I found this recipe for Oreo Truffles this weekend and made them.  I was really surprised by how simple they were to make and how delicious they were.

This is a keeper recipe.  I will make these Oreo Truffles for my next get-together and I know they will be a hit.

Ingredients

• 36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 4 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted

Directions

• Reserve 1/4 cup cookie crumbs. Mix cream cheese and remaining cookie crumbs until blended.
• Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
• Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Ingredients

• 3 large Sweet Potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick length-wise
• 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt to taste

Directions

• Brush Sweet Potato slices with olive oil
• Place Sweet Potatoes on heated grill and sprinkle with kosher salt
• Turn once and cook until fork tender

Portuguese Barbecued Chicken is perfect for our first cook out.  Heat up the grill and let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken pieces
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

• Place chicken in a large zip-lock bag. Combine wine, lemon rind and juice, tomato paste, oil, paprika, hot pepper sauce, salt and garlic; pour over chicken, turning to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Place chicken on greased  grill over medium heat.  Close the lid and cook, skin side down, for 10 minutes. Turn and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Ingredients

• 6 bunches of fresh beet with green tops
• salt

For Orange Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of finely granted orange zest
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 of a Vidalia onion sliced thin
• 6 thin navel orange slices, halved
• minced chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Prehead oven to 400 degrees. Trim off and reserve the leavy beet tops and wrap beets in foil. Roast on a baking sheet until easily pierced with the tip of a knive (about 1 hour). Remove from oven and let cool.
• Meanwhile, trim the long stems from the beet greesn and reserve only the leaves. Get rid of blemished leaves. Rinse and dry well. Gather all the leaves together and cut crosswise into one inch wide strips.
• Fill a sauce pan up half way with water and bring to a boil. Add the beet greens and 1 tsp. of salt and cook, uncovered until greesns are tender (about 8 minutes). Drain and set aside.
• Unwrap and peep cooled beets. If there are beet juices in teh foil, pour them into a small bowl. Cut the beets into wedges.

To make the vinaigrette, add the vinegar, orange zelst, salt and pepper and any beet juices in a small bowl. Add the oil in a thin stream, shisking constantly until dressing is smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the beet wedges, onion, cooked beet greens, and dressing. Toss to mix. Garnish with orange slices and minced chives and serve.

Thai Basil Shrimp – fresh, flavorful, healthy, and delicious!!

Ingredients

STIR-FRY SAUCE:

• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. Golden Mountain Sauce (to make your own Golden Mountain Sauce, mix 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, with 2 Tbsp. vegetable or chicken stock, plus 1/4 tsp. sugar.)
• 1 Tbsp. palm sugar OR brown sugar

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 to 1 lb. medium to large shrimp, shells removed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red or green chili, finely sliced, or more to taste
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 green and 1 red bell peppers, sliced
• handful dry roasted cashews, unsalted
• 1/4 to 1/3 compressed cup fresh Thai basil (may substitute with sweet basil) - Stack leaves into a neat pile and slice them up into shreds.
• 3 Tbsp. chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions

• Combine the ‘Stir-Fry Sauce’ ingredients together in a cup, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
• Mince or use processor to mix together the garlic, chili, and onion until it creates a paste.
• Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in oil, then add the shrimp. Stir-fry 1 minute, or until shrimp are light pink on both sides.
• Add the garlic-chili paste you made earlier and continue stir-frying 1 more minute.
• Add the peppers and chicken stock. Stir-fry until peppers have softened but are still bright in color and retain some crispness. While stir-frying, add the stir-fry sauce you made earlier.
• Remove from heat. Stir in the cashews and fold in the basil.
• Taste and alter flavors if desired by adding more lime juice if too salty (this will depend on the saltiness of your stock), or more fish sauce if not salty or flavorful enough.  Add more fresh-cut chili (or some dried chili flakes) for more heat. Serve with plain white or brown rice served on the side.

Grilled garlic bread is easy to make, can be done at the last minute and should be served warm.

 Ingredients

• 1 large loaf of Italian or French bread
• 2 sticks of salted butter, softened
• 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Directions

• Heat grill
• Place softened butter in small bowl.  Add chopped garlic and mix with spoon, mashing garlic into butter.
• Slice bread and generously spread butter/garlic on both sides of bread
• Place buttered slices of bread on grill grate and grill – Turn when golden…and serve immediately.  NOTE:  Watch carefully because bread can go from golden to burned on the grill very quickly.

Ingredients

• 2-3 large tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2-3 cups of water
• salt to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 3-4 cups chopped kale
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion or chives

Directions

• Blend the tomatoes, red pepper, zucchini, sesame seeds and water in blender until smooth and creamy. Then add salt and cayenne to taste.
• If you will be serving warm, heat this up and add chopped greens and onion. If serving cold simply add super fine chopped kale and onions.

Here is how I made this delightfully simple sugar scrub.  It is so easy to make and can be done without having to go out to purchase ingredients. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. good quality oil (I used olive oil, but you can use any nice, non-smelly oil)
• 10 drops of scented essential oil per jar (You may choose lemon, mandarin, peppermint, lavender, etc.)

Directions

• Using a mixing bowl and spoon, combine all ingredients and mix

I order Tom Yum soup out almost every time I eat at a Thai restaurant and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make this recipe and how much it tasted like what I have when out.

Ingredients

• 2 cans College Inn chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon of Better than Bouillion Fish stock
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, or 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated (another 1/2 inch, sliced)
• 2 red chiles, sliced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 large shitake mushroom, sliced or 6-8 button mushrooms cut in half
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled with tails on
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

• Bring the stock to the boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the lemongrass paste, ginger, and chiles. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.
• Uncover and add the fish sauce, sugar, and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss in the shrimp and cook for about 8 minutes until they turn pink. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, green onions, and cilantro. Taste for salt and spices; you should have an equal balance of spicy, salty, and sour. 

A dear friend brought this delicious Waldorf Salad to our home for Easter dinner.  It is positively delicious!  I can see this served over a bed of lettuce, mixed in yogurt, or eaten from a bowl.  It offers a wonderful combination of flavors and textures.  Definitely a "keeper recipe!"

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of Cool Whip
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 2 small (Gala or Fuji) apples, cubed
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved 
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or candied walnuts
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery (about 1 stalk)
• 8 Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves (if desired)

Directions

• Combine mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, Cool Whip, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add apples, grapes, and cranberries; mix well.
• Add the walnuts and celery, and mix well.
• Serve it on a bed of 2 lettuce leaves, if desired.
• The salad can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before serving.