Secret Recipe Club: Crumbs and Chaos Butterfinger grape salad

 

This month I had the honor of stalking the wonderful blog of Crumbs and Chaos for my Secret Recipe Club assignment. SRC pairs us up with another blog which we must then challenge ourselves to make one of their recipes.

Crumbs and Chaos is a blog created by four sisters.I loved that they had an index for their recipes (look under Crumbs) and spent many an hour browsing through the recipes. I couldn't decide on one recipe, so I actually made two of them for our Fourth of July celebration: Cream Cheese Corn and her Candy Bar and Grape Salad

While we all enjoyed the creamy deliciousness of the corn, it was the grape salad that stole the show. The response went from "What?" To "Oh my gosh this is fabulous!"

I made a few changes: cutting the grapes to make it appropriate for my grand daughter and using vanilla and honey Greek yogurt, leaving out the sugar from the original recipe.



Butterfinger Grape Salad
adapted from Crumbs and Chaos
1 1/2 cups Red Grapes, cut into fourths (I did this because our grapes were HUGE and I had little ones eating)
1 1/2 cups Green Grapes, cut into fourths
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3 ounces Vanilla and Honey Greek Yogurt
2 reg. sized Butterfinger Candy Bars

Directions:
Rinse grapes and cut into fourths; Place into a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and yogurt until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture over grapes and stir, gently, to combine. Coarsely chop the Butterfingers candy bars and divide in half. Combine half to the salad and stir to mix in. Top with the remaining half prior to serving.
As an added note, this recipe did not really keep well since I cut the grapes into fourths. I added the cream cheese/yogurt mixture prior to serving to keep it from having to much liquid..

Cream Cheese Corn

from Crumbs and Chaos

1 pound frozen corn, thawed
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste ( I used scant half teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper)
paprika, optional for topping

Directions:
Cook corn according to package directions ( I like to steam mine in the microwave to retain all the nutrients!). If boiling the corn, drain off excess liquid after cooking. Add cream cheese and butter to cooked corn and stir in to combine. I had to microwave mine for an additional thirty seconds to get everything to cream up nicely. Add cayenne, salt and pepper and mix well. Top with Paprika, if desired. Best served warm.

Korean Pork and Slaw

One good thing.... well, two since one of them is having the problem resolved... is that I've been able to get my recipes organized and a meal plan completed for the month.  Since I'm going to continue on with the  WW plan it will allow me to know how many points I have set aside for dinner, therefor making it easier for me to plan out lunch and breakfast.  An added bonus is that it will also keep me on budget :-)

While these chops were good... it was agreed upon that for our tastes it wasn't "great."  So, you may ask, Why am I blogging about them?  Well, because this is a Lets Try blog and some things will be successful and others not so much.  I also believe that not everyone may not have the same taste as us and they may find these to delicious.  Which side will you be on? You won't know unless you give them a try.  

Korean Pork and Slaw

adapted from eatingwell.com

4 servings, 1 pork chop & 1 1/2 cups slaw each | 4 points per serving

Ingredients

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided  (I used olive oil)

3 small cloves garlic, minced, divided

4 teaspoons chili powder, divided

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon fish sauce or reduced-sodium soy sauce  (I used soy)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon lime juice  (We thought it needed more of a tang so made this addition)

6 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage   (I only had red cabbage on hand so used that)

4 radishes, cut into matchsticks

4 scallions, thinly sliced into 2-inch lengths

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 bone-in pork chops, 1/2-3/4 inch thick (about 2 pounds), trimmed  (I used boneless, leaner and what I had on hand)

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium.

Whisk together the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 teaspoons chili powder, sugar, soy, cayenne pepper, radishes, lime juice and scallions; toss to coat. Set aside

Take the remaining garlic and 2 teaspoons of chili powder, salt, 1 teaspoon of oil, and make a paste.  I just threw it all in my small Cuisinart.  Divide paste in half; rub each side of the chops with half of the rub.

Grill the pork chops, turning once, until cooked through, it was about 4 minutes per side on our grill. 

Make the slaw: Chop, or slice your cabbage and toss with the dressing.  Serve with pork.  We found that it produced the best flavor when it was a bit with both pork and slaw.

Nutrition

Per serving : 304 Calories; 17 g Fat;  8 g Carbohydrates; 29 g Protein; 3 g Fiber;

SRC: Asian Steak and Noodle Salad

Guess what! Today is my Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  I love being part of the this group.  My biggest struggle is picking what I want to make.  So far, all the blogs I've been secretly admiring have had amazing recipe choices.  
This month my new found love was The Chefanies. A blog from a combination of two Stephanies.  Not only is their blog name clever, but their use of trying to incorporate only seasonal ingredients is fantastic.  I wish I lived in a warmer climate and had access to fresh grown produce... but, that is not the case here in Northern Idaho.  
I was craving salad something fierce and instantly was drawn to their recipe for Asian Steak and Noodle Salad.  Hubby said this marinade is "Amazing."  I have to agree with him.  I made a few minor adjustments; no cucumber and I had to make my own substitute for fish sauce.  I love this book I have, its called; 
Substituting Ingredients, 4E: The A to Z Kitchen Reference. It is my go to book for whenever I lack a certain ingredient. Those who are familiar to my blog know that this happens to me quite frequently!
Secret Recipe Club is the brain child of Amanda, of Amanda's Cooking blog. Check out the web site... it has grown to four reveal days now!

Asian Steak & Noodle Salad
Serves 2
Adapted from Epicurious
INGREDIENTS

For steak marinade
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (see note)
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ( I just crushed with the palm of my hand. It was just for flavor anyway!)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 lb flank steak

For salad
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (2 medium)
1/2 cucumber, chopped (I omitted)
Handfull of cherry tomatoes (I used tomato I had on hand)
1 pack Ramen Noodles (instructions didn't state, but I just used noodles and not seasoning package)
1 medium Granny Smith apples
2 cup Mixed Greens

DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients of Marinade. Marinate the steak for an hour.
Grill Steak until cooked through. About 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside.
Cook Ramen Noodles until tender and set aside.
Combine lime juice, water, sugar, fish sauce, red pepper flakes and olive oil to make a dressing.
Mix Salad Ingredients together and add dressing.
Layer ingredients with Ramen on the bottom, then the salad mixture followed by the steak.
Notes: To make your own Asian Fish Sauce substitute, 1 part Anchovy to 4 parts soy sauce.

Southwest Frito Pie

I was searching through my Taste of Home magazine trying to come up with something quick and easy to make for dinner.  To be honest, I was a bit out of ingredients in my house but was too lazy to go shopping.  When I came across the recipe for the Southwest Frito Pie, the picture alone enticed me.  I changed it up a bit and it was a pretty good dish.  I wish I would have had some fresh tomato and avocado, but there's always another day!  The original recipe called for only one can of beans but I wanted it to be more substantial so used two cans of beans.

Southwest Frito Pie

adapted from a recipe of Janet Scoggins, Taste of Home magazine

2 pounds extra lean ground beef  

1/2 onion, diced 

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons all purpose flour  

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups water

1 can (15 ounce) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained

Frito brand corn chips

Optional Toppings:

2 cups lettuce, chopped

1 1/2 cups  shredded Mexican cheese mix

1 can diced tomatoes with chili peppers

Sour cream

fresh minced cilantro

Directions:

In a large skillet, or dutch oven, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink: drain off grease if you have an excess of grease. I didn't need to drain off anything because I used extra lean ground beef.

Stir in the chili powder, flour,cumin, salt and garlic powder until blended: gradually stir in water.

Add the beans and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat: simmer, uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until thickened (may need to add a bit more flour to get the consistency you like), stirring occasionally.

To serve, place chips inside bowls, top with been mixture and desired toppings.

Serves 6

I put the chips on the bottom and around the sides

Creamy Parmesan Pasta Salad

Before going to my daughter's house for dinner, I asked what could I bring. She replied, "A good pasta salad."  I can count on one hand the times I have made a pasta salad... and while they got eaten, I didn't think that they were all that good!  Thankfully I had my latest issue of Food Network Magazine and they had an article on pasta salads. It was a handy article to have as they gave you a list of different combinations that worked well together and three different dressings to choose from... seriously folks, the combinations are endless!  I went with using roasted red peppers and broccoli in my pasta salad. My daughter and husband highly approved and so I guess I finally found a "good" pasta salad I could make!

The secret to adding broccoli to a salad is blanching it.  I used to never take the time to do it, but once I started to do so it made a big difference in my salads.  Not only does blanching give your broccoli a nice vibrant color, but it also gives it a nice crunch.


How to blanch broccoli:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. The water should ideally taste faintly salty.
Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Make sure to leave enough room for the broccoli to comfortable fit.
Once the water has reached a boil, put the broccoli into the pot and allow it to boil for 3 minutes


Remove the broccoli from the pot and put it directly into the ice water, making sure the broccoli is covered with the water completely.  Drain and use.

Creamy Parmesan Dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon finely grated garlic
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
            Combine all the dressing ingredients together except the parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta salad
1/2 pound pasta of your choice ( I used small bow ties) 1 cup broccoli florets,
1 cup roasted red bell pepper, diced.

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.  Combine ingredients and pour creamy parmesan dressing over; toss gently to cover pasta.  Add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and toss again.  Top with remaining 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese and serve.

THE DARING COOKS’ JUNE, 2011 CHALLENGE: HEALTHY POTATO SALADS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

Blog Check in Lines: Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

I'm not really a "huge" fan of potato salad, but I do enjoy a good recipe when I find one.  Right away I knew that I wanted to do something with sweet potatoes... they are so yummy!  I found this interesting recipe for a sweet potato salad using a rosemary honey vinaigrette here that had posted a Southern Living recipe.  

Although they say you should never try new recipes out on guests (Bah! I say!!) I do have a few foodie friends that are quite happy to be my Guinea pigs.  Had some friends over and was going to have brats for dinner and I though the potato salad would be a nice addition to the meal.  It is a very tasty recipe and my guests gave it two thumbs up.  Although the recipes called for 4 1/2 cups cubed sweet potato, I felt that the dressing recipe could easily have been halved as I only used about half the dressing and still felt that I could have used less.   

Sweet Potato Salad with Rosemary-Honey Vinaigrette

Southern Living 
4 1/2 cups peeled, cubed sweet potato

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

• Line a 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan with aluminum foil. Coat foil with vegetable cooking spray.
• Toss together sweet potato and 1 tablespoon oil in pan, sprinkle with salt, if desired.
• Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until tender... watch carefully as they can burn easily!
• Whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon oil, honey, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add sweet potato; toss well. Cool.