Jun12

Duke’s Jalapeño Havarti Sliders

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Duke’s Jalapeño Havarti Sliders

Duke's Jalapeño Havarti Sliders

You may or may not have drawn the logical conclusion that I’ve had a thing for sliders this pregnancy. It’s true! I’m currently obsessed with sliders and have made them several different ways, but I think this one is my favorite! This recipe uses ground turkey and deliciously creamy Havarti cheese, and they’re heavenly. Can’t find Havarti cheese? Pepper jack would work great here too.

Ingredients:
1 package ground turkey (the one I bought was 19 oz, so slightly over a pound)
1 chopped jalapeño (seeded and deveined)
About 1/4 c cubed jalapeño Havarti cheese
Your favorite burger seasoning
1 heaping T Duke’s mayonnaise

1. Combine mayo, ground turkey, jalapeños, cheese, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. I added about a tsp of seasoning into this mix, then sprinkled a little more on each patty after they were assembled. It’s important to note that every Southerner knows that Duke’s mayo is the best mayo you can buy and blows Hellman’s out of the water, so I highly suggest that’s what you use. However, if you can’t find it, any mayo you find will work.
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* That one on the top right is plain for my 2 year old 🙂

2. You can either grill these or cook them on your stovetop. You may have heard me mention I live in a wind tunnel with a vortex that threatens to suck me up every time I step outside to approach my grill, so I did these on the stovetop. Don’t forget to spray your pan like I did, because these puppies stick!
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3. Prepare yourself for the juiciest and most delicious slider ever! I highly recommend serving on a toasted slider bun with a kicked up creamy coleslaw and sliced garden tomato. For a quick coleslaw that’s only semi-homemade I used a creamy coleslaw mix and added a spoonful of Duke’s mayo to the mix, a splash of white vinegar, cayenne pepper, and salt & pepper. It really made it taste like it was totally from scratch and incorporated the Duke’s mayo theme I was going for. Yum! Duke's Jalapeño Havarti Sliders

Jun9

Pulled Pork Enchiladas

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Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Y’all know I love to buy meat in bulk and cook my fabulous meals on the cheap, but coming up with different recipes with the same meat can be tricky! Making 2-3 different meals with the same meat can help break up your dinners so it feels like you did the whole thing that night brand new. This recipe uses leftover pulled pork, and there are so many different things you can do with pulled pork besides BBQ sandwiches. This and my pork tacos are probably my two favorite Mexican themed dishes to do with leftover pulled pork. Also, there aren’t really measurements for this because each person will obviously have different amounts of leftovers, so I tried to take good pictures of the portions I used so you can get an idea for when you do yours.

Ingredients:
Leftover pulled pork
Tortillas (corn or flour. – both are great, but I used flour here only because that’s what my husband likes)
Caramelized onions
Green chiles
Sour cream
Mixed shredded cheese
Enchilada sauce
Salt and pepper

1. First put all your pulled pork in a mixing bowl. Pure guesstimate here, but I’ll say this looks to be about 4 cups of pulled pork.
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2. Take a few handfuls of your favorite shredded cheese, a few spoonfuls of sour cream, caramelized onions, green chiles, and a little salt and pepper and put it in your mixing bowl.
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3. Give it a big stir and it should look something like this:
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4. Get your enchilada sauce and smear a few spoonfuls at the bottom of a baking dish.
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5. Start stuffing your enchiladas by putting a few spoonfuls of the mixture in the tortillas. It helps if you warm them up a little first by wrapping them in a damp paper towel in the microwave for a little bit to prevent them from cracking.
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6. Once your dish is full of enchiladas, pour your sauce on top and top with shredded cheese.image

7. Cook in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
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This is a side note, but if you’re one of those people that packs lunches for your husband or likes to have individual freezer homemade meals, I like to do a few individual enchiladas here to be placed in the freezer. Assemble, cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of foil and freeze. To cook later, remove foil/plastic wrap and place in oven/microwave for a tasty individual meal.
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Jun4

Pork Chop Grenades

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Pork Chop Grenades

Pork Chop Grenades

This is one of those summer hits that people will be wanting your recipe for. A few years ago, I saw a recipe on one of those recipe chain Facebook posts for stuffed chicken breasts that used these same stuffing ingredients, and thus, eventually the pork chop grenade was born. At first, I made this recipe using chicken thighs, but it has expanded to the “other white meat”, and I’ve gotta say it’s pork perfection! But feel free to sub chicken or even pork tenderloin in place of a pork chop here – it really is versatile!

Ingredients:
Pork chops or pork steaks with bones removed
BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays here)
1-2 strips of bacon per grenade
1/2 jalapeño sliced per grenade
Your favorite grilling seasoning or just plain salt and pepper
About 1 T cream cheese per grenade

1. This recipe graduated from chicken to pork because these bone-in pork steaks were on sale for a steal at the store. See what being a savvy shopper can do for you? 🙂 I just cut out the bones of the steaks before using them. Obviously, the easiest thing would be to buy thin cut boneless pork chops.
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2. Sprinkle your favorite grilling seasoning on your meat and put about a tablespoon of cream cheese on each chop.
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3. Using either the back of a spoon or your fingers, mush the cream cheese out a little bit and place 1/2 a jalapeño on each. I like to keep a few seeds and stems in mine to keep them spicy! Please excuse the blurry pic 🙂
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4. Now here is the messy part! You’re going to wrap these up into grenades using 1-2 slices of bacon each. Try to seal them up with the bacon because it helps keep the stuffing inside. I like to do a little fresh cracked black pepper on top of the bacon because it’s delicious and it looks pretty.
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5. Now you can decide to either bake or grill these. Normally, I grill mine but now that I’m living in Amarillo AKA the US’s windiest city , I don’t particularly enjoy grilling in gale force winds, so I bake them. I use a grilling sheet I’ve sprayed with non-stick spray on top of a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan lined with foil for easy cleanup. Bake at 375 for anywhere from 45-60 minutes based on the thickness of your meat. Then take them out and turn the heat up to 400 or crank the grill up.
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6. Now you’re going to baste them with your favorite BBQ sauce and put back in for 10-15 minutes. Again, you don’t want to overcook them, so keep in mind the thickness of your meat before you cook it.
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7. Your grenades are ready to eat! Let’s cut into one of these babies and check out that creamy spicy perfection!
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May27

Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches

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Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches

Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches

Have y’all seen that Whataburger commercial with the jalapeño cheddar biscuit? That’s what I’ve been dreaming about for weeks now, and being pregnant hasn’t done anything to help distract my cravings. However, in the spirit of being quasi-healthy and definitely easier on the pocketbook than daily stops to Whataburger, I decided to make these from scratch and with whole wheat flour. Also, I made a bunch of these and wrapped them in plastic wrap once they cooled and put them in a big ziplock in the freezer so I can take them out one at a time for my husband’s breakfast on the go. Go me! This recipe makes about 2 dozen biscuit sandwiches.

Ingredients:
4 cups of flour
1 T plus 2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 c cold butter
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 jalapeños seeds and stems removed
10 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 c buttermilk
2 packages of your favorite breakfast sausage cut into patties

1. First, let’s talk about your flour. If you want to use good ‘ole white bleached flour because it’s delicious, go ahead. Also, it looks prettier than whole wheat flour. I like this kind because it’s less whole wheat more normal looking. The King Arthur Brand is what I recommend whatever flour you end up using.
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2. Start fryin up your sausage. If you’re brand new to cooking breakfast sausage, you should know it’s much easier to slice the colder it is, and also use the tick marks on the plastic packaging to help cut uniform slices.
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3. Combine your cold butter into the flour and other dry seasonings using a pastry blender. Now, if you’re like me and misplaced your pastry cutter along with other important things you rarely need but can never seem to find when you need them, dice up your butter with a knife into pea sized pieces before cutting it into the butter with a fork. Also, add pastry cutter to your shopping list. Then add your cheese, jalapeños, and buttermilk. Combine it all together.
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4. You’re going to have a fairly wet loose dough, but that’s ok because you’re going to knead it on a slightly floured surface. Once you’re happy with the dough, roll (or use your hands – seriously does anyone still have rolling pins?) your dough into about a 3/4 – 1 inch thickness.
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5. Next, get your handy dandy biscuit cutter (or top of a drinking glass if you don’t have one) and start cuttin’ them biscuits!
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6. Have you been keeping an eye on your sausage patties? I hope so! Don’t forget to drain them on a paper towel. Also, keep that oil at the bottom of your pan to make a delicious gravy for these biscuits if you really want to be bad. (Does my hypocrisy know no bounds?)
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7. Pop these puppies into a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets and how evenly it cooks. Every oven is different, so just be sure to keep an eye on them towards the end.
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8. Your biscuits are done! Now just add your sausage patties to them to complete the sandwiches. If you like extra cheese (who doesn’t?) slap on a slice of American or add a fried egg on top of your patty. The possibilities are endless!
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May23

BBQ Sliders With Caramelized Onions

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BBQ Sliders With Caramelized Onions

BBQ Sliders With Caramelized Onions

Hello! I am so glad to get to post this yummy recipe just before Memorial Day Weekend! I’ve been so busy lately with our big move to Amarillo I’ve hardly had time to cook anything worth posting a recipe for, but we are settled in now, so hopefully I can get back in the swing of things. Ok, let’s get started!

First, I want to be honest up front and say I bought the patties for these sliders from the butcher in our grocery store. A) I’m tired and need all the help I can get and B) They looked delicious. They’re jalapeño cheddar sliders, but any kind of slider you want to use here would be delicious. Just be sure to sprinkle a little of your own favorite seasoning on both sides before you use them. Also, tell everyone you made them from scratch and throw away the evidence before anyone else eats them. It’ll be our little secret 😉
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Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions (1015, Honey Sweets, Videlia, whatever…)
1/2 stick of butter
7-8 sliders seasoned with your favorite burger seasoning
Your favorite BBQ sauce (for this recipe I used a spicy one)
Salt and pepper
Water
Slider buns

1. Dice up your onion and throw it into your large cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, consider yourself scolded and just use a normal skillet for now, but buy one as soon as possible. Season with salt and pepper and throw your 1/2 butter stick in there. Sauté about 15 minutes on medium to high heat.
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2. After the onions are mostly Caramelized and smelling delicious, add your patties to the skillet right there on top of the onions and add about 1/2 cup of water. It’s going to steam those yummy patties.
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3. I like to put a lid on at this point because it helps the steam. Check out my beautiful silicone flower lid! (You can use any lid that doesn’t seal)
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4. Flip the patties after a few minutes and place the lid back on. After about 8-10 minutes, they’re essentially done with the high heat. Take the patties and set them aside for a minute on a plate.
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5. Now stir those onions around and give them a give them a few healthy squirts of your favorite BBQ sauce. Turn the heat on low and after the BBQ sauce has been incorporated, add your patties back in and let them simmer in that yummy deliciousness for at least ten minutes before serving.
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6. Serve these little medallions from heaven on toasted slider buns and top with your onion mixture. Personally, we like to add my Texas Coleslaw recipe on top and serve with a side of
favorite beans.
image Notice I somehow ended up with the two bun bottoms instead of a top and bottom. Typical.

May23

Texas Coleslaw

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Texas Coleslaw

Texas Coleslaw

Y’all this coleslaw is so delicious and so good for you. Unlike creamy recipes, this one is vinegar based and has some heat. This is probably my most asked for recipe of anything I’ve ever made for a crowd. Here is the recipe for a single batch, but you can easily double or triple everything for large parties.

Ingredients:
10 oz bag of coleslaw mix (I’ve used broccoli slaw, original coleslaw mix, and even the new kinds with all kinds of different stuff in it like Brussels Sprouts and cranberries. But my favorite one is the mixed bag with original slaw and broccoli slaw mixed together.)
1/4 c white wine vinegar (No, this is not the same thing as white vinegar. No, you cannot sub other vinegar.)
1/4 c oil (olive, canola, or vegetable)
2 tsp – 4 tsp sugar
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cumin powder (optional)
A handful of those sweet baby bell peppers sliced into rings (yellow, orange, and red)
One sliced jalapeño with seeds
2-3 sliced green onions
A handful of chopped cilantro

1. Combine mix and all chopped ingredients into a mixing bowl.image

2. Whisk together white wine vinegar, oil, lime juice, seasonings, and sugar. Give it a taste and see if you like the sugar content in it. It should be sweet and tangy. Start off with 2 tsp and go from there. Once it’s whisked together, add to mixing bowl.
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3. Allow it to sit in the fridge a while before you serve it. I like to allow at least an hour. It’s delicious by itself or on top of sliders 🙂
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Mar24

Pasta Salad

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Pasta Salad

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Hey y’all! I bet you’ve been wondering where I’ve been and why I haven’t posted anything in a while. Well, that’s because I just finished my first trimester of my pregnancy and I am just now able to begin to look at food again. Seriously, looking at or smelling food in any way was a big no no up until now, so slowly but surely I’ll be coming back to post more Blonde Bitchin West Texas Kitchen recipes!

Here is my go-to pasta salad recipe whenever I’m going to a BBQ or even packing a picnic. It’s so yummy and kids love it too because of the string cheese surprise in there! Who puts string cheese in a pasta salad? I do 🙂

Ingredients:
1 box of pasta (spiral or penne works best)
1 cup Italian dressing (my favorite is the original Wishbone kind in the green bottle)
4 sticks of string cheese cut up into slices
1/2 bunch of green onions chopped
1/4 sweet onion finely chopped
1 cup total red and yellow cherry tomatoes chopped in half
*I also like to add whatever I have in the fridge that looks good and these are optional – chopped marinated artichoke hearts, chopped marinated green olives, sliced roasted red peppers marinated in oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. First chop up all your ingredients and add them to a large bowl and add your Italian dressing and let that sit in the fridge while your pasta is boiling according to the instructions on the box.
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2. Add your cooked pasta noodles to the yummy mixture you have in your bowl and add salt and pepper all over and stir together.
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3. Place your pasta salad in the fridge and allow it to chill at least 1 hour prior to serving. So good!
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Feb19

Doritos Burger

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Doritos Burger

Doritos Burger
Nacho Cheese Doritos + Burgers = Doritos Burgers. Let that sink in… Ok, I’ll tell you how these burgers came to be: Years ago, I was moving into my new apartment and my mom had bought everything we needed to grill burgers at the pool. However, we quickly realized all the seasonings were still packed away, so my mom said “No worries!” And took out handfuls of Doritos chips and mixed them up in the hamburger meat. We all looked at her like she was crazy, but let me tell ya, those burgers were delicious!!! So, I’ve been making my burgers with Nacho Cheese Doritos ever since!

Ingredients:
Nacho Cheese Doritos (duh)
Hamburger meat
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsp your favorite burger seasoning

1. I put my Worcestershire, hamburger meat, and seasoning all in a bowl. Then, grab your Doritos.
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2. Take a few handfuls and crush the chips up in your hands, then place those in the bowl.
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3. Shape your meat into hamburger patties. image

4. Grill burgers to desired doneness. Mmm, smells good!
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5. Oh ya, I forgot to tell you about my favorite pickles. These are amazing on a burger! image

6. Serve up your burger with your favorite toppings and serve with seasoned sweet potato fries for a yummy side!
Doritos Burger

Feb19

Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

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Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries
Y’all, I have a serious obsession with sweet potato fries. They are so delicious and easy to make. And not to mention cheap! Try these out the next time you’re grilling burgers or hot dogs!

Ingredients:
Sweet potato cut into fries (Use a knife – no fry cutter works on a sweet potato, believe me I went through 3 of them!)
Enough oil to cover your fries (Use an oil with a high smoke point like canola or peanut)
Your favorite seasoned fish fry
Your favorite season-all (I used Tony’s)

1. Place your sweet potato fries in a large boil and keep covered in water until ready to use. Once you’re ready, drain them.
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2. I used a half a bag of this seasoned fish fry. You want all the fries to be covered in the seasoning.

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3. Stir up the fries so they’re evenly coated.
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4. Fry them in batches in your oil. I always turn mine a little higher than medium heat and test it out by sprinkling a little fish fry on it to see if it starts frying it. If not, I turn the heat up a bit. However, if you’re the scientific type, you’re looking for a temp of 325-350F. Also, don’t overcrowd your frying pan because this will cause the fries to be soggy and also drop the temperature of your oil, thus making your cooking time longer. You’ll cook your fries in batches of 30-40 minutes each and as soon as you take the fries out, place them on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with paper towels and season immediately with your season-all.
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5. Keep fries in a 200F degree oven to keep them crisp and delicious until you’re ready to serve. Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

Feb15

Chicken Casserole

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Chicken Casserole

Chicken Casserole

Y’all know by now I love to use leftovers and turn them into another yummy meal. This saves time and money, which adds money to your wine budget. Genius, I know 🙂 This is a simple make ahead meal that freezes great too! For this I used leftover grilled chicken, but you could use a store bought rotisserie chicken if you wanted to.

Ingredients:
1 sweet onion chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top (I love Kraft Mozzerella with a touch of Philadelphia)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top
2 cans diced green chiles
1 can Rotel
4 cups diced chicken
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and your favorite season-all
1/2 stick of butter
Olive oil
6 corn tortillas

1. Sauté onion with butter, olive oil drizzle, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper pinch on medium to high heat. After about 15 minutes add your chopped garlic and sauté another five minutes.
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2. Meanwhile, tear up your corn tortillas and line the bottom of a baking dish with them.
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3. Add your cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, chiles, Rotel, chicken, and cheese. Stir on medium to high heat until cheeses are melted and everything is thoroughly combined. It’s at this point I like to taste it and sprinkle a little season-all type seasoning on there like Tony’s or Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt.
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4. Pour mixture over tortillas.
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5. Sprinkle as much cheese as you want over the top. Note: if you’re planning on freezing this, allow it to cool after this step and cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of foil.
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6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I like to serve mine with crushed tortilla chips, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream. Yummy!
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