Week 5: Rocky Mountain Stew and Avalanche Bark

What a game! I don’t know anyone who wasn’t excited to see the most recent Brady vs. Manning rematch.  Despite team loyalties, you have to admit that these are two of the top quarterbacks in the game today.  And as usual, they did their best to put on a great show. 

I was nervous going into the game.  If you have previously read any of my blog posts, you must know that I consider Tom Brady to be the best quarterback in the league. What you may not know is that I consider both Peyton and his brother Eli to be right behind Tom in that category.  That being said, I was nervous because Denver’s defense kicks serious ass and ours... well, ours doesn’t.  I think we might have the worst secondary in the whole league.  I know people say it all the time, but I haven’t seen any facts to defend that statement.   I would confirm it by looking it up, but it’s one of those “I don’t really want to know” situations.

Anyway, the Patriots played a great game to beat the Broncos 31-21.  The Patriots set a franchise record with 35 first downs, with Brady going 23 for 31 for 223 yards.  Props to the Patriots defense who caused 3 Bronco fumbles and to Wes Welker who had 13 catches for 103 yards.

To honor the Broncos we made Rocky Mountain Stew and Avalanche Bark.  The Rocky Mountain Stew didn’t look as appetizing as I was hoping but was surprisingly delicious.  I usually make my beef stew with Tomato Juice or V8, but Dan enjoyed this version calling it the “beefiest” beef stew we have made yet.  I got the original recipe off of AllRecipes, but made a few adjustments before posting.  First, I don’t believe in making any soup or stew with water when you could just as easily up the flavor by using chicken or beef broth, so I switched out the water for chicken broth. Also, Dan and I don’t like pearl onions.  Even when we make Creamed Peas, we use regular onions.  I replaced the Pearl Onions with ½ a chopped white onion, added to the beef at the beginning rather than at the end.  You can find the original recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rocky-mountain-stew/

Rocky Mountain Stew

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Lbs Sirloin Tips, Cubed
4 ⅔ Cups Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Paprika
I Clove Minced Garlic
1 tsp White Sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Bay Leaf
4 Potatoes, Cubed
6 Carrots, Chopped
½ Large White Onion, Minced
½  Cup Flour
5 Ounces Frozen Baby Peas, Thawed

Directions:
1. In a large pot over Medium Heat, warm oil and brown Sirloin Tips and Onion.  Pour 1 Cup of Broth over the meat and drippings and stir, cooking for 2 minutes until a gravy forms.  Stir in 3 Cups Broth, Salt, Lemon Juice, Paprika, Garlic, Sugar, Worcestershire and Bay leave.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 - 2 ½ Hours.
2. Stir in Potatoes and Carrots, simmering for 20 minutes or until tender.
3. In a small bowl, combine Flour with remaining Broth.  Stir into stew and cook until stew thickens. Add Peas 5 minutes before serving. 

For Dessert we made Avalanche Bark.  The following is a copycat recipe from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  This is SUPER rich, so I would suggest cutting it into small pieces.

Avalanche Bark

Ingredients:
½ Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
3 ½ Cups White Chocolate Chips
2 Cups Rice Krispies
1 Cup Mini Marshmallows
½ Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.

Directions:
1. In a double boiler over medium heat, melt White Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter, stirring constantly.  Set aside to cool.
2. Stir in Rice Krispies and set aside until mixture is room temperature.
3. Fold in Marshmallows and Chocolate Chips. Do not overstir.  
4. Smooth into a greased or wax paper lined 9x13 pan.  Smooth out the top with wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until hard.  Cut into small pieces and allow to sit for a few minutes to soften. 

Happy Cooking!

Week 4: Caprese Bites, Buffalo Wings and Kielbasa Sauerkraut Balls

What a second half!  Looks like the return of the refs was good luck for Bill Belichick, who now has 194 career wins, moving him into 8th place in that category. 

The Patriots snapped their losing streak this week, absolutely killing the Buffalo Bills in a 52-28 blowout.  The first half, and even the beginning of the third quarter, had me biting my nails as Buffalo and New England went back and forth with Buffalo amassing a 14 point lead with 11 minutes to go in the Third Quarter. Then all hell broke loose.  And by Hell, I mean Tom Brady.   The Patriots scored 6 TD’s in a row and 45 points total in the second half, the most in franchise history.   Brady went 22-46 for 320 yards, Ridley had 2 TD’s, Welker had 9 catches for 129 yards and Gronkowski chipped in with 5 catches for 104 yards.  Add to that the defensive plays of Ninkovich and Devin McCourty, who had 2 interceptions, and the Patriots were almost unstoppable in the second half. 

Rather than having a Margherita Pizza like we did last time we played Buffalo, we used most of the same ingredients to have little Caprese Bites.  

Caprese Bites

Ingredients:
24 Cherry Tomatoes, washed and halved
8 Basil Leaves, cut into thirds
14 Cubes Fresh Mozzarella
Kens Italian Dressing (Or Olive Oil)
Balsamic Vinegar
Toothpicks

Directions:
1. For each toothpick, slide on one half cherry tomato, ⅓ leaf basil, 1 cube Mozzarella and the second half of the tomato.  
2. When all the ingredients have been used, drizzle first with Kens Italian Dressing then lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar.  Serve immediately or let sit in refrigerator until ready to eat.
We used this Baked Buffalo Wing Recipe last time we played, but we loved it so much we made it again.  

Baked Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:
¾ Cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Cayenne
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
20 Chicken Wings
½ Cup melted Butter
½ Cup Hot Pepper Sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a large ziploc bag and mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

I got this recipe for Kielbasa Sauerkraut Balls from my friend Lillian Russo.  Lillian writes her own blog, My Recipe Journey, which can be found here:  http://myrecipejourney-lillian.blogspot.com/2012/05/sauerkraut-balls.html

Kielbasa Sauerkraut Balls

Ingredients:
1 Pkg Hillshire Farms Kielbasa, diced
½ Large Onion, minced
1 Can Sauerkraut, rinsed and chopped
1 8oz Pkg Cream Cheese, softened
2 Cups Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1 Large Egg, beaten
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Yellow Mustard

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook Onions and Kielbasa in 1 Tbsp Oil until onions are soft. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Combine Kielbasa and Onion mixture with Sauerkraut, Cream Cheese and Cayenne Pepper.  Mix well and chill for 2 hours in refrigerator.
3. Once chilled, roll mixture into 1” balls.  Dip into Egg then Breadcrumbs.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 and serve with Yellow Mustard. 

Happy Cooking!

Week 3: A Chicken Box and Berger Cookies

What a doozy.   We lost, but I am still proud of the team.  This was probably the most physical game the Patriots will have to play all year, and they gave as good as they got.

Let me start by saying my heart goes out to Baltimore’s Torrey Smith, whose younger brother passed away not 24 hours before the game in a motorcycle accident. Torrey played a fantastic game in honor of his brother, notching 2 TD’s and 127 yards.  Tom Brady passed Joe Montana on the career yardage list to take spot number 12, but it wasn’t enough to complete with Baltimore’s total of 503 offensive yards.

The game was a shit show from the start.  Baltimore and New England set a new record by amassing 12 penalties in the first quarter alone.  The replacement refs must go.  Belichick himself was quite upset with the refs and could be seen grabbing the arm of one after the game to continue yelling.  That’s gonna cost him..... 

For tonight’s game, we made our own version of Baltimore's Chicken Box.  An everyday Chicken Box consists of 6 Chicken Wings, Fries and is served with Hot Sauce.  Drink it down with a Half and Half, (Half Iced Tea, half Lemonade, known to us Northerners as an Arnold Palmer ) and you have a complete meal.  

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken Cut Up
2 Quarts Water
2 Cups Salt
2 Cups Buttermilk
1 Tbsp Tabasco
3 Cups Flour
2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Cayenne
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Dried Basil
Oil for Frying

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine Salt and Water. Soak Chicken Pieces for 3-4 Hours.  
2. Drain and rinse chicken.  Place in a bowl.  Combine Buttermilk and Tabasco, pour over chicken.  Let sit at least 1 hour.
3. Heat oil to 375.
4. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  One at a time remove chicken pieces from Buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess buttermilk, and roll in the seasoned flour. Place 2-3 pieces in the oil at once and cook 7 minutes for Drumsticks, 12-14 for breasts.  Let drain on paper towels after removing. 

For the French Fries I cut them and let them sit in salt water for about 2 hours, then drained and dried them.  I tossed them with a mix of Old Bay, Pepper and Basil before tossing them into the oil.

For dessert we made Baltimore’s famous Berger Cookies. These are a cake like cookie almost like NY’s Black and White’s.  I got the recipe straight from King Arthur Flour’s site and did not make any adjustments.  While the cookies were good, I don’t want to lie, mine were ugly.  (I am sadly, not a baker.)  For that reason, the picture below is not mine. :(  I was too embarassed.  It is the picture that came with the recipe.  Enjoy!   http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/baltimores-finest-berger-cookies-recipe?recipe_id=1209397505316

Berger Cookies

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 ½  tsps Salt
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 ½ Cups Sugar
3 large Eggs
4 ½ Cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Milk
Rich Chocolate Icing
3 ½ Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
4 oz Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
2 Tbsps Light Corn Syrup
4 Tbsps Unsalted Butter
1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream

Directions
1. Preheat oven  to 450.
2. Cream together Butter, Salt, Vanilla and Baking Powder in a large bowl.  Beat in Sugar, then Eggs, one at a time.
3. Add Flour to the wet ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
4. Drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets in 1 ½” circles.  Flatten with knife or bottom of a pint glass.
5. Bake for 11 minutes.  Cool on pan for 5 minutes then transfer to rack.
6. Place the chocolate chips, baking chocolate, corn syrup, butter, and cream into a large microwave-safe bowl, or into a large saucepan. Heat the mixture till it’s very hot; the cream will start to form bubbles. Remove from the heat, and stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature; this will take at least a couple of hours, so plan accordingly. When completely cool, beat with an electric mixer for 6 to 7 minutes, until the icing lightens in color just a bit, and thickens just slightly.
7. Spread each cookie with 3 Tbsp Icing. 

Happy Cooking!

Week 2: Enchiladas, Corn Casserole and Heartburn

Wow.  I have heartburn, and it’s not from the food.  

Okay, we will start with some good news.  Tom Brady threw for 316 yards and a TD.  Welker surpassed Troy Brown and is now #1 on the Most Receptions as a Patriot list, and after the game we resigned fan favorite Deion Branch.

Now for the bad, and there is a lot of bad.  We lost.  Hernandez is out for at least 6 weeks with an ankle injury.  There were numerous incomplete passes. Brady overthrew both Lloyd and Gronkowski in second quarter for what should have been touchdowns and Gostkowski, the most accurate kicker in Patriots history, missed a game winning 41 yard FG. 

I would like to take a moment to address the Patriots fans that spent their Sunday evenings whining about the loss.  Get over it.  We didn’t deserve to win that game.  And if you happen to be one of the fans who was ranting about 1. Brady’s decline, or 2. Your desire to bring back Vinatieri, please feel free to go jump off a bridge, you spoiled fairweather jerks.  Arizona played a tough, physical game.  Give them some credit for winning, because that is exactly what they did.  Kudos to them for preparing and executing a well thought out game plan.  

To celebrate Arizona food, you need one of two things. Cactus or Prickly Pear.  However, grocery stores in Massachusetts don’t sell either in September (... or ever?) so we went with Jalapenos and Green Chilies instead.  Today we made Spicy Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Chicken Enchiladas and Corn Casserole. 

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:
1 ½ Cups Tomato, diced and seeded
¼ Cup Onion, minced
1 Jalapeno, minced
2 Limes, juiced
¼ Cup Cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Sweet and Spicy Guacamole

Ingredients:
3 Avocados
1 Lime, juiced
½ Cup Cilantro, chopped
1 Serrano, minced
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup onion, minced
½ teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoon Cayenne
½ Cup Mango, minced
Dash Chili Powder

Directions:
1. Combine and let sit 30 minutes before serving.

We loved this Corn Casserole recipe.  It is not mine, I grabbed it from Paula Deen off the Food Network site.  The only difference between our recipes is that she puts all the cheese on top while I put ½ a Cup into the Corn Mix before baking.  You can find the original here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/corn-casserole-recipe/index.html

Corn Casserole (Paula Deen)

Ingredients:
1 Can Whole Kernel Corn, Drained
1 Can Cream Style Corn
1 Box Jiffy Corn muffin Mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
½ Cup Butter, Melted
1 ½ Cups Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine Corn, Corn Muffin Mix, Sour Cream, Butter and ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese. Pour into a greased or sprayed 9x9 or 9x13 Casserole Dish. Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown. Top with the remainder of the cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

Chicken Enchiladas
(Makes 6-8 Enchiladas)

Ingredients:
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts, Boiled, Shredded and Chopped
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Green Onions, Chopped
½ Cup Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
½ Cup Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 4-Ounce Can Chopped Green Chilies
½ Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
2 tsps Ground Cumin
½ tsp Garlic Powder
2 Cups Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
6-8 Flour Tortillas (8”)
4 Ounces Cream Cheese
1 Can or Bottle Enchilada or Picante Sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and Spray a 9x9 Pan (for 6) or a 13x9 Pan (for 8).
2. In a skillet, cook Bell Pepper 3-5 minutes or until slightly soft. Remove from heat.  
3. In a large bowl combine Chicken, Sour Cream, Green Onions, Bell Peppers, Chilies, Cilantro, Cumin, Garlic Powder and 1 Cup Shredded Cheese.
4. Lay 1 tortilla flat.  Smear ½ Ounce of Cream Cheese down the middle and top with ½ Cup Filling.  Roll and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat until Pan is full. 5. Top Enchiladas with Picante or Enchilada Sauce. Bake 45 minutes.  Top with the remainder of the cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Let rest 5 minutes before serving.  

Happy Cooking!

Week 1: Winners! Sin Dip, Marinated Salad and Chicken Chili

Winners! The Patriots notched their ninth consecutive season opening win on Sunday, dominating the Titans 34-13.   Brady threw for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns while passing John Elway on the list of Career Wins by a Quarterback to maintain sole possession of 5th place with 125 wins.  The best part?  He did it all with a bloody face.  As so eloquently put by Wes Welker after the game, “He’s probably the toughest metrosexual I’ve ever come across.”  Well said, Welker.  While this won’t prevent fans from opposing teams from calling Brady pretty boy names, it does give me more justification for telling them off after said comments.  

You know who else was a winner on Sunday?  ME.  Okay, not just me.  My friends Jess Ciola, Courtney Connery and I combined our super powers to create a feast that would make even Jake Locker forget about his problems.  (How’s the shoulder, big guy? He He He)

Jess Ciola started us off with one of the best dips I have had the pleasure of stuffing my face with.  Tennessee Sin Dip.  Admittedly, this looked better before we all started eating, but trust me when is say it was so good that it was half gone before I remembered to take a picture.

Tennessee Sin Dip

Ingredients:
1 Loaf Sourdough Bread
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
8 Ounces Sour Cream
½ Cup Bacon, Cooked and Chopped
⅓ Cup Green Onions, Chopped
⅓ Cup Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
⅓ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
½ tsp Seasoned Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cup the top ¼ off of the Sourdough bread and hollow out.  Chop the bread top and the innards into cubes. Bake Shell for 10 minutes and set aside.
3. Beat Cream Cheese until softened.  Add Sour Cream and continue to beat until Creamy.  Stir in Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Green Onions, Red Bell Pepper, Worcestershire Sauce and Seasoned Salt.  
4. Spoon mixture into pre-baked Shell.  Wrap in foil and bake for 30 minutes.  
5. Serve with Bread Cubes and Assorted Crackers. 

 

Matt Hasselbeck can officially thank me for getting into the game on Sunday.  Yes, some people would say it was due to Locker’s shoulder injury.  Those people would be wrong.  It was clearly because I decided to make Matt Hasselbeck’s Comeback Chicken Chili for the game.  I had never made a White Chili before, and this one was so simple and delicious, I would recommend trying it out if you are a newbie like I was.   You can find the recipe a few different places on the web, but I used the Food Network recipe, found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/matt-hasselbecks-comeback-chicken-chili-recipe/index.html

Comeback Chicken Chili (Matt Hasselbeck)

Ingredients:
1 Can White Cannellini Beans
6 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Medium Onions, Chopped and Divided
1 Tbsp Oil
2 4-Ounce Cans Chopped Green Chilis
2 tsps Ground Cumin
1 ½ tsps Oregano
¼ tsp Cloves
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
4 Cups Chicken Breasts, Cooked and Shredded
3 Cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated.

Directions:
1. Combine the Beans, Garlic, Chicken Broth and half the Onions in a soup pot. Bring to a boil.
2. In a skillet, saute the remaining Onions in Oil until soft.  Add Chilies, Cloves, Oregano, Cumin and Cayenne. Mix thoroughly and add to the soup pot.  Add Shredded Chicken, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Serve topped with Grated Cheese. 

We ended the meal with Baby Back Ribs and a Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad.  The Ribs were my recipe and the Salad was made by Courtney Connery.

Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
2 English Cucumbers, Peeled and Sliced to ¼” thick
1 Small Red Onion, Sliced Thin
3 Medium Tomatoes, Wedged
½ Cup Vinegar
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Oil
1 Cup Water
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss well.  
2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 

Oven Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:
2 Racks Baby Back Ribs
8 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
½ teaspoon Cayenne
½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
½ teaspoon Old Bay
½ teaspoon Thyme
½ teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 Cups BBQ Sauce (see Zesty BBQ Sauce)

Directions:
1. Combine dry ingredients and rub into Ribs.  
2. Create a large foil packet and place Ribs inside.  Refrigerate 8-48 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 250.  Leaving the Ribs in the foil packet, bake 3 hours.
4. Remove Ribs from foil and place on foil lined pan.  Increase temperature to 300 and bake for 1 hour, basting with BBQ Sauce every 10-15 minutes.
5. Broil for 5 minutes just until sauce until bubbly and charred.
Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Happy Cooking!

AFC Championship Yuppies

As I was watching the Patriots game this weekend I looked around and noticed a few things.  All 9 of us were drinking bottled Micro-brews, eating Farm Raised Fish, wearing clothing from The GAP, giving High Fives, and playing with our 3 dogs whose combined weight is less than 50 lbs.

We are Yuppies.   

I don’t know when this happened.  I think I am going to have to blame Gisele again.  Without her, Brady never would have been the spokes-model for Uggs.  And with a role model like that, how could we NOT be Yuppies?  The only thing I have going for me is the fact that we don’t own a hybrid.  … yet. 

Despite his shoddy performance last night, in 2 weeks Brady will join John Elway as the only other QB to take his team to the Superbowl 5 times.  He ended up throwing 22 for 36 with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns.  Not the performance I was hoping for, but a win is a win and his 239 yards moved him past Elway into 4th place on the all time post season passing list. Gronk injured his ankle in the third quarter, but returned to the game and was seen wearing a walking cast during the celebration.  The Patriots say he will be ready for the Superbowl, but if I were Bernard Pollard I would still watch out.  Gronk looked PISSED as he hobbled off the field.  Yeah... That look is for you, Pollard!

As people were arriving we set out a plate of Cheese and Crackers and some Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  Then we moved on to the Baltimore based food.  For those of you who don’t know, I can’t eat Shellfish.  So instead of having Maryland Crab Cakes, I made Baltimore Tilapia Cakes with Dill Sauce, Chesapeake Bay Chicken Salad Cucumber Cups and Stuffed “Shells.”  Okay, making “Shells” was stretching it a bit, but it’s my party and I’ll be corny if I want too.  My friend Stephanie McDonald brought a platter of amazing Brown Bottom Cupcakes that she made from scratch for dessert.  

Mini Tilapia Cakes
You can find the original recipe I used as a base here: http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/whats-for-dinner-next-week-baked.html

Ingredients:
¾ - 1 Lb Tilapia
3 Scallions, diced
¼ Cup Bell Pepper, diced
¼ Cup Celery, diced
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup Cheese and Garlic Croutons, processed
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1 teaspoon dried Basil
Pinch Crushed Rosemary
½ teaspoon Old Bay
½ Cup Mayonnaise
½ Cup Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Dill Weed
1 teaspoon Beau Monde
½ teaspoon Onion Powder

Directions:
1. Combine Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, Dill, Beau Monde and Onion Powder.  Mix well and chill for 1 hour.
2. Combine the Croutons, Rosemary, Cayenne, Basil, and Old Bay in a food processor and grind until they become breadcrumbs.  Set aside.
3. Combine Fish, Salt and Pepper in a food processor.  Pulse until fish is well processed.  Remove and set in a large bowl.  
4. Add Crouton mixture and vegetables to fish mixture.  Stir together.  Add Beaten Eggs and stir to combine.
5. Form patties 1 ½ inches in diameter.  Cook at 400 for 7 minutes per side.  Serve with chilled dill sauce.

Chesapeake Bay Cucumber Cups

Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber
1 Cooked Chicken Breast
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon Celery Seed
⅛ teaspoon Pepper
⅛ teaspoon Seasoned Salt
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon Dijon
½ teaspoon Old Bay

Directions:
1. Combine Chicken, Mayonnaise, Celery Seed, Salt, Lemon Juice, Dijon and Old Bay.  Mix well and chill.
2. Peel the Cucumber and cut into 1” slices.  Scoop out the centers almost all the way.  Fill with Chicken Mixture and serve.


Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
1 Lb Ground Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Box (16 oz) Jumbo Pasta Shells
2 Cups Cottage Cheese
2 Cups Ricotta
12 oz Shredded Mozzarella
½ Cup Grated Parmesan
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon fresh Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
2-3 Tablespoons fresh Basil
2 - 3 Cups Red Sauce
¼ Cup Grated Parmesan

Directions:
1. Cook Shells until 2 minutes before approximate time on box.  Plunge in cold water to stop the cooking process.  Let dry.
2. In a large skillet, saute Sausage until done, drain and set aside.
3. In a Food Processor, combine Cottage Cheese, Ricotta, ¾ of Mozzarella, ½ Cup Parmesan, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Parsley and Basil.  Process until just blended, but not liquefied. Move to a large bowl and stir in egg.  Add Sausage. Place mixture in a baggie with a corner cut out.
4. Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 9x11 pan.  Place shells opening side up and fill with cheese mixture.  Drizzle with sauce then sprinkle with leftover Mozzarella and Parmesan.  Bake 20 minutes with a foil cover and 20 minutes without.

The Next Sporks Report will be in 2 weeks after the Superbowl.  It will be a combined NE/NY spread so please let me know if there are any requests!

Happy Cooking!