Homemade Ranch Dressing & Croutons

This salad dressing is way better than anything you buy at the grocery store and the croutons are irresistible.  Give it a try and see how yummy your salad can be. 

Ranch Dressing:

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk or a little less if thicker dressing is wanted
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided if you use salt to make garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste, (use half of the salt and 2 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife, to make paste) or grate garlic with a fine grater

Croutons:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste, (2 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife and a sprinkle of salt, to make paste) or grate garlic with a fine grater
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups cubed stale Italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the bread, until well combined. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Add in the bread and mix well with your hands, tossing to coat all sides of cubes. Pour out onto a baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Deconstructed Meatball Pizza

This pizza is great for game day.  All the flavors of a meatball pizza without the hassle.  I used a loaf of French bread for simplicity.  The carnivores loved it.  Adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread, cut long ways into two pieces
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons for the skillet
• kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place bread on a  pizza stone or  a rectangular baking sheet.  Drizzle the dough with extra-virgin olive oil then season it with a little salt. Place in oven for a few minutes until slightly toasted.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, then the meat. Brown and crumble meat a couple of minutes, then add onions and garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper then work in the tomato paste. Stir in the parmesan cheese, parsley and oregano.
Place the meat on the bread and drizzle a little olive oil over the meat and  top with mozzarella. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.

French Onion Soup

We finally have slightly cooler temperatures here in North Texas so it’s officially time for soup.  Hurray for soup.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) box beef broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp beef base or 1 beef bullion
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• thick slices French or Italian bread
• Swiss cheese slices, room temperature 

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized.
2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine, beef base, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Add the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low,  and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and toast bread, turning once.
4. After removing bread, turn oven to broil.  Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slices cheese
5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will spill over the sides of the crock and form a crunchy cheese crust. Serve immediately.

Baked Omelet

This is an easy method to make omelets for 4-6 people.  You can adjust the ingredients to make it your own, just add whatever you usually like in your omelet.  It’s foolproof so give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 pound mild sausage or bacon
• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 cup grated cheddar or Swiss cheese
• 6 thin slices of tomato

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with spray oil.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Or, cook bacon and crumble.  Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, to taste, until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add the red bell pepper and 1 cup of  cheese . Stir in the onion mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Top with sliced tomatoes. Bake for 20  minutes or until golden brown.
Cut into squares and serve with home fries and fruit.  Yum!

Spanish Rice Bowl

This is a simple one pan meal.  It’s sort of a homemade hamburger helper.  Give it a try when you need a meal in a hurry.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or bacon grease or 2 strips bacon diced and cooked with ground meat
• 1 lb ground meat
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles ( use mild if you don’t care for spicy dishes)
• 2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1/2  cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Cook bacon and ground meat until browned.  Remove ground meat from pan and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the renderings.
2. Sauté rice, onion, and bell pepper in the rendered bacon grease until rice is browned and onions are tender.
3. Add ground meat back in and stir in chicken stock, beans and tomatoes. Season with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
4. Remove from heat and top with cheese and cover until cheese has melted.
5. Serve in a bowl and top with shredded lettuce, black olives and a dollop of sour cream.  Great with a warm tortilla on the side.

Margarita Grilled Chicken and Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter

This recipe makes some seriously flavorful, moist chicken.  I made it last night for our 4th of July EVE celebration.  I made it all outside on the grill so that I didn’t heat up the house.  Give it a try.  You could start marinating the chicken this morning and grill it tonight when the sun begins to go down.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gold tequila
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)
• 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• chicken breasts

Directions:
One at a time place chicken breasts in a sturdy plastic bag and pound to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  You want the same thickness throughout the piece of meat. so that they cook evenly and quickly.  This way the chicken does not dry out.
To the bag, add tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, cumin, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper.  Place chicken in the bag and close securely.  Distribute marinade so that all meat is covered and place in the refrigerator for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.
Grill over medium heat about 5 minutes per side or until internal temperature is 165 degrees.  Brush with marinade a couple of times while grilling.
You could serve as meat for fajitas or just a meat course with vegetables and corn on the cob along side and black beans (recipe below).
Grilled Corn with Lime Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 lime, zest and juice
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/4  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 5  ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

Directions:
Rub each ear of corn with lime butter and wrap in foil.  Place on the grill for 15-20 minutes turning frequently.
Easy Black Beans
Ingredients:

• 1 large can black beans
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp catsup

Directions:
In a medium pot, sauté onions in 2 tbsp butter until translucent.  Add in beans and spices and simmer for about an hour. 
Happy 4th of July everyone!

Shrimp Salad

This was dinner last night.  It was a nice light dinner on a HOT as H-E double hockey sticks Texas evening.

Ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• old bay seafood seasoning
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (you may need just a little more)
• 1 tsp dry mustard or Dijon or creole mustard 
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 green onions including greens, diced fine
• 2 med ribs of celery, chopped
• 4 boiled eggs, chopped
• couple dashes of hot sauce
• salt to taste

Directions

Bring 1 quart or so of water to a boil and add old bay.  Add shrimp and reduce heat.   Cook uncovered for only 3 minutes or until the shrimp turn  pink. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water.   Chop the shrimp in bite size pieces if you are working with large shrimp.  If you have pre-cooked shrimp on hand just throw them in a skillet with a little butter and the sprinkle with old baby and sauté a minute or so, let them cool and then proceed with recipe.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt to taste, lemon pepper, creole seasoning, garlic powder, hot sauce and parsley. Combine with the cooked shrimp. Add the green onion, chopped boiled eggs and celery and check the seasonings. Serve or cover and refrigerate for a few hours.  
Serve on a bed of lettuce or on a sandwich roll with shredded lettuce and cold tomato slices for a yummy sandwich.