CHIPOTLE APRICOT CORNISH GAME HEN UNDER A BRICK

I think sauces, marinades and rubs are transformational! They can take a plain piece of meat and make it absolutely scrumptious... heavenly... luscious... yummy! 

As part of RATTLEBRIDGE FARMS  MYSTERY INGREDIENT CLUB, I was given the challenge to use chipotle chilies and come up with a dish! Thanks, Michael Lee. I love this ingredient!

So what does this girl do with a can of chipotle chilies? No problem... I made a fabulous thick marinade for little chickens called Cornish Game Hens and grilled them stuck under a brick!

Here's a step-by-step tutorial of my new favorite summer recipe...

EASY PUFF PASTRY PIZZA

I am the unofficial queen of puff pastry! I love love love it... and use it all the time!

Today I'm sharing how to make a VERY easy and elegant pizza using my favorite crust... puff pastry!

It's easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough for company! In other words, Puff Pastry Pizza is a real crowd pleaser...

ZESTY RANCH CRACKERS

Don't put a bowl of these scrumptious Zesty Ranch Crackers in front of me... I'll eat every one of them! They are that good!

And they are ridiculously easy to make! I keep the 3 ingredients needed to make them in my pantry. 

I'm sharing the love today by sharing my recipe for these addictive, bursting-with-flavor snacks...

CREEPY OREO COOKIES

I belong to the

MYSTERY INGREDIENT CLUB

 sponsored by RATTLEBRIDGE FARM, host to Foodie Friday!

Each month we are sent a SECRET INGREDIENT and are asked to make something with it.

So much fun... we never know what we will get!

This month the secret ingredient was SPOOKTACULAR...

THE BEST MAC AND CHEESE... REALLY!

When I think of the ultimate comfort food, I think of Aunt Sue's Macaroni and Cheese! All other Mac and Cheese's pale in comparison! No kidding! Just ask my kids and in law kids and husband and mom and friends and sister and brothers and anyone who has ever tasted it!

I hesitate to call it a side dish. We all usually make it the star of the meal... and go back for seconds! No guilt... Aunt Sue's Macaroni and Cheese is not something I make all the time. We save it for special family occasions! 

I hope it will become a favorite around your table too!

STONEGABLE RAW APPLE CAKE

If fall was a dessert it would be RAW APPLE CAKE!

 I know you are probably thinking... "What, not something pumpkin?"

Okay, well maybe late fall... towards Thanksgiving... would be pumpkin dessert time. But for this time of year RAW APPLE CAKE wins hands down!!!

Please, just trust me on this... it will be your favorite fall dessert too! It's that good...

CINNAMON TOAST BISCOTTT

OH YUMMY!
Need a little something sweet with your coffee or tea?

Give CINNAMON TOAST BISCOTTI a try.

They are delicious and cinnamony....and a grown up version of the cinnamon toast my mom used to make!

SPICY CRAB LINGUINI WITH PRESERVED LEMONS

Lemons... what yummy puckery wonderul citrus fruit! We love them...

This week I tried PRESERVED LEMONS and I discovered a whole new tasty dimension of mellow intense lemony flavor! Lemons... only more mysterious and serious and dare I say...sexy!

Come with me on a spicy, almost sinful culinary adventure...

GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING

If you make only one recipe I've shared all summer...

this is THE ONE!

 You will be sooooo glad you tried it and it will probably be one of your favorites!

Why can I make such a bold statement? Everyone loves these scrumptious veggies and asks me to make them! They are that good... and pretty simple too...

HERB BOUQUET

One of my favorite things about summer is HERBS!

They are culinary super stars and so easy to grow!

I don't leave them in the garden until I am ready to cook with them... I bring them in and make a kitchen herb bouquet...

THE BEST SUMMER SALAD

Arugula in my garden is riotous this year! It must love all the cool weather we are having!

Ooops! Did I just say the best summer salad? What I meant to say was the best and easiest summer salad!

Arugula Salad is ON THE MENU at least once a week... and now a whole lot more!

Here's how I make it...

CHILI AND CORNBREAD IN A JAR

This recipe was a fantastic serendipity! 

I was putting away 6 dozen wide mouth quart ball jars from the weekend's wedding celebration and had a big pot of chili cooking away on the stove. 

Inspiration struck and the chili ended up in the jars with a big dollop of corn bread batter on the top of it...

YUMMY... and F-U-N! 

This is my new favorite way to serve Chili and Cornbread!

I also tweaked my usual StoneGable Chili recipe too...

I had leftover baked beans from our Wedding Celebration this weekend and used them in the chili.

The worked wonderfully!!!  If you have leftover baked beans just substitute them for the beans in your favorite chili recipe and OLE' ... they make the chili simply delicious!!! I usually cook my chili in a slow cooker, but this time I made it on the stove.

If you don't have a favorite Chili recipe... give one of mine a try...

STONEGABLE SLOW COOKER CHILI

JIM'S AWARD WINNING SMOKY SLOW COOKER CHILI 

STONEGABLE WHITE CHILI

Make the chili and your favorite cornbread batter...

OR...

try mine...SWEET BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD

OR

use a package of Jiffy Cornbread... it tastes pretty good too!

Fill the wide mouth quart jars to within 2 inches of the top with hot chili and add 1/2 cup of the cornbread batter to the jar. Fill to just below the top. The cornbread will not rise very much.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the cornbread is done.  

You could also garnish the top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped green onions. I served mine on the side!

DELICIOUS!!!

FOODIE FRIDAY

CREATIVE HOME ACRE BLOG HOP
MIZ HELEN'S FOURTH ANNUAL TEXAS STAR CHILI COOKOFF

KICKED UP CHEX MIX

One of my favorite snacks to have on hand when StoneGable is full of family or company is homemade
Chex Mix.

It's great munchy food... and has an even more intense flavor when it is the kicked up version!!!

It differs slightly from the original recipe but it sure makes a difference!

I make a double batch and put it in a big glass jar on the counter! It doesn't last very long!!

STONEGABLE KICKED UP CHECKS MIX 

3 cups wheat chex cereal

3 cups rice chex cereal

3 cups corn cereal

2 cup cocktail peanuts

1 cup thin pretzel sticks

1 cup garlic flavored bagel chips

1 cup sesame seed sticks

Mix above ingredients in a large bowl.

10 TBS unsalted butter

4 TBS Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp seasoning salt

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder
a dash or two of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Put in a microwave proof bowl and heat until the butter is melted. Stir to incorporate.

Drizzle on the chex mixture and stir gently to distribute.

Put the chex mix onto 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Cook for 1 hours, stirring every 15 minutes and rotate the baking sheets.

Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container or jar.

munch  ...  crunch  ...  YUM!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

HERBED CHICKEN SALAD

I must admit that until I made this chicken salad, my homemade chicken salad was nothing to brag about.

My local grocer made much better chicken salad than me... UGH!

Oh, but how things have changed!!! I now join the ranks of culinary mavens who make good chicken salad!

Here's how I do it...

I called on my favorite cooking celebrities to see how they made such great chicken salad... Martha, Ina and  Anne (as in Burrell).


I chose INA'S method for cooking chicken... some of  MARTHA'S add ins ... and ANNE'S sassy love of cooking ("Look at you, beautiful chickens!")!

I am not a fan of all the fruit and nuts and whatnot in chicken salad. I am a classic kinda girl... but if you like those things I'm sure they could easily be added in!

I think this is a chicken salad you could love too!


STONEGABLE'S WITH-A-LITTLE-HELP-FROM-MY-COOKING-FRIENDS HERBED CHICKEN SALAD

4 split chicken breasts
good olive oil
salt and pepper

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 ~ 2/3 cup celery, finely diced
salt and pepper
2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
1 TBS fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp thyme, leaves
1~ 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TBS lemon juice
a  few dashes of hot sauce

*tarragon can be substituted in place of thyme... I find tarragon overpowering, so I don't use it.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Liberally rub with oil and salt and pepper.
Roast until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. I use an instant read thermometer instead of using cooking times. It makes a more perfectly cooked piece of chicken. No dry chicken here!

Remove the chicken from oven and let just cool until you can handle it.

When cool enough to handle remove the skin and bones and chop the meat to your preferred consistancy. I like mine a little more shredded than most. Save the skin and bones for soup stock.

Put the chicken in a mixing bowl along with the red onions, celery, a little salt and pepper, parsley, dill and thyme.

In a second small mixing bowl add mayonnaise, lemon juice and hot sauce. Stir well. Mix the mayonnaise into the chicken until incorporated. Adjust for salt and pepper.


I served this chicken salad in puff pastry cups for a recent bridal shower. They were such a hit!!!

To see the the puff pasty culinary tutorial, click HERE.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

THE BEST STEW I HAVE EVER EATEN

My husband is an occasional hunter... which means in 20 years of deer hunting he has only killed two deer.

One last year and one this year.

Of course, we must eat what he kills... it's only right! For years I dreaded the day he would fill our freezer with deer meat!

I had no idea what I was missing... I stuck my culinary nose up at the thought of "gamey meat"! That is until I made 

GNOCCHI CON GUAZZETTO DI CAPRIOLO... 

or Gnocchi with Venison Stew. It is so delicious I served it for Christmas dinner... and then make another pot full and served it to more guest later Christmas week!

It is the best stew I have ever eaten...

EASY PUMPKIN BISCOTTI

All pumpkin lovers raise your hands! Look at all those hands!!!! I thought so... most people love pumpkin. 

If fall were a food it would be a pumpkin! 

 Lucky for us, fall is not over... so let's eat our fill of pumpkiny foods until that day of all feasting, Thanksgiving, culminates with the pinacle of sweet desserts... pumpkin pie! 

The pumpkin biscotti is cooling on my counter and  StoneGable smells divine! Oh, this biscotti is worth baking just so your home can smell like mine...

1 cup roasted not salted pumpkin seeds (not with the shell)
1 cup sugar
6 TBS butter, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix
2 eggs
3 1/2 cup all purpose baking mix
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
chocolate baking chips

Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl of an electric mixer on medium until creamy.
dd pumpkin and beat. Add eggs and beat.

In a separate bowl add baking and spices. Stir by hand to mix.

Add the baking mix to the pumpkin in three batches. Mix until just blended.
Add 3/4 cup of the pumpkin seeds and mix in by hand.

Put the biscotti dough in the freezer for 1 hour until firm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Divide the dough into two slightly flattened 12 x 3 logs. Put then on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 35 minutes or until firm.  Cool on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

Cut each log diagonally into 3/4 inch thick slices with a serrated knife. 

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave .
Dip the end of the biscotti in the chocolate to coat, and then dip into pumpkin seeds.

YUMMY!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

SMOKY BBQ BEEF SANDWICHES

I served this Smoked BBQ Beef Sandwich with Cool Ranch Coleslaw for a recent family croquet tournament and get together and my family ate every little bit! What a winner!

Because I could make this ahead, it was a winner in my book too!

This BBQ would be great for a tailgate or backyard get together or for a make-ahead meal...

SMOKED BBQ BEEF SANDWICHES 

WITH COOL RANCH COLESLAW

*If you don't have a smoker omit the smoking step, rub meat with spice rub and put in the slow cooker. Mix 1/2 cup apple juice with a few drops of liquid smoke and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until done and you are able to pull it apart. Then continue on with the recipe.

BBQ BEEF

4 lbs boneless chuck roast

any southwest spice rub

2 TBS butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cups ketsup

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

4 TBS brown sugar

2 TBS dark molassas

1 TBS dark grainy mustard

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

COOL RANCH COLESLAW

1~ 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

3 TBS cider vinegar

1 TBS fresh chopped chives

1 TBS fresh chopped parsley

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1 TBS sugar

1/4 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper

1 bag coleslaw mix

Rub the meat with the southwest spice rub. Smoke until medium rare~medium. Put the meat in a slow cooker and continue to cook on low for 4 hours, until done through and it can be pulled apart.  When beef is done pull apart with 2 forks. Remove any fat.

Make the BBQ sauce:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over a medium low heat and add onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients  and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Put beef in a large bowl and pour BBQ sauce over it. Mix. Refrigerate if not using right away.

To make the coleslaw, mix all ingredients except the coleslaw mix. Once well incorporated, add the cabbage mix and stir well. Best if made ahead to let the flavors marry. Refrigerate.

To assemble: I put out a big basket of assorted rolls, a steaming hot pot of BBQ and a bowl of coleslaw and let my family make their own sandwiches.

Printable Recipe

Croquet Day...

FOODIE FRIDAY

MARVELOUS MONDAY

MIX-IT-UP MONDAY

MINI ICE CREAM COOKIE CUPS

What a yummy trio of sweetness!

I saw these cookie cups on the Pillsbury web page and thought they were adorable... I also was skeptical that they were easy to make and would look like the cookie cup in their photos.

They were soooo easy and came out perfectly! This is a WOW factor dessert...


A WOW factor dessert must be very easy to make, look fabulous and taste delicious.

I served these as a sweet ending to a dinner party on Monday. They were a hit! And they are sooo cute!

Here is a how-to video from Pillsbury ...

It really is that easy!

Click HERE for a very detailed, step-by-step recipe!

Instead of using ready to bake cookies I used Pillsbury cookie dough in a tube. I just cut off 1 TBS of dough and put it in the muffin pan!  EASY-PEASY!

I made 3 types of mini ice cream cookie cups...

~chocolate chip cookie cups with hot fudge sauce and chocolate chunk ice cream with whipped cream and shaved chocolate

~sugar cookie cups with chocolate raspberry sauce, vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and a fresh raspberry

~ peanut butter cookie cups with chocolate sauce and peanut butter cup ice cream with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

I think these cookie cups would taste delicious piled high with chocolate mousse too! 

YUMMY!

FOODIE FRIDAY at Simple Living

FULL PLATE THURSDAY at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm

TASTY THURSDAY at The Mandatory Mooch

Artisan Pizza On The Grill

My favorite kind of pizza is made in a wood burning brick oven. Delicious, charred, thin and flavorful. Unfortunately, I don't have a brick oven... but I do have a grill. Too bad it is a gas grill and not a charcoal, but that is another story!

Many years ago I took a course at L'academie de Cusine and learned how to make grilled artisan pizza. It is VERY easy! And sooooo delicious!  So fire up the grill and create a pizza just for you!

StoneGable's Artisan Pizza

1 pizza fresh pizza dough

canola oil

pizza sauce

cheese

toppings

This is not a rocket science recipe. Make it the way you would like... that is what makes it ARTISAN.

I buy homemade dough from my grocers. NOT THE TUBE KIND! If your grocer does not have fresh dough, your local pizza shop might sell some to you. Or try making your own, it is very easy.

I love the dough Mrs. P from Faithfulness Farm makes. As a matter of fact, her primer on pizza is wonderful. Click HERE for a great and informative post.

Preheat grill to medium low.

Divide dough into 4 equal amounts.

 Roll into a ball and flatten out. Pull into a 8 inch round. I grab the edge of the round and let gravity stretch it for me. Just work around the pizza this way. Mine always look like ovals, that's okay!

 Put round on a rimless cookie sheet. Coat the dough with olive oil- liberally.

Put the dough directly on the grill, do not shut lid. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Watch it will burn easily. The pictures show a progression of the dough on the grill.

Take the crust off of the grill.  Put it on the an oiled cookie sheet grilled side up.

Add pizza sauce. Add toppings for each individual person. We had mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, crumbled turkey sausage, pepperoni, grilled onions and grilled peppers. 

Place pizza the on grill and shut the lid. Grill an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

Remove from the grill, cut and serve hot. YUMMY!

Look at this great thin crust and wonderful melty toppings!

Visit me on Facebook  for a great veggie grilling tip! See StoneGable's sidebar to connect to Facebook.

I am joining Foodie Friday. Please stop by DESIGNS BY GOLLUM for great recipes!!!!