Need a Special Kids’ Dessert in a Jiffy?
easy ingredients:
ice cream bars
chocolate syrup
whip cream
toffee bars
chocolate for decoration (optional)
It doesn’t get any faster than this folks! And you won’t believe the kids squeals of delight. They go crazy over this 
Enjoy!
BBQ Chicken on a Bun
Ingredients
- *5 large chicken breasts
- *1 1/4 c. ketchup
- *1 onion
- *1 tsp. salt
- *1 tsp. celery seed
- *1 tsp. chili powder or paste
- *1/4 c. light brown sugar
- *1 tsp. tabasco sauce
- *1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
- *1/4 c. red wine vinegar
- *6 Kaiser rolls
Instructions
- Roast chicken in a pan until cooked through. Cool and shred.
- In a large saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients (except the rolls). Mix well. Add the shredded chicken and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm on rolls.
Italian Melted Sandwich
Ingredients
- *1 8oz. container refrigerated crescent sheets or rolls
- *8 slices pastrami (about 1/2 lb.)
- *8 slices turkey (about 1/2 lb.)
- *12 slices salami
- *24 slices pepperoni
- *8 slices swiss cheese (or whatever cheese your kids like)
- *1 (12 oz.) jar roasted peppers, drained
- *2 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the crescent roll dough (without separating triangles). Cut into 2 squares.
- Place 1 square of dough in an 8 x 8 dish. Press dough to fit the bottom of the dish.
- Layer with half of the meats, roasted peppers, and cheese (layer one on top of the other). Pour 1/2 of the beaten eggs over the top layer, and then layer the remaining meats, peppers, and cheese.
- Place the remaining square of dough over the top layer. Pour the rest of the eggs over the dough and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 20 min. Remove foil, and bake another 20 min, or until golden brown. Cool and serve.
Slow Cooked Herb Crusted Pork Roast
Ingredients
- *2 tbsp. finely chopped sage
- *2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
- *10 cloves garlic, peeled
- *1 tbsp. fennel seed
- *1 1/2 tbsp. coarse salt
- *1 tbsp. ground pepper
- *1 tbsp. dry white wine
- *1 tbsp. olive oil
- *6 lb pork should Boston roast, untied
- *Kitchen twine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Blend together the sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel, salt and pepper in a food processor until a thick paste forms. With the processor running, add the wine and olive oil until well combined. Using a sharp knife, make 3 small incisions, each about 1 inch long and 1 inch deep, on each side of the roast. Fill each with 1 tsp. of the herb paste. Spread the remaining paste over the roast. Tie the roast with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. Place the pork, fat side up, in a deep roasting pan and toast on the middle rack for 6 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 15 min. Discard the string and cut into slices.
Oven Roasted Bourbon Salmon
Ingredients
- *Marinade:
- *3/4 c. packed brown sugar
- *1/3 c. bourbon
- *1/4 c. soy sauce
- *2 tsp. grated ginger
- *1/4 tsp. ground pepper
- *2 cloves garlic, crushed
- *Fish:
- *8 skinless fillets (6 oz. each)
- *1/4 c. green onions
- *4 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag; Add the salmon fillets. Marinate for 30 min., turning once. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with oil. Remove the fillets from the marinade and place on the foil. Roast in the oven for 15-18 min. until the fish flakes easily. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
Sea Salt Caramel Apples
I live in apple country, and this time of year my garage is filled the glorious fruits. Whenever I enter the house, I smile down at the brimming boxes, just happy they are there. It spells f-a-l-l to me…oh, happy fall! And what better thing to do with them than settle in and make caramel apples? Sea salt ones no less?
I stock a hunk of caramel in my pantry. It’s called Peter’s Caramel, and it saves me having to unwrap 100 small squares. I sometimes make my own, but when I don’t have time, this is the perfect solution.
Using a very complicated double boiler system (a metal bowl over a pot filled half way with water), I melt the caramel.
Recruiting help for this part isn’t difficult. Spear the apples with a stick (I use Wilton’s from the baking section at the craft store).
Roll the apples in the caramel, using a spoon to cover the tops. Let the extra spill back into the bowl, and place on a silicone mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
If you are sprinkling with sea salt or kosher, work fast (the caramel hardens quicker than you think). As soon as you place the apple on the silicone, or right before if you can handle doing 2 things at once, sprinkle on the sea salt, making sure to get all sides of the apple.
The kids will be indebted forever if you leave all of the extra caramel for them to scoop up and eat.
Transfer to a tray and serve!
Sausage-Basil Fusilli
This comfort food was born out of fall’s inspiration. Using some extra sausage I had in the freezer and a half bottle of white wine that needed to be used, this was an easy crowd pleaser to create.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fusilli pasta
- 1 lb. italian sausage (mild or hot)
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 1/2-3/4 c. white wine
- 3 tbsp. chicken stock
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 carton cherry tomatoes, each one cut in half
- 1/4 c. cream (or substitute with non-fat plain creamer)
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the sausage until done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, and sauté the diced onion until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the sausage back to the pan, then pour the wine over the onion, garlic, sausage mixture. Let reduce for about 5 minutes over a medium/low boil.
- While the sauce is reducing, Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and put in individual bowls.
- Add the cream, tomatoes, and the chopped fresh garlic to the sauce. Let it warm and combine for about a minute over heat.
- Divide the sauce evenly over the fusilli pasta in the bowls and serve immediately.
- Serves 4
White Bean and Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ⅓ cups chopped onion
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 ¼ lbs. skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 15- to 16-ounce cans white beans, drained, juices reserved
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink outside, about 5 minutes.
- Mix in chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano. Add beans, 1 cup reserved bean juices, and canned tomatoes.
- Simmer until chicken is cooked through and chili is thickened, about 25 minutes. If chili is too thick, add more bean juices by tablespoonfuls to thin. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper.
- Mix in cilantro and serve.
Bite Sized Caprese with Salami
My garden tomatoes are finally starting to ripen in droves. This is one of my favorite things to do with the cherry tomatoes.
1. Layer a platter with lettuce leaves.
2. Place pieces of salami onto the lettuce.
3. Layer bite sized pieces of fresh mozzarella over the top of the salami and lettuce.
4. Sprinkle the top with chopped basil
5. Drizzle the salad with olive oil, then finish with sea (or kosher) salt and pepper.
Antipasto Skewers: a perfect Italian party food
Running down the streets of Rome during their Carnival taught me something. Italians know 2 things better than anyone: parties and food. One of the dishes I tried during that fest was Antipasto. It is an italian first course or appetizer consisting of an assortment of foods such as olives, anchovies, sliced sausage, peppers, and artichoke hearts. It is one of my all time favs, and this version makes it party perfect. Simply gather whatever ingredients you feel inspired to use. Here is what I used for my skewers:
Arrange the food onto the skewers alternating between colors, and varying size. Marinate overnight or for four hours in your favorite bottled Italian dressing, OR my favorite is to blend together pesto, the oil of the sun dried tomatoes, a little liquid from the pepperocini jar, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar and pour that over the skewers.
Layer the plate with any kind of lettuce or leaf (I used cauliflower leaves from my garden). I also like to tie an herb bundle to use on the platter. Oregano tied with twine adds color and an amazing fragrance. Lay the skewers on top of the leaves.
Beautiful and loaded with flavor. Ciao!
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