Author: Chez Starz

I have a passion for food and travel. I am always looking for delicious recipes to cook and share with my family. This site is simply a way to share family recipes and those I find in cookbooks and online.

Scottie’s Taco Pizza

 

When my bf first told me about this pizza, I thought he was crazy. Turns out he is very much sane and this is absolutely delicious. My daughter really loves it. Very simple to make, absolutely delicious and vegetarian.

Ingredients;

  • Pre-made pizza crust (or make your own)
  • 1 can refried beans
  • Tortilla chips
  • Shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)
  • Sliced black olives
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Sourcream
  • Salsa

Directions;
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread beans on pizza crust, they do not need to be heated. Crush up tortilla chips and sprinkle with cheese and add sliced black olives. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with whatever you like; lettuce, tomato. sour cream, salsa, etc.

Blueberry Muffins with Banana Butter

 

I made these muffins last week and loved how the tops were crisp and the inside moist and sweet. The banana butter complemented fantastically. This recipe was found in the May 2013 issue of Food and Wine magazine. They are very simple to make.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients;

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Banana Butter

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 very ripe banana, sliced
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions;
1. Preheat the oven to 375° and fill 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter with the milk, both sugars, lemon zest and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are golden. Let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let cool on a rack.
3. In a food processor, puree the butter, banana, lemon juice and salt. Serve with the muffins.

Make Ahead
The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The butter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted caramelized cauliflower makes a great side dish. This recipe, found in the February 2013 issue of Bon Appetit magazine is delicious and simple to make.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 sliced medium onion
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
  • 3 TBS olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions;
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut cauliflower into florets. Toss on a large rimmed baking sheet with onion, thyme, garlic, oil, salt and pepper to taste. Roast, tossing occasionally, for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, toss to combine, roast another 10-12 minutes.

Brownies and Salted Caramel Sauce

I found this recipe on Bon Appetit via Twitter. It is very rich but these are the first homemade brownies I made that didn’t taste like chocolate cake. I loved it but my daughter felt the bittersweet chocolate makes it taste like dark chocolate brownies, so beware if you dislike dark chocolate flavor. The caramel sauce was easy to make and very yummy.

Brownies

Ingredients:

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder plus more for pan
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Caramel Sauce

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • Gray sea salt or flaky sea salt (such as Maldon; for serving)

Directions:

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Place butter, unsweetened chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring occasionally, until melted. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, espresso powder, kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder in another medium bowl; set aside.
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes; beat in vanilla. Fold in warm chocolate mixture, then dry ingredients, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake brownies until a tester inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let brownies cool in pan. Cut brownies into 16 squares.

Caramel Sauce and Assembly

Bring sugar and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until sugar is a deep amber color, 5-8 minutes. Remove caramel from heat.
Add cream and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) and whisk to combine. Let cool slightly in pan.
Drizzle caramel sauce over brownies and sprinkle with sea salt. DO AHEAD: Brownies can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep at room temp-erature. Caramel sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill. Reheat before using.

Corn Bread Muffins

Corn bread is a great side to serve with BBQ. Make some honey butter to spread on them and it’s even better. This is another recipe from America’s Best BBQ cookbook and the restaurant these delicious muffins come from is Branks BBQ & Catering in Sumner, Washington. They fall apart easily if you don’t let them cool as directed.

You can add chopped jalapeño and whole corn kernels (cooked) to make them even tastier.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 to 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 11 TBS butter, melted and cooled
  • Jalapeño (seeded and minced) – optional
  • Corn kernels (cooked, I used canned and sweet)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter 12 muffin cups. Combine all dry ingredients then sift into another bowl. In a separate bowl mix the buttermilk and egg together with a whisk. Whisk in the melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until incorporated, do not over mix. Pour into muffin cups and bake in middle rack for 15 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Slaughterhouse Five Ribs


This is the 2nd rib recipe I have placed on the website. The first called for most or all of the cooking time in the oven. This one is on the grill. BBQ weather has arrived and ribs are my all time favorite BBQ fare. This recipe is found in a BBQ cookbook called America’s Best BBQ. Slaughterhouse five ribs is a recipe feature from a restaurant called Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue and Catering in Kansas City in the above described book. It’s a basic rub but has the best flavor I’ve tried so far.

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBS white cane sugar
  • 1 TBS light brown sugar
  • 2 TBS Hungarian paprika
  • 2 TBS Lawry’s seasoned salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
  • 2 slabs spareribs

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Remove the membrane from the ribs, season the slabs all over with the rub. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Cook the ribs using indirect method. They are done when you can easily tear or pull ribs apart.

Smothered Porkchops

I know I have been incognito for awhile but I am ready to get back to sharing recipes and cooking! I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com by Tyler Florence. They are really easy to make, tender and delicious. My son approves. My daughter has decided to become a vegetarian, so I will be trying to make more meatless dishes and sharing them with you if they are pleasing to the palate.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

 

 

This recipe is from Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook. This book has healthy and low-cost meals. If you were able to watch his Food Revolution show you know how he went into homes within the USA and tried to coax them into eating healthier. He is truly an inspiration. Loved this recipe but I recommend adding more spice.

A note from Jamie;

“The crumbing technique is so versatile – you can prepare pork, turkey or even cod in exactly the same way. As there is olive oil in the crumb mixture, you can grill, fry, roast, or bake the meat dry in the oven and it will go lovely and golden.”

Ingredients;

  • 2 skinless chicken breast fillets (about 8 ounces each)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 lemons
  • 15 Saltine crackers (preferably unsalted tops)
  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 8 sprigs of fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg plus one egg white
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Cut each chicken breast into 2 equal pieces. Put a square of plastic wrap over each one and pound a few times with a mallet until they are more or less the same thickness. Peel the garlic and zest the lemons. Put your crackers into a food processor with the oil, garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest, and the salt and pepper. Blend until the mixture is very fine, then pour these crumbs onto a plate. (If using a blender, leave out the oil and chop the parsley roughly and the garlic finely. Add the garlic and parsley after the crackers are pretty much blitzed and mix in the oil once you’ve dumped the mixture onto a plate.)

Sprinkle the flour on to a second plate. Crack the egg into a small bowl, add the white, and beat with a fork. Lightly score the underside of the chicken breasts. Dip the chicken into the flour until both sides are completely coated, then dip into the egg and finally into the flavored crumbs. Push the crumbs on to the chicken breasts so they stick – you want the meat to be totally coated.

To cook your chicken:

Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (475°F). Place your chicken on a nonstick sheet pan. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, golden and crisp (no trace of pink at the center of the thickest part). You can check by making a small cut in a piece or two.

 

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

 

 

Merry Christmas! Christmas would not be complete without making gingerbread people. This recipe was found on simplyrecipes.com and is easy with tasty results.

Ingredients;

  • 1/2 cup un-sulfured molasses
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 Tbs ground ginger
  • 1 Tbs ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1  large egg, beaten
  • 3 1/4 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose four
    Directions;

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices, set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour on low speed. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set out 3 sheets of lightly floured parchment paper. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick and place on parchment paper. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out cookies. Cut dough into shapes and transfer to baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until firm to touch.