Vikki's Chicken Parm Pizza

Make the crust.  

Mix together

2 lbs. ground chicken
2 eggs

Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
Italian bread crumbs (about 1 cup)

Orgeano, Salt and Pepper

I used a a 13 x 9 cookie sheet lined with Parchment paper.  Mix the ground chicken, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, bread crumbs and salt and pepper.

Spread and flatten the crust mixture on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with a little more bread crumbs.

Spray with Pam and then bake in the oven at 400 for about 25-30 min.

Once the crust is done. Top with marinara sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and shredded mozzarella.  Sprinkle with some oregano.

Put back in the oven and back until cooked, cheese is melty and looks like a pizza.  

Vikki's Cajun Shrimp and Corn Chowder

 We love this recipe. Total comfort food on a cold day.

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.
Kosher Salt
2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning
Black pepper
6 Slices bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
1 lb. yellow potatoes, chopped
4 cups low salt chicken broth
Thyme
2 Green onions, sliced
3 cups frozen corn
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp papria

In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove from pot and drain on paper towel.
Sprinkle shrimp with cajun seasoning on a plate.
Cook shrimp in bacon fat until no longer pink.  Remove from pot.  Discard bacon grease.
Melt butter and saute onions for 5 minutes (or until soft).  Add garlic and flour.  Stir.
Add potatoes, thyme, green onions and chicken brother.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Add corn, cream and paprika and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add shrimp and chopped bacon. Serve.

Vikki's Crinkle Dessert

So easy and you won't be able to stop eating this...

Phyllo Dough (looks like this picture).  2 rolls come in this package.  You will use 1 roll.
2 sticks, unsalted melted butter

Custard
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp.vanilla
1-tsp. cinnamon (We used 1 tsp and we liked it, but not all Crinkle recipes have cinnamon).

Simple Syrup
1 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
Cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350.

Brush some melted butter on a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.  The pan matters.  A glass one worked best for me.

Take the 2 Phyllo sheets at a time.  Crinkle them like an accordion and lay them in the pan side by side.  Make sure it's 2 sheets or this won't come out.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove Phyllo dish and spread melted butter over it evenly.  Bake another 10 minutes.

Make the custard.  Mix all ingredients with a whisk until combined.

After the Phyllo dish has baked for the second round of baking, take out of the oven and pour the custard over the Phyllo.  Bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown.  

Make the simple syrup.  You want this to get a little thick.  I boiled it for a bit and then let it sit and it thickened a bit. However, a little cornstarch stirred in helps to thicken it up.  I ended up using about 3/4 tsp. adding and stirring a little at a time until it thickened to the consistency I wanted.

Pour most of the simple syrup over the Crinkle Dessert, but leave a little in the saucepan.  The syrup in the sauce pan we thicken more and turn a whitish color. (Reminds me of Ma's Honey-dipped Donuts).  Put the rest of that on top of the dessert.  

Vikki's Buffalo Chicken Tenders

2 lbs. chicken tenders.  (I couldn't find them, so used 2 large breasts and cut them into thick strips)
1 cup flour
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
Buffalo Wing Sauce

Preheat oven to 400.  Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.  (I prefer parchment paper).  

Put flour in a bowl or Ziploc bag and put chicken in the bag and shake to coat.

Prepare 2 separate bowls.

Whisk egg and milk in one bowl.  Mix bread crumbs, paprika, garlic power and salt in another bowl.

Dip chicken into the egg mixture and then the bread crumb mixture.  Please on baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn them over.  Bake for another 10 minutes (or until done).

Remove from oven and brush with Buffalo chicken sauce.  Put back in over for another 3-4 minutes.

Vikki's Baked Ravioli with Vodka Cream Sauce

I saw this basic recipe on Tik Tok, but have since perfected it and here it is.  Makes a lot, so be ready for yummy leftovers.  A comforting dish that everyone will love.  So easy too.

What you will need.........

2 Tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic minced

1 cup vodka

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. Oregano

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. fresh, chopped basil

1-36 oz. package of ravioli.  You have some flexibility with this.  You can use frozen or fresh.  Any kind too (cheese, meat, mushroom, spinach..whatever you prefer).  The first time I made this we used Portobello Mushroom raviolis from BJs, as we wanted meatless.

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup Peccorino-Romano cheese.  ** Use Parmesan, if you prefer **

Chopped, fresh parsley

Seasoned Panko Breadcrumbs

1/2 stick butter

Make the Sauce

Melt 2 tbsp. butter and sauce onion until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add red pepper and carefully add the vodka and simmer. uncovered until liquid is reduced by half.  About 5-6 minutes.  

Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, black pepper oregano.  Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Taste.  If too bitter, add a little more sugar, salt and black pepper. 

Whisk the basil and heavy cream into the tomato sauce.  Set aside.

Cook ravioli's according to package directions and drain.  ***You want them to be al dente, as there will be some baking of this dish.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a 19x 13 baking dish.  Spread some sauce at the bottom.  Add a layer of ravioli.  Then sauce.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella and pecorino-romano cheese.  Repeat with another layer of ravioli, sauce

and cheeses.

Once put together, top with a generous amount of the Panko bread crumbs.  Don't hold back on this, as this makes a nice crunchy crust to this dish.  Cut up the 1/2 stick of butter into squares and place on top of the last layer of ravioli.  

Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and the top is golden and appears baked on top.

Buon Appetito!!!!

Vikki's Chuck Roast

Sear a Chuck roast in a very hot cast iron skillet in a little olive oil.  Salt and pepper it. After all sides are seared, put it in the crock pot.   Add 2 cups of beef broth to the skillet, stir it around.  Add a sliced onion. (you can add carrots and celery if you want).  Add 1 brown gravy packet, 1 dry ranch packet, some garlic powder and paprika.  Pour that over the Chuck roast and cook on low for 8 hours.

Vikki's Baked Scallops

 2 lbs. Sea Scallops
1 tsp. Thyme
1/2 cup Buttermilk
20 Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter
1 lemon (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, season the scallops with salt and pepper.  Add thyme and buttermilk and toss to coat. 

Evenly place the scallops in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle the cracker crumbs over top and then top with the melted butter.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, squeeze lemon over top (optional)

Vikki's Cajun Rice

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small green bell pepper diced
• 1 small red bell pepper diced
• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 1 rib celery diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• salt & black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice [I used Basmatic Rice]
• 5 cups low sodium chicken stock or water
• 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning adjust to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Instructions

1.                In a large stove top saucepan, over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage until no pink remains. Drain excess fat reserving 3 Tbsp in the pan.

2.                Deglaze the pan with Worcestershire sauce scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the diced veggies and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3.                Cook for 5-7 minutes until the veggies begin to soften and brown.

4.                Add the rice. Stir the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes until it begins to brown.

5.                Add the chicken stock, creole seasoning and bay leaves. Lower the temperature and simmer over medium-low heat covered for 25 minutes.

6.                Cook until the rice is fully tender and the broth has been absorbed.

7.                Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Keep covered until serving.

Vikki's Split Pea Soup

 This is best made with a leftover meaty ham bone.

1 package (16 oz) dried yellow split peas
8 cups water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubes
2 large onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 cups cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped celery
5 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt

In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat. Cover. Simmer 1/1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until peas and vegetables are tender.  

Vikki's Cannoli Cake

Ingredients
1 16 oz. “family size” store bought frozen pound cake (see notes)
1 15 oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 12 oz. bag mini chocolate chips, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. heavy whipping cream, divided
3/4 c. powdered sugar



If your cake isn’t frozen, place in the freezer.

 
Place 1 cup of the heavy whipping cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 90 seconds. Add 1 cup of the mini chocolate chips. Let sit for two minutes and then stir until the chocolate is all melted and the mixture is smooth. If the chocolate isn’t melting all the way after stirring, microwave the mixture in 15 second increments until smooth, stirring in between. Place in the refrigerator.

 
Place the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined and smooth. Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

 
Using an immersion blender or hand beaters, beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. (If you are using an immersion blender, place the cream in a tall-sided container.) Add half of the whipped cream to the ricotta mixture and gently fold in. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Set cannoli filling aside.

 
Cut the frozen pound cake into 1/4 inch slices using a serrated knife. Layer some of the cake pieces into an 8 x 8 inch pan so the bottom is completely covered in one layer of cake. Depending on the size and shape of the cake pieces, you may need to trim some of the pieces to fit. It’s ok if the pieces overlap slightly. If they do, give them a gently press down into the pan.

 
Add half of the cannoli filling on top of the bottom cake layer and spread it so the filling is even. Add another layer of cake to the top. If you see gaps between the filling and top layer of cake, gently press the cake pieces down so the cake adheres to the filling underneath. (If you are using an opaque baking pan and can’t see the layers on the side, gently press the corners down just in case!)

 
Repeat this process by adding the remaining filling and one more layer of cake on top.

 
Retrieve the ganache from the fridge and stir until smooth. Pour all of the ganache over the top and smooth out with a spoon if necessary. Top with as many of the remaining mini chocolate chips as you like. Place in the fridge for a minimum of three hours. Cover the cake after it has been in the fridge for 15 minutes; this allows the ganache to firm up so the cover will be less likely to stick.

I used Sara Lee Pound Cake (Freezer section at the Grocery Store). There will be some left over if you use the 16 oz. cake. If you can’t find the 16 oz. pound cake, you can buy 2 regular size Sara Lee (10.75 oz) frozen pound cakes; you will have about half of the second one left over. Or, you can buy any pound cake or make your own. I used about 12 oz. of cake in total, but if you are buying a non-frozen cake of a different brand or making your own, buy a little extra to make sure you don’t run out in case your cake is denser or you cut your slices thicker.

The Best Portuguese New England Clam Boil

A summertime favorite.  All other clam boils will be bland compared to this.

Note:  You will need 2 large pots.

Serves 6

Ingredients

5 qts clams
2 lbs. linguica
12 hot dogs
18 sausages (the small links)
6 medium potatoes
6 medium onions
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp. wine vinegar
parsley
3 Tbsp. crushed red pepper (the liquid Portuguese kind).  See below.
Salt and pepper taste (I usually don't add more)

1. Cleaning the clams.  In a large pot, clean clams by filling the pot with water to cover the clams and sprinkling with cornmeal.  Leave for a about an hour.  Rinse out and brush the clams removing any leftover cornmeal or anything stuck to the shells.

2.  Pour 6 cups cold water into a 6 qt. pot.  Wash potatoes and halve them.  Clean the onions and slice the linguica into 3" pieces.  Add to the pot with the sausage, bay leaf, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.

3.  Put the clams in another pot, placing the hot dogs on top of the clams.  Add the wine, crushed red pepper and parsley.

4. When the pot with the potatoes, linguica, sausage comes to a boil.  Pour 1/2 of the broth into the pot with the clams.

5.  Lower heat on the pot with the potatoes, but keep boiling.  Items in this pot are done when the onion is soft.

6.  Keep cooking the clams at a boil until the hot dogs open.

7.  When cooked.  Wait 15 minutes.  Place all ingredients on serving platter.  Serve with cups of hot broth from the pot with the clams.

Vikki's Double Coated Air Fried Chicken

1 3/4 cups of Corn Flake Crumbs
1 egg
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 lbs. chicken pieces (we prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs)

Place corn flake crumbs in shallow dish.

In mixing bowl, combine egg and milk.  In a second bowl, add flour salt and pepper.   In a third bowl, add the corn flake crumbs.

Dip chicken in egg/milk mixture and then in the flour.

Dip in chicken in egg/milk mixture again.   Then, in corn flake crumbs until coated.

Your chicken is now double coated.  Your hands will be a mess.

Let sit for our about 15 minutes.

Spray cooking spray in air fryer.  Add chicken and spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray. 

Cook in air fryer for about 6-7 minutes each side. 

French Canadian Meat Pie

This recipe brings back many childhood memories, when it was made for special occasions, like Christmas Eve.  Mom and Memere would be proud.  Bon Appetit!

Crust
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, sliced, frozen
7 Tbsp. iced cold water
2 tsp. distilled, white vinegar

Spice Blend
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground all spice
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/8 tsp. ground cloves (easy on this)
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Filling

1 large Russet potato, peeled and quartered
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 pinch salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup potato cooking water, more as needed.

Egg Wash

1 large egg
1 Tbsp. water

Directions:

Place flour, salt and frozen butter slices into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse off and on until the butter is the size of peas.  Stir the vinegar into the cold water in a small dish.  Drizzle into the flour mixture.  Pulse on and off until the dough holds together when you pinch it.  Add more water as needed.  Note:  I finished this off in my Kitchen Aid with the tool that makes dough.

Transfer mixture to a work surface.  Press together until you have a lump of dough.  Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, mustard, cloves and cayenne pepper in a little dish. Set aside.

Place potato quarters in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add 1 tsp. of Kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10-15 minutes).  When potatoes are tender, scoop out potato and mash the potato.  Keep the water you cooked the potato in.  You will need this later.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet.  Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt.  Cook and stir over medium heat until onions are golden.  Around 10-15 minutes.  

Stir in celery, garlic and spice blend into the onion mixture until well blended. Add ground beef and ground pork.  Ladle 3/4 cup of the potato liquid into the meat mixture.  Cook and stir until the meat is brown and has a fine texture.  Keep stirring and cooking for about 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Stir in potatoes. Remove from heat and let cool down.

Preheat oven to 375.

Divide dough into 2 pieces, 1 slightly large than the other.  Roll the larger piece into a 12" circle on a lightly floured surface.  Place in a 9 inch deep dish pie plate.  Pour meat filling into the pie plate.  Roll remaining dough for the top crust to about 11".  Put crust on top and make slits in the top crust to allow for steam to escape.  

Whisk egg and water in small dish to make egg wash. Press tightly to seal the edges of the crust with a fork.  Brush all over the top crust.  Trim excess dough.  

Bake in preheated oven for about 50 minute to an hour.  You want to cook it until the crust is a nice, golden brown.  Let cool before serving. 

Vikki's Notes:  When I made this with my Mom, she would have me roll out the dough remnants from the pie trimming.  Once it was rolled, I slathered it with butter and coarse sugar.  Added chocolate chips or whatever was around.  Rolled it up and added more coarse sugar on top.  Put in a small pie plate and stuck it in the oven with the meat pie.  Cook about 25 minutes.  Just a little treat to make while cooking the meat pie.  

I serve the meat pie with brown gravy, but some people like with ketchup.  

Make sure you have a 9 inch, deep dish pie plate.  It makes a difference.

Follow the spices to the letter.  Not everyone is a clove-lover, so go easy on that and the all spice.  However, both of these spices are needed to give it the authentic, meat pie flavor.

Smothered Green Beans

5 cans green beans (drained)
1 lb. bacon
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Pour green beans into 9 x 13 dish. 

Cook bacon until crispy.  Drain on paper towel.  Chop up and put over green beans.

Whisk brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce and garlic powder.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Quick and Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

2 cups of shredded cheddar
1/2 cup Frank's hot sauce
1 cup sour cream

1 cup cream cheese, softened

Mix all ingredients.  Bake at 350 until mixture is bubbly. 

Vikki's Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This recipe is a mixture of two recipes, that came out quite good for a large group of people.  Easy and quick.  Nothing fancy, but everyone liked it a lot.

4 chicken breasts (the ones I had were large and bit too big, so I sliced them length-wise, that made 8 of them.  I then put each in a Ziploc bag and pounded them until they were flatted out).  Put aside.

To make the stuffing.  Saute 2 sliced celery and 1 onion in 4 tablespoons of butter until softened.  Add 2 cups of chicken broth.  Take off the burner and add a 12 oz. package of Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing.  Stir and mash a little.  Set aside and let cool down.

After stuffing has been cooled down, add 2 beaten eggs and mix well.

Put some stuffing in the chicken breast and roll up from the small end to the larger end and place in a baking dish.

To make the sauce:  I made 3 packages of Knorr Chicken Gravy (according to package directions).  Pour over the chicken breasts. 

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until chicken registers at 165 degrees.

Ribs

Makes about 6 racks (Makes a lot of rub, so you can save some for another time)

1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Garlic (this is like minced garlic.  When I couldn't find it, I used 1/4 cup garlic powder)
1/2 cup Kosher Salt (I've reduced this down to 1/4 cup and the ribs were fine).  MAKE SURE IT IS COURSE KOSHER SALT.  IF YOU USE REGULAR SALT IT WILL BE TOO SALTY.
1/2 cup Old Bay
2 Tbsp. Granulated Onion
1 Tbsp. Dry Mustard
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Cumin
St. Louis Ribs

Trim fat and remove membrane from ribs.  In a food processor, pulse all dry ingredients into a dry rub.  Rub ribs, wrap in foil and put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day,  Slow cook ribs (still wrapped in foil) in a 275 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours.  

Set to broil.  Remove foil and cook until ribs have brown color to them.  (Note:  If you like BBQ sauce, you can brush a little on at this point.

Let sit for a bit before cutting and serving.  

Portuguese Turkey Chourico & Egg Breakfast Ring

I got the basic recipe from Taste of Home, Most Requested Recipes, but gave it my own Portuguese twist.  

2 Tubes of crescent rolls (I used the reduced fat kind)
1/2 lb. turkey chourico, casings removed and chopped up.
8 large eggs
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup pepper jack cheese (cut up)
Salt and pepper

Saute chopped up chourico until cooked. Drain and set aside. Wash pan.

In a bowl, beat eggs.  Heat up the same pan, melt the butter or margarine and scramble the eggs.

Put foil over the pizza pan.  Spray with cooking spray.  Lay out the crescent rolls, with the pointed side out (like a sun!).  Make sure you don't overlap the rolls, because they won't cook as well.

Put egg mixture on top of crescent rolls, then the chourico and then the cheese.  Fold the pointed end inward, so it's over the mixture and making a ring.

Cook at 375 for 20 minutes.

Grape Jelly Meatballs

2 lbs. good frozen Italian Meatballs (We like the "Our Best" brand)
1 bottle of chili sauce (12 oz.)
1 1/2 cups of grape jelly

Mix chili sauce and jelly.  Add meatballs to crock pot.  Pour sauce/jelly mixture over top.
Cook in crock pot on low for 4 hours.

Chicken Parmesan Panini

So easy for weeknights. You just have to slap it together.  

1 Pkg of Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips (Frozen)
1 Jar of good Marinara Sauce
1 loaf of thick bread (I use the Texas Toast White Bread) in the Bread aisle
Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

Cook chicken according to package directions.

Assemble sandwiches.  Chicken, then sauce and then a slice of cheese.

Heat up George Foreman Grill.  Spray grill with cooking spray.

Put sandwich in grill until toasted and cheese is melted.

Serve with warm marinara.