Moroccan Spiced Chex Mix

This is my "souped up" version of Chex Mix. I tend to like spicy, savory foods. I can't leave a recipe alone, I always have to tweak it. This is something that Ward and I came up with last Christmas, and loved it. You can also use Greek, Cajun, Italian, or whatever seasoning you like. I use a Moroccan Sea Salt that was offered by http://www.tastefullysimple.com/ a couple of years ago. Don't know what I'm going to do when it's gone... Anyway, here's the recipe!

Spicy Chex Mix

1 stick butter, melted
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Moroccan Seasoning Salt (or your choice of seasoning)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Mix all together well in a large roasting pan or stainless steel bowl that can be put into the oven.

Add:
3 C Wheat Chex
3 C Rice Chex
3 C Corn Chex
2 C CheezIts
2 C Cheerio's
2 C pretzels
1 1/2 C pecan halves

Mix everything well to coat the cereal mixture. Bake in a preheated 250* oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool well, then put into zipper bags or airtight container.

Let me know what YOU like in your Chex mix!!

Saucy Thai Pork Noodles

I read this in a magazine yesterday and decided to make it. It originally called for beef, but I had pork chops on hand. I tweaked the ingredients to make use of what I had on hand. I also made a spur of the moment marinade to make the meat more savory. This turned out well. Even Mom seemed to enjoy it. The leftovers would probably be tasty served cold as well. Let me know if you try it, and if you tweak it, tell me how it turned out. :)

Saucy Thai Pork Noodles
Adapted from Taste of Home July 2011

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 tsp Sriracha

Sauce:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp Sriracha

Main Dish:
7 oz angel hair pasta
1 lb center cut pork chops, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp canola oil
3 thinly sliced carrots
1/4 thinly sliced onion
1 cup thinly julienned bell peppers, assorted colors
1 12 oz bag Asian style stir-fry veggies, thawed & drained well

Garnish:
2 oz chopped cashews
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Slice pork and place into a gallon zipper bag. Mix marinade ingredients & pour over pork. Seal bag and mix well to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours, massaging every half hour to make sure pork is evenly coated.

Boil water for pasta, salting it heavily before dropping pasta to cook.

Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Add pork, shaking off as much marinade as you can. Cook quickly until pork is no longer pink. Remove pork to a bowl, set aside. Add onions, and cook till almost translucent. Add carrots and cook till almost tender, then add in the peppers. Add vegetables and cook till warmed through, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add meat back in.

Bring milk and peanut butter to a simmer, until peanut butter has melted. Add in remainder of ingredients. Stir to combine well.

Drain pasta, add into vegetable and pork mixture, then pour sauce over the top, and using tongs, toss to mix everything well. Add in cashews and cilantro, tossing again. Serve immediately.

Main instruction: ENJOY!!

Veggie Caviar

At the last crop Mom went to, I popped in and our friend Judy had made a black eyed pea salad with corn, onions & bell peppers. I tasted it, and it was scrumptious. I didn't ask for the recipe, but have been craving it for a couple of weeks now, so I came up with my own take on it. I've chosen to call it "caviar", simply because it sounds as good as it tastes! Here's my version...

Veggie Caviar

1 can black eyed peas, drained & rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained & rinsed

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained

1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1/2 fresh tomato, finely chopped

4 scallions, thinly sliced, including green part

Mix all together in a large bowl and pour viniagrette over it and allow it to marinate.

Viniagrette

1/4 cup vinegar (I used roasted garlic rice wine vinegar)

1/2 cup good olive oil

kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

herbs (whatever you like - I used an all purpose herb blend)

Pour everything into a pint jar with a lid, screw the lid on tightly and shake, shake, SHAKE!! You can tell when the dressing is well emulsified. This makes more than enough dressing - I only used half on my veggies, and the rest I'll save for the next batch.

This is really wonderful with either corn chip scoops or tortilla chip scoops. Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Mom and I delivered 28 pint boxes of spaghetti Wednesday to the Manna House to help feed the homeless. We do this every other week, and really enjoy feeling useful. Well, they provide some of the ingredients, and often give us other food as a bonus.

This week, we got a huge bunch of bananas that were on their way to being overripe. What better to do than make banana nut bread? Well, I'm a true Southern Girl, and I love peanut butter banana sandwiches. So I did a search online for peanut butter banana bread. I found one on http://www.allrecipes.com/, and the reviews were mixed. I wrote down the recipe for a guideline, but made it my way. And it turned out SO good!!

Enjoy a slice of this bread while its warm with a thick schmear of butter. :)

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
4 bananas, mashed
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I omitted, because I used crunchy PB)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two loaf pans with non-stick spray. In a bowl, cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each egg. Add bananas and peanut butter, mixing well and scraping down the bowl. Sift flour and baking soda together, and add a little at a time until it's all incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure there aren't any lumps of flour left. Gently stir in nuts. Divide batter between the loaf pans, and place in the oven. Bake for 55 - 65 minutes. Check with a toothpick or skewer. When it comes out clean, your bread is done. Place on a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes, then take out of the pan and let the bread finish cooling on the rack. Enjoy!!

If you have little ones in the house, you can put your bananas in a resealable bag, squeeze out most of the air, and give it to the littles to mash for you. When they're mashed, simply snip a corner of the bag and squeeze out all your banana goo into the bowl. Simple, fun, and easy!! No cleanup!

Mmmmmm

I got a wild hair this rainy, dreary morning and decided that since Mom made from-scratch waffles for breakfast & served them with her homemade apple jam, that I'd make a pot of beef stew for dinner. It smells absolutely fabulous in the house, and I can't wait to dig in! If it turns out as well as I hope it does, I'll post the recipe later. :)

Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this last week, and had plenty to have later in the week. It just seems to get better and better.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups chicken, cooked & shredded or diced

3 carrots, peeled and cut into coins

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced crosswise

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

2 Tbsp butter

8 oz egg noodles

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pot. Saute vegetables and garlic until onions become transluceent. Salt & pepper at this point. Add chicken, broth, and water, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, stirring well. Add noodles and cook until they're done. Enjoy!