One of my favorite indulgences, Houston’s Spinach Artichoke Dip is an awesome combination of garlicy, cheesy, spinachy, creamy goodness. And yes, those are all real words. Besides, I don’t think that it can be that bad for you – it has spinach and artichokes in it. Those are vegetables. And three kinds of cheese – dairy is an important part of the food pyramid, too. In fact, I think this is a healthy recipe! So there!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup grated romano cheese (about 2 oz)
• 1 clove garlic
• 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 (6 1/2 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts , drained
• 8 ounces soft garlic-chive cream cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Shred romano cheese in a food processor. Add the peeled garlic clove. Next add the spinach, artichokes, cream cheese and eggs, process until thoroughly blended.

3. Pour into a casserole dish and fold in the mozzarella.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

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Yes, saltimbocca is traditionally made with veal. But since I know how veal is produced, the likelihood of me making or eating a veal dish is about 0%. Besides, I think Maggiano’s Chicken Saltimbocca is awesome, and this chicken saltimbocca is pretty close to the way they make it!

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried sage
4 sage leaves , for garnish (optional)
2 slices prosciutto, sliced paper-thin
1/4 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine , such as Pinot Grigio-Sauvignon Blanc

Directions

1. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then spread the flour on a plate and coat each chicken breast. Shake off all excess flour.
2. In a large fry pan melt 1 tbs of butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat, and once it is very hot add the chicken breasts. Cook until the undersides are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and continue to cook until they feel firm when pressed in the centers, 4 to 6 minutes more.

3. Reduce the heat to very low, and sprinkle the breasts evenly with the sage. Top each breast with a piece of prosciutto, then divide the cheese slices evenly among the breasts. Cover the pan tightly and cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 1/2 minutes.

4. Transfer to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Don’t let the aluminum foil touch the cheese!

5. Increase the heat to high, and when the pan starts sizzling add the wine and deglaze the pan (stir constantly, and scrape up any browned bits stuck on the pan bottom). Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 Tbs. butter.

6. Divide the sauce evenly over each breast (I poured it around the edges to avoid messing up the cheese), then garnish with a sage leaf. Serve immediately.

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I know this PF Changs Wonton Soup recipe like the back of my Chang. (What? I’m a Community fan!) Okay, actually this is a fairly new recipe for me, but I’m trying to come up with more soups and salads for the new year – and I think this one is good. What do you think?

Ingredients (Soup)

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 lb medium shrimp, deveined with tails off
• 1 cup fresh bok choy, chopped
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced
• 1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbs rice wine or 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tsp finely chopped scallion
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 8 c chicken stock

Ingredients (Wontons)

• 6 oz ground pork (or chicken)
• 8 medium shrimp, shelled and ground
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbs rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tsp finely chopped scallion
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 24 wonton wrappers

Directions

1. Bring chicken stock to a rolling boil, then add all the soup ingredients. Cook until chicken and shrimp are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the pork, ground shrimp, brown sugar, rice wine/sherry, soy sauce, scallions and chopped ginger. Blend well and set aside for 25-30 minutes for flavors to blend.

3. Lay out a wonton wrapper, and place 1 tsp of the filling in the center. Using a small bowl of water, wet the edges of each wonton and fold the wonton together, then press the edges together to make a seal.

4. When done with all the wontons, add them to the boiling chicken stock and cook for 4-5 minutes.

5. Transfer to individual soup bowls and serve.

PF Changs Wonton Soup Recipe Tips

Making the wontons takes practice, both to make them look right and to get them to stay together while cooking. Don’t get discouraged – just make more!

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This recipe for Chicken Marsala is a little different than others I’ve found online. It’s healthier, for one thing, and it contains a little less wine than others. I’m not a big fan of heavy wine taste in my food. And lastly, this recipe for chicken marsala is good and easy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, garlic salt, pepper, and oregano. Give the chicken a light coating by dragging each piece through the mixture.

2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the chicken in the skillet for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on one side. Turn chicken over, and add mushrooms. Cook about 2 minutes, until other side of chicken is lightly browned. Stir mushrooms so that they cook evenly.

3. Pour Marsala wine over the chicken. Cover skillet, and reduce heat to low; simmer for 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

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I’m starting to love Maggiano’s, despite my best intentions, and this recipe for Maggiano’s stuffed mushrooms lets me recreate one of my favorite appetizers of all time! While not a huge fan of raw mushrooms, when they are stuffed with spinach, garlic and cheese, then baked with olive oil I can’t help but love them!

Ingredients

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic (finely minced)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
1 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
paprika
12 mushrooms
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 oz extra virgin olive oil
6 cups fresh spinach
1/2 lb unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

Directions

1. Remove stems from the mushrooms and place in a large mixing bowl. Coat with 1 oz of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place on a baking tray with gills up and roast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to slightly cool then turn over onto a paper towel to allow the juices to drain.

2. In a saute pan add 1 oz of olive oil and fresh minced garlic. With medium heat allow for garlic to slightly brown, then add fresh spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Stir spinach until it reduces in volume, then remove from heat, drain and cool. Lay spinach out on cutting board and lightly chop.

3. In a large mixing bowl add half pound of softened butter, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, basil, parsley and the bread crumbs. Mix by hand and form into mushroom-sized circles.

4. Using a separate mixing bowl, add in cooked spinach and fontina cheese, then mix together. Fill each mushroom cap with 1 to 2 oz of the spinach/fontina mixture, then top with the butter/crumb mixture, and sprinkle with paprika .

5. Bake in oven at 350 until golden brown.

6. Garnish with fresh lemon.

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I’m a fan of PF Changs – and Pei Wei. My favorites alternate throughout the year, but currently I’m in love with their orange chicken, and I think this PF Changs Orange Peel Chicken recipe is a dead ringer for the real thing. It’s a little sweet and citrusy, but still has a good, deep flavor. It goes great with white rice, even though I normally choose brown rice, too.

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (Sriracha)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 chicken breast fillets
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
peel from 1/4 orange, cut into 1/8″ strips

Directions

1. In a small saucepan heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and green onions, and cook for about one minute. Add tomato sauce and water, then add sugar, chili garlic sauce and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes or until sauce thickens, then remove from heat and set aside.

2. Slice chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Combine beaten egg with milk in a medium bowl. Pour the flour into another medium bowl. Coat chicken pieces by dropping them into the flour a few at a time, then into the egg/milk mixture and back into the flour. Coat all the chicken pieces before starting any cooking. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a wok over medium heat. When oil in the wok is hot, add the chicken to the oil in small batches. Cook for a couple minutes or until brown on one side, then flip the chicken over. When chicken is golden brown, remove the pieces to a rack or paper towels to drain. Repeat until all chicken is cooked. When all of the chicken is cooked rinse the oil out of the wok with water and place it back on the stove to heat up.

3. When wok is hot again add orange peel and chicken. Heat for 20 to 30 seconds or so, stirring gently. Add sauce to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir dish a couple times but do it gently so you don’t knock the coating off the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens then serve up the dish with white or brown rice on the side.

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The problem with trying to taste-test so many cheesecakes at Cheesecake Factory? You end up falling in love with their drinks, too. Like this Red Raspberry Martini, for instance. With three ingredients, this recipe should be easy, right? And the more testing you do, the better they taste!

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Stoli Raspberry Vodka
1 1/2 oz Raspberry Liquer (Chambord)
2 oz Red Raspberries

Directions

1. Puree the raspberries.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Enjoy!

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One of the best things about fall? Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake! I love pretty much all of their cheesecakes, but the pumpkin cheesecake is special – probably because it’s only available for a limited time. This year I’ve been trying to mimic the recipe, and I think this is pretty darn close!

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350° F.
2. First, make crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 tbs sugar in a medium bowl. Stir enough to coat all the crumbs with butter, but don’t over mix (keep the mix quite crumbly).
3. Line the inside of a springform pan (8-inch) with foil. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan.
4. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
6. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour the filling into the pan. It should reach up and over the top of the graham cracker crust.
8. Bake for 60-70 minutes.
9. The top will darken, but you want to be sure that the inside sets.
10. Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.
11. Once the cheesecake has come to room temperature, place it in the refrigerator.
12. Once chilled, remove the springform pan and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces.
13. Serve with whipped cream, and enjoy!

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Easy to throw together at the last minute, this olive oil dressing recipe also has the benefit of being heart healthy. In fact, olive oil has so many health benefits it’s crazy – you should cook with olive oil whenever you can!

Ingredients

1 sprig fresh oregano
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a glass mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and pour into a bottle. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.

Olive Oil Dressing Recipe Tips

This is definitely one of those “mix to taste” recipes. You might want it less oily, so put in less olive oil. Or put in more (or less) balsamic. Or use dry herbs instead of fresh (though fresh makes a pretty big difference). It’s your recipe now!

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It might be a little late for this candy corn recipe, but it’s so good you can make it anytime! I still have a soft spot in my heart for the store-bought stuff, but homemade candy corn is something special. And it’s actually not that hard to make, I was really surprised. And the best part of this candy corn recipe is that there’s nothing special in it – you can probably whip up a batch with what you have in your kitchen right now!

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup salted butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
red and yellow food coloring

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine the sifted confectioners’ sugar and powdered milk. Set aside.

2. In a saucepan combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Once it reaches the boiling point, reduce heat to medium and continue stirring for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove from heat. You’ll want it to thicken.

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar and powdered milk mixture to the wet ingredients; stir well until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and smooth. It should be a soft, smooth dough.

4. Let the dough cool until it is firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes to an hour. You can let it cool in the saucepan, or transfer to an appropriately sized bowl to cool.

5. Divide the dough into three equal parts (for each of the colors) and set each third into a separate bowl. Add 2 to 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one dish, one drop of red and two drops of yellow to another dish, and leave the remaining dish uncolored. Knead the dough to which you have added food coloring until the color is even (you may want to use gloves to ensure that you don’t stain your hands). If the dough is feeling very soft or sticky, you may want to chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator before proceeding with the next steps.

6. On top of a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper, use your hands to roll each color of dough into a long, slender rope. You can roll it out to your desired thickness: for larger candies, make each rope thicker; for smaller candies, make each rope thinner.

7

Line the three ropes of dough together: white, orange, and yellow. To ensure that they will stick together, lay a piece of waxed paper on top and give them a very gentle rolling with a rolling pin. You just want to adhere them, not to flatten them.

8. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles. Keep a damp cloth nearby so that you can wipe off the knife if it begins to get a candy residue. This method will result in half a batch of traditionally colored candy corn and half a batch with yellow tips (it’s OK—they taste the same). Let the finished kernels sit for an hour or two (do not stack them on top of one another as they will stick together!) to become firm.

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