Recipes – Page 18

Burrata Margarita Pizza

Published on October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Burrata. Basil. Marinara Sauce. Balsamic.

Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!

T.W.O. decided to cook a lighter pizza for this Friday Night Pizza Night. Burrata looks a lot like fresh buffalo mozzarella, but it much softer and has a cream-like filling. And it makes for a great cheese to use for a pizza! This Burrata Margarita pizza is easy to whip up for yourself, date or family night. Has T.W.O. convince you to make this pizza yet?

Ingredients
1 – Roll of pizza dough
-12 ounces Marinara Sauce*
-8 ounces Burrata**
-1 Small package fresh, basil leaves
-2 Cloves garlic, chopped
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt

*T.W.O. uses SF Capellino Low-Fat Tomato and Garlic Sauce from Molinaris Deli…don’t let the “low-fat” scare you- the texture and flavor is still there!
**T.W.O. suggests using Di Stefano – Burrata Alla Panna

Roll out your pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once evenly rolled out, place dough on a pizza stone. Spread the marinara sauce on the dough making sure you get the edges.

Next, cut the burrata into pieces and distribute evenly on the pizza dough. (See below) It’s okay that the marinara is showing; the cheese will melt. Next, place your basil leaves and chopped garlic on the pizza. Last step- drizzle balsamic vinegar over the pizza and add salt to taste.

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes while the BBQ is heating up. Note –you don’t want to put the stone on a cold BBQ. The temperature should reach a medium-high heat before placing the pizza on. Watch the pizza closely; you don’t want your crust to burn! It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on your grill.

Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!!

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Published on October 1, 2013September 29, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Tired of making the same old cookie recipe? Need a new one in your life? Well, T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for you! Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons! These cookies are so easy to make, only requires 6 ingredients and are so delicious you will find yourself going back for more!

Ingredients

-2/3 cup flour
-5 ½ cups flaked coconut
-1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-2 teaspoons of butter-flavored Crisco
-2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together flour and coconut. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are blended. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

Place dough (about a golf ball size) onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are slightly toasted.

Let cookies cool for about 45 minutes. Once cool, begin melting the chocolate by placing chocolate chips and Crisco into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds and mix until chocolate becomes smooth.

Dip each cookie into the chocolate and place on wax paper.

Slide the wax paper onto a tray and place dipped cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes so that chocolate hardens. Now it is time to indulge!!!

Harvest Salad

Published on September 30, 2013September 29, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Fall is one of T.W.O.’s favorite seasons because of the weather and the harvest foods! To kick off the season, T.W.O. decided to make a dish with butternut squash. The weather has been quite warm, so a fresh salad with all the Fall ingredients was put on the T.W.O. menu.

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash:

-Butternut Squash
-Olive Oil
-Cinnamon
-Nutmeg
-Salt and Pepper

For the Salad:

-Roasted butternut squash
-Spinach
-Apple (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith)
– Cucumber
-Crimini mushrooms
-Dried Cranberries
-Pepitas
-Goat Cheese

For the Dressing:

-1/4 cup olive oil
-3/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
-1 ½ Tablespoons Greek yogurt
-I tablespoon honey
-Cinnamon
-Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 415°. Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds. Place butternut squash on a foil-lined cookie sheet and brush the squash with olive oil. Next, season the squash with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Put the squash into oven and roast for 45 minutes to one hour.

For the dressing, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, yogurt, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Put the dressing in the refrigerator to chill. Ten minutes before the butternut squash is ready, prepare salad. Dice apple, mushrooms, and cucumber and place on platted spinach. Next, add your cranberries, pepitas and crumbled goat cheese.

When the squash is done, take out of oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes to cool. Cut the squash into cubes (removing the skin) and put on salad. Drizzle the dressing over salad and mix. Now it’s time to enjoy this gastronomical, fall inspired salad!

Polenta Fries

Published on September 27, 2013September 26, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

French fries, sweet potato fries, zucchini fries, steak fries, Freedom fries, steak fries, papas fritas….they are all tasty, but T.W.O. loves polenta fries these days! These polenta fries taste like they are fried, but are actually baked, using no oil! Learn how to make these delicious gluten-free fries that everyone is sure to enjoy!

Ingredients

1– roll of polenta, pre-cooked
Krazy Salt
Optional- cayenne pepper or garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425°. Using a sharp knife, cut the polenta roll in half, lengthwise. Continue to cut the polenta into strips to form the “traditional French fry” shape until the roll is all cut.

The fries should be about ½ inch thick. Next, season the fries with the Krazy Salt to your desire and toss. (Optional- Add cayenne pepper or garlic powder) Then, place the cut polenta fries on a greased cookie sheet.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the polenta fries have a crispy outside and warm, fluffy inside.

T.W.O. likes to serve the polenta fries with ketchup and if they are in the mood for some spiciness, T.W.O. will add sriracha sauce to the ketchup to create a tasty side dish.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Garbanzo Bean Salad and Burrata

Published on September 23, 2013September 22, 2013 by twinswithoriginality1 Comment

One of T.W.O. ‘s favorite proteins to experiment with is chicken because it is eaten more often than any other protein and can get very old if you don’t switch it up! So T.W.O. decided to create a spin on chicken Parmesan and bruschetta by creating a dish using chicken, a garbanzo bean salad, and burrata! Whether it is for a dinner party, family gathering or weeknight meal, you will find this dish to be easy but most of all- gastronomical!

Ingredients

– 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 can of garbanzo beans
-Favorite pasta sauce
-Fresh Basil
-Garlic cloves
-Fresh pepper
–Crazy salt
-Burrata cheese

First, chop garlic and basil and place in a mixing bowl. Next, add garbanzo beans, pasta sauce and fresh ground pepper. You want to add enough sauce just to cover the garbanzo beans and create a little liquid. Let this mixture marinade for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

While the garbanzo bean salad is marinating, start the grill. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken onto grill and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until done. Meanwhile, turn on your oven to 425° and take the garbanzo bean salad out of the refrigerator. When the chicken is done, place the chicken breasts into a Pyrex and top with the garbanzo bean salad. (You will have left over salad if you only use 2 chicken breasts, but it makes for a great side dish or snack while cooking!)

Put the Pyrex into the oven for 3-5 minutes. Next, place the burrata cheese over the garbanzo bean salad and put in the oven.

Allow the cheese to melt for about 2 minutes and then turn the oven on broil. Let the dish broil for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese gets a little brown. Once this is done, take the chicken out of the oven and get ready to serve!

Bon appetite!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Published on September 20, 2013September 19, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Friday Night Pizza night!

T.W.O. had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator, so why not make a BBQ Chicken Pizza?!

Ingredients:

– Pizza Dough
– Cornmeal
– Flour
– Chicken breast, shredded
– BBQ sauce
– 1/2 cup olives, sliced
– 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
– 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
– 1/2 cup red onions, diced
– 2-3 cups mozzarella

Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to the pizza stone. Next take the BBQ sauce and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges.

Then, add your mozzarella! Take the sliced olives, mushrooms, cilantro and red onions and spread it on the cheese. In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken breast and BBQ sauce. Once mixed, put the chicken on the pizza.

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes while the BBQ is heating up. Note – you don’t want to put the stone on a cold BBQ. The temperature should reach a medium-high heat before placing the pizza on. Watch the pizza closely; you don’t want your crust to burn! It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on your grill.

Bon Appetite!

Polenta + Tomato Appetizer

Published on September 17, 2013September 16, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Polenta is a staple of Northern Italy, but has made its debut in all types of cuisine today. It is most noted for it’s versatility and can be a great addition to your next meal! T.W.O. decided to create an appetizer for their family and let us tell you- it was a hit!!

Ingredients

-Polenta
-Tomatoes
-Fresh buffalo mozzarella
-Garlic powder
-Cayenne pepper
-Ground pepper
-Italian seasoning
-Dried basil

First, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 425°F. Next, cut your polenta into thin, circular slices. Place the polenta on a lined cookie sheet and season with garlic powder, ground pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper. Then, slice your tomatoes into thin circles and place on the other cookie sheet. Season the tomatoes with Italian seasoning, pepper and dried basil.

Put the polenta and tomato slices in the oven. T.W.O. would recommend putting the polenta slices on the top rack. After about 8 minutes, flip the polenta slices over. Bake the polenta and tomatoes for another 8 minutes. (You might need to keep the polenta in a little longer depending on your oven.) Make sure that the polenta gets crispy. When the polenta and tomatoes are done, place a tomato on top of the polenta and add a slice of mozzarella. Continue this process for the remaining polenta circles. Next, turn your oven to broil and place the polenta “stacks” into the oven for about 3 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the stacks so that they do not burn. Once the mozzarella is melted and slightly brown, take them out of the oven. It’s time to serve!!

Sriracha Glazed Chicken Mango Salad

Published on September 11, 2013September 10, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Remember that Sriracha Glazed Chicken Kebab recipe posted by T.W.O on Monday? Have you had the chance to try the recipe out? If you haven’t- you better get on it! And if you have, there are most likely leftovers! Hooray! T.W.O. decided to mix it up with the sriracha glazed chicken and add it to a salad! This dish is so refreshing, light, and has a nice balance of a sweet, but spicy kick to it!

Ingredients

–Sriracha Glazed Chicken, diced (link the post here)
-Lettuce*
-Mango, cubed
-Tomatoes
-Cucumbers
-Crimini mushrooms
-Cilantro Dressing**

*T.W.O. used romaine lettuce
**If you don’t feel like making your own dressing recipe, T.W.O. has discovered a great Cilantro dressing from Trader Joe’s.

First, wash and chop up the lettuce, mango, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mushrooms. Next dice your chicken into cubes. T.W.O. heated up their chicken just a bit before tossing into salad, but it can also be served at room temperature. After all the ingredients are platted, drizzle the dressing on the salad. Easy as that!

Bon Appetite!

Sriracha Glazed Chicken Kebabs

Published on September 9, 2013September 9, 2013 by twinswithoriginality3 Comments

Sriracha sauce has been around for many years, but it seems like just recently this sauce has become the “new hot sauce” and is being used to create innovative dishes. T.W.O. decided to take their traditional kebab recipe to the next level and spice it up to create Sriracha Glazed Chicken kebabs! The recipe is very simple and requires no marinating time. The chicken stays so moist from its spicy, sticky glaze and will no doubt make you want more!

Ingredients

–       ½ cup light brown sugar
–       ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
–       ⅓ cup hot chili paste
–       ¼ cup fish sauce
–       ¼ cup Sriracha
–       2 teaspoon finely grated ginger
–       2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
–       Green onions, chopped
–       Bamboo skewers, soaked in water

First, soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. This prevents the skewers from splintering or breaking. Next, heat up your grill to a low-medium heat. While the grill is heating up, cut the chicken into cubed-chunks and place in a large bowl. Whisk brown sugar, vinegar, chili paste, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a bowl. Pour this marinade over the chicken and mix so that all the chicken is covered. Now its time to skewer the chicken. After all the chicken is on the skewers, place the remaining marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until it is reduced by half. This should take about 7-10 minutes. Once the marinade is reduced, take the chicken and marinade to the grill.

Place the kebabs on the grill and baste with marinade. Make sure to keep turning and basting the skewers so the chicken doesn’t burn and remains moist. Continue basting and flipping the skewers until chicken is done. (8-10 minutes, depending on the grill) Take your chicken off the grill and plate on a platter. Garnish the skewers with the chopped green onions. Now it’s time to eat!

Enjoy!

Peach Goat Cheese Crostini

Published on September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Summer is not over yet; Peaches are still in season…So it’s time to get into the kitchen with T.W.O. and make these fabulous peach goat cheese crostini! They make a wonderful appetizer that all your guests will enjoy. And you will enjoy them to because they are easy to make so you can spend more time socializing with your guests and not stuck in the kitchen!

Ingredients

-Fresh baguette
-Goat cheese
-Fresh basil
-Peaches
-Balsamic vinegar
-Honey, optional

First, pre-heat your oven to 425°F. Next, slice your baguette and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. (The foil makes for an easy cleanup!) Then, slice your peaches into thin wedges and chop your basil into small pieces.

Once the oven is heated, place your bread slices in the oven. After about 3 minutes, check the slices to see if they are golden brown. If so, flip them over to get the other side golden brown. Once both sides are done, take the bread out of the oven and get ready to prepare the crostini! While the bread is still hot, spread your goat cheese on the crostini. Next, place some basil on top of the cheese and finish with the peach slice. Repeat this for the remaining bread slices.

Once all the crostini are assembled, drizzle the balsamic over each piece. T.W.O. also drizzled honey over each crostini and found that it added an extra kick of sweetness. So if you are in the mood for a sweet, but savory treat, add the honey! Now it’s time to serve!