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Chicken

 Mahogany Chicken



Pork
Oven Cooked Bacon





Fresh Fish

Grilled Paprika Shrimp


Side Dishes
Potato Croquettes with Cheese
Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad


Appetizers
8 Fast and Easy Appetizers

8 Recipes for Bunco or Book Club That Are Easier Than Buying Boxed Cookies

We have all been there.  After a long day of work or taking care of our families we realize that we have Book Club tonight and we are supposed to bring a snack.   One night, I was pressed for time and I ran to the store, grabbed a box of cookies from a display case at the front of the store and when I got to Book Club, everyone there had purchased those same cookies from that same display.

That night I decided that from now on, I would plan ahead for Book Club and shop on my weekly grocery trip.  Then instead of spending time in line at the grocery store, I could make something simple and easy that isn't a box of factory made cookies.  I have been very surprised that some of these recipes take me less time than the trip to the store to buy those cookies, and I am pretty sure that my girlfriends do not miss pre-made broken cookies.

Here are some fast and gorgeous recipes that I have found.  They are fast and easy and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.


Recipe #1
Quick and Easy Antipasto Skewers
With four simple ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time you could impress your friends with Kat and Melinda's Recipe on their website called Home Made Interests.  These look spectacular for such a small effort!

If you want to indulge your friends with rich cheese and Prosciutto head over to Home Made Interests for their recipe.  Quick and Easy Antipasto Skewers


Recipe #2
What would a recipe list be without bacon?  This recipe may take a little longer to prepare (35 mins), but it is well worth the extra time to serve wonderful crisp cheesy bacon flavored bites.  This recipe is very similar to a savory cream puff and definitely worth the effort.

Tiffany from Living Sweet Moments posted this recipe on her blog at Cheese and Bacon Gougeres


Recipe #3
When I first saw this recipe for Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes, I was not exactly sure about the tuna and cheese combination, but I had to make them a second time before I got to try one.  I made them, took them to Book Club and they were GONE before I got one.  They were SO good!

Head over to An Italian in My Kitchen to try this recipe out for yourself.  Tuna Stuffed Tomato



Recipe #4
What could be better than 3 recipes in one?  Nettie Moore of Moore With Less Cooking has come up with a recipe for Savory Mini Cheese Balls made three ways in the time it would take to make one recipe.  What a time saver!

If you want to impress your friends with these Cheese Balls head over to Nettie's site for the recipe.  Cheese Ball Recipe Link

Recipe #5

These watermelon mozzarella bites are so colorful and pretty.  Guistina from Domestically Blissful posted this simple, colorful recipe that is very easy to make.  I do not add dressing to them and I have never missed it because the watermelon is so sweet and juicy.

You can find her recipe here:  Fresh Watermelon Mozzarella Bites

Recipe #6
Roasted Raspberry Crostini is another great recipe that can be found on Domestically Blissful.  What could be better than bread, the saltiness of cheese and the sweetness of raspberry?  These are so easy to make that your friends will keep asking you for the recipe.

You can find the recipe on Living Sweet Moments here:  Raspberry Crostini

Recipe #7
This recipe for Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs, posted by Michaela Kenkle, uses pre-made meatballs making it a recipe you can whip up in a flash as you are dressing to head out the door.  Tell your vegan friends to eat before they come because no one can resist a bacon cheeseburger on a stick!

You can find the full recipe on Michaela's site, An Affair from the Heart Cheese Burger Bites


Recipe #8
In the mood for a special treat?  Try these shrimp avocado puff pastry shells made by Janette, The Culinary Ginger. This one will really impress your friends and it is made with frozen puff pastry shells so it is quick and easy and gorgeous.

Head over to The Culinary Ginger to see how quick and easy this recipe is to prepare.  Shrimp and Avocado Puff Pastry



Why rush to the store when you can spend that time planning and making something that will really impress your friends.  No more boxed Cookies!

Which recipe do you like best?


View a list of all my recipes here:  Recipe Index

Grilled Corn and Tomato salad

Moved recipe to here


Grilled corn and tomato salad

Paprika grilled shrimp

This shrimp is so tasty and easy to make and is perfect for summer grilling.  It goes really great with my recipe for tomato and corn salad which you can find here:  Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad

First soak some skewers in water

To your peeled and deveined shrimp, add paprika, salt, oil and the juice from 1/2 a lemon.  Toss shrimp in mixture then skewer shrimp.

Grill Shrimp for 2 minutes on each side until cooked through.  

You will need:

1 lb shrimp peeled and de-veined 

4 wooden skewers soaked in water

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper

View all my recipes here:  Recipe Index

Potato croquettes with cheese filling

These are fried, so they are a special occasion food, but my family loves them.   I made them here with mozzarella cheese but cheddar tastes great too.

You will need 2 large potatoes, flour, salt, cheese, eggs, bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of milk

Peel the potatoes and chopped them into one inch cubes.

Soak the potatoes in water for 5 minutes to help remove some starch.

Drain the potatoes, then cook until tender.

When tender, drain and place into mixer with milk and 1 tsp salt.  Mix until there are no more lumps.

While the potatoes are cooling, cut cheese into bite sized pieces.  Smaller is better, they need to fit inside your croquet.  When cool, place mixture into your hand and flatten it out.

Place cube of cheese into center and pull edges up to make a ball of potato.

Set up a dredge of 2 eggs.  On a different plate place 1 cup flour and on a third plate 1 cup bread crumbs.

Dredge the potato into flour, egg then breadcrumbs.

Heat oil and gently place croquettes into oil and cook until golden brown.

Serve warm.

Recipe:
2 large potatoes
3 ounces mozzarella or cheddar cheese
salt for cooking plus 1 tsp for mix
1 tablespoon milk

dredge:
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs

oil for cooking

Chop potatoes into 1 inch cubes and boil in saltwater until fork tender.  Drain and place in mixer with 1 tsp salt and 1 tablespoon milk.  Mix until no lumps remain.  Cool.
Meanwhile cut cheese into small cubes
Place small amount of potato into hand and flatten.  Place cheese in center and bring edges up to form a ball.  Dredge in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.  Fry in oil until golden brown.  Serve Warm.


Printable version here:  Croquettes

Link to all my recipes  recipe index

How to Cook Bacon in an oven

Sometimes, I look at my freshly cleaned stove top and I don't want to cook bacon on it.  Or sometimes I just have a lot of bacon to cook because there are so many of us.  I needed to be able to cook bacon in the oven.  I have cooked thick bacon here, but thin works just as well.  Just watch your thin bacon because it can go too crispy very quickly.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. First I get out a cookie sheet with edges (jelly roll pan) and put a metal cookie cooker rack in it.  If you do not have a rack, you can use crumpled up aluminum foil.

Next, lay your bacon onto the grill.  I laid mine long ways, but they were some big thick bacon.  You may need to lay yours the opposite way that I laid mine.

Place them into the preheated oven.  Big thick bacon like this takes about 25 minutes.  Thinner bacon takes closer to 15, but watch it carefully.

When it is finished you can pull it out and enjoy!  I added mine to a breakfast bagel.  #YUM

RECIPE Weeknight Mahogany Chicken

This recipe can also be prepared vegan using a tofu style chickn and coconut sugar  or using real chicken.   My family is not vegan but I am, so I make both.   

Mahagony chicken is my kid’s favorite chicken.  I simplify a recipe that is online so that it is easy to make.   Hoison sauce is a rich bbq style sauce with a really deep flavor, my local grocery sells 4 ounces for $5 but you can buy it online cheaper.  

Cut chicken into strips

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a small bowl to make the sauce.  Reserve about 1/4 cup for basting.

Place bowl of sauce and chicken in a Ziploc bag and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from fridge and place in baking dish.  Cook for 10 minutes then remove and baste with reserved sauce.

Place back in oven for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove and serve over rice.

Here is my version of the recipe:

4 chicken breasts deboned and cut into bite sized pieces (or any tofu made in chckn style)

Combine:

1 clove of garlic, minced

5 tablespoons dark brown sugar (half if you don’t like sweet food)

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup hoison sauce

2 tsp basalmic vinegar

Mix ingredients for sauce.  Reserve about ½ cup for basting.   Place the remaining sauce into a zip lock bag and add chicken.  Marinate for at least 15 minutes, but up to 2 hours.  Bake chicken at 375 for 10 minutes then remove and baste.  Return chicken to oven for an additional 15 minutes. If you cut your pieces small, they may need a little less time, or if they were cold they may need a few more minutes.   Serve over rice.

If you like this recipe and are interested in cleaning and organizing, head over to view my organized fridge.  My organized Fridge


For an easy to print version of this recipe click here  printable chicken recipe

See all my recipes here:  recipe index

© Emma Francis and EmmaFrancisishome@bloger.com, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Emma Francis and EmmaFrancisishome@blogger.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.