Jamaican Jerk Grilled Wings

These Jerk wings are so tasty, and you can make them as mild or spicy as you like based on the type of peppers you use, the spiciness of the seasoning you use, etc.  They are also great to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer to defrost and throw on the grill whenever the mood suits you.

Ingredients:
2 1/2lb chicken wings
1 Tbl dry Jerk Seasoning (mild or spicy depending on your preference)
1 Tbl Jamaican curry powder (mild or spicy depending on your preference)
1 Tbl Creole Seasoning
Jamaican Marinade:
   -1/4 cup olive oil
   -2 Tbl jerk seasoning (dry or wet - mild or spicy depending on your preference)
   -1/4 cup orange juice
   -2 Tbl soy sauce
   -1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
   -1 Tbl dark Jamaican rum
   -Juice of one lime (2 Tbl if using bottled juice)
   -1 scotch bonnet, habanero, or long hot finger pepper seeded (again, depending on the level of spiciness)
   -2 cloves garlic
   -1/2 cup red onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
   -2 green onions chopped
   -1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

Place the pepper, garlic, and onions into a food processor to mince.  Add remaining marinade ingredients and pulse to combine throughly.  Pour marinade over the wings and place in the fridge for 24 hours (the longer they marinate, the more flavorful they will be).

Preheat oven to 350*.
Take wings out of fridge, remove from marinade, pat dry and place in a large bowl.
Sprinkle the dry jerk seasoning, curry powder and creole seasoning over the wings. 
Toss wings to coat evenly and then place on a baking sheet.
Bake wings for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and place in fridge to chill (or bag them and put them in freezer to be used later).

Preheat grill to medium heat.
Remove wings from fridge (make sure they are chilled completely as this will help prevent flare ups on the grill).
Cook on each side about 4-5 minutes until the skin is nice and crispy and browned (but not burned).

You can serve with Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce for people who want them even spicier, or even toss them in your favorite wing sauce to give them a mix flavor.  Personally I just love them straight off the grill!

Overnight Crock Pot Bread Pudding French Toast

                 Overnight Crock Pot Bread Pudding French Toast

Ingredients:
1 whole 16 oz loaf of raisin challah (or plain challah and then add 1 cup diced/bite size fruit of your choice)
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbl cinnamon
1 tsp lemon rind
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar

Slice challah into 1" slices and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes to lightly toast/dry it out.
Cut up challah slices into approximately 1" cubes and place in a large bowl.



In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (except fruit if adding more, stir that in after mixture is whisked well).






 
Pour mixture over challah and stir to coat completely and let sit to absorb for about 5 minutes.
Grease the inside of the crock pot well with either butter or butter flavored cooking spray.





Stir challah mixture again and then pour into the crock pot.
Cook on low for 7 1/2 hours.




 

Remove cover and cook an additional 1/2 hour on low to dry up any excess liquid.

Place cooked loaf on a cutting board, cut into 1" slices and serve with powdered sugar or warm syrup.

Pigs in a Blanket

Pigs in a Blanket

These are so simple to make, and yet everyone asks me to make them for every occasion (and then asks for the recipe).  So here you go!

Ingredients:
2 packages of Hillshire Farms Beef Lil Smokies
1 can 8 count Pillsbury Big and Flaky Croissant Rolls dough

Preheat oven to 350*
Using a pizza cutter, slice the pointed end of each croissant triangle off at about the 1/3 mark. 
Then slice the top into 3-4 thin strips and the bottom 2/3 rectangle like portion into multiple thin strips.
Roll each thin strip around each lil smokie (it may look like very little dough, but it puffs up so much that any more would be too much).
Place each one onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I find the dark metal ones to be the best as the lighter silver ones don't reflect as well therefore don't allow the grease to burn off enough and the bottoms end up a bit soggy).
Do this until all your smokies are wrapped up in croissant strips.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the croissants are nicely browned.
Let cool a couple minutes, then serve.

*Major note...if you are having more than just a couple people over, make tons of these because they are always the first thing to disappear at my parties!

Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

                              Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
Diced carrots (about 10 baby carrots sliced)
Diced celery (3 small stalks or 2 medium)
Diced medium potato
Minced onion (about 1tbl)
1can healthy request cream chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheddar mix
2 tsp Thyme 
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tsp Paprika
3 cans 8 count croissants (or if you can find the croissant rolls that are uncut, then cut each large square into 4 squares)
2 tbl Butter

Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on chicken.
Melt butter in pan on medium high.
Sear chicken on both sides.
Lower heat to medium.
Slice chicken into strips and sear each side.
Dice chicken and mix with remaining ingredients.



Place back into pan and simmer for 10 minutes (or if you are in a rush, you can put in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high 5 minutes).





Take 2 croissant triangles together in squares and pinch seam together.
Place heaping spoonful into center and fold corners to center.







Pinch side shut and place on greased cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining croissants.
Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Ham and Swiss Mac n Cheese

                          Ham and Swiss Mac n Cheese

 Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temp to prevent curdling
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni or mini penne tubes, par cooked and drained (this means cook them for about five minutes until tender but not completely cooked), cooled to room temp to prevent curdling
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced ham
1 Tbl Paprika
8 oz shredded Swiss cheese
8 oz shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs toasted in pan with olive oil
 

 Whisk together milks, cooled butter, eggs and seasonings until combined and smooth.

Add Swiss, fontina, ham and cooled macaroni.
Stir together to coat the pasta.


 Sprinkle the parm on top and cover
Cook on LOW 2 1/2 hours (ok to keep on warm an addtl 1/2 hr but no more or it may curdle).





 Sprinkle toasted bread crumbs on top and serve.

Chicken Primavera Alfredo Lasagna

                       Chicken Primavera Alfredo Lasagna

Ingredients:
12 cooked lasagna noodles
2 jars Alfredo sauce
1/2 head finely chopped broccoli (about 2large stalks)
1/2 head finely chopped cauliflower
3 carrots shredded
2 boneless chicken breasts cut into 1" cubes
1 8 oz container ricotta cheese
2 bags shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2tbl Italian seasoning
Salt 
Pepper
Olive oil

Heat 2 Tbl olive oil over medium high heat in a large pan
Season chicken cubes with salt and pepper
Cook chicken cubes in pan (about 5 minutes each side) until golden brown on the outside and thoroughly cooked inside.
While chicken is cooking, steam cauliflower until very tender.

Put cooked cauliflower in a medium bowl and mash until very fine.
Add ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and italian seasoning to cauliflower and mix well.




 
Take cooked chicken and dice into small pieces.
Place chicken into a medium bowl and add broccoli, carrots, and 1 jar of Alfredo sauce, mixing well.





Preheat oven to 350*
In a 13x9 baking pan, pour half of the second jar of Alfredo sauce at the bottom, spreading it around to throughly cover the bottom of the pan. Place 3 lasagna noodles along the bottom.





Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, spreading it out to cover noodles
Spoon 1/3 of the chicken mixture on top of the ricotta mixture, spreading it out to cover the noodles.
Sprinkle 1/3 of one of the bags of mozzarella on top of the chicken. Place 3 more lasagna noodles on top and repeat the layers of ricotta, chicken and mozzarella. Repeat above step.

Place last 3 noodles on top, then pour remaining Alfredo sauce on top.  Sprinkle entire second bag of mozzarella cheese on top.  





 

Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.
Remove from oven, remove foil and then bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and sides are golden brown.
Let cool 5 minutes then serve.

Spider Lollipop Treats

With my favorite holiday right around the corner, I just had to make one of the crafts I recently found on my Disney Family Fun craft app for my IPad. I tweaked it just a little bit, but my son just had a blast making it, and has actually for once not fought me to eat a lollipop. This is a great craft to do at a kids Halloween party, for your kid's class, or to do with your kids and pass out on Halloween night to all the trick or treaters. So get your bag of dum dums or tootsie pops ready and get to crafting! Materials: 1 round lollipop black tempera paint (non toxic) 4 black pipe cleaners 2 googly eyes glue Take your 4 pipe cleaners and lay them side by side. Place the lollipop in the center of the pipe cleaners, with the first one flush against the lollipop. Wrap the pipe cleaners around the lollipop stick two times, ending with four "legs" sticking out of each side. Bend the pipe cleaners so that they resemble spider legs. Paint the lollipop wrapper and exposed stick with the black paint. Let dry Once dry, glue the googly eyes onto the lollipop wrapper, and you now have an adorable spider that even my kid won't eat.