TEXAS ROADHOUSE CINNAMON BUTTER

Texas Road House is known for their delicious rolls.

1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/3 C. sweetened condensed milk (chilled)
1/2 tsp. corn syrup
3/4 to 1 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until mixture is smooth. Serve with hot rolls or muffins. This may be stored in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

(12 servings)

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup light-brown sugar
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/2 cup butter -- melted and cooled
* 2 eggs - beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans -- chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F. and grease up twelve muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove muffin tin to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and remove from tins to finish cooling.

Serve warm.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

6 large Tortillas
Shredded cheese, Mexican blend
Cafe Rio Rice
Cafe Rio Black Beans
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Lettuce (NOT iceberg, use leafy green or Romaine)
Diced tomato, onion, and cilantro (pico de gallo)
Guacamole
Sour cream
Tortilla Strips
Cotija cheese, crumbled (or you can use Parmesan)
Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch
OR ***NEW*** Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Here is how we put it all together: First of all, we bought the aluminum deep-dish pans (they had these at the grocery store, you will know when you see them.. they look JUST like the Cafe Rio tins). Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle cheese on it, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 min or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add beans, rice, pork, then lettuce and a little scoop of diced tomato and onions (pico de gallo). Add guacamole (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) and sour cream. Add crushed tortilla chips, a shake of Parmesan cheese, and top with a few cilantro leaves. Serve with the cilantro ranch or vinaigrette dressing and there you have it! (makes about 6 salads)

(scroll down to see the rice, beans, pork, and ranch recipes all together...)

SWEET PORK:
2 pounds pork roast
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can Green enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness) or salsa verde
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!


CILANTRO-LIME RICE:
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")


CILANTRO RANCH:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 can Green Chilies

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

S’More Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs* 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s) 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars

Makes 16 cookie bars.

*Note: 3/4 cup crumbs is approx 7 full-sized graham cracker sheets, whizzed in the food processor until fine.

If you make a 9x13 3 times the cookie dough. 

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 loaf bread
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Marshmallow Popcorn

My cousin shared this on her blog. It is so good.

This is the most amazing marshmallow popcorn. It is sticky, gooey goodness in a bowl.

Here is the recipe:

1 cube butter (I KNOW! a WHOLE cube!)

1/4 cup Karo Syrup

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

10 oz bag of mini marshmallows

food coloring (optional)

Popcorn (I use two bags of microwave popcorn, but I think you could easily add another bag)

Pop popcorn to fill large bowl. Add marshmallows and mix well.

Melt butter in large sauce pan. Add sugar and Karo syrup. Bring to a rapid boil for one minute. Add food coloring if desired. Pour over popcorn and marshmallows. Stir well until popcorn is coated and marshmallows are melting. Enjoy!

Key Lime Bars

A few years ago my roommate and I decided to try different Lime flavored things and we came across this recipe. I thought it would be appropriate for St Patrick's Day. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Key Lime Bars
Ingredients:
• Bottom Layer:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
.
• Top Layer:
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (approximately 1 large lime)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest (optional)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 to 5 drops green food coloring
Preparation:
For the Bottom:
Mix together flour and powdered sugar. Cut in the butter or margarine until crumbly and the mixture clings together. Spread the dough in and 8x8-inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking prepare the topping layer.

For the Topping:
In a mixing bowl, slightly beat the eggs. Add the lime juice, zest, sugar, flour, and food coloring. Mix well and pour the mixture over the hot baked crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cool and cut into small squares.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Note: Recipe can be doubled and made in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Toscana Soup

This is probably one of the best soups I have ever made.

Ingredients Makes 4 servings

• olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 2 cup cooked chicken, preferably roasted
• 1/2 Package Italian Sausage- cooked
• 1/2 lb Bacon- cooked
• 4 ripe tomato, chopped
• 8 ounces packaged gnocchi, cut in half
• 1 1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 8 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil

Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until onion becomes soft and transparent and garlic becomes golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter.

Add chicken broth. Turn up heat and let it come to a boil. After the broth starts boiling, add the precooked chicken, gnocchi, and chopped tomato. Turn down to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Next, add the cream. Add spinach last. Stir spinach until it wilts. Remove from heat.

After putting the Chicken Toscana soup into individual bowls, sprinkle with generous amounts of Parmesan cheese and a little basil.