Fondue

Want to bring the Melting Pot home so all your family can enjoy the fun of this dinning experience? This is a combination of some of their best recipes tailored down to do just that. All these recipes can be changed to be just the appetizer or create your own three course (or more) meal! Be prepared that the meal itself takes a long time to eat as there are lots of steps in between each corse.

Cheese Fondue Appetizer
Ingredients:
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
3 tbsp of flour
1 beer

Dippers (all cubed prior to dinner and set aside or refrigerated):
Sourdough bread
Green apples
Chips
Carrots
Cauliflower
(Whatever you have on hand that goes good with cheese!)

Directions:
Shred your cheddar cheese. For every 1 1/2 c of cheddar, you are going to coat it with 1 1/2 tbsp of flour.
Warm your fondue pot, add 1 1/2 c of the coated cheddar cheese to the pot. Slowly add in the beer and whish with a fork. Repeat for the next 1 1/2 c of cheese. *The last time I made this, I didn't use the entire can of beer. I just added as much as I thought I needed. I add the liquid as I go so I don't make it too watery.
Once the cheese is at a stringy consistancy, dip your veggies!

Here is the Melting Pots how to video which I find very helpful. http://www.monkeysee.com/play/1273-Fiesta-Cheese-Fondue

The next course could be a salad of your choice, but with little ones we leave this step out and go straight to the main course.

Coq Au Vain Cooking Broth
Ingredients:
3 1/2 c of veggie stock
1/2 red wine (usually whatever I'm drinking for the night works fine)
1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic
2 green onions chopped

Dippers: (again all cubed and refrigerated prior to dinner)
2 chicken breasts
1 filet
(Before, we've done shrimp or lobster)
Broccoli

The main dish is where you can be as simple as you wish or as creative as you feel. Tonight, we went simple but before we've done oil and fried everything. When we do that, I love doing button mushrooms stuffed with Alloiette. Yum-O! The fried fondue is another recipe in itself, but is just as fun to make.

Directions:
Bring the vegetable stock, red wine, garlic and onion to a boil. Cook your chicken and steak on your fondue sticks in the broth. You will cook the chicken about 2 minutes to make sure it's no longer pink. The filet can be cooked to your liking. During this time, we always throw in our broccoli. We like it best when the vegetables absorb all the juices and flavor from the broth. The broccoli takes the longest. We don't pull it out until it looks wilted.

Dessert is up to you. By this point, our family is stuffed and I'm tired of washing the fondue pot out so if we do dessert, ice cream sundaes are the way we go.

Prep time takes a while but if you do everything before hand, dinner is way more enjoyable! This is fun and even the kids do well.

Chicken and Bows

This is a very hearty meal that feeds lots! Can be served up as a comfort meal in the winter or chilled as a pasta salad in the summer, very versitile.

The picture on the left is the total amount made. The picture on the right, is one serving portion.

Ingredients:
1 pkg (16 oz) of bow tie pasta
2 lbs of chicken breast cut into strips (you could quarter or cube)
1 c chopped red pepper
1/4 of butter, cubed
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 c frozen peas
1 1/2 c of milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
2/3 c graded Parmesean

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, cook chicken and red pepper in butter over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. (I didn't have a dutch oven, so I just used a deep skillet and sauteed the two in butter.)
2. Stir in the soup, peas, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer uncovered for 1-2 mins or until heated through. Stir in cheese. Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.
3. Serve half the mixture
4. Freeze the other half for up to the 3 months

Review: As I mentioned before, this recipe might be a good one to set aside for a big dinner party as a side salad. I could also see this as a starter recipe for a chicken pot pie. An even better use would be to mark this as a dish to make the new mommy or daddy when they bring home their bundle of joy from the hospital. It makes a lot and can be frozen, so they get two meals out of it!

Calzone Pinwheels

Again, this recipe is from the cookbook Almost Homemade. This is a great appetizer and was very quick to throw together. However, it is not substantial enough for a meal.

Ingredients:
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 c diced pepperoni
1/4 c grated Parmesean cheese
1/4 c chopped fresh mushroom (I left this out.)
1/4 c finely chopped green pepper (Again, I left this out.)
2 tbsp finely chopped onion (Left out)
1 pkg (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce, warmed

Directions:
1. Combine the ricotta, Italian seasoning and salt. Stir in the mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Parmesean cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onion. Seperate crescent dough into four rectangles; seal perforations.
2. Spread the cheese mixture over each rectangle to within 1/4 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seams to seal. Cut into 4 slices.
3. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 10-15 mins until golden. Serve with warm pizza sauce.

Hint: Next time I might use cream cheese instead of the ricotta. It was a little grainy for me.

Review: Again, good and quick. Great for a party on the fly.



Asparagus Beef Lo Mein

During our school's book fair, I was the lucky recipient of a cook book called Almost Homemade. This cook book has become one of my very favorite "go to" sources for new meals. It's loaded with pictures and recipes that are do-able on a tight budget and schedule.
My first recipe is Asparagus Beef Lo Mein.
Ingredients:
1 beef top sirloin (thinly sliced)
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 lb of fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 tsp minced garlic
2 1/4 c water, divided
2/3 c Hoisen Sauce
2 packages of beef Ramen noodles

Directions:
1. In large skillet or wok, stir fry beef in oil for 5 mins or until meat is no longer pink.
Add the asparagus and garlic, stir fry 2 mins or until asparagus is crisp-tender.
2. In a bowl, combine 1/4 c o water and 1/2 tsp seasoning from one ramen noodle pkg; stir until dissolved. Add hoisin sauce; stir into the beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 mins or until thickened. (Discard remaining seasoning from opened packet.)
3. In large saucepan, bring remaining water to a boil; add ramen noodles and contents of remaining seasoning packet. Cook according to directions. Remove, cover and let stand until noodles are tender.
4. Top with beef mixture

Review:
I REALLY liked this meal. My husband was not too fond of the hoisin sauce. It has a tangy, sweet flavor to it. If you've read any of my other posts, you will begin to understand and see a pattern that my husband is very hard to please. He is definitely a meat and potato type of guy. However, it was good enough that I am making it again for dinner very soon!

Chicken and Waffles

So you know your southern when...It sounds weird, I know, but there's something so good about the combination of salty and sweet. Chicken and waffles is just that. My advice: Don't knock it until you try it.
Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick mix
1 egg
2 1/3  cups milk (1 1/3 for waffles, 1 for frying chicken)
2 chicken breast
2 cups flour
1 cup of vegetable oil for frying 2 tbsp for waffles
waffle maker
favorite syrup

Directions:
Cube your chicken breast and cover with 1 cup of milk. Place the 2 cups of flour in a large Ziploc bag. Drop the cubes of chicken into the flour and shake. Place covered chicken cubes in hot oil (may require more than the 2 cups) and fry until golden brown.  Follow the directions on the Bisquick box to prepare the waffles according to the directions.

Serve chicken nuggets over the waffles and drizzle with syrup.
Review: This is one of my husband's and kids absolute favorite meals! We serve this more than I should admit. :)

Pulled Pork Sanwiches

I have to admit that I have never had pulled pork before. I have never cooked it or even tried it at a restaurant before, so this was a true first for me. I have to say, that it was very good and definitely one we will try again.
Ingrediants:
Pork tenderloin
1 can of coke (or your choice of soda)
Favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:                                                                                                                  

Cook your pork tenderloin in the coke in your crock pot on low heat for 6 hours. Remove from coke and seperate. (This is the pulling part.) Return pulled pork to the coke and add a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for 30 mins on medium. Serve on your favorite buns with your favorite sides.
Review: This makes enough to serve for company. I served my family of four plus my mom and dad. Ace and I loved this meal! Dusty and my dad could've done without the BBQ sauce as they are not big fans. My mom and Cooper could've gone either way. For my first attempt, I thought it was a hit. We even had enough for left overs.

Since I first published this, we have had this meal again. The second time I made it, I used Dr. Pepper and a honey bbq sauce. It was sweeter and really good. I made Dusty's before I added the bbq sauce and he thought it was just as good just cooked in the DP.

Saucy Cranberry Orange Chicken

This recipe was sent to me from one of my closest friends in Florida. She's a mom of twins and a 5 year old. She says that she was able to cook this meal while juggling the feeding of the twins. She and I both agree that it was super easy and she thought it was better the next day. It originally comes from Campbell's Kitchen. Thanks Campbell and Beth!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup cranberry juice

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon ground sage

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups hot cooked instant white rice

Sliced green onions (I left these out as my family are not big onion eaters.)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides.

Add the orange juice, cranberry juice, soup, cranberries, sage and black pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the chicken mixture over the rice and sprinkle with the onions.

Review: It was very creamy and almost reminded me of something you could serve at Thanksgiving. I did like the flavor and the texture that the cranberries added to the meal. I think that I was the only one in my family that liked this, but that's all that matters, right?