$100K Clusters

This post contains affiliate links.

When I am in need of a chocolate fix, and don’t want to run to the store, I throw together these luscious little morsels, pop them into the fridge until firm, and dig in. One is all I needs to satisfy that intense chocolate craving. Each bite fills your mouth with chocolaty deliciousness, that satisfying crunch, and little pops of chewy caramel goodness. They take no time to make, kids love to be involved, and everyone will enjoy the taste. These are an easy knock off of the $100K bar in cluster form. 

$100K Clusters

1 12-oz. pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. caramel bits
1 c. crispy rice cereal

In a microwave safe bowl (I use Duralex), melt chocolate chips, in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth and creamy. Immediately add caramel bits and crispy rice cereal, folding to coat. Using a tablespoon, drop dollops onto a Silpat or sheet of parchment paper. Allow to firm at room temperature, or put in the fridge until firm.

 

 

Garlic Dill Shrimp Salad

This post contains affiliate links.

 I tend to get nostalgic around holidays. Yesterday I was remembering when the late Mr. O-P and I were in New Jersey visiting his family one Fourth of July. In the evening, to get away from all of the activity, he and I slipped off to a seafood restaurant on the shore. It was close enough to New York City that we could see fireworks illuminating the Statue of Liberty while we dined. It, and the Fourth of July that we spent in Paris, were among my most memorable.

I was thinking about that seafood, longing for some lobster salad from Hinck's Turkey Farm that used to be on Broad Street in Red Bank, New Jersey. Lobster salad is not something one would expect to get from a turkey farm, but they had it, and it was delicious. I did not have lobster in my freezer, but I did have shrimp, so I decided to try a recipe from a new cookbook (Review coming) for Garlic Dill Shrimp Salad. I cooked my shrimp in the morning and did my chopping, then, at lunchtime, I just folded everything together, piled it onto a toasted bun and enjoyed. Fresh dill is must here, so if you don’t grow your own, be sure to grab a packet of Melissa‘s baby dill the next time you’re at your market. This is a winner of a summer sandwich. 

Garlic Dill Shrimp Salad
Adapted from The Happy Sandwich

5 T. Duke’s mayonnaise
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
¼ c. red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, grated
¼ c. chopped fresh Melissa’s baby dill
1 T. apple cider vinegar
½ t. Dijon mustard
½ t. salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
Juice of half a lemon
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked
4 hot dog (or lobster roll) buns, toasted

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, celery, onion, garlic, dill, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Fold in shrimp. Chill for at least one hour, or until ready to serve. Fill each bun with shredded lettuce and topped with shrimp salad.

 

 

Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

 This post contains affiliate links.

 As I mentioned last week, I intend to give my slow cooker to use every week. While this dish would no doubt be considered wintry, it is too wonderful to just enjoy during the cold months. There is a good bit of shopping ahead of time, but I tend to do my shopping the night before so that all I have to do is mix and dump. The aroma in the house while it was cooking was superb, and it made for a wonderful meal. I made rice, but you honestly wouldn’t have to. Serve it with a crusty roll, and your cooking is done in the morning so that you can relax and get on with things the rest of the day.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

Adapted from Food.com

1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, undrained

½ c. Bloody Mary mix

2 medium carrots, sliced into ½”-thick slices

2 celery ribs, cut into ½”-thick slices

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

2 - 3 frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs

8 oz. smoked beef sausage

Salt and pepper to taste

 Combine the beans, Bloody Mary mix, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and dried herbs.

 Cut the sausages in half lengthwise and slice, stir into beans.

 Place the frozen chicken thighs on top of the bean mixture.

Cover; cook on low-heat for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove bay leaves, stir, adjust seasonings as desired and serve.

Asian Pork Chops for Two

This post contains affiliate links.

Most of us have a slow cooker; I have three. I always thought that I used my slow cooker more often in the winter than the summer. It’s practical, of course, to use it in the summer so as not to heat up the kitchen, and yet I tend to use it for heartier winter foods like soups, stews, and chili. I decided to challenge myself to use the slow cooker at least once a week this summer to make a meal on a small scale. These Asian pork chops were the result. Intensely flavorful and wonderfully juicy, these chops are an easy way to make a tasty dinner for two.

Asian Pork Chops for Two

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots
2 1½” thick boneless pork loin chops
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ c. honey
½ c. low sodium soy sauce
¼ c. ketchup
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. garlic chili sauce
2 t. Melissa’s minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper

Slice shallots and scatter in the bottom of a 4-quart crockpot. Place chops on top. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic chili sauce, minced garlic, and black pepper. Pour over pork chops, cover crockpot, and set to “Low.” Cook for 4 hours until trumps recent internal temperature of 165°. Do not over cook or they will become dry. Serve on a bed of jasmine rice and pour sauce over top.

Seaside Tablescape

This post contains affiliate links.

It is officially summer and time to break out the summer dishes. Perhaps it’s because I live in a landlocked state that I so love my coastal collection of tableware.

The Maxcera salad plates and pitcher are in the “Stamp Seahorse” pattern, and appeal to my artistic nature being a fan of both rubber-stamping and collage. They are layered on top of square black dinner plates. The metal chargers beneath are favorites of mine, and from a local shop.

The teal napkins, knotted and placed on the side are from Pier One. To give them an underwater look I used a stem of mountain mint that I grow in my container garden giving a nod to seaweed.

The bamboo-handled flatware seems appropriate here, as does the little fish plate at upper left that can be used for holding anything from pats of butter, to after dinner mints, to nuts.

I had a hard time deciding which stemware to use, but ultimately went with my mother’s topaz stemware. I think it makes a bolder statement than the turquoise. What do you think?

I used the pitcher as a vase, holding white hydrangeas and additional strands of mountain mint. The fragrance is fresh and clean.

The oatmeal colored cup and saucers were one of my first acquisitions upon setting up housekeeping. They are part of a full set of dinnerware from the galloping gourmet, and were a gift with purchase at the grocery store. I had every member of my family picking up different pieces for me until I got the entire set.

The tablecloth is from wayfair.com; the macramé runner, a versatile favorite, is from Anthropologie.

 

This post is linked to:

Tablescape Thursday

 

 

Spinach Artichoke Pasta for Two

This post contains affiliate links.

This is a wonderful main dish for two that is perfect for both Meatless Monday, as well as those who are fans, as I am, of spinach artichoke dip. This is my homage, you might say, to that popular dip, in pasta form. If you cook wisely, and get that water boiling before you get out your sauté pan, this can be on the table in 30 minutes. 

Spinach Artichoke Pasta for Two

 

4 oz. bow tie pasta

2 T. unsalted butter

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

2-3 handfuls fresh baby spinach

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. chicken soup base (I use L.B. Jamison)

2/3 c. heavy cream

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 to 3 gratings fresh nutmeg

1 7.5-oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained

2 T. Melissa’s pine nuts, toasted*

2 T. chopped parsley

Sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, to garnish

 Prepare bow tie pasta according to package directions; drain.

 In 10” skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for one minute. Add baby spinach and sauté until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

 Stir in Parmesan cheese and soup base until blended, and then slowly stir in heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is coated. Fold in artichoke hearts. Sprinkle with pine nuts, parsley, and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.

 Serves 2.

 * I toasted mine in the sauté pan prior to melting the butter. Over medium heat, it takes about 3 to 5 minutes to turn them a nice nutty brown.

 

 

Party Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

This post contains affiliate links.

The 70s is the decade that I remember most vividly from my youth. It was a lovely time of backyards and barbecues, stay-home mothers who raised their children happily without being ostracized by society, bridge parties, ladies who lunch, and casseroles. Because my mother was a busy woman, she was also the casserole queen. This was one of my favorites back then, and I had such a hankering for it this week that I had to make it. In the process, I decided to give it a bit of an update by adding a jar of hearts of palm, and substituting insipid pimientos, for flavorful roasted red peppers. Wow! That took it right over the top.

This is an easy casserole to put together because all you do is dump the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, mix them together, and bake until hot and bubbly. The aroma is heavenly, and this delicious casserole serves a crowd. It can be easily turned into a vegetarian dish by leaving out the chicken. You can replace it with tofu if you like (frankly, that stuff tastes like caulk to me, but I don’t judge), or leave it out all together. Surprisingly, it is equally good cold. Consider serving leftovers for lunch, mounded on a bed of greens. You can also make it ahead, and bake it the next day, or put it together and freeze it to enjoy later. Here’s to the 70s!

Party Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

2 Melissa’s shallots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 14.8-oz. jar Melissa’s Hearts of Palm, ¼” sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 6-oz. box long grain and wild rice, cooked according to pkg. directions
½ c. diced Melissa’s roasted red peppers
1 t. kosher salt
1 14.5-oz. can cream of celery soup
1 14.5-oz can French style green beans, drained
1 c. Duke’s mayonnaise
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted (reserve 1 T. For top)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 1½ -qt. casserole with Pam; set aside.

Place all ingredients (with the exception of the tablespoon of reserved slivered almonds, the ½ c. Parmesan cheese and paprika), into a large bowl and mix it together. Turn it out into your prepared casserole and top it with the almonds, cheese, and paprika. Place it in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden and it is bubbling around the sides.

 Serves 6.