Collard Greens Casserole

We've finally had some time to try some new recipes in the last few weeks.  Kent found and made this one, and it's definitely a winner!  Kent killed a turkey back in March, and we had been trying to figure out what to do with it.  So, we fried the turkey breasts like chicken and ate them along with this dish and some homemade chow chow.  It was definitely a Southern dinner!

Collard Greens Casserole
(from: yearofalabamafood.com)  
Ingredients

• 1 bunch of collard greens (Kent used seasoned canned greens - just try to get the water out)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 ham hock
• 1 pint water
• 1 pint chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 quarts cornbread batter (thin with buttermilk - Kent used Jiffy Mix)

Directions
Remove stems from collard greens and wash greens thoroughly, approximately 4 times. Cut greens into 1/2-inch strips.
Place onion and ham hock in a large pot with water and chicken stock. Cook 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Add more water if needed. Remove ham hock and let cool.
Add greens to liquid and cook approximately 45 minutes, or until tender.
Add crushed red pepper, white vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper.
Remove meat from the ham bone; chop meat into large pieces.
Place cooked greens into a cast-iron skillet or rectangular baking dish (if using canned greens, skip steps above and add drained greens to dish).
Sprinkle diced ham hock, 1 cup diced onions and tomatoes on top of collard greens.
Pour a thin layer of cornbread batter over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bread topping is golden brown.
Serve with grilled okra, chow chow and hot sauce.

Sun-dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Bruschetta

I found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it recently when I hosted a girls' night at my house.  It was a big hit, and I'll definitely be making it again!  It's the perfect appetizer for any dinner party.  I had a lot of extra tapenade left over - so it could definitely be used as a dip, too.

 

(Photo from: garnishwithlemon.com)

 

 

Sun-dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Bruschetta

(from:  garnishwithlemon.com)

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread
• 4 oz. Crumbled Feta cheese
• 4 oz. Light cream cheese softened
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 oz. Kalamata olives coarsely chopped
• 1- 7 ounce jar julienne sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 10 basil leaves chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Slice the bread into ½ inch slices and toast in oven until lightly browned (about 9 minutes). Rub the bread with one of the garlic cloves after you remove it from the oven. Can be made two days ahead, put in air tight container once it has cooled.
3. Combine Feta and cream cheese until smooth.
4. Put remaining garlic cloves, olives and sun-dried tomatoes in bowl of food processor. Pulse until coarsley chopped but not pureed. Slice basil in ribbons and stir into tapenade.
5. Right before serving, spread crostini with cream cheese mixture and top with olive tomato tapenade.

Speckled Egg Cake

It's become our tradition to have friends over for Easter Brunch.  This was our fourth year of hosting Easter Brunch, and we love spending it with other friends who don't have family in town.  I'm always in charge of the dessert, and this year I decided to try something really fun!  I had seen this cake on Pinterest and had been saving it for Easter.  I'm really pleased with the way it turned out! 

This is a picture of my cake.  It's a little distorted in this picture - but you get the general idea.  For purposes of pride, I'm not going to post a picture of the original cake I was trying to imitate... just take my word for it - mine's REALLY close!)

SPECKLED EGG CAKE
a DIY by Carrie Sellman
From: thecakeblog.com
Supplies

• cake of choice, assembled and crumb-coated (I made the Southern Living Almond Wedding Cake - so good!)
• buttercream icing (I also used the Southern Living icing)
• food coloring
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 T vanilla extract
• clean paintbrush
• wax paper
• paper towels, for clean up
• speckled eggs

STEP 1: Color your buttercream frosting with a few drops of food coloring. I used 2-3 drops of Americolor Sky Blue gel. When tinting buttercream, I like to add one drop of color at a time until I reach the right shade. If you’ve ever ruined a batch of icing before, you already know the benefit of adding color gradually. And when in doubt, I like to error on the light side. Buttercream naturally darkens slightly as it sets.
STEP 2: Frost your assembled and crumb-coated cake with your pretty blue buttercream. Smooth and shape to your liking. It does not have to be perfect. We’re about to splatter it up!
STEP 3: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder with 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Stir well until cocoa is completely dissolved and you have a thin, chocolate paint.
STEP 4: Cover your work area with wax paper. Lightly dip your new (or totally clean, never used for paint) paintbrush into the chocolate. Holding the paint brush with one hand, gently flick the bristles with your other index finger to splatter the chocolate paint. Practice first onto your wax paper until you get the hang of it. No need to move on to the cake until you master the flick. When you’re ready to start speckling, hold the paintbrush fairly close to the cake and start splattering.
NOTE: A little chocolate paint goes a long way. So dip your brush lightly. If your paintbrush becomes ‘clogged’ with paint and is no longer splattering nicely, rinse it with water. Dry with a paper towel. And start again.
STEP 5: Keep splattering away! Move up, down and all around to completely cover the cake.
NOTE: As you work, you will undoubtedly get a splatter that is bigger than you would prefer. Or accidentally get carried away and bump the cake with your paintbrush. (Don’t ask me how I know this!) You have two options here. Either embrace the imperfections and let it go. Or wipe it off quickly with a light dab of water and paper towel. Then go back to speckling. If you look closely, you can see where I wiped one of my oh-no-it’s-too-big splatters. Left-middle. Not too bad of a correction and I think it adds to the speckled egg charm.
STEP 6: Now that you have the hang of splattering, you’ll also speckle the eggs you previously made. While you wait for the cake and the eggs to dry, now is a good time to wipe off any stray splatters on your cake pedestal. Once both the eggs and the cake are completely dry, arrange eggs on top of cake. Use a dab of buttercream to hold them exactly where you want them.
STEP 7: Cut, eat and enjoy!

Couscous Salad with Fresh Spinach and Chicken

My church hosted a Spring Fling event recently for women in the church.  This lovely dish was served for dinner and was so wonderful!  All of the ladies at the table talked about how great it tasted.  I can't wait to try it at home!  It goes well with pita bread or chips.

Couscous Salad with Fresh Spinach and Chicken
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 ½ cups cooked couscous
2 cups baby spinach leaves, rolled and sliced into slivers
1 cup dried cranberries

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small red onion, chopped

Cooked and sliced chicken (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and Nature’s Seasoning)

Dressing:

½ cup plain low fat yogurt
3 T olive oil
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic

 

Directions:
Combine the almonds and the red onion in a bowl. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and

garlic. Pour over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Chill, serve with sliced chicken.

Chicken, Pesto, and Spinach Quinoa

I've been wanting to try quinoa since it seems to be everywhere now!  This was the first recipe I've made, and I really liked the way it turned out.  The cheese and pesto help to give it a creamier taste, so it doesn't seem dried out.  I'm definitely going to be trying some other quinoa recipes in the future!

Photo from Sea Jet Cook

Chicken, Pesto, and Spinach Quinoa
From: Sea Jet Cook
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 chicken breasts
3 big handfuls of fresh spinach (about 3 cups)
6 tablespoons pesto
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook the quinoa according to the package directions (we used a brown rice and quinoa mix).  Cut the chicken into small cubes and cook in a fry pan or a grill pan until done. When the quinoa is done, add the spinach, pesto, and parmesan.  Then add the chicken stir it all together.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha Aioli

In the last year or so I've gotten really into brussels sprouts and have been looking for different ways to cook them.  I have roasted them before but have never tried them with a sauce.  This is a super easy recipe and can even be used as an appetizer.  Be careful, though, the sauce is really spicy!! 

Photo from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha Aioli
(From Authentic Suburban Gourmet)1 Lb. Brussels Sprouts, trim ends only and leave whole
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350

In a baking dish add the Brussels sprouts and toss with olive oil until well coated and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, so the Brussels are still firm. Serve with dipping sauce as a main dish or appetizer.

Sriracha Aioli
4 T. Mayonnaise
1 to 2 T. Sriracha (add more or less depending how hot you like it)

Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and let sit in refrigerator until ready to use.

Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken

This is a great chicken recipe that I first tried in the fall.  ...And the best part is that it's a Weight Watchers recipe!  I used Panko bread crumbs instead of the cornflake crumbs, and it was delicious!  It has a great crunch like fried chicken but it healthier since it's baked.  I think this is something that would be great for children, and it has a fancy enough taste for adults.  This is definitely going in my chicken recipe rotation!

Photo from WeightWatchers.com

Ingredients:

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2/3 cup(s) lite honey mustard dressing
	1/8 tsp table salt
	1/8 tsp black pepper
	2 tsp dill, freshly chopped
	1 medium uncooked scallion(s), finely sliced
	1 cup(s) cornflake crumbs
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4 oz pieces

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a shallow pan with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine honey mustard dressing, salt, pepper, dill and scallions; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.
• Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken into dressing mixture and then cornflake crumbs; place in prepared pan.
• Bake until chicken is golden and no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes.
• Drizzle remaining dressing mixture (the 1/3 cup that was set aside) over chicken breasts and serve.
• Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1 1/3 tablespoons of dressing per serving.