Rice Salad with Tuna & Shrimp in Tomato Cups

1 cup rice
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 lb medium shrimp
6 oz tuna, cooked and cut into chunks
1 small cucumber, seeded, diced
1 1/2 tbs capers
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp basil
10 black olives, chopped
Cherry tomatoes

Cook rice. Add oil. Set aside. Steam shrimp and cut into small chunks. Combine rice, shrimp, cucumber, tuna and capers. In a small bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, garlic, basil, black olives and salt & pepper to taste. **Toss the dressing and the rice mixture to mix.
Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the insides with a small measuring spoon. Lightly salt the inside of the tomatoes and place upside down on paper towels. By the time you finish with this process, you can start stuffing the first you cut. Serve cold or at room temp.
**Taste the dressing before you pour it in the rice mixture and adjust your seasonings.
You can always change this up... you could cut up the tomatoes and add them to the salad and serve as an entree...

Pimento-less Cheese

I found out a long time ago that I cannot eat bell peppers of any kind. Even the smell brings on a level of heartburn that is miserable. I do however, love the flavor of a lot of the dishes that contain them. I have had to re-invent recipes to satisfy my craving for these dishes. Lately, I've seen many recipes for pimento cheese and read the raves on the wonderful tastes. So... I decided to make a pimento-less or 'mock' pimento cheese spread. I think it turned out really well! However, if you are a die hard pimento fan... add it in and you'll be very pleased!



Ingredients:
2 cups cheddar cheese
8oz cream cheese
2 T sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cream cheese goes in...
This recipe gave me a chance to use my new Cruisinart
PowerBlend Duet... "free" from the Pig!
"Free" means they made me pay the taxes on it :-(

The roasted garlic left over from
the chicken night before last.

Add the garlic, cheese, sour cream, lemon and seasonings...

Process until well combined...

I toasted it and made a sandwich!

Chicken and Baby Red Potatoes with Roasted Garlic

So... I had finally gotten straight in my head what I wanted to say in the blog today, and the power goes out for 2 hours! Replaced in my head was: How am I going to get all this stuff done today, and I can't even take a shower? Well, the power came back on and I'm only short two hours. I did manage to check and answer my emails and putter around doing little things here and there. Unfortunately, the golden nuggets of wisdom that were supposed to pour out onto the page this morning are apparently gone forever. Alas all I have for you are a few tips and the recipe... Enjoy!

This recipe feeds a large family... or 5 hungry large men :-)

5 lb pkg Chicken leg quarters (10 pieces)

2 lbs (or 10) baby red potatoes, quartered
3 heads of garlic*, halved
1 pkg pearl onions, or a large onion rough chopped
1 stick butter
garlic powder
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I used a large buffet pan so I don't crowd the chicken; and it browns well. If you don't have one, just use two large casserole dishes. Loosen the skin on the leg quarters and insert a couple of pats of butter under the skin. This allows the skin to 'fry' in the butter and get very crispy and golden brown. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss in the onion and potatoes, but try to place them to the sides of the chicken so the skin can brown. Bake for about an hour.

*Use whole garlic heads, not cloves. Halve them and throw them in the pan. The cloves will roast nicely and the skins will fall away. They are easy to discard. Toast some nice french bread and spread with the roasted garlic as a wonderful side to this hearty meal.

You can also add any vegetables you want... mushrooms, carrots, squash. What ever you have available. Also if the dish sounds a little fatty, add a few splashes of lemon juice to lighten and brighten the flavors. As always, these are more like suggestions than recipes... Go Wild!!!

Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake

Another yummy and oh so easy cheesecake!

Cheesecake:
3 - 8oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 graham cracker pie crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Pour over crust. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Let cool completely.

Vanilla Topping:
1 - 8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 - 8oz whipped topping

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cheesecake and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Pizza Pasta

This is a wonderful dish to serve to a crowd. It goes a long way and is very filling. It's also a good way to get the kids to eat pasta. By adding the pepperoni and cheese, the kids will recognize that great pizza flavor. As with all my recipes, the choices are endless. Add your favorite pizza toppings and make it a Supreme Pizza Pasta! Serve it with a side salad of your choice and a big chunk of garlic bread! Yum!

1 lb rotini pasta
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 28oz jars spaghetti sauce (your favorite brand)
1 pkg pepperoni
2 cups mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook Pasta. Brown hamburger with onion and pepperoni and drain. Combine beef mixture, pasta and sauce. Pour into a casserole dish. Top with mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Cheeseburger Soup... Version II

If you have been following my blog here on Southern With A Twist, you know that I don't always follow recipes to the letter. I don't even make the same recipe the same way each time. I like to experiment and see if I can make a good recipe better. Well, last night, I got a thumbs up on the recipe I came up with last week... Cheeseburger Soup! I not only got a thumbs up, but I got "I like this one better than the one last week!" This recipe gives you a little more volume to the soup also.
So I decided to give you the updated version, and you decide which one you like best!

2 T butter

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock
1 cup milk
16 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb hamburger
2-3 T flour
lettuce & tomato, largely chopped

Saute the onions in butter until translucent. Add 2 cups beef stock and 1 cup milk. Add cubed Velveeta and stir until melted. Cook hamburger. Add about 2 - 3 tablespoons of flour to the hamburger. (This will make a slurry when the flour combines with the fat off of the hamburger.) Add the hamburger mixture to the soup. Bring soup up to a high simmer. If the soup is too thick, add a little more stock. When ready to serve, throw a handful of lettuce and tomato in a bowl and top with several spoonfuls of soup. Cheeseburger in a bowl!

Cheeseburger Soup

I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and saw Guy Fieri ask the owner/cook at Grover's Bar and Grill in East Amherst, N.Y. to show him how they make their Cheeseburger Soup. Of course, they walk you though it very quickly and don't give you all the measurements. I'm not even sure they give you the entire recipe. I was determined to try and replicate the dish and see if it is as Guy said, "Liquid Cheeseburger in a Bowl"!

This is the note I quickly scribbled
while watching the show...

It is so easy and so simple. I thought, "This can't taste THAT good!" Boy, oh boy! It really is "liquid cheeseburger in a bowl"! So, here's the recipe!

2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock
16 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb hamburger, cooked and drained
lettuce & tomato, largely chopped

Saute the onions in butter until translucent. Add 2 cups beef stock. Add cubed Velveeta and stir until melted. Add hamburger. When ready to serve, throw a handful of lettuce and tomato in a bowl and top with several spoonfuls of soup. Cheeseburger in a bowl!