Elizabeth Newlin – Arizona Real Estate Agent

I have to admit that I have no picture for this recipe. We had them on Thursday night and I was so hungry I completely forgot to take a picture and devoured mine in minutes. So no pictures this time, but you can be assured, they are quite yummy and attractive.

Ingredients:

1 pound (or so) of ground beef
1/4 diced red onion
Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup of shredded Romano cheese
2 slices of bread (soaked in water)
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon parsley
Pepper (to taste)
1 jar tomato sauce (whatever kind you like)
Green pepper, sliced
Rest of red onion, sliced
Provolone cheese
Sub rolls

Preparation:

Mix ground beef, red onion, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Romano cheese, bread, eggs, parsley and pepper until thoroughly combined. Form into medium sized balls and place in rows on a cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (or until cooked in center). Pour tomato sauce into a crock pot and heat on low. When meatballs are cooked, take them out of the oven and place them in the crock pot. Spoon sauce over the top of the meatballs. Heat until meatballs and sauce are warm. Saute green peppers and sliced onions in a sauce pan on medium high heat, just until seared. Toast sub rolls under the broiler with a slice of provolone on each until cheese is melted. Add 3 meatballs and some green peppers and onions to each sub roll. Slice in half and devour immediately. (They’re even better the next day.)

What southwestern dweller doesn’t love a good chicken tortilla soup? I certainly am a fan. The key to mine is to make your own chips. You can substitute them with Frito’s, but I don’t recommend it.

Ingredients:

White corn tortillas (cut into short strips)
Vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Tablespoon of soy sauce
Can of condensed tomato soup
Can of beef broth
1/2 onion, diced
Can of diced green chilies
1/2 can of corn
2 cloves of garlic, diced
Handful of fresh cilantro, diced
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Chili powder
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped avocado

Preparation:

Place chicken breasts in a glass dish with a lid. Add inch of water and soy sauce. Cover and put in 350 degree oven until not pink in the center. Heat an inch and a half of vegetable oil in an electric fondue pot (400 degrees) or on the stove on high. Toss tortilla strips in hot oil in handful batches. Remove when they stop bubbling and start turning a bit browner. Put tortilla strips on a plate covered in paper towels and salt. Put tomato soup, 1 can of water, beef broth, onion, corn, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder in a pot on the stove on medium high. Stir until bubbly. Remove chicken from water and shred into smallish pieces. Add chicken to pot. Spoon soup into bowls and top with cheese, tortilla strips and avocado. (Sour cream is a nice addition too, if you like it.)

When I was planning my dinners for the week, last weekend, I unearthed a recipe from my cupboard-o-recipes that I hadn’t made in quite awhile. In fact, I had forgotten all about it and how yummy and easy to prepare it is. So tonight I made it for dinner and vowed never to misplace it again.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pasta (we use bow-ties just because they’re Ben’s favorite, any pasta will do)
One large carrot, julienned
Cup of broccoli florets
Cup of sugar snap peas (trimmed)
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 clove of garlic, pressed
Red pepper (to taste)
1/3 cup hot water

Preparation:

Cut chicken into cubes and saute over med-high heat in olive oil until not pink in the center. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water until it is almost done. Add carrot, peas and broccoli to boiling water and continue to boil 3 more minutes. Drain pasta and veggies and rinse with cold water. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, red pepper and hot water in a small sauce pan. Cook on medium heat while whisking until smooth and warm. Combine chicken, pasta and veggies and peanut sauce in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat. Serve on plates and garnish with sliced scallions.

I helped host a baby shower yesterday, which really just means that I handled the food and my friend Paula did everything else. I love to cook and love to eat, but to be honest; I’m really no good at the games and other stuff that goes with shower merriment. The only problem with the fact that I did the food, was that because I got to choose the menu (with approval of the Mommy-to-be, of course) I picked all my favorite recipes and then ate myself silly…. but I digress. We served two of my most favorite (and most crowd pleasing) party appetizers yesterday, spinach-artichoke dip and fresh fruit dipped in chocolate.

Fruit Dipped in Chocolate

Ingredients:

Strawberries
Blackberries (or raspberries or blueberries)
Grapes
2 bags of semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Wash and dry berries. Heat chocolate chips in a smallish saucepan on the stove on low (or medium low). Stir regularly until chocolate is smooth. Lay parchment paper out on cookie sheets. Dip berries individually halfway into chocolate and lay them carefully on parchment papered cookie sheets. (With the small berries I use a tool called an olive picker. Very cheap tool at any Target or grocery store and perfect for this task.) Put the cookie sheets in the fridge until chocolate is hard. Arrange on a platter and serve!

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

10 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 cup diced artichoke hearts
1 can green chilies
6 green onions, diced
1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese (shredded)
Tabasco (to taste)
1 box frozen spinach

Preparation:

Soften cream cheese in microwave and mix it with heavy cream until somewhat smooth. Add rest of ingredients, one at a time and mix after every addition (thaw spinach in the microwave according to directions on the box and drain before adding). Heat in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with chips or bread for dipping.

One of my favorite meals to cook, whether it is for guests or just a quiet dinner for the two of us, is pistachio chicken salad with avocado lime dressing. It’s actually a recipe we’ve gotten from the South Beach cookbook, but it definitely doesn’t taste ‘healthy’. The key is to make sure you don’t over cook the chicken. You want it just perfectly moist to complement the crunchy pistachios and crispy romaine lettuce. (And if you happen to have any vegetarian relatives, as I do, you can substitute the chicken with tofu. My sister says it’s fabulous.)

Ingredients (Serves 2):

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of shelled pistachios
Romaine lettuce
1 avocado
2 limes
3 + 1 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Preparation:

Chop pistachios semi-fine in a food processor. Press chicken breasts into pistachio dust until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet on medium high. Brown chicken breasts coated with pistachios just a couple of minutes on each side and then place them in a glass baking dish in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until not pink in the center. In the meantime, put avocado, 3 tablespoons of oil, 3 tablespoons of limejuice and 1 tablespoon of water in the food processor and process until smooth. Slice chicken breasts over a bed of romaine lettuce and top with dressing.

We usually serve the salad with a side of asparagus. Spread the asparagus on a cookie sheet, top with a bit of olive oil, some sea salt and a bit of Parmesan and stick in the oven with the chicken until asparagus is cooked, but not shriveled. Enjoy!