we add about 2 tsp of chili sauce. 

Enjoy!!! 

Sweet and Tangy Meatball

My kids LOVE THIS STUFF!! Especially my 9yr old daughter... She is always requesting this for her meal.

This is one of my staple that I make for all parties. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 bag of premade/precook meatball (you can get at Sam's in the freezer department) 

2 jar TOMATO BASIL spaghetti sauce 

1/2 C strawberry jam 

1/2 t garlic powder 

1/4 t Tony Chachere's 

I usually mix all the ingredients together then add the meatballs and give it a quick stir. 

Throw everything in crockpot for 4hrs on LOW... 

We love it with the Hawaiian sweet bread.. 

***you can sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when you eat it but we like it just plan and simple*** 

Enjoy!!! 

Steak

Ingredients: 

1/2 C Korean Marinate

1 t garlic powder 

1 t honey (you can use brown sugar if you want..I didn't have any on hand) 

Pepper 

***you can get the Korean Marinate at any Asian store. I use this marinate for almost everything!!! 

Marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator ..if you can marinate over night it would be a lot better. 

I didn't grill today so I just took out a grill pan and cooked it on the stove.. I cooked on high and sear both side then suck it in the over at 350 for another 15 minutes.. Perfectly PINK inside.  

I made a garlic butter as my sauce ... 

The sauce is already very flavorful so I didn't need A1 or any steak sauce. 

I love to eat it with garlic butter mushroom and steam broccoli. 

Enjoy!!! 

Ranch Chicken

This has got to be the easiest chicken dinner I have ever made and yet its super flavorful.  Using a grease baking pan. I washed my drum stick ...and pat it dry with some paper towels then I spread a little butter over every drum stick and sprinkle generously with Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning. Then I sprinkle with some Tony Chachere's and cracked black pepper.  Cover the chicken and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes COVERED and UNCOVERED and bake for another 45 minutes.... garnish with some chopped green onions...


Served with some yellow rice or rice pilaf...its delicious!!!


ENJOY!!!





INGREDIENTS:
10 drum sticks
Butter 
2 Tablespoons Hidden Valley Ranch
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

GREASED baking pan with a little Pam 

preheat over to 350.... bake for 1 to 1:15 minutes...depending on your oven...my kids like it falling off the bones ;)


Garnish with chopped green onions

Shrimp Toast

My kids love shrimp toast and everytime we are a Chinese Restaurant we would order them...its just I am not a huge fan because they DEEP FRY it and I like to make it a little healthier for them since they eat it so much.


Ingredients:
2 lb of shrimps peels and devein
1 stalk of celery
1 small onion chopped
1 egg
4 minced garlic
1 can of water chestnuts---drained
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 sesame oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black bean garlic sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere
1 stalk of green onion
1/2 tsp sugar
pepper




1 loaf of french bread--cut at an angle
PREHEAT OVEN to 350

DIRECTION:
Take a baking sheet and LIGHTLY grease with a little PAM so that your bread don't stick.

Take shrimp and minced it with a knife then set aside.

Next, I add all ingredients (EXCEPT the MINCED shrimp)  into a food processor and pulse it a few times ...then I add the minced shrimp and mix well (You don't want your shrimps to be watery ...that is why you just minced it separately)

Then you take your shrimp mixture and spread it on top of each sliced bread and lay it on the baking sheet...once you are done..bake at 350 for around 30-45 minutes....depends on how big your sliced bread is....

garnish with sliced green onion
ENJOY!!!

Crockpot Red Beans and Rice

This week has been one of those crazy busy week so ....I took out my trusty crockpot and have been using it religiously for the past few days.  It was suppose to rain today but it didn't :( ....so I thought I would make some comfort food.

Ingredients:
2 lb red beans---I didn't soak this time since I was gonna use the crockpot but usually when I make it on the stove I would soak the beans over night.
14 Cups of water (make sure that the water cover the beans)

1 large bell pepper--chopped
4 stalk celery--chopped
1 large onion--chopped

1 TBS garlic powder

1 TBS onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaf

1 stick butter--add this last right before I serve


MEATS:
1 lb pickle pork
2 lb hot links
2 lb  cubed salted ham

Garnish:
green onion
parsley
Tabasco sauce ;)



Direction:
I pour the red beans into my crockpot...picking out all the broken ones or funny looking ones ;)
then I rinse with water once and pour that water out. Next I pour enough water to cover my beans and add my diced celery, onion, bell pepper. Then I would add all my spices...garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, crushed red pepper, ground pepper, worcestershire sauce and BAY LEAF.

I dont add any salt until the end because most times my pickle pork and salted cubed ham is salty enough that I don't have to add any salt.

Then I add my pickle pork and cubed ham and COVER and turn on my crockpot ...set it to 8 hrs on low.

If I am home and about half way through I usually stir it around a little so the flavor can incorporate a little. THEN I ADD MY HOT SAUSAGE LINKS---I CUT THEM INTO 3 in PIECES and throw it in. I DONT like to cook it in there at the beginning because it will break up. Then about 7 hrs into my cooking I would take a wooden spoon and take some beans and smash  it against the crockpot so that it can make it a little creamy.

I like to cook my sausage in a pan then just add it on top of my red beans and rice when I am eating it so I cook it separately. I LOVE the Hillshire Farm brand. I usually buy 1 regular and 1 spicy because my kids don't like it too spicy.


When your ready to eat...add the 1 stick of butter in the crockpot and stir around ...this makes a huge difference!!!  Then taste to see if you need to add more salt or seasoning to your red beans.

Serve over white rice and garnish with some sliced parsley and green onions. If you like it SPICY..add some TABASCO sauce. I find that its spicy enough for my family because of the HOT LINKS and the spicy sausage


ENJOY!!!

I like to cook my sausage separately so that I can taste the flavor. 

We love adding HOT LINKS to our red beans and rice...gives it TONS of flavor. 

 Pickle pork pack that I used.. I don't use ham hock :) 

BBQ Shrimp

Ingredients:

4 lb shrimp.. Skin and head on 

2 stick of unsalted butter 

1 pack of BBQ shrimp mix (I used the roadhouse brand) 

2 C of white wine 

1 T minced garlic 

1 t sugar 

2 T Worcestershire  sauce 

1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's (only if you are using unsalted butter) 

Garnish:

parsley 

Green onion 

Lemon or lime 

French Bread--great for dipping 

Directions: 

Wash and trim the shrimp (I cut off a little part of the head so the whisker isn't hanging on the head) and set aside. 

In a large pan place the 2 stick of butter in and let it melt. Once the butter melt put in the BBQ season package and minced garlic, white wine, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Tony Chachere...let it cook down for about 5 minutes on medium low. Then toss in your shrimp.. When shrimp gets pink turn off the stove and plate up with sauce (my favorite part of the shrimp...I love it for dipping my bread) 

Garnish with parsley and green onion. I also like to squeeze in some lemon or lime.