Irish Cream Fruit Dip

Strawberries were on sale this week, so, of course, a bunch ended up in my cart. While I was trying to think of something new to incorporate these strawberries, I rummaged around the fridge for inspiration. I noticed some mascarpone cheese, one of my favorites. And I saw the Irish cream I had recently made for St. Patrick's Day! So I thought Italian cheese + Irish cream would make a great homemade fruit dip for those strawberries and it turned out yummy. The dip was slightly sweet, nice and thick with the mild flavor of Irish cream.

6 oz cream cheese
8 oz mascarpone cheese
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup Irish cream

1. Beat mascarpone and cream cheese together in a large bowl.

2. Add all other ingredients into bowl.

3. Beat together until creamy and well blended.

4. Serve with various fruits, small cookies or maybe even include it in a parfait.

Also featured on: Real Food Wednesday and Works for Me Wednesday

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Before I tell you about this recipe, let me share a little but about my unhealthy obsession with the crock pot. It's been a constant battle for me, because I love the crock pot's abilities. Slow cooking offers moist meals, little work and prep, simple steps, and lots of flavor. But every time I thought about cooking something in the crock pot a little voice in my head said, "You are cheating!" I felt that real cooking takes more time, more effort, more work and using the crock pot gave me that guilty feeling like I am taking the cop-out; the easy route. It's the same feeling I have when I get a craving for Kraft Mac and Cheese. When I was younger, I was a super picky eater, the worst you could find, and I lived on Kraft Mac and Cheese. Nowadays, I'd gladly prefer my Grandma's Mac and Cheese or Italian Mac and Cheese, but there's still a place in my heart for that blue box. Well, I've decided that this year I am resolving my battle with the crock pot and putting it to good use more often, because this dinner was amazing! It's a new favorite for sure. Even with its minimal effort, this dish was so yummy and full of flavor! The slow roasted garlic gave it a more mild flavor, and the meat was fall-off-the-bone perfect! I will say peeling the 40 cloves of garlic was let's say a but time consuming. Next time, I may purchase pre-peeled garlic...

3 and 1/2 lbs of chicken pieces, I used leg quarters

3 tbsp olive oil

40 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 tsp basil

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1. Rinse chicken pieces in water and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper

2. Drizzle one tbsp olive oil in bottom of 5 quart crock pot. Place chicken in crock pot.

3. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle rosemary, basil, and paprika. Then add the garlic cloves.

4. Let cook on low setting for 6 hours. Stir the garlic cloves and chicken around once halfway through cooking.

5. About half an hour before the chicken was finished cooking, remove about ten or twelve roasted garlic cloves and mash them with a fork, set aside.

6. Near the end of the cooking time, remove the juices from the bottom of the crock pot with a ladle and fill a small sauce pot. Add about half of the smashed garlic and one tbsp of butter and one tbsp of flour to make a yummy gravy. I also added the other half of the mushed garlic to the mashed potatoes to make garlic mashed potatoes.

Source: Adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

Minestrone Soup

My mom and I were lucky to both have a day with nothing to do recently. This is quite a rarity for us since we are both always running around all day and never have spare time at the same time. We decided to some cooking because we had a busy week ahead and knew some nights could quickly turn to pizza or take out (not that I mind those nights on occasion). We made a double batch of this minestrone soup, so we would have plenty for the busy nights. This soup recipe is one of my family's favorites that has been passed down from my Mom's Mom. I hope that you and your family enjoy it as much as we do!

12 cups water
2 1/2 cups dried navy beans
1 1/2 cups of dried northern beans

6 strips low-sodium bacon, chopped

6 tbsp olive oil
2 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 stalks of celery, sliced

4 small carrots, peeled and sliced

2 medium potatoes, diced

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 quarts hot water

1/2 cup pre-cooked rice

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup tomato paste

Pecorino Romano, grated for topping

oyster crackers, for garnish

1. Bring 12 cups of water to boil in a large sauce pot. Add the beans gradually to keep the water boiling.

2. Simmer beans for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside to soak an hour and a half.

3. Add bacon to the pot of beans and return to medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low whiling stirring occasionally.

4. While beans are simmering, heat olive oil in skillet and cook the onions and garlic just until browned, then set aside.

5. After beans have simmered one hour, add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in two quarts of hot water and simmer about two hours until beans are tender.

6. Meanwhile, cook rice traditionally. When the soup is almost done cooking, add in rice and peas. Cook another 10 minutes or so until the peas are tender, then stir in tomato paste. Simmer another ten minutes and remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese and crackers.

Approx. 10-12 servings

Cinnamon Rolls

It's still cold out and while I can't wait for the warmer weather to come around, I'm enjoying the comfort food that you can only get away with eating in the winter. So here is a great breakfast treat that's sweet and fun to make with the family. We recently made these during a snowed-in day with all my cousins. I've made these cinnamon rolls many times before and always loved them.

Cinnamon Rolls:
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (1-pound) loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed

Icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla


1. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon and set aside.

2. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to a 12 x 9 inch rectangle.

3. Sprinkle sugar mix evenly on top of the entire stretched out dough, except the outer inch.

4. Brush melted butter on that outer inch of dough without sugar.

5. Beginning with one of the long sides, start rolling up the dough jelly roll style. Pinch edges to seal.


6. Cut in the dough into nine or ten equal pieces and place cut side down into a buttered baking dish. Or if you prefer, you can cut smaller pieces for more cinnamon rolls of a smaller size.

7. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let the cinnamon rolls sit in a warm area to rise for 45 minutes.

8. Bake for about 35 minutes uncovered on 325 degrees until golden brown.

9. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, mascarpone, cream cheese, buttermilk, and vanilla until well combined.

10. Brush melted butter lightly over tops of warm cinnamon rolls and then drizzle icing over the tops. Serve warm!

Source: Giada De Laurentis

Also Featured on Tasty Tuesdays

Bechamel Sacue with Veggies and Shrimp

I am a huge fan of bechamel sauce and have tried many different variations overs the years attempting to get it just right and finally ended up with this combinations. It's so simple and the best part of this sauce is that you can add various components to switch up the flavor, but keep the same simple, creamy base. Plus, unlike a red sauce which cooks for many hours to sweeten the tomatoes, this bechamel sauce can be made in under 30 minutes and tastes great! But the red peppers do take some time to roast, so skip be sure to put those in the oven before you start your sauce.

Sauce:
2 tbsp flour or Wondra
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Extras:
2 large red peppers
1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets.
1 lb medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb cooked pasta

Sauce:
1. To make a bechamel sauce, start by making a roux. Heat butter and flour in medium saucepan over low heat stirring continually. Be sure to cook the roux for about 3-4 minutes while the butter melts and mixes with the flour to eliminate "floury" taste in the sauce.

2. While the butter and flour are cooking, heat milk, heavy cream, and garlic cloves in a small pot on low heat just until hot. Be careful not to let either the milk or the roux burn.

3. Slowly stir the hot milk mixture into the roux. Add in black pepper, lemon juice, salt, and nutmeg and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 15 minutes, remove the garlic cloves from the sauce with a slotted spoon.

4. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and cheese. Toss with cooked pasta. Your sauce and pasta are ready! You could call it quits right here, sit and enjoy a bowl of pasta. Continue reading if you want to see the extras added to this dish.......

Extras:

There are so many ways to dress up this dish. For this particular meal, I used broccoli, red peppers and shrimp. Roasting the peppers takes awhile, so you want to begin by roasting them before you make the sauce. You can roast them while you work on the other steps.

1. Simply put two red peppers in the oven on 425 degrees on a baking dish. Let the peppers roast for 35-40 minutes, turn 2x throughout the cooking time to ensure even charring on all sides. Remove from oven and let cool thoroughly. Then remove the charred skins and cut into strips. Be sure to avoid seeds on the inside.

2. Next, blanch the broccoli. This step is quick and can be done closer to finishing the sauce. Boil water in a pot and add broccoli florets. Prepare a bowl with ice and cold water and set aside. Let broccoli cook on a boil for 2-3 minutes, just until slightly tender, but not soft. Remove from water with slotted spoon or spider and place in ice bath for 2 minutes and then remove.

3. Toss in the fresh roasted peppers strips, cooked shrimp, and broccoli to the warm bechamel sauce and pasta. This is one yummy meal sure to please everyone!

Also Featured on Homemaker Mondays and Made by You Mondays