Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch

Want something rich and creamy with a little bit of crunch? And totally not good for you but makes you feel better? You have to try this. Rachael Ray is not a big baker so this dessert, like most of hers, is no actual bake time. Drop the diet at the door and eat really small portions of this. It says to cut into 16 pieces but that's for sizes like in the picture. Trust me, it's way too rich to eat that big of a piece. Also, a bigger pan might be a good idea. It would spread the layers out and not make it as thick in the final product. However, the layers are not too fond of being spread out so a 9x13 might be too big. We also use chocolate chips instead of bars.

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 sticks (8 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

One 16-ounce jar creamy peanut butter

3 cups crispy rice cereal

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups confectioners' sugar

Stir in your favorite breakfast cereal or even dried fruit or nuts.

DIRECTIONS:

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt half of the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup peanut butter, then 2 cups rice cereal. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan; refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Wash out the saucepan.

In the saucepan, combine the remaining 2 sticks butter and the salt; melt over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining peanut butter and the confectioners' sugar. Spread half of the peanut butter mixture over the cereal layer. Top with the remaining 1 cup cereal.

In a small bowl, microwave the remaining chocolate at medium power until melted, 1 1/2 minutes. Stir into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread evenly on the cereal-topped peanut butter layer; refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces.

Shiitake, Leek and Sesame Noodles

This is a fantastic and simple recipe. Rachael Ray created something simple but full of flavor. If you have never had edamame, get ready! haha It's in the freezer section and yes, we found it at Walmart. It is bigger and firmer than snow peas but you only eat the seeds. They are sometimes served as an appetizer in Asian food. It is one at Pei Wei if you want to try it first. For the sesame seeds, we have a large spice container of pre-toasted sesame seeds. We used those so we didn't have to worry about burning sesame seeds.

INGREDIENTS:

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat linguine pasta or soba noodles

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 large or 3 medium leeks—halved lengthwise, cut into thin matchsticks and well-rinsed

One 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks or finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 cup shelled edamame

1/2 cup sake or dry sherry

About 3 tablespooons black sesame seeds or sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the shiitakes and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the leeks and wilt for 2 minutes, then stir in the ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Stir in the edamame to heat through. Stir in the sake and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Stir the pasta and reserved pasta cooking water into the skillet, then add the sesame seeds and sesame oil. Turn off the heat and toss for 1 full minute.

Butter-Almond-Crusted Fishwiches

Holy cow! Talk about a quick and simple recipe. And, to top it all off, so yummy!!!! Rachael Ray really created a great thing with this recipe. Please try asap!!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons pickle relish

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespooon vegetable oil

1/2 head small cabbage or 1/2 pound shredded slaw mix

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

Flour, for coating

2 eggs, beaten

4 fillets tilapia

3 tablespoons butter

Juice of 1 lemon

8 slices good-quality white bread or split rolls of choice, toasted

Salt-and-vinegar or black-pepper potato chips

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, whisk the mustard, relish and honey. Whisk in 1/4 cup oil. Add the cabbage and season with salt and pepper; toss.

Using a food processor, grind the almonds. Stir in the breadcrumbs and thyme. Place in a shallow bowl. Place the flour and beaten eggs in 2 other shallow bowls. Halve the tilapia fillets crosswise, making 8 small pieces of fish. Pat the fish dry and season with a little salt. Dip the fish first in the flour, then in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the butter to melt. Add the coated fish and cook, turning once, until brown and crisp, 3 minutes per side. Douse the fish with the lemon juice. Stack 2 pieces of fish and a big pile of the slaw on the toast. Halve the sammies and serve with the potato chips.

Tex Wasabi's Koi Fish Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! Yes, I know it's officially over but this is what we made for dinner on Cinco de Mayo. We love Asian, Mexican, and Seafood. This combines them all. I believe that Guy Fieri makes this at one of his restaurants, Tex Wasabi, hence the name. It says to let the Pico and Aioli chill in the fridge for an hour...not necessary. It may be a great idea if you have the time but we were hungry! hehe.

Pico de Gallo:

• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• Salt and pepper

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for 1 hour for flavors to meld.

Tequila Lime Aioli:

• 3 tablespoons premium tequila
• 1 lime, juiced
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
• Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Taco Ingredients

• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon tequila
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 ounces cod or firm white fish, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 16 (8-inch) corn tortillas
• Canola oil
• 4 ounces tempura flour
• 8 ounces prepared tempura batter made with cold water
• 6 ounces panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded white cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion

Taco Directions

In medium bowl, combine lime juice, tequila, cumin, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Add the fish and toss to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Warm tortillas on grill or pan. Cover with a towel to keep warm.

In a medium Dutch oven, heat the canola oil to 350 degrees F.

Remove fish from marinade, shake off excess, dredge in tempura flour, and dunk in cold tempura mixed batter. Roll in panko bread crumbs, pressing panko onto fish. One by one add fish to oil, making sure to keep the fish pieces separated. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Mix cabbage, cilantro and onion. Stack 2 tortillas; place 1/8th of fish on top of each, and top with cabbage mixture, Pico de Gallo, and Tequila Lime Aioli. Serve immediately.

Irish Nachos

This is a fantastic and smart way of a deconstructed Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes. It is very clever and so stinking yummy! Some of this may sound odd, shouldn't go together, or bleh. However, PLEASE try this! I promise it will be worth your time. I was nervous and only bought half of the corned beef. It was enough but the called amount probably would have been better. We used Coors Light because it was what we had.

Ingredients

• 1 20- to 24-ounce bag waffle fries
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 pound deli-sliced corned beef, chopped
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup light beer
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
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  Preparation

  Preheat oven to 450ºF.Arrange the waffle fries on a baking sheet and cook according to package directions, adding about 10 minutes onto the baking time to make them extra crispy.
  
  When the fries have about 10 minutes left, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the corned beef to the skillet and sauté until light golden brown and heated through, 2-3 minutes.
  
  Add the onions and cabbage to the pan, and cook until the onions have softened and cabbage has wilted, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and reserve warm.
  
  While the veggies are cooking, place a medium pot over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the flour to the pot and cook for about a minute.
  
  Whisk the beer into the mixture and cook for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. Whisk the chicken stock into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the cheese to melt. Season the sauce with salt and pepper
  
  To serve, arrange the crispy waffle fries on a platter, top them with the corned beef and cabbage mixture and douse with a good helping of cheese sauce.