Recipes – Page 13

Broccolini White Pizza

Published on January 31, 2014January 29, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

TGIF! It’s time for Friday Night Pizza Night!!! Today we are using a new ingredient on our pizza….broccolini. This vegetable looks like mini-broccoli and is often misidentified as young broccoli, but it is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan,

Ingredients:

– Pizza dough
– Cornmeal
– 2 Table spoons olive oil
– 2 Tablespoons dried basil
– 2 garlic cloves, chopped
– 4 stems broccolini
– ½ cup olives, diced
– 1 – 1 ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
– 3 cups mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet.

Next take the olive oil and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges. Sprinkle the diced garlic and basil evenly on top of the olive oil.

Add your mozzarella cheese, followed by the broccolini, artichokes and olives. Spread the toppings evenly.

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes. Note – you don’t want to put the pizza in a cold oven, so make sure your oven reaches 425ᴼF. Once the oven is ready, place the pizza in the oven and watch closely. The pizza will take 15-20 minutes.

Once done the pizza is done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Cut and serve. Once again, another successful Friday Night Pizza Night!!!

Cheers,

7-Bone Chuck Roast

Published on January 30, 2014January 28, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

T.W.O. has served this dish for many Super Bowl parties, birthday parties and family reunions. It’s an easy, one pot process with minimal ingredients that have a whole lot of flavor. The secret ingredient…dark beer! Let’s start cooking!

Ingredients:
4-6 pound 7-bone chuck roast
1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 bottle dark beer*
1 large Maui sweet onion- cut into wedges
2 cups whole pepperoncini
Montreal Steak seasoning
Water
*Lagers work the best, but if you don’t have one lying around grab a Budweiser! It won’t disappoint!

Directions:

Season the roast with Montreal steak seasoning. Let roast sit at room temperature about 15-20 minutes.

In a large pot, sauté seasoned meat over medium heat. Brown each side about eight minutes. After browning meat, put cut onions onto bottom of pot under meat. Sauté onions until slightly golden. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the meat. Finally, add the pepperoncini to the pot.

Add enough water to the pot half way up the thickness of the roast. Evenly pour the beer over the meat.

Bring the liquid to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook 2 ½ to 3 hours over low heat. The longer the meat cooks, the more tender it becomes. Not to exceed 6 hours…..unless you want beef jerky! The meat will fall off the bone! Of course, you must sample the meat prior to serving!!

Serving suggestions:

Make beef dip sandwiches on French rolls or your favorite roll. Cut meat into chunks. Add mustard, horseradish, or whatever your pallet’s crave. Serve with coleslaw or a side of home made potato salad. Plate the sandwich with a kosher pickle. Enjoy!

Or, serve meat accompanied with your favorite vegetables. Top with the pepperoncini.

First and ten, do it again!

The Ultimate Cheeseball

Published on January 29, 2014January 28, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Everybody ready for some football? You will be after reading this…or not because you will be too consumed in the rich, creamy flavor of this fan-favorite appetizer that will clear the sidelines and take them straight to your kitchen. Here is the play-by-play game plan:

Ingredients:

2 – 8 ounce cream cheese
¼ cup sour cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 – 2 ½ ounce packed smoked sliced beef, chopped*
2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon Horseradish
2-3 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
Italian breadcrumbs

*You can find this in the pre-packaged deli section.

Combine cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl. Mix well until combined. Stir in Parmesan cheese, beef, onion and horseradish. Once mixed, shape the cheese into balls. Depending on your crowd you can make one big one or 2 small ones. Roll in Italian breadcrumbs. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours. For best results, refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to serve, remove and place on a platter filled with your favorite crackers. It doesn’t matter who wins at this point…you are sure to score a touchdown with your guests with this recipe!

Let’s go for the t.w.o. point conversion….

Chicken Pozole Soup

Published on January 27, 2014January 26, 2014 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

It’s soup time! And T.W.O. is featuring the sister soup of the well-known Chicken Tortilla…..Chicken Pozole! Not very many people have had or even know about pozole soup, so T.W.O. wants to share this delicious recipe with you! The staple ingredient of the soup is hominy, which are dried maize kernels. Hominy almost tastes like tiny corn tortilla balls- yum! There are different variations of the soup- pozole verde, pozole rojo, chicken, beef, vegetarian- the list goes on! But, the most important part is what you put on top-avocado, salsa, radishes, cabbage, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce, etc. The soup is definitely a crowd pleaser and makes for a great dish to serve for many people like…. Super Bowl! Touchdown!

Ingredients

-7 cups of chicken stock, low-sodium
-2 cups water
-4 chicken breasts
-1 lb Tomatillos, husked and halved
-1 Small onion, quartered
-2 Poblano chilies, cored, seeded and quartered
-2 Jalapenos, seeded and quartered
-4 Large garlic cloves, smashed
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro
-1 Tablespoon oregano leaves
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-3 15-oz cans of hominy, drained
– 1 lemon, juiced

Finely shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, hot sauce, cheese, tortilla chips, and lime wedges for serving. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil. Add the chicken breasts to the stock and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

Cover and simmer over very low heat until the chicken is tender and cooked through- about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred or dice the meat. Skim away any fat from the broth.

In a food processor, combine the tomatillos with the onion, poblanos, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice and oregano. Pulse until the mixture is all chopped, making sure to scrap down all the sides. Season the tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.

In a large deep skillet, heat up the olive oil. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the sauce turns a deep green- about 10 minutes.

Pour the green sauce into the broth that is in the pot. Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.

Next add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about another 20 minutes on low heat.

We also made our own tortilla strips. First cut the corn tortillas into long strips and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 5-10 minutes or until brown.

Serve the pozole in deep bowls and top with anything your heart desires!

Enjoy!

T.W.O. Orange Drinks

Published on January 24, 2014January 23, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

I don’t know what’s in T.W.O.’s family’s soil, but our orange tree is producing a ton of oranges. Like our lemons, we have more harvest than usual this year and don’t want our oranges to go to waste- must be the warm weather! Let’s get creative. T.W.O. will feature two recipes that include oranges, both drink recipes.

Orange Smoothie

Ingredients

-4 orange ice cubes *
-1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1 banana, frozen
-4 strawberries, sliced
-1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
-3 blackberries

*Freshly squeeze orange juice using a juicer. Add liquid to an ice try and freeze to make the cubes.

In a blender, mix together the orange cubes, yogurt, banana, strawberries and orange juice. Make sure all the ingredients are blended well. You might have to stop the blender and mix the fruit to ensure that there are no chunks.

Pour the liquid into a cup and top with blackberries. There you have it- breakfast, snack or even a dessert! Sometimes T.W.O. adds some dark chocolate chips to satisfy their sweet tooth!!

Citrus Wine Spritzer

Ingredients

-4 lemon ice cubes*
-White wine**
-Pellegrino
-Orange Pin Wheel Slices
-Wine Glass

*Recipe HERE.

**We like to use a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio for our wine spritzers

Begin by places 3 orange ice cubes into a wine glass. Next add your wine and Pellegrino. Ratios of wine to Pellegrino vary depending on the person pouring, but T.W.O. likes to use a ratio of 1:2, wine to sparkling water. Got to stay hydrated! Add 2-3 slices of orange and you have yourself a wine spritzer! It’s a perfect drink to enjoy on a warm day!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Published on January 23, 2014January 22, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

It’s almost Super Bowl Sunday…do you have a menu ready? If not, don’t worry! Between now and February 2^nd, we will be featuring some delicious recipes that will be perfect options for your spread! Today–twice baked potatoes!

Ingredients
-6 large Russell Potatoes, washed
-1/2 cup 2% milk
-1/2 cup sour cream
-2 garlic cloves, diced
-1/2 cup butter, softened
-2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
-4 Tablespoons dried basil leaves
-Green Onions
–Krazy Salt
-Pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Using a knife, poke holes in the potatoes prior to putting in the oven. This allows the potatoes to breath and the heat to spread evenly inside. And so they don’t burst!

Bake the potato for about 30-40 minutes. You will know when the potatoes are done when you can easily put a butter knife through each of them.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife. Slice the potatoes in half, long ways.

Using a spoon, scoop the inside of the potatoes out and place into a big mixing bowl. Scrap as much out as possible without breaking the skin. Once complete, add the butter to this warm mixture to melt. While melting, add sour cream, garlic, milk, 1 1/2 cup cheese, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Mix with a hand mixer or a wooden spoon. Once all the ingredients are combined, add the potato mixture to the potato skins.

Top the stuff onions with the remaining shredded cheese. Place in the heated oven for 10-15 minutes. Then turn the oven to broil and let the potatoes broil for 1-2 minutes. The cheese should melt and the tops should get a little brown. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Top with green onions/ chives and serve!

Your football crowd will be pleased!

Ready, Set, Hike, TOUCHDOWN!

Kale, Pomegranate, Apple and Flank Steak Salad

Published on January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Need to spice up your salad? Well, T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for you. This salad is filled with nutrients, protein and antioxidants and will be sure to leave you wanting seconds! The baby kale leaves are tossed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette, topped with roasted almonds, pomegranates and sliced apples. Oh and it doesn’t stop there-we need protein right? Yes! How about a lean barbeque flank steak that was marinated in Hawaiian teriyaki sauce? You got it! Check out how to make this salad from scratch.

Ingredients:
– Baby Kale
– 1 cup pomegranate seeds
– ¼ cup roasted almonds, chopped
– 1 Pink Lady apple, sliced and diced
– 2 cups Trader Joes Island Soyaki sauce
– Flank Steak, lean
– 1 Lemon
– 4 Tablespoons spicy mustard
– 1 teaspoon olive oil
– 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
– Salt
– Pepper

Marinate the flank steak for a minimum of 2 hours prior to barbequing. About 20 minutes before you are ready to barbeque, take the meat out to bring to room temperature. While the barbeque is heating up, prepare your salad.

In a bowl, mix together the kale, pomegranate, roasted almonds and apples. Set aside.

Put the meat on the barbeque and cook on medium heat. The meat should take about 15 minutes depending on your barbeque.

While the meat is cooking, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, spicy mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the dressing in the salad. It is okay to let the salad dressing marinate the kale. Kale won’t get soggy like most lettuce.

When the meat is done, take it off the barbeque and transfer to a cutting board. Thinly slice the meat. Plate the salad and top of it with the flank steak. And that’s it…you have yourself a fresh, hearty salad that will satisfy any audience.

Cheers,

Smári Yogurt – It’s Icelandic

Published on January 20, 2014January 19, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

As Smári would say, its thykk, organic and Icelandic! What more do you need? T.W.O. discovered this fabulous new yogurt at Whole Foods and gives it two thumbs up. There is no doubt that we are going to incorporate Smári into our weekly grocery shopping trip. Smári has more protein per serving than any other yogurt in the United States and it doesn’t stop there…its fat free too! You would never think this delicious, creamy yogurt is actually good for you- it tastes like dessert! In each cup of yogurt, there is four cups of whole milk. Most the water is strained, leaving the yogurt one of the most concentrated yogurts on the market. Oh, and don’t panic…its organic too!

Smári comes in 4 flavors – Pure, Strawberry, Vanilla and Blueberry. T.W.O.’s favorite flavors are vanilla and blueberry. They both have this ‘thykk’ texture, with just the right amount of fruit and flavor that will make you want even more! Smári yogurt makes for the perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert. What flavors do you like?

Lemon Goat Cheese, Artichoke, Mushroom Pizza

Published on January 17, 2014January 15, 2014 by T.W.O.5 Comments

It’s Friday. It’s Lemon Week. So why wouldn’t we end it with our famous Friday Night Pizza Night- using lemons! This Lemon Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Mushroom Pizza satisfies all taste-buds. It’s zestful, sweet, spicy and appetizing. How so? The zesty and tart taste comes from the Meyer lemon, then complimented by the creamy, sweet goat cheese. The spice – well that comes from the garlic! And what wouldn’t be more appetizing than marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, all covered with a fresh arugula salad? T.W.O. has the perfect pizza to finish off this Lemon Week!

Ingredients:
– Pizza dough
– Cornmeal
-Flour
-2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
-2 Meyer lemons
-1 large log goat cheese
– 2 Tablespoons dried basil
-1 cup Crimini mushrooms, sliced
-1 small can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut
– 5 garlic cloves, diced
-3 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
– Arugula

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF.
Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet.

Spread the olive oil on the dough using a spoon. Sprinkle the dried basil leaves on the dough, making sure to evenly distribute. Add 3 of the diced garlic cloves.

In a bowl, mix the goat cheese, dried basil and the juice one lemon. Set aside. Add the mushrooms and marinated artichoke hearts to the pizza dough. Place small spoonfuls of the goat cheese mixture onto the dough about ½ inch apart from one another. Make sure the cheese reaches the edges.

While the pizza is cooking, make your arugula salad for the top. In a bowl, mix together the juice of the remaining lemon, 2 diced garlic cloves, spicy brown mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the arugula and mix. Set aside.

Once done the pizza is done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the arugula salad and then cut your pizza. It’s time to eat!

Hope you all had a great Lemon Week, because we sure had fun making it!

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a Lemon Infused Pizza!

Berry Lemon Cheesecake

Published on January 16, 2014July 8, 2014 by T.W.O.5 Comments

Berry Lemon Cheesecake – It’s fluffy, light, refreshing, and savory! Most cheesecakes are dense and filling, which bad, but it’s nice to not feel stuffed after dessert. T.W.O. loved the combination of the lemon, berries, cream cheese and eggs that created a light, mousse-like treat and are excited to share this masterpiece with our readers. We guarantee that this will be a hit at your next dinner party, family barbeque or date night. Cheers Lemon Week!

Ingredients:
 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
 1/3 cup butter, melted
 ½ cup granulated sugar
 2- 8 ounces packages of cream cheese, softened
 2- 8 ounce packages of Neufchâtel, softened
 1 cup granulated sugar
 4 large eggs
 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
 zest from 1 lemon
 ¼ cup corn starch
 2 cups fresh blackberries
 Fresh whipped cream for topping
Preheat oven to 300ᴼF.
In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Mix until the crumbs are sticking together. Press crumb mixture in a 9” spring form pan. Make sure that the crumbs are evenly distributed on the bottom and sides. Set aside.

Using a KitchenAid mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 1 minute each. Before adding an egg, make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl. Add lemon juice and zest and mix for about 3 minutes. Next, mix in cornstarch and beat for an additional 3 minutes until fluffy.

Using a flexible spatula, carefully mix in the berries. You don’t want the berries to break.
Pour the cheesecake mixture in over the graham cracker crust.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool for about 40 minutes.

Cover the cheesecake and place in the refrigerator overnight.
When you are ready to serve, add a layer of fresh whipped cream to the top of the cake along with some mixed berries and a lemon garnish!