Asian Dipping Sauce

This is a great dipping sauce that we have used for wontons, potstickers and dumplings!

Asian Dipping Sauce
by: Bettycrocker.com

2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
dash of red pepper flakes

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved, and then dip to your heart's content! :)

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

The other day our neighbor gave us eight quarts of heavy whipping cream.  Eight.  And when life gives you heavy cream, you make alfredo (and ice cream, and butter, and creamy soups...).  I found this delicious knock off recipe on Top Secret Recipes, and if you happen to have eight quarts of heavy cream that you need to use, this is definitely the recipe for you!

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
from: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes, by Todd Wilbur.

1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
pinch salt
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic, heavy cream, pepper and salt and let it simmer over a low heat.  Add the cheese and continue simmering for 8 minutes or until it thickens up.  Remove it from the heat and serve it over your favorite pasta.  

Easy Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

So, I totally took this picture from another alfredo recipe that we have on this blog.  The problem is that this is a really easy alfredo recipe, that I wanted to share, but the only picture I have taken is one with really bad quality.  I was afraid no one would want to make this recipe if the picture looked really ugly.  And it is a really easy, yummy recipe.  So please forgive the stolen picture (Monica, I'm pretty sure this is your alfredo picture), and just know that your alfredo will turn out just as pretty as this one!

Easy Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 c. milk

6 oz. Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried basil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the cream cheese and butter, stirring occasionally.  Add the milk and Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it is smooth.  Add the garlic, basil and pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes and then serve it over your favorite pasta. 

Olive Garden's Ravioli Di Portobello (Actually, Just the Amazing Sauce Recipe)

                                           
My hubby and I recently ate at Olive Garden, and I was determined to eat something besides their Stuffed Chicken Marsala (I get it every time I eat there. Literally.).  I chose the Ravioli Di Portobello.  And I have found my new favorite Olive Garden dinner.  Smoked Gouda cheese.  Sun-dried tomatoes.  And... well, not much else.  Not only is this recipe delicious, it is super easy!  I made it for our family reunion, and it got rave reviews.  To make my life ridiculously easy, I just went ahead and bought a big thing of 5 cheese tortellini from Costco and served the sauce over that.  And, for about the same cost as one dish at the Olive Garden, I fed 13 people!

Sauce for Olive Garden's Ravioli Di Portobello
from: food.com

2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese
3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir it until it makes a thick paste.  Add the milk, stirring constantly.  Cook it until the sauce thickens.  Cut up the smoked Gouda cheese and add it to the saucepan.  Throw in your sun-dried tomatoes and stir it all until the cheese melts.  Serve it over ravioli (or tortellini, or whatever you want).
*Note: this amount serves 2-4, not 13!
                                           

Chicken Roll-Ups

My mom made these a lot when I was growing up.  Then I had them at a church function a few years ago and liked the changes that the lady made.  They felt a little more "adult" to me.  I like the added mushrooms in the chicken and especially like coating the rolls in something crunchy.  I also doctor up the sauce quite a bit.  They are still a chicken stuffed roll, so most of my kids will eat them (I usually end up leaving mushrooms out of half of them).  They have a really "homey" taste to me (not like gangster homey, but like comfort food homey).

Chicken Roll-Ups
adapted from: Elaine from my old ward in Logan and my mom, Lynne'

3 c. cooked, shredded chicken
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can drained sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
dash curry powder
dash onion powder
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 package stuffing, crushed (or italian bread crumbs or panko)
2 cans refrigerated croissant rolls

Sauce (to pour over)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can water
1/2 can milk
salt and pepper to taste
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
dash parsley flakes

In a large bowl stir together the softened cream cheese, garlic powder, curry powder and onion powder.  Add the mushrooms and chicken and stir it to combine.  I cook my chicken by cutting it into large chunks, covering it with a paper towel and then microwaving it, a few minutes at a time, until it is no longer pink in the center.  Then I stick it in the fridge until it is cool enough to handle and then put my kids on the task of shredding it.  This has saved me immense amounts of time on boiling my chicken for shredding.  You can also use canned chicken.
Separate the rolls and lay them flat on a baking sheet.  Spread the top of each with about 2 Tbsp of the chicken mixture.

Roll up the rolls with the mixture inside, starting at the bigger end of the roll.  Try to seal off all edges.  This will keep the insides contained a little better.  Dip the rolls in the melted butter, then roll them in the stuffing crumbs (or whatever you are using).  Bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  While they are baking, in a small saucepan combine the cream of chicken soup, water, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley flakes.  Stir while cooking it over a medium low heat until it simmers.  Then reduce the heat to low.  Serve it over the cooked chicken roll-up (let each person add their own sauce).

Vanilla Pudding Sauce over Blackberry Pancakes

This was amazing!  I wish I could eat this every morning, or evening, as was the case today.  It was amazing over blackberry pancakes.  Doesn’t that just sound incredible, Vanilla Pudding Sauce over Blackberry Pancakes.  It was as good as it sounds.

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

Adapted from Creations by Kara

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. (Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat; if it gets hot too fast, the egg will cook.) Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Home Made Alfredo

I have hated store bought Alfredo sauce for a while now.  I buy it for my girls because that's their sauce of choice when we have noodles and I try to like it but when all is said and done, I just don't.

Monday night I finally decided that enough was enough!  I was making my own Alfredo!  And so I did and it was delicious.  You should make it too.  Here is the recipe:

4 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1tsp onion powder
1/3 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste (I did about 1/2 teaspoon of both)
4 cups milk
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Melt butter in a large pot.  Saute garlic and onion powder for 2 minutes.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes.  Slowly add milk, stirring until smooth and creamy.  Stir in Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheeses; stir until cheese is melted.  bring just to a boil and then turn down heat to low.  Allow to simmer until sauce has thickened (about 5 minutes).

I adapted the above recipe from this one.  I changed quite a bit because I didn't have half and half, I thought onion chunks would be weird in it and I thought a tablespoon of salt would have killed all the other flavors.  I was really pleased with how mine turned out.  I think it would have been good to add the tomatoes and sour cream but I didn't have any.  I also chunked up 2 chicken breasts and basted them with olive oil mixed with Italian Seasoning and then grilled them on my George Formen grill.  It was all very yummy.  My kids still preferred the store bought stuff, but I will never go back.  I liked this so much better.