What You Need
Servings: 8
No need for lots of chopping; let the food processor do all the work in this delicious herb-packed sauce.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Other: 1 hour
Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups
Process first 11 ingredients in a food processor or blender 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape sides as needed. Cover and chill 1 hour before serving. Garnish, if desired. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Making chocolate shavings for a garnish is easy. Pick up an extra chocolate bar, and use a vegetable peeler to shave bits of chocolate off the side.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Other: 1 hour 37 minutes
Yield: Makes 30 servings
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Unroll 3 piecrusts, and stack on top of one another. Cut piecrust stack 10 times using a 3-inch round cutter, making 30 rounds. Press rounds into bottoms of ungreased muffin cups. (Dough will come halfway up sides, forming a cup.) Flute edges with a fork, if desired.
2. Bake rounds at 425° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and let cool completely (about 20 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, stir together chocolate and cream in a 3 1/2-qt. heavy saucepan over low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool 30 minutes.
4. Pour 1 Tbsp. chocolate mixture into each piecrust. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours. Top each with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Garnish, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs)
Directions: Preheat oven to 400°. Combine lime juice, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, and chipotle in a large bowl. Add chicken, and toss well to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray, reserving marinade. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Place reserved marinade in a blender, and process until smooth. Place pureed marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes. Brush chicken with half of cooked sauce; return to oven and bake an additional for 10 minutes. Brush chicken with remaining sauce; bake an additional 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.
This is a family-friendly take on beer-can chicken in which we use an opened root beer can to support a whole bird on the grill. The liquid inside the can adds moisture, resulting in succulent, tender meat. Complete the meal with roasted red potatoes and a sweet-tart broccoli slaw.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half or 1 leg quarter)
Cost per Serving: $2.48
1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
3. Open both root beer cans; pour 18 ounces into a small saucepan. Set remaining root beer aside (in the can). Bring 18 ounces root beer to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, butter, and vinegar, stirring until smooth.
4. Rub paprika mixture evenly over chicken. Holding chicken upright with the cavity facing down, insert reserved opened root beer can into cavity. Place chicken on unheated side of grill. Spread legs out to form a tripod to support the chicken. Cover and grill for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into meaty portion of thigh registers 160°, basting chicken every 20 minutes with sauce.
5. Lift chicken slightly using tongs; place spatula under can. Carefully remove chicken and can from grill; place on a cutting board. Let stand 10 minutes. Gently lift chicken using tongs or insulated rubber gloves; carefully twist can and remove from cavity. Discard can. Carve chicken.
The combo of Cajun seasoning and ground red pepper really packs a punch of heat in this dish, but the creamy sauce takes the edge off. Decrease the ground red pepper or simply omit it for a milder version of the dish. Serve with sliced French bread.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Cost per Serving: $2.46
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place pasta in a large bowl; keep warm.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle shrimp with Cajun seasoning, red pepper, and salt. Add shrimp mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are almost done; remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half. Pour shrimp mixture over pasta; toss. Sprinkle with parsley.
Wine note: Linguine with Spicy Shrimp combines peppery heat with a creamy sauce, making a fuller-bodied white a good partner. Little Penguin Chardonnay 2008 ($6), from Australia, has tropical and pear fruit, with just a bit of sweetness and refreshing acidity. --Jeffery Lindenmuth
1. To prepare rice, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover, reduce heat, and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and cashews. Keep warm.
2. To prepare salmon, preheat broiler.
3. Combine ginger and the next 5 ingredients (through pepper). Rub spice mixture evenly over salmon. Place fillets on a broiler pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cover with foil; broil 7 minutes. Remove foil; broil an additional 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve salmon with rice.
Rather than the usual filling mishmash, these family-tradition egg rolls keep the ingredients more distinct, similar to spring or summer rolls. The family likes to pan-fry these so they're crisp without the fuss and mess of deep-frying. You'll find sweet chili sauce in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 egg roll and 1 1/2 teaspoons sauce)
1. Combine 3 tablespoons chili sauce and bean sprouts, tossing well to coat.
2. Working with 1 egg roll wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers to prevent drying), place wrapper onto work surface with 1 corner pointing toward you (wrapper should look like a diamond). Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons bean sprout mixture into center of wrapper; top with 2 shrimp halves and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro. Fold lower corner of wrapper over filling; fold in side corners. Moisten top corner of wrapper with water; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Place egg roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, bean sprout mixture, shrimp, and cilantro.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 egg rolls, seam side down; cook 7 minutes or until golden, turning occasionally. Place on a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 6 egg rolls.
4. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon chili sauce, vinegar, and remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with egg rolls.
