Weekend Fare & A Giveaway

Last night I made this scrumptious pizza - pizza dough, drizzled with olive oil, topped w/sliced fresh tomatoes (from our garden), scattered w/fresh chopped basil, seasoned w/salt & pepper, topped w/Italian blend shredded cheese, and finished w/leftover chopped grilled chicken. Yum. It was fresh and delicious. So there you have an idea for a sauceless pizza...had I grilled it, I have not doubt it would have been in my top favorite pizzas of all time. Anyway...

Homemade pork burgers are a delicous alternative to the classic hamburger. I created these one night with some ground pork from the farmer's market. We all enjoyed the sweetness added through the red pepper and the twist on a grilled burgers.


PORK BURGER
Print This Recipe

1 lb. ground pork
1/2 red onion (or any onion will do), finely chopped
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
1 egg
lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, mustard (opt.)

Combine all ingredients. Grease & pre-heat grill or grill pan. Divide meat mixture into 6 patties. Grill until thoroughly cooked. Serve on a bun or lettuce with desired toppings. Enjoy.

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A GIVEAWAY!

It's about time for another giveaway! I'm not sure I want to actually give this book away - it's so fun and has such great, do-able ideas for entertaining. Without further ado, here it is:

Doesn't it just make you want to plan a party just from the cover? Party Food has plenty of delicious-sounding recipes for your next dinner party or birthday bash and the beautiful photos will inspire your creativity.  

TO ENTER:
- Leave a comment on this post telling us anything you would like related to cooking, the blog, an ingredient, or whatever topic you would like.
- Make sure we have a way to contact you!

For additional entries (just leave us a comment telling us which ones you have done!):
- Subscribe via the link to the right or with google reader.
- Add us to your blog roll.
- Join our facebook group – The Cooks Next Door.
- Facebook about this giveaway.
- Tweet about this giveaway.
- Blog about this giveaway.

There you go! You could earn as many as 7 entries. And if you already are in our group, subscribe etc, let us know and we will add in the extra entries!

I will close this giveaway on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 and randomly choose a winner. All the best!

Weekend Fare & A Giveaway!

It's hard to believe the end of the week is nearly here! I finally am getting back in to the cooking groove - just in time to leave. :) This week I made a salad with chicken and veggies, bbq chicken pizza, and today's featured recipe - chicken salad. Yes, it was chicken week. I cooked four chicken breasts on Monday and made them last for three meals. It worked well and everyone enjoyed the dinners!

A good chicken salad is wonderful and yet I have a hard time finding it. I vary mine with one exception - it always has some kind of fruit in it. The fruit is often grapes but I've also used craisins and various other things. My version today includes apples as well as grapes. I like the natural sweetness the fruit adds as well as the color! 

ALAINA'S FRUITED CHICKEN SALAD
Print This Recipe

1 1/2 - 2 chicken breasts, diced
1 apple, cored and finely diced
1/3 c. red or green grapes, quartered
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 Tb. red onion, finely diced
1 Tb. lemon juice
1/3 c. mayonnaise (I often use half mayo and half plain yogurt)
1 tsp. dried dill OR 1 Tb. fresh dill
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Serve over spring greens or lettuce or as a sandwich filling. (We really liked this served over the greens with water crackers on the side). Serves about 4.

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Nothing like waiting until the end of the month for our giveaway! This beautiful cookbook is the Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Spring book by Joanne Weir. The pictures alone will inspire you to try recipes and experiment with spring produce! It offers recipes such as Fresh Pea Soup w/Lemon Creme Fraiche, Asparagus-Parmesan Cheese Puffs, Spicy Deviled Eggs, Spinach & Bacon Souffle, Lemon Cloud Tart, and many more.



TO ENTER:
- Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite cookbook or spring recipe.
- Make sure we have a way to contact you!

For additional entries (just leave us a comment telling us which ones you have done!):
- Subscribe via the link to the right or with google reader.
- Add us to your blog roll.
- Join our facebook group - The Cooks Next Door.
- Facebook about this giveaway.
- Tweet about this giveaway.
- Blog about this giveaway.

There you go! You could earn as many as 7 entries. And if you already are in our group, subscribe etc, let us know and we will add in the extra entries!

I leave tomorrow so I will try to close the giveaway sometime next week but the winner will not be announced until after May 9.

Irish Tea Cake & a Giveaway!

Tea is quite British and so in keeping with our Irish theme, here is a delicious and easy tea cake. My husband described it as a sugar cookie cake - meaning he really liked it. It's delicious served warm or at room temperature. Tea is traditional but it would also make a wonderful accompaniment to coffee. You could top it with seasonal berries for the summer or fresh whipped cream but I really enjoyed it with just the powdered sugar!


IRISH TEA CAKE
(Recipe adapted very slightly from allrecipes.com)
Print this recipe

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch round pan.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. It's a very thick batter. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack, then turn out onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving.



We are also having a giveaway! Heather makes beautiful tea cozies (which are available in her wonderful etsy store) and so today we are giving away this gorgeous small tea cozy. It's perfect for keeping your tea  warm! Heather recommends Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast Tea for enjoying at tea time.



To enter:
- Leave a comment telling us your favorite tea or hot drink - one per person, please.
- For additional entries:
   1) Follow us on twitter - @CooksNextDoor
   2) Blog about this giveaway.
   3) Facebook about this giveaway.
   4) Join our facebook group.
- That makes a total of five entry opportunities. If you already follow us on twitter or are in our fb group, just leave us a comment letting us know and we will add the extra entries!
- This drawing will be open until Thursday night.

Enter away! Enjoy!

Chocolate Giveaway!

We couldn't have a week devoted to chocolate without a giveaway! So today, we offer a chocolate cookbook. The title is Celebrate with Chocolate, by: Marcel Desaulniers (also the author of Death by Chocolate Cake). 

It has delightful and impressive desserts and quite a lot of information about chocolate - working with it, different types etc. There are photos of some of the recipes in the center. Just the very name of some of the chocolate creations will make you want to step into your kitchen and whip up a little something - Hot Chocolate Snow Day Cakes, Pretty in Pink Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies, or maybe Chocolate Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwich. The collection of recipes includes cakes, cookies, frozen delights, and truffles.



I decided to try Cocoa Berry Yogurt Mousse - it was a delicious, not-too-sweet, creamy, very easy, gluten-free dessert.  We enjoyed it and concluded that it was fancy enough to be the ending to a nice dinner but simple enough to be a last minute treat for unexpected guests.



COCOA BERRY YOGURT MOUSSE
Print This Recipe

12 large fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 c. granulated sugar (opt.)

Cut the berries and add sugar if using fresh to increase juiciness. If using frozen berries just thaw and use including the juices (this was what I used!).  Divide between four glasses, cups, or dessert dishes.

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. plain lowfat yogurt

In a sifter combine the sugar and cocoa powder. Sift onto a large piece of parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.

Place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Operate the mixer on low speed while gradually adding the dry ingredients; mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Now whisk on medium for 5 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the yogurt; fold the ingredients together with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Immediately spoon the yogurt mousse onto the strawberries in each glass. Serve immediately of cover the top of each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

I garnished each dish with shaved dark chocolate and a strawberry. Delicious!

To enter this giveaway:
1) Leave a comment telling us your favorite chocolate dessert or kind of chocolate or your best chocolate memory.
2) Make sure we have a way to contact you!
3) You may gain an extra entry for each of the following (please tell us what you have done in your comment!) - subscribe to our feed, facebook about this giveaway, join our facebook group, or follow us on twitter. If you already do any of those, just let us know in your comment and you will get the extra entries!
4) This drawing will stay open through Tuesday, February 9.

Apron Winner

I've been thoroughly enjoying the holidays and haven't gotten around to posting the winner of the apron! The random winner is...Nancy L.! Congratulations! We will get that mailed out to you soon!

Hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas enjoying good food and making memories with your families!

Gourmet Gifts & Giveaway

In many ways there is nothing more comforting than a big pot of soup. This soup  mix will make 20 gifts - a good value and very pretty. Add a loaf of bread from the store (0r a cornbread or bread mix) and you have a beautiful and tasty gift!

This soup looks great in a jar! The colors are gorgeous and festive.



WORLD'S BEST BEAN SOUP MIX
(adapted slightly from The Perfect Mix)

1 pound navy beans
1 pound great Northern beans
1 pound pinto beans
1 pound red beans
1 pound dried garbanzo beans
1 pound yellow split peas
1 pound green split peas
1 pound black-eyed peas
1 pound dried lentils
1 pound black-eyed peas
1 pound dried lentils
1 pound dried lima beans
1 pound dried baby lima beans
1 pound pearl barley

Combine navy beans, Northern beans, red beans, garbanzo beans, split peas, black-eyed peas , lentils,  lima beans, and barley, in a large pan or bowl.

Measure out 2-cup gift packages and store in airtight containers. Include recipe instructions for usage below.

Makes 20 packages (about 2 cups each)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1 package (2 cups) bean soup mix (above)
2 quarts water
1 ham hock
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 pint tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp lemon juice

Wash the soup mix and place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water and soak overnight.

Drain the beans and add the water, ham hock, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-1/2 hours until the beans are tender.

Add onions, chili powder, tomatoes, garlic, and lemon juice. Simmer 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Remove ham hock from the soup. Take the meat from the bone, chop the meat and return it to the soup.

Today we are giving away this beautiful apron! It's a black and white linen apron made by Heather. Isn't it adorable?!



To Enter:
- Leave a comment telling us your favorite comfort food.
- One entry per person and the giveaway will stay open through Tuesday and a winner will be randomly selected.
- That’s it! Unfortunately, this will not arrive in time for Christmas.