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Homemade Nacho Cheese

nacho cheese
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nacho cheese

 

 

Silky smooth homemade nacho cheese with no processed velveeta cheese. Very easy to make with minimal and simple ingredients. You can adjust the heat of nacho cheese sauce by using only peper jack cheese for hot,cheddar cheese only for mild, and  both cheeses for medium. You can also add jalapeños for extra hot. Serve it as a dip with tortilla chips, pour it over chili or chili cheese fries ( one my favorite junkies in my teen years ).

 

Ingredients:

4 oz. pepper jack cheese,shredded

4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk, divided

2 teaspoons hot sauce

pinch salt

Directions:

In a medium-sized saucepan,toss together cheese and cornstarch,  until evenly coated.

Stir in 1 cup evaporated milk, the hot sauce and salt.

Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until thickened, smooth and bubbly.

Stir in additional evaporated milk, if needed, until desired consistency.

Homemade Nacho Cheese

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. pepper jack cheese,shredded
  • 4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk, divided
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan,toss together cheese and cornstarch, until evenly coated.
  2. Stir in 1 cup evaporated milk, the hot sauce and salt.
  3. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until thickened, smooth and bubbly.
  4. Stir in additional evaporated milk, if needed, until desired consistency.
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Adapted from kitchensimplicity.com

Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

balsamic chicken drumsticks
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balsamic chicken drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks are perfect finger food and great for any occasion.These drumsticks are glazed with tangy, slightly sweet and perfectly salty sauce.The recipe is so simple and can be marinaded in advance.Just throw them in the oven when ever your ready.It’s quick,easy and delicious!

 

Balsamic Chicken Drusticks

Ingredients

  • 12 drumsticks
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • about 2-21/2 tablespoons salt
  • 10-12 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon chopped sage
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • Basting Sauce:
  • leftover marinade
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (dark will do also)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a blender,combine balsamic vinegar,ketchup,thyme,sage,salt,pepper,garlic powder,honeyand garlic.
  3. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag or bowl.Add marinade to chicken drumsticks and place the chicken in the fridge for 2 hours or more.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
  5. Arrange drumsticks on the lined baking sheet.( DO NOT discard marinade)
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes basting with sauce and rotating back to front,front to back every 10-13 minutes.
  7. Sauce:
  8. Pour leftover marinade in a small sauce pan.
  9. bring to boil on medium heat.
  10. Add 2 tablespoon light brown sugar.
  11. cook marinade for 2-3 minutes.
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Pickled Tomatoes

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Pickling tomatoes and cucumbers is very well-known in Russia and Ukraine. It’s a great way of preserving tomatoes in a brine and makes it enjoyable during winter months.These pickled tomatoes go well with famous Ukrainian fried potatoes and Uzbek plov. My dearest friend Nellya that lives in Ukraine shared this recipe with me,so the recipe is straight from Ukraine with Ukrainian method of pickling. Sterilizing jars for this recipe is not needed, but you will need a blanket or a thick towel.

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Pickled Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • Per 1 quart jar or 1 liter-
  • Tomatoes
  • 1-2 whole onion round
  • 5-6 carrot rounds
  • 3 bell pepper slices
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • one sprig of parsley
  • one sprig of dill
  • 10 black peppercorns.
  • 1.5 heaping tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • water
  • For 3 liter jars-
  • 1.5 tablespoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

  1. Place onion,carrots,garlic,black peppercorns,dill,parsley,bay leaf on the bottom of the jar.
  2. Place tomatoes in a jar.preferably small, but slice in half or quarters if large.
  3. In a pot or sauce pan bring water to a boil.
  4. Fill jars(with tomatoes)with boiling water and let them sit for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Pour out the water from jars back into the pot and bring it to a boil again.
  6. Add sugar,salt and vinegar to the jar with tomatoes and fill it back with the boiling water that was poured out in to the pot.
  7. Close the lid tightly.Cover a table with blanket or towel, and place the jar upside down. cover it with blanket or a towel.
  8. Keep them covered with a blanket or a towel for 24 hours.
  9. Ready in a week or two.The longer, the better.
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Korean Noodle Salad “Funchoza”

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This is very delicious Korean noodle salad that is well known in Central Asia of Korean origin.There is many varieties of this salad,but I like the vegetarian style.You can add pan-fried strips of chicken,beef,or ground meat if desired.To get nice thin strips of vegetables I use this thin julienne slicer.

Korean Salad “Funchoza” – Фунчоза по-корейски

Ingredients

  • 6 0zs Bean Vermicelli
  • 4-5 carrots peeled and julienned (very thin)
  • 1 red bell pepper julienned(very thin)
  • 1 cucumber or 1/2 English cucumber julienned(very thin)
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • Dressing-
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes(depending how spicy you like it)
  • 2 tablespoons white or black sesame seeds.

Instructions

  1. Cover noodles with hot boiling water and let it soak for about 5-7 minutes.Drain the water.
  2. Whisk all the ingredients together for the dressing.Cut the bean noodles if too long.Add the dressing to noodles and vegetables.Mix well.Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve.
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Adapted from chekalova-recepty.ru

Pan-Fried Garlic Prawns

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This is one of the easiest pan-fried prawn/shrimp recipes that is remarkably delicious.Well seasoned prawns/shrimp  are fried with onions then tossed with more fresh onion and jalapenos.The result is sweet,juicy,garlicky,and slightly spicy.Yum!It’s all time favorite in my family.

Pan-Fried Garlic Prawns

Ingredients

  • 2lbs prawns or wild shrimp shell on*
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning (optional)
  • 1 onion sliced in to thick slices
  • 1-2 jalapenos sliced
  • 2/3 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 cup + more if needed high heat oil (I used avocado oil)
  • Optional-
  • chili powder or chili flakes to add more heat.
  • chopped scallions.
  • * You can use shell-off kind too

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl,combine prawns/shrimp,salt,pepper,onion powder,garlic powder,(optional;chili powder or flakes,old bay seasoning.)1/2 of sliced onion,1/2 of sliced jalapenos and corn starch.Set a side.
  2. In a another bowl, combine the rest of the onion and jalapeno. Or scallions with jalapeno or even both.
  3. Heat a wok or frying pan on high heat.Add oil and let it heat up.When the oil is really hot,fry prawns in batches on both sides. (about 3-4 batches).
  4. Place fried batch of prawns in to the bowl with onion and jalapeno and mix. Mix prawns every time when adding another batch.
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Roasted Garlic Chicken Breasts

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This elegant chicken recipe is very flavorful,moist,light and simple to make.It has a burst of roasted garlic flavor in combination of fresh herbs like thyme,oregano and rosemary.Adding Water or stock to the bottom of the pan makes chicken breasts moist and not dry.
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                        In a blender,pulse 4 garlic cloves and shallot.Add lemon juice,salt,pepper,parsley,thyme,mayo,and olive oil.Mix mixture with chicken.

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Place chicken in a baking pan.Add garlic cloves and herbs.

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Add water or stock around the chicken.Drizzle some olive oil.Bake for 50-60 min. in 425 degree oven.

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Discard herbs.Take out garlic cloves from baking pan, and smash them in a small bowl.

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Spread garlic on top of chicken.Slice the chicken in the baking pan.Pour more liquid on top. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.

 

Roasted Garlic Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

  • 6-8 Chicken breasts
  • 2 heads garlic peeled
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dry parsley
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon squeezed
  • 8 -10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2-3 sprigs rosemary (optional)
  • 6 sprigs fresh oregano
  • 1/2 cup olive oil plus more to drizzle
  • Salt and black pepper(I used 1 tablespoon him.pink salt)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place garlic and shallot in a blender, and pulse few times.
  3. Add 4 garlic cloves,lemon juice,mayonnaise,onion powder,parsley,4 sprigs thyme(stem removed),salt,pepper,and olive oil.Pulse a few times until well combined.
  4. Spread the mixture on both sides of chicken.
  5. Place chicken in a casserole dish or baking pan.
  6. Add garlic cloves and herbs.
  7. Pour water around the chicken so it covers the chicken half way.(you can also use vegetable stock or chicken stock instead of water)
  8. Drizzle some olive oil over the chicken.
  9. Bake uncovered for 25 min.then take it out and using a spoon, pour water that's on the bottom of the pan over the chicken.Repeat one more time in 20 min.
  10. Continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes. Total time 50-60min.
  11. When chicken is done,discard herbs.
  12. Take out garlic cloves and mash them with fork.
  13. Spread mashed garlic on top of chicken.
  14. Slice chicken in the pan and pour the liquid over chicken.
  15. Serve with your favorite side dish. (I served with sauteed spinach and onion)
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