Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Mayo

                                                                                                                                             

Pre-heated oven to 425 degrees

3 Sweet potatoes( peeled and cut into fries)

3 T cornstarch

2 T Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Mayo

½ c mayo

1 t Sriracha sauce

¼ t cayenne pepper

Cut potatoes into fries. Place cornstarch in a zip lock bag. Add potatoes and cornstarch to bag. Toss fries until coated. Place on baking sheet (do not crowd fries or they will not get crisp) and cook 20 minutes, flip and cook 5-10 minutes longer.

Black Bean, Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado Salad & Lime Cilantro Dressing

                                                                                                                     
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob

2 red bell peppers, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced shallots 

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 Hass avocados, diced

Directions

  

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired.  Serve at room temperature!

Chocolate Brandy Cherries

                                                                                                                   

1 large container of stemed Maraschino cherries(Sam's club)

1 box of Wilton's ready to used rolled white fondant (Michael's)
liqueur of your choice ( I have used Whiskey and Creme Sherry) my next choice will be Black cherry liqueur
Ghirardelli dipping chocolate
parchment lined cookie sheet

Drain 1/2 of the cherry juice and reserve for another use. Add liqueur to cherries and cure for 2 weeks (in refrigerator). Cherries must be well dried or the fondant will melt. Drain cherries on a towel(reserve juice for cakes and such) and rotate to be sure to get all the moisture. I usually drain my cherries for several hours. Separate fondant into manageable pieces, keeping unused fondant in a sealed ziplock, pinch off a marble size piece and roll between fingers to flatten, needs to be the size to fit around the cherry. Do in batches, a batch is what ever amount fits on the cookie sheet. Wrap cherries and seal around the stem. Let wrapped cherries dry while you finish your batch. I usually wrap all my cherries and put in the refrigerator. I dip the cherries in batches also. Dipping chocolate will not tolerate any liquid, it looses it's dipping quality. After all cherries are dipped, put in an airtight container and let them cure a couple of days so that the fondant will become creamy. Enjoy!

Foil Pack Chicken Stack

                                                                                                                                        

 4 Boneless skinless chicken breast (season with season salt) pounded thin

 1 family size broccoli rice cheese steam bag 

 1/2 cup half and half

 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese 

 4 slices cooked bacon; crumbled 

 4 tbs. Ranch dressing 

- 400 degree oven

- Spray 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil with oil.

- Place  chicken on the center of each foil sheet.

- Top chicken with rice/broccoli mixture.

- Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese and 1 slice of bacon, crumbled.

- Drizzle with 1 T. ranch dressing

- Spoon a little half and half on top each chicken stack

- Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside

- Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake 20 min.

- Remove packets and let stand 5 min.

- Cut sits in foil for steam before opening

Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

                                                                                                                                               

2 cups (8 oz.) dry penne pasta

8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1 can of (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk

2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

PREPARE pasta according to package directions, adding sun-dried tomatoes to boiling pasta water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain.

MEANWHILE, COMBINE evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder and pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

ADD pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to cheese sauce; stir until combined.