My interpretation of Jdawgs

So I endeavored tonight to make a pseudo Jdawg. It turned out tasty, just not tasting like the original. Oh well. I'll take good tasting food in any form.

I googled recipes for the sauce and this is what I came up with:

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

(I added a couple tablespoons of water to this mix to get a consistency like the original sauce, though, the taste still isn't quite right. I halved this amount too and we ate 4 dogs, just f.y.i.).

We cooked turkey bratwursts and ate them on whole wheat buns with pickles. I was definitely missing the banana peppers and kraut. I'll make sure I have those on hand the next time I make psuedo Jdawgs.

When eaten alongside some yummy sweet potato fries, this makes for an excellent meal! Hope making a Jdawg brings joy to your heart as it did mine! Good Provo memories!

Something Funny

Here's a quote from this months "Cooking light" magazine:

"Not everyone loves pie, I suppose, but surely they are wrong, or just weren't served proper pie in their childhoods, and probably don't like puppies either."


How true. How true.

S'more Cookie Bars

Anna has already posted a recipe for a cookie version of s'mores...I think I'll add to the stack. Because s'mores are delicious...in any form

S'more Cookie Bars

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (appx. 14 full-sized graham crackers crushed)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 regular sized Hershey's chocolate bars
2- 7oz packages marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 9x13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to butter mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. You may need to break the chocolate into pieces to spread evenly.

Spread marshmallow creme evenly over the chocolate layer. This is the tricky part. If and when you get frustrated at this point, remember you will have a delicious dish at the end of all this.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is made easiest by taking small spoonfuls of dough and flattening in your hands then placing on top of the creme.

Bake for 30-35 min, until lightly browned.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 32 cookie bars.

Enjoy!

{ Herb Dip with Feta and Greek Yogurt }

Yum Yum Yum Yum! I was craving some kind of dip to go with my pita chips, and this absolutely hit the spot. Thank goodness my dear sister in law has inspired me to always have feta in my fridge. I did not however have all the fresh herbs the original recipe asked for so I substituted dried for a few of them and it was still delicious. Here is what I did. The link will take you to the original recipe.

Adapted from Bread and Courage

1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried parsley
6 leaves of fresh basil (I have this in a planter so I had fresh available)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, white and green parts, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 a package of fat free cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl and dip dip dip!

Potato Pepperjack Cheese Soup

As a forewarning, this soup can get a little spicy. It's not like 10-peppers-in-my-som-tum kind of spicy (Thailand reference, sorry), but it's got enough kick to get your nose running by the end of your bowl. For some, the spiciness is a turn-on, not so much for others. Just thought I'd warn you.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced potatoes (I used 4 red potatoes-they hold their shape well)
1 green bellpepper, diced
1 red bellpepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 strips bacon, cooked to crispiness and crumbled (use as much bacon as you want! don't let me limit your bacon use!)
cooking spray
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
4-6 oz. pepperjack cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half&half (this was definitely hearty enough that you don't need cream. You could even split and go half milk and half half&half)
For the roux:
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Boil potatoes in a pot of water. While potatoes cook, saute other vegetables over medium-high heat in medium sized frying pan, covering pan in cooking spray. Once potatoes are soft, drain the water from the potatoes. Add the sauted vegetables to the potatoes in the pot.

Cook your bacon and crumble it somewhere in all this.

Add to the vegetable pot the chicken broth, half&half, white pepper, salt, thyme, and cheese. Set over medium-low heat to simmer. Try not to burn this mixture. That would not be very delicious.

While the big pot is simmering, get a small pan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together. Once mixed well, add directly to the soup pot and stir in to thicken.

Enjoy!

Serves 4-5.

Oh, and best served with some yummy homemade bread or rolls!

My last disclaimer: I love eating healthy, but I do not want to kid anyone into thinking this is a healthy dinner. It's loaded with saturated fat to be sure! But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it! Just load it with vegetables, limit the bacon, use your half&half and you're good! Well, sort of...

Isareli Couscous with Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

*You can use any vegetables you want in this recipe. If you stick with everything exactly on this list, it makes for an interesting grocery store trip. We went a little "Mediterranean" with this one and it was definitely yummy, but go for anything (well not just anything, but you know...)!"

2 cups uncooked whole wheat pearled couscous
2 cups water with 2 cups chicken broth
1 TBSP fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
Favorite marinade (I used lemon garlic and loved it)
Asparagus, approx. 15-20 stalks; woody ends removed, chopped in bite sized peices
1 red bellpepper, chopped in bite sized pieces
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped in bite sized pieces
1/2 2 onion, chopped in bite sized pieces
Julienned sundried tomatoes (I omitted this, but I'm sure it's delicious with them. I used fresh tomatoes instead- still good)
1/2 can artichoke hearts, cut in bite sized pieces
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup spinach, thinly sliced
Balsamic vinegar, to taste (I used about 2 TBSP)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring chicken broth and water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous and oregano, cover and simmer until the chicken broth is absorbed, approximately 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Marinate chicken then grill on gas stove or grill (I pan cooked it in bite sized pieces and it was still delicious. I just don't have a grill. Sad face). When cool enough to handle, cut into bite sized pieces.

Toss the asparagus, red pepper, and mushrooms with olive oil to coat. Heat a grill or pan and cook until vegetables are tender crisp. Saute the onion in olive oil until golden brown.

In a large bowl combine the couscous with the chicken, vegetables, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, and spinach. Toss with balsamic vinegar. Toss in feta cheese and pine nuts. S&P to taste.

{Burrito Bake}

This was a deliciously creamy dinner. I was in the mood for something "satisfying" last night and this is what we came up with. Rob and I had worked out hard that morning and were both starving by dinner. This hit the spot:

Ingredients

4 tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can of sliced olives
1 can of corn

1 package of taco seasoning

1 C sour cream ( or in our case, whatever is left in fridge )

1 can of beans, what ever you prefer, re-fried, black, pinto, red, or none at all

2 C shredded cheese ( I think a Mexican blend or pepper jack is the best)

Hot sauce or salsa

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 

2) Combine the cream of chicken soup and the sour cream together in a bowl.

3) Brown the hamburger with the diced onions. Drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning. If you use re-fried beans stir them in at this time.

4) In a casserole dish, lay down layer of the soup and sour cream mixture. Top with half of the meat mixture, olives, corn, beans and cheese. Add hot sauce or salsa here if desired. Then tear up 2 of the tortillas and layer on top. Repeat with the remaining halves, but with-hold the cheese until after you top the casserole with the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of this. 

5) Bake uncovered for 20-30 mins. The cheese will be bubbly and the top tortillas will be a bit crunchy. Serve warm with some extra salsa. Enjoy! YUM.