Chili Pistachio Pesto

Chili Pistachio Pesto

by Nanny Bubby

I love pesto and I love this pesto recipe. Here’s why: Sometimes if you are having a lot of dairy in your main course, dairy in an appetizer is just overwhelming. One family meal I was serving Caprese Salad, Eggplant Parmesan as a main course, and Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. Way too much dairy. I had already decided to make a pesto crostini for appetizer but the thought of more dairy was just way too much. Probably all the other dairy was way too much at one meal, too, but it was too late. My fix? I left the parmesan out and discovered a pesto that is great for fish, meat and crostini, even pasta. Hope you love it as much as we do, and the chili flavored pistachios are a home run.

Total Time:

15 minutes

Serves:

5

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano or ½ tsp. fresh oregano chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 1 ½ c. basil chopped
  • ½ c. chili roasted pistachio nuts you can find them at Whole Foods or Costco
  • 1/3 c. olive oil

Directions

  • In a food processor (Cuisinart works best but use what you have), combine all of the ingredients except the oil and blend until everything is fully chopped and combined.
  • While the blender is running, slowly pour the oil through the food tube and watch it all come together.
  • That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

Notes

Tip: This makes a great topping for a mild white fish.

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Chicken Crepes

Chicken Crepes

by Nanny Bubby

This is an old 70s recipe that was given to me years ago by my college roommate. I don’t ever remember making it with her in our apartment, but I suspect that when I visited her home her mother made this for me, and I fell in love with it. When I got married and first began entertaining, I used this recipe over and over again. It was the only thing I could cook, and as long as whoever was coming had never eaten it before, it was my go-to recipe. All these years later, it is still a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!

Total Time:

1 hour 30 minutes

Serves:

7

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts and thigh combination
  • 1 ½ c. chicken stock
  • 1 sweet yellow onion diced
  • ¼ c. butter
  • 3 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 c. Half & Half
  • 1 Tbs. curry
  • 1 c. raisins
  • Entrée Crepe Ingredients
  • 1 c. whole milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 c. flour

Directions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  • Directions for the Curried Chicken:
  • Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and place in a Pyrex dish with chicken stock. Cover tightly and bake for one hour.
  • Sauté the onion in the butter and add the flour. Stir with a wooden or silicone spoon until smooth.
  • Add the Half & Half slowly and stir until it begins to thicken. Add the curry and raisins off the heat.
  • Set aside about 1/4 of the sauce. Once the chicken has cooled shred and add the chicken into the rest of the sauce. Mix thoroughly.
  • Direction for the Entrée Crepes:
  • Combine the milk, eggs and flour and mix well. Let the batter stand 30 minutes before frying.
  • Using either a crepe maker or a 6-inch sauté pan, spray with avocado oil and place a thin coat of crepe mixture in the pan. Turn when bubbling like a pancake the whole process should take no more than three minutes per crepe.
  • Combining and Rolling
  • Place about 2 Tbsp. of the curry chicken mixture onto a crepe and roll. Place each rolled crepe into a large baking dish and, when the dish is full, cover with the remaining sauce.
  • Tip: At this point the crepes can be covered and refrigerated as a make ahead dish. When ready to reheat, place in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with raisins and parsley for color.

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Halloween Mac N’ Cheese

Halloween Mac N’ Cheese

by Nanny Bubby

I love the autumn. Living in Las Vegas my whole life there was always a celebration when the heat finally broke in mid-September. This makes October and November the two best months of the year. The nights are cool, the days are warm, not HOT and the city feels at peace. I love all of the autumn holidays, and especially find Thanksgiving to be my favorite holiday of the year. For Halloween, usually the end of October is when the nights begin to feel really cold. This is a warm and hearty meal to walk into and enjoy eating once your nose becomes too cold to stay out. Enjoy!

Total Time:

3 hours 30 minutes

Serves:

Ingredients

  • Ingredients for the “Mac O’Laterns”
  • 6 orange bell peppers (tops cut off and seeds and membranes removed
  • Place in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes and then immediately place in ice bath to stop cooking.
  • Carve a Jack O’ Lantern face into the pepper.
  • Ingredients for the Mac N’ Cheese
  • 2 2/3 c. water
  • 2 2/3 c. milk
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • ½ tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1 ½ c. sharp cheddar cheese grated
  • ½ c. grated Pecorino Romano if you do not care for this taste or your kids don’t, just add an extra ½ cup of the cheddar or parmesan
  • ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
  • 16 oz. bag of organic elbow macaroni noodles

Directions

  • Slowly bring the water, milk, butter and kosher salt to a slow rolling boil.
  • Add the full bag of pasta stirring until the liquid comes to a boil again.
  • Adjust the heat to keep a slow steady boil and cook the pasta for one minute more than indicated on the box. Do not drain the pasta.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in the cheeses and paprika. Taste to adjust the salt and pepper to your families liking. The Mac N’ Cheese will be very liquidly, this is normal. Let stand with the top on for at least 10 minutes so the pasta can absorb all the liquid before serving.
  • Pour the cooked macaroni into the Mac O’Lanterns and cover with the tops. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you are out trick or treating and come home to a warm and hearty meal.

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Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

by Nanny Bubby

I love a great pasta salad. I love it at an outdoor barbeque or at a Sunday sports party. It is so inviting. To me it feels like love in a bowl. Everyone enjoys it – kids and adults alike. Hope you think so too. Enjoy!

Total Time:

1 hour

Serves:

7

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. rotini curly pasta
  • 1 English cucumber cut lengthwise and seeded, then chopped into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 heirloom or beefsteak tomato seeded and chopped
  • 4 scallions minced white and green parts
  • 1 bell pepper red, yellow, or orange, chopped in ½-inch pieces
  • ¼ c. basil minced (reserve 1 Tbsp. for garnishing the top before serving)
  • 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. celery seed
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsps. black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. sesame seed
  • 1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
  • For the Salad Dressing:
  • ½ c. EVOO
  • ¼ c. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ¼ tsp. Herbs de Provence

Directions

  • Prepare the Rotini pasta per directions on package but cook one minute less than package directions.
  • Chop all of the necessary vegetables and then combine pasta and all ingredients in one large bowl.
  • Mix the salad dressing and poor liberally onto the salad mixture and toss. This can be done an hour before serving and placed back into the refrigerator.

Notes

Tip: If you do place it back in the fridge before serving, when you take it out reserve a good ¼ C. of dressing to re-toss the salad with as the pasta will absorb the dressing while resting a bit too much and it will taste slightly dry. Once you add the other dressing it springs right back.

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Savory Palmiers

Savory Palmiers

Savory Palmiers Recipe Adapted From Barefoot Contessa 1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry...

Thanksgiving Cheese Ball

Thanksgiving Cheese Ball

by Nanny Bubby

I love the Autumn. In Las Vegas the best months of the year are September, October and November. It is cool and beautiful and everyone comes outside, finally, after a long hot summer. I use this recipe for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Jewish Holiday called Sukkot, which usually falls in October. Any excuse to celebrate the Autumn, harvest moons and cooler nights – I am ready! Enjoy! With this, we always, "Spread Love Like Butter".

Total Time:

30 minutes

Serves:

9

Ingredients

  • 3 c. orange cheese puffs
  • 2 lbs. cream cheese at room temperature (softened)
  • 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
  • ¼ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ c. chives chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bell pepper with a long stem that looks like a pumpkin
  • crackers for serving

Directions

  • Put the cheese puffs in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow plate.
  • Combine the softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chives, parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine.
  • Mold the mixture into a ball, pressing the top of the ball with your hand to flatten it.
  • With the flat side of your thumb, carve lines down the sides of the ball to resemble a pumpkin.
  • Roll the cheese ball in the ground cheese puffs.
  • Remove the entire bell pepper stem with a paring knife and put it on top of the cheeseball as the pumpkin stem. Seed and slice the bell pepper.
  • Serve the cheeseball on a plate with crackers and slices of bell pepper. Enjoy!

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