THANKSGIVING FEAST

Happy Thanksgiving!! Well, 6 days ago! I’m posting this later then what I wanted too but, none the less here it is!! This is the Thanksgiving feast that I cooked for Josh and I. A few years ago, when we were still dating, I started to cook “our” Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us a few days before Thanksgiving. So, for this year this is what I made. I hope you enjoy and I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as well!!

What I Made:

Cornish Hens

Mashed Potatoes

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

Sweet Potato Gratin

Cornish Hens

2 Cornish Hens

1 Onion

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Italian Dressing

I cooked the Cornish Hens in the oven for about an hour in a cast iron skillet. I put sliced onion on the bottom of the pan and put the hen on top. I rubbed the hen with butter; I even put some under its skin. I sprinkled salt and pepper and poured about ¼ cup of Italian dressing on each bird.

Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes

Milk

Butter

Salt

Pepper

I peeled, cubed, and boiled 4 potatoes. I blended them up with a half a stick of butter, ½ cup of milk, 2 teaspoons of salt, and a ½ teaspoon of pepper.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

Baby Carrots

Whiskey

Brown Sugar

Butter

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

First, I tossed about a bag of baby carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I then roasted them in the oven until tender. I then added a ½ cup of whiskey to a hot pan. Let the alcohol cook out and add 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is almost completely melted add ¼ cup of brown sugar. Add the carrots back in and coat.

Sweet Potato Gratin

Sweet Potatoes

Cream

Syrup

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Brown Sugar

Flower

Butter Pecans

Thinly slice 3 sweet potatoes and layer in a casserole pan. In a stock pot add in 1 cup of cream, 3 tablespoons of syrup, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. Bring to a boil and then pour over sweet potatoes. In a bowl combine ½ stick of cold butter cubed, ½ cup of four, ¼ cup of brown sugar, and ½ cup of chopped pecans. Combine with hands until crumbly. Add over the sweet potatoes and cook of 375° for 30 minutes.

I hope you all enjoy this menu and try some of the recipes.

-SW 

Onion Rings

The best onion rings I have ever had are my homemade onions rings. I know that sounds conceded but, it is true. I think it is the way I layer the flavor throughout every step. Seriously, these are the best onion rings I have had. Plus, I make this delicious dip for them too. The dip was created this July with the help of my family. So let’s get down to business…

What You’ll Need for the Onion Rings:

Italian Bread Crumbs

Panko Bread Crumbs

Salt

Pepper

Eggs

Sweet Onion

Flour

What You’ll Need for the Onion Ring Dip:

¼ Cup Mayonnaise

¼ Cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons of Sour Cram

1 Teaspoons of Tabasco Sauce

¼ Teaspoon of Salt

½ Teaspoon of Pepper

What You’ll Do for the Onion Rings:

Ø  First, slice the sweet onion into rings.

Ø  Then crack your eggs into a bowl. *I added a little water to mine*

Ø  Next, put your flour on a paper plate. Also, add about a teaspoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon of pepper.

Ø  On another paper plate add half Italian bread crumbs and Panko bread crumbs.

Ø  Set up your station so that your onions will be tossed in flour first, dipped in egg secondly, and tossed in bread crumbs last.

Ø  Repeat that until all of the onion rings have been coated.

Ø  Next, I deep dry my onion rings. You can pan fry if you do not have a deep fryer. *Fry until the bread crumbs are golden brown*

Ø  Put, oven on warm and keep your fried onion rings on a cookie sheet in a warm oven until all of the onion rings have been fried.

What You’ll Do for the Onion Ring Dip:

Ø  Mix together all of the ingredients into a bowl.

Ø  Make it as spicy and hot as you want with the Tabasco Sauce.

Like I said above, this onion ring recipe is layer upon layer of flavor and I think that is why it is so good. Plus the mix of Italian bread crumbs and Panko bread crumbs give them flavor as well as being super crunchy. Also, the cleanup is easy too because we used paper plates for the breading! I really hope you try this, they are soooooo good! 

Enjoy!

-SW

SUSHI

Hope everyone is staying warm! For this week’s Dinner at the Weavers, we’ve tried to broaden our horizon, we made homemade sushi! To be honest, it is pretty easy, but takes a lot of practice. From this experience, it definitely isn’t a meal I would make often but, something I would do to entertain guest.  

What You’ll Need:

Rice

Nori

Crab Meat

Green Pepper

Mushrooms

Spinach

Carrots

Celery

What You’ll Do:

v  Before you start anything, you need to cut your vegetables and cook your rice. The rice needs to be sticky, add a little more water than the package says. Also, your vegetables need to be very thin strips.

v  Getting the nori slightly wet, smoosh down about two tablespoons of rice. Make sure you leave about a half an inch at the end rice free.

v  Layer in the vegetables. If you do not like any of the vegetable I have chosen then use anything you would like. Below is a link for other sushi recipes.

v  Now roll the sushi up towards the end without rice.

v  With wet hands, make sure the end is combining to the roll and won’t unravel.

v  Net cut the sushi roll into bit size sections.

I know these directions are a bit vague but, here is some links that will help you more. I am no sushi master but it’s fun and inexpensive to make!

How to Make Sushi

Sushi Recipes

Hope you enjoyed this week’s attempt to broaden our horizon. J

-SW

Soft Taco Casserole

Happy Halloween!! Even though this post is a few days late due to Halloween festivities, I hope you still enjoy it! Josh and I had Soft Taco Casserole. Anything and everything that deals with tacos goes into this lovely dish J It is so good! If you love tacos you are in for a good treat and a change of the norm!!

What You’ll Need:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 small can of green chilies

1 medium jar of salsa

1 can of refried beans

1 small container of sour cream

2 avocados

1 bag of cheese

1 bag of tortillas

What You’ll Do:

Ø  First, add you ground beef, chopped onion, and minced garlic to a skillet. Cook until the meat has no pink and the onions are translucent.

Ø  Next, add the taco seasoning mix with the amount of water that the back of the package says. Also, add in the green chilies at this time.  

Ø  Next, it is time to layer everything in a casserole dish. First, you will add a layer of tortillas and then a layer of refried beans.

Ø  Another layer of tortillas, layer of ground beef, tortillas, salsa, tortillas, sour cream, cubed avocado, tortilla, and cheese.

Ø  Lastly, I took my last tortilla and cut it in the shape of a pumpkin.

Ø  Bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes. You want the top to be bubbly and the top tortilla to be crispy.

I hope you all enjoy this Halloween inspired Dinner at the Weavers. Also, you can make this dish for any event or holiday. For Valentine’s Day you could do a heart instead of a pumpkin. Or a Christmas tree or cross for Holiday Parties. The creative possibilities are endless!!

Enjoy,

-SW

Creamy Crescent Chicken Ring

Hello Everyone! For this edition of Dinner at the Weavers, I have picked one of my mom’s go-to dinners. She got this recipe from a women’s world magazine, I’m pretty sure. But, it doesn’t matter because it is so good, ha. J Once Josh and I got married, I was searching for some new dinner options and this one came to mind. It is super easy and super yummy, just the thing for the Weavers.

What You’ll Need:

2 cans of Crescent Rolls

2 cans of Chicken, drained

1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 medium Red Pepper, chopped

2 stalks of Celery, chopped

1 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Salt

Pepper

What You’ll Do:

• First, combine soup, chicken, onion, garlic, celery, red pepper, cheese, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Next, place the crescent rolls with the longest points facing out. 

• Then, spoon the chicken mixture onto the crescent rolls. Make sure you do not over pack.

• Now, take the longest points of the crescent rolls and tuck them over the chicken mixture; making a ring.

• Bake the ring according to the directions on the crescent roll's tube. It might take a couple minutes longer depending on your oven.

Yepp, that’s it. Just 5 steps and its done! This dish is the perfect meal to toss in the week to change things up. Like I mentioned above, it is so yummy! I normally serve this with a simple side salad J

Enjoy

-SW

Chicken Salad

Hello everyone, I am so sorry that I have not posted in a long time. I have been very busy these past few weeks. So, here it is chicken salad. Now, I am very weird when it comes to fruit and proteins mixing and I also don’t like fruit in a lettuce based salad. I just think it’s weird. So, in a million years I would never add grapes or apples to my chicken salad. But, when Arby’s came out with their chicken salad-that contained grapes and apples-I wanted to try to make it. Their commercials looked sooo good. I ended up going to Arby’s and tried it. It was so good-So why not make it….

What You’ll Need:

5 Cooked Chicken Breast

2 Apples-Peeled

1 Cup of Pecan-Chopped

2 Stalks of Celery-Chopped

½ Red Onion-Chopped

1 ½ Cups of Grapes-Halved

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

1 Cup of Mayo

Salt

Pepper

What You’ll Do:

Ø  First, cook the chicken in either the oven or on a skillet.

Ø  Meanwhile, chop the apples, grapes, nuts, celery, and red onion.

Ø  Ounce, the chicken is done cooking and has cooled down. Add everything to one bowl.

Ø  Add in the lemon juice, mayo, and salt and pepper to taste.

Ø  You can either it right away or refrigerate and eat when chilled.

Ø  Lastly, enjoy!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe. Also, I hope you don’t have a problem with mixing proteins with fruit and vegetables. I know, I’m weird!

--SW

Shrimp and Crab Kabobs

For tonight’s dinner, I was feeling very adventurous. This is what I call ‘Shrimp and Crab Kabobs’. This is the first time I have made this type of kabob, and it is basically something that popped in my head. This all started because I was craving shrimpJ. These are super good and super easy too. They are also a fun way to entertain as well. These kabobs are also a heathier option for someone who is watching what they eat. I hope you all enjoy!

Fun Fact: Who has never heard of shish kabob? In Turkish, shish kebab, literally means “gobbets of meat roasted on a spit or skewers.” It is said that shish kebab was born over the open field fires of the soldiers of the Turkic tribes that first invaded Anatolia, who used their swords to grill meat.

What You’ll Need:

8 Shish Kabob Sticks

1 Package of Medium Shrimp

1 Package of Imitation Crab Meat

1 Yellow Squash

1 Red Onion

1 Red Bell Pepper

Teriyaki Sauce

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

What You’ll Do:

ü  First, you need to thaw out the shrimp. Once the shrimp have thawed, you need to de-tail them. You can leave the tails on but, I personally like it better with the tails off.

ü  Next, you need to marinate the shrimp in the teriyaki sauce. You can do this from any range of 24 hours to 1 hour.

ü  Next, you need to prep the vegetables. You need to cut the squash into slices, the bell pepper into larger than bite size pieces, and cut the onion into larger than bite size pieces too.

ü  Now it is time to skewer. You can do this any way you would like, the pattern of shrimp, crab, pepper, onion, and squash does not matter.

ü  Once all of the ingredients have been skewered it is time to cook.

ü  You can either do this on a grill, in a large skillet, or on a grill pan.

ü  Season the skewers with salt and pepper and then coat with olive oil.

ü  Cook the skewers until the shrimp are pink and there are beautiful grill marks on the vegetables and crab.  

ü  Lastly, enjoy!

As you can see, this is a beautiful dish. The grilling brings out the natural sweetness of the veggies. Which, pair nicely with the Asian influenced shrimp and the sweetness of the crabmeat. This dish is fun to eat and fun to share with a crowd!

Serve With: Rice or pasta.

Prep Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1hour and 25 minutes

Total Number of Servings: 4

Price of Whole Dish:$14.67

Price per Person:$3.66

Please enjoy!!

-SW

Chili Dogs

I have lived in Fort Wayne going on four years now. When I first moved to Fort Wayne, everyone told me I had to go to Coney Island in downtown Fort Wayne. Personally, I am weird when it comes to Coney/Chili dogs. I believe it goes back to when I was in high school and it was an option in the lunch line-it just did not look appetizing. But, for four years when you have multiple people tell me, “YOU HAVE TO GO TO CONEY ISLAND.” I finally broke down. My husband and I made a date of it and we walked into the nearly 100 year old business. I have to say the Coney dog was pretty darn good. It made me wonder if I could take on this challenge of making a pretty darn good dog myself. Well folks, this is what I bring to you today-CHILI DOGS! Yes, I said it, Chili dog… not a Coney dog…

Fun Fact: The difference between a Chili dog and Coney dog is a Chili dogs has beans and a Coney dog is a meat sauce without the beans.

What You’ll Need:

1 pound of Ground Beef

1 medium Onion

2 cloves of Garlic

1 4oz can of Green Chilies

2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste

1 can of Kidney Beans

1 teaspoon of Salt

½ teaspoon of Pepper

1 teaspoon of Onion Powder

1 teaspoon of Garlic Salt

2 tablespoons of Chili Powder

½ cup of Water

1 package of Hot Dogs

1 package of Hot Dog Buns

1 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

What You’ll Do:

ü  First, mince the garlic and set off to the side. Also, chop your onion. Save half of the chopped onion for a topping for the Chili dog.

ü  In a skillet on medium heat, add your garlic, onion, and ground beef. Cook until done-no pink showing.

ü  Next add, all of the seasonings, green chilies, and kidney beans.

ü  Then, add the tomato paste. Let the paste cook out and diffuse through the dish.

ü  Next, add the water and stir together. Let everything come to a boil and reduce the heat to low.

ü  Meanwhile, you can cook your hotdog any way you would like. I cooked my dogs on a grill pan for my stove. You can boil your dogs, cook them in a skillet, or zap them in the microwave.

ü  Also, I steamed my buns. To accomplish that, get a paper towel wet and rinse out the excess water. Next, wrap the paper towel around the hotdog bun and microwave for 10-15 seconds.

ü  To build your Chili dog, first, put your dog in the steamed bun and top with the sauce. Then, add toppings to your liking. I used chopped onion and cheddar cheese.

ü  Lastly, enjoy!

            This recipe is so versatile, feel free to do whatever makes you happy. Iif that is leaving out the ground meat then do so. Or switching out the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken is a great idea. Make this recipe your own by adding your own toppings. The options are endless.

Serve With: French Fries, Chips, Fresh Fruit, Mac-N-Cheese, or Fresh Veggies.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Full Process: 25 minutes

Total Number of Servings: 8

Price of Whole Dish: $9.12

Price per Person: $1.14

Please Enjoy!!

-SW