Blog Archives
Porter House Broccoli Salad
I absolutely love broccoli. It is definitely my favorite vegetable. So when I was first introduced to this salad it was at our wedding shower; I instantly fell in love. And then it showed up again at a baby shower we attended. That was it; I had to know the recipe. And the rest is history.
Ingredients
8 slices bacon, crumbled
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, bacon, raisins and onion. Now in a small bowl prepare the dressing by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad and toss until it is well coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Serve & Enjoy!
* Chef’s Note – Want a little crunch? Add in some of your favorite nuts!
Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla
So pizza is one of our Top 10 faves in the Porter House. So when I came across this recipe that meshed together two of our faves, Mexican & Pizza; I was all over it. It’s like having the best of two worlds. This recipe also makes for a great appetizer too!
Ingredients
3-4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese
4 flour quesadillas (8 inch)
shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce
Toppings ( pepperoni, onions, black olives, pineapples, sausage, peppers, etc)
Instructions
Heat grill pan or skillet to medium heat.
Stir together melted butter, minced garlic, italian seasoning, and grated parmesan cheese. Brush tortilla with butter mixture and place buttered side down on grill pan or skillet. Now spread on pizza sauce, cheese, onions and pepperoni.
Cook until buttered side is golden brown. Fold tortilla over and press lightly. Cook for another minute. Remove quesadilla from skillet and lightly brush with the butter mixture again. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese, garlic powder and oregano. Cut into thirds.
Serve with a side salad and your favorite dipping sauces like garlic butter, pizza sauce, cheese sauce, alfredo sauce and/or ranch. Eat & Enjoy!
* Chef’s Note – BYOC (Be Your Own Chef) Let your creativity run wild. Mix and match your favorite pizza toppings to give it a more personal touch. Besides there is no wrong way to eat a pizza. Only your way!
Source: Divas Can Cook
Porter House Black & Blue Salad
I love me some salad. Chef, Cobb, Caesar, House, Black & Blue, Just Salad Point Blank Period. I LOVE SALAD. My only exception is NO RANCH PLEASE. Anything but that, ewww! Anywho whenever we go out to various restaurants I always get a salad. But when there is one that leaves a lasting impression I try to recreate it at home. So today I have for you one of my faves that was recreated from O’ Charley’s Black & Blue Salad. I mean you have your fresh veggies, crumbled blue cheese and a medium done grilled ribeye steak. How can you go wrong? You have to try this one. It is Sooo Good!
Ingredients:
1 8 oz Grilled Ribeye Steak (Medium Done), sliced
1 large bunch leafy green lettuce (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cucumber, peeled & sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, for garnish
1 cup of croutons
Blue Cheese Jam Jar Dressing, recipe follows
Blue Cheese Jam Jar Dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Wash all veggies well (make sure you dry the lettuce when finished). Peel and slice 1/2 of a cucumber, set aside. Next roughly chop the lettuce. Add all veggies to a large bowl.
Now add the buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, garlic, blue cheese , salt and pepper to taste to a 2 cup mason jar. Cover with the lid and shake until well combined.
Drizzle about 1/2 cup (or more) Blue Cheese Jam Jar Dressing onto veggies . Toss well with tongs.
Top salad with blue cheese crumbles, croutons and sliced Ribeye steak. Serve with the extra dressing on the side.
The Best (and Tastiest) Foods For Your Heart
A heart-smart lifestyle starts with the foods on your plate. Improve your diet with these tasty choices that contain the top nutrients your heart needs, from vitamins and minerals to antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
“Most people know that heart-healthy foods are a big part of heart health. The key is educating them on how to make changes in their diet,” says Cindy Neels, MPH, RD, LDN, a dietitian with the cardiac rehabilitation program at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. Great heart-healthy foods that include antioxidants, lean proteins, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids will all help you maintain a healthy weight and keep your lipid levels in check for better heart health — and best of all, they taste good, too.
Salmon Delivers Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Go Nuts for Walnuts
Try Blueberries for an Antioxidant Boost
Mom Was Right: Eat Your Spinach
Use Olive Oil for Heart-Healthy Fat
Enjoy Natural Whole Grains for Fiber
Opt for Brown Rice Instead of White
Eat Poultry for Lean Protein
Be Mindful of Other Meats
Substitute Beans for Meat
Dried beans are a great meat substitute. For optimum heart health, at least once a week, base a meal around beans instead of meat. “Beans are non-fat, high protein, and fiber-rich, so they are great heart-healthy foods,” says Neel. One final thought as you cook with beans and other heart-healthy foods is to reduce your salt intake. Too much salt is a major cause of high blood pressure and heart disease. Try using fresh herbs and a little touch of antioxidant-rich lemon juice to flavor your foods in place of salt.
Copyright © 2012 Everyday Health, Inc.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie
Who doesn’t love a Reesa cup as I call them. LOL. I mean when Chocolate & Peanut Butter are joined together in the mist; What a combination. And this dessert is no exception. Just picture a Oreo cookie crust, smooth peanut butter filling, fresh whipped topping and loads of chopped Reese’s cups on top. Oh Baby!
Ingredients
Filling
1 Oreo cookie pie crust
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
Whipped Cream Topping (for garnish)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
ganache or chocolate ice cream topping for garnish
Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups for garnish
Instructions
In a mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth and airy. Now in a separate COLD bowl whip heavy cream until it hold soft peaks. (Be careful DO NOT over whip; It will turn into butter if you do). Next fold in the whipped heavy cream to the peanut butter mixture until fully incorporated. Spoon peanut butter mixture into crust and stripe with chocolate ganache or chocolate ice cream topping. Refrigerate pie until set.
Now it is time to make the topping for garnish. In a separate COLD bowl whip heavy cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. (Again DO NOT over whip because it will turn into butter). Decorate pie with whipped cream and roughly chopped peanut butter cups. Mmmmmm…..
*Chef’s Note – If you want a more lower fat recipe just substitute the sugar with splenda, and the cream cheese with reduced fat cream cheese.
Butterscotch Oatmeal
So I grew up on the stuff that came in a little package that you simply add water to. That was until I met my husband; who introduced me to the old school way of oatmeal. I tried it once and have never looked back. It is So Simple, So Good; Not to mention So Good For You. No more instant for me. I want the real deal.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, brown sugar and egg. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes or until mixture boils. Add oats; cook and stir for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat. Add butter; cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes. For garnish sprinkle some extra brown sugar on top.
* Chef’s Note – For an extra touch garnish with your favorite fruit like sliced bananas or blueberries.
How Much Salt Is In That?
There’s no gentle way to say this: we eat entirely too much salt. As part of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA recommends a maximum of 2,300 mg of daily sodium — what correlates to about one teaspoon of salt — and the majority of us get about 3,400mg.. And for senior citizens, African-Americans and those at risk for hypertension, the disparity is even more extreme; for them, the USDA recommends just 1,500 milligrams each day.
But where does all that excess salt come from? Processed food. The sodium in everyday packaged, bottled and canned items is insidious: we have no sense that we’re eating something loaded with sodium, and yet the proof is on the packaging. We’ve all heard before that things like canned soups and some canned meats are salt-heavy, but what about breakfast cereals, bread and even sweet drinks?
Think you can pick out the hidden salt among these common grocery items? Try out this quiz:
1. Which has more sodium, a one-cup serving of Cheerios or a 15-chip serving of Lay’s Classic potato chips?
( ) The chips
( ) The Cheerios
( ) They’re about the same (within 10 mg)
Answer (They’re about the same): Your bowl of cereal in the morning might not feel like a salty treat, but it’s packed with 160 mg of sodium. The chips have 170 mg in a one-ounce serving. But that’s not an excuse to eat potato chips for breakfast — 15 of the Lays have 160 calories and a whopping 10 g of fat (Cheerios sans milk have 100 calories per serving and 2 g of fat).
2. Dressing face-off: Which has more sodium per two tablespoon serving?
( ) The Wish-Bone Chunky Blue Cheese dressing
( ) The Wish-Bone Italian dressing
( ) They’re about the same (within 10 mg)
Answer (Wish-Bone Italian Dressing): The Italian dressing has 340 mg of sodium, while the blue cheese has 270 mg. We know vinaigrettes are often the lower-cal, lower-fat dressing option compared with their creamy counterparts — but don’t forget to check sodium levels, too, when evaluating your nutrition labels. Or, why not make your own at home?
3. The amount of salt in a slice of this Sara Lee Classic New York Style Cheesecake adds up to how much of your recommended daily intake?
( ) 12 percent
( ) 22 percent
( ) 32 percent
( ) 42 percent
Answer (42 Percent): It might be dessert, but that doesn’t mean it’s not loaded with sodium. Each piece also packs 480 calories and 29 grams of fat.
4. Condiment reality check: Two tablespoons of Heinz tomato ketchup has how much sodium?
( ) 80 mg
( ) 160 mg
( ) 320 mg
Answer (320 mg): While a one-tablespoon-sized serving has 160 mg (still high at 7 percent of your recommended intake), a more realistic (at least on our plates!) two-tablespoon portion has 320 mg.
5. Which breakfast item has the most sodium?
( ) A one-cup serving of Cheerios
( ) A one-packet serving of Quaker Instant Grits
( ) A one-cup serving of Raisin Bran
Answer (One packet of Quaker instant Grits): While all the breakfast items have some positive nutrition characteristics (the grits are high in iron, the raisin bran is loaded with fiber and the Cheerios have heart-healthy whole grains, to name a few of the most notable), the grits are loaded with the most sodium. They have 310 mg in one serving, compared with 160 mg in the Cheerios and 250 mg in the Raisin Bran.
6. Yup, drinks have sodium, too — in fact, all three of these do. Which is the worst offender?
( ) A bottle of Nesquik Chocolate Milk
( ) A bottle of Snapple Pink Lemonade
( ) A can of Starbucks Double Shot Energy, vanilla flavor
Answer (A bottle of Nestlequik Chocolate Milk): At first blush, the Starbucks can and the Nesquick seem neck and neck, but there’s actually two servings in the chocolate milk bottle. And that brings the grand total for the whole thing up to 320 mg. The Starbucks and the Snapple have 180 mg and 85 mg, respectively.
7. Which has more sodium, a Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffin or a Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Turnover?
( ) One muffin
( ) One turnover
( ) They’re about the same (within 10 mg)
Answer (One Muffin): They might be a “diet” food, but that doesn’t mean the muffins are low in sodium. While they trump the pastries in terms of fewer calories and grams of fat, they have 270 mg of sodium, compared to 230 mg in the turnover.
8. Chocolate showdown: Which single serving size has the most sodium?
( ) One pack of Oreo Cakesters (two cakes)
( ) Four Entenmann’s Pop’ems donuts
( ) One Klondike sandwich
( ) One Jell-O sugar-free chocolate pudding cup
Answer (Four Entenmann’s Pop’ems donuts): The donuts take the cake for this one — though all four treats have sodium. The Cakesters have 250 mg, the Entemann’s donuts have 310 mg, the Klondike bars have 150 mg and the JELL-O pudding has 180 mg.
9. Which cup contains a serving of peanut butter, with 170 mg of sodium?
( ) One tablespoon (left)
( ) Two tablespoons (center)
( ) Four tablespoons (right)
Answer (Two Tablespoons): Here comes the portion police: just two tablespoons of peanut butter comprises a serving, which has 170 mg of sodium and also 180 calories and 12 g of fat.
10. Which has more sodium?
( ) Breakstone’s 2% Milkfat Lowfat Cottage Cheese
( ) Philadelphia Regular cream cheese, salmon flavored
Answer (Breakston’e 2% Milkfat Lowfat Cottage Cheese): While the cottage cheese has more protein and less cholesterol, it also has more sodium — 340 mg per 1/2 cup serving. The cream cheese has 210 mg per 2 tablespoon serving.
11. When it comes to sodium, what percent of your recommended daily intake does a whole package (three cups) of this rice pilaf have?
( ) 30 percent — about enough for a day
( ) 100 percent — about enough for a whole day
( ) 120 percent — enough for a whole day … and then some
Answer (120 percent): One serving (about one cup) of this rice pilaf has 970 mg of sodium, or 40 percent of your recommended daily intake. Triple that to eat the whole box, and you’ve exceeded a whole day’s worth.
12. Potato chips vs. Goldfish crackers: Which snack has more sodium?
( ) One serving (15 chips) of Lay’s Classic potato chips
( ) One serving (55 pieces) of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Baked Snack Crackers, cheddar flavor
( ) They’re about the same (within 10 mg)
Answer (One serving of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Baked Snack Crackers): The crackers might be baked instead of fried, but that doesn’t mean they have less sodium than fried potato chips — one serving is loaded with 250 mg.
13. Think sweets don’t have sodium? Think again — how much will a slice of this cake (1/10 of the whole thing) and two tablespoons of frosting set you back when it comes to sodium?
( ) 110 mg
( ) 210 mg
( ) 310 mg
( ) 410 mg
Answer (410 mg): Yup, that’s right — the cake alone has 13 percent of your daily sodium intake — before the icing, which clocks in at about 100 mg.
14. Thirsty? A one-cup serving of this Tabasco brand Bloody Mary Mix has 70 calories … but how many mg of sodium?
( ) 19 mg
( ) 190 mg
( ) 1,900 mg
Answer (1,900 mg): You may want to hold off your “cheers” until you read this — just one cup of the mix has 1,900 mg of sodium, which is almost 80 percent of your recommended daily intake.
15. Which breakfast item has the most sodium?
( ) One Thomas Cinnamon Raisin bagel
( ) Two Kellogg’s Eggo Homstyle waffles
( ) One Pillsbury Reduced Fat Cinnamon Roll, with icing
Answer (One Thomas Cinnamon Raisin bagel): All three of these have a similar amount of sodium — the bagel, waffles and cinnamon roll pack 380 mg, 370 mg and 340 mg, respectively. But the bagel (and that’s sans cream cheese) still has the most.
Lemon Blossoms
I am always expanding my recipe box. So when I made these lemon blossoms for the first time awhile back I knew that I had a sure keeper. My husband loved them so much so; he requested them for his birthday. For a little something extra give these babies a double dip. YUM!
Ingredients
4 large eggs
3 1/2 ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
18 1/2 ounce package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Glaze
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.
To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they’re still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips.
Let the glaze set thoroughly, about one hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.
Spaghetti Pie
This recipe was giving to me from a friend, from a friend. It gives a whole new spin on just ordinary spaghetti. Warning: This is a dish I label as “A FEEL GOOD MEAL”. In the sense that it takes a lot of steps to complete. Save this for those special occasions or simply Just Because. Happy Chefing!
Ingredients
Chocolate Eclair
This dish was brought to a potluck and I loved it so much you know what I did. Asked for the recipe of course. Who knew that just five ingredients could make a FAB dessert. And its NO BAKE; I’m All In. It’s just perfect for the chocolate lover in me and you too!
Ingredients
- 1 box of honey graham crackers
- 2 small packages of Vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3 cups milk
- 1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1 (16-ounce) container ready-to-spread chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Line bottom of an ungreased 9- x 13-inch baking dish with one-third of the graham crackers.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk; fold in whipped topping until mixture thickens.
- Spread half of pudding mixture over graham crackers in baking dish. Repeat layers with one-third of graham crackers and remaining pudding mixture. Top with remaining graham crackers. Spread with chocolate frosting. Cover to chill overnight. Serve the next day & Enjoy!
I Am Lady Fab 