Best French and Italian Food Recipe

Low Calorie Pumpkin Pie Milk Shake

Haunted Halloween and Fabulous Fall Cocktail Roundup

Hello and happy Halloween weekend.  What a fantastic month October has been and we are looking forward to the fall weather that will be coming in the next few weeks.

We are so excited about the Halloween parties this weekend that we decided to do a quick recap of some Halloween and Fall Cocktails today and tomorrow.  Hope you enjoy!!!

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Chicken Stew and Dumplings

½ cup milk

After 1 hour of simmering: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, butter, milk and water. Stir well with a spoon until combined.  Turn stew to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Drop dumplings by spoonfuls on top of boiling stew.  Cover tightly and cook for 12 minutes.  Remove cover and serve stew.


Emeril's Creole Seasoning

Candy Corn Martini

Happy Thursday and Welcome to Ladies Night!  We are quickly approaching All Hallows Eve! We are celebrating Halloween here at The Slow Roasted Italian with a fantastic drink!  The perfect adult treat for your Halloween party, the Candy Corn Martini is a Devilish Delight.

Mr. W infused the candy corn into the vodka, which created this fantastic holiday treat.  It tastes like Brach's made its own Candy Corn Vodka just for you. So Trick or Treat yourself into this one of a kind drink, I dare you, no I double dog dare you to drink up this cocktail and infuse yourself with Halloween!!! Now go and scare yourself up some fun.

COCKTAIL TIP:  Rimming cocktail glasses is simple and something you can do the day before the party.  You will need cocktail glasses or cups, 2 shallow bowls slightly larger than your drinking vessel.  Choose a liquid to rim with.  Most bartenders choose lime or lemon, but to get a heavy duty sugar to stick to our glasses we chose to use our orange liqueur (any sticky liquid would work).  Choose dry item to adhere to rim: salt, sugar, chopped candies are all great options.  We chose black sanding sugar; you can find this at your local craft store or in the seasonal section of your grocery store.

Pour your liquid in one bowl and dry ingredient in the other bowl.  Place glass rim down in the liquid.  Spin to coat the top edge of glass. Wait a moment for excess liquid to drip off.  Place coated glass in bowl with dry ingredient and tap to coat.  Flip and allow glass to dry.

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Two Cheese Jalapeno Quesadilla

It's The Happy Hour here at The Slow Roasted Italian!  Happy Hump Day!  During The Happy Hour we feature a  fabulous dish you may find at a happy hour, or serve as hors devours, appetizers or antipasti.  Here is a fantastic treat from The Happy Hour to get you through the mid-week blahs!!!

To check out more fantastic dishes from The Happy Hour, check out the link on the right side bar, or click here.  If you are looking for some delicious cocktails, check out Ladies Night. 

Fantastically easy dish for your happy hour!  Two Cheese Jalapeno Quesadilla.  

Two Cheese Jalapeno Quesadilla
2 flour tortillas
olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese
1/2 can diced jalapenos

Warm griddle over medium high heat.  Lightly brush griddle with olive oil.  Place a tortilla on griddle.  Allow to lightly brown, 10-30 seconds, then flip.  Repeat until both sides are lightly browned.  Set aside and repeat with other tortilla.


Once second tortilla is lightly browned, top with cheeses (while still on the griddle).


Then dollop jalapenos onto cheese.


Top with second tortilla and allow to melt cheese.  Flip once bottom tortilla is browned, allow second side to brown.  Remove and cut into 6 pieces with a pizza cutter or a chef's knife.


Serve with your favorite toppings.  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com

Dried Pineapple Rings

It's Tuesday and that means its Simply Delicious here the TSRI.  Today, I bring you a simple snack that is a family favorite.  Literally 1 ingredient.

We love healthy snacks, I keep them in my hand bag, in Em's diaper bag, in the pantry and we are always grabbing for them.  Dried pineapples are one of our favorites.  I never would have thought to make my own dried fruits, but I can get the freshest ingredients and know what my family is eating.  I picked up a bag of dried banana chips from a health food store and enjoyed them very much until I read the ingredient list...  That did it.

Today I have Dried Pineapple Rings, pineapple takes no pretreatment just slice and dehydrate.  I use my dehydrator, but you can easily do this in your oven on a low temperature setting.

Dried Pineapple Rings
5 pineapples

Start with 1 ripe pineapple.


Lay pineapple on its side, on top of a cutting board.  Using a sharp chefs knife, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple.  Stand pineapple up on its end.


Cut the skin (and spiky things) off the sides in strips, continue around the pineapple until all the skin is removed. Cut pineapple with a mandolin slicer (using the thick setting) or cut in 1/4 - 1/8" slices using a good knife.  Once you have sliced the pineapple, remove the core by punching the center with a small cookie cutter, about a 1" round.  You can also use a knife to cut it out.


Lay pineapple rings, not touching on your dehydrator trays (mine holds 9 rings per tray).    Repeat until you have filled your whole dehydrator.  Mine takes 5 pineapples (with a little snacking).  Fill your dehydrator and dry according to your manufacturers instructions.

Alternately you can lay on baking sheets and bake in oven at 165 degrees for 6-16 hours until leathery and not sticky.


 Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com

Pomegranate Banana Smoothie

Happy Monday everyone.  We had a beautiful weekend, hope you did too!  Today we feature a fabulous smoothie to kick your week off right!!!

It is autumn and the proof is in the pomegranates.  They are everywhere!  I love them and have been thinking of how many ways I can use them.  There is an amazing sale on them this week, so we are stocking up.  Did you know a pomegranate will last up to 2 months in the refrigerator and up to a month on the counter?  Also that you can remove the arils (seeds and the surrounding water-laden pulp) and freeze them? I can't tell you all the ways that I can think of using these.  Smoothies, cocktails, sauces, salad dressings, pies, savory dishes...

AboutPomegranate.com provided these wonderful facts;  pomegranate is not only delicious but one of the most nutritious fruits to eat. It is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B5, potassium and also polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. It is also considered one of the high-fiber fruits. A ½ cup of pomegranate arils contains only 80 calories, but is packed with 5g of fiber and 180mg of potassium.

Today we are sharing our favorite smoothie this season (although I am sure there are plenty more to come) Pomegranate Banana Smoothie.  As Chad put it:  its perfect.  Don't change a thing!  I hope you enjoy it, it got rave reviews from all 3 of us.  Em drank almost a whole glass on her own!!!  Enjoy!

Pomegranate Banana Smoothie    Makes 2 - 8 ounce servings

1 banana, frozen in pieces (at least 1 hour)

Honeycrisp Apple Crisp

The Vampire's Eclipse

Happy Thursday and welcome to Ladies Night at The Slow Roasted Italian! As All Hallows Eve closes in, we are celebrating Ladies Night with a ghoulish delight.

The Vampire Eclipse is a special treat created just for you by the count himself deep in the castle's lair.  The count worked feverishly to capture the essence and magic of the suns eclipse.  A dark river of grenadine rests on the bottom of the glass, while repelling the suns burst of orange energy, trapping a cherry between day and night.  The light rum entombs this moment forever.

Original recipe developed by Chad of The Slow Roasted Italian 

The Vampire's Eclipse
1/2 ounce grenadine
1/2 ounce orange juice
1 ounce light rum (Bacardi)
1 maraschino cherry

Gently pour grenadine in shot glass first.  Then slowly pour in the orange juice (pour down the side of the glass to avoid mixing your layers).  Slowly lower the cherry through the orange juice to rest on the grenadine.  Lastly, add rum pouring it down the side of your glass.

Serve and enjoy! 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com

Zesty Italian Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sliders

It's The Happy Hour here at The Slow Roasted Italian!  Happy Hump Day!  Every Wednesday we feature a  fabulous dish you may find at a happy hour, or serve as hors devours, appetizers or antipasti.  Here is a fantastic treat from The Happy Hour to get you through the mid-week blahs!!!

To check out more fantastic dishes from The Happy Hour, check out the link on the right side bar, or click here.  If you are looking for some delicious cocktails, check out Ladies Night.

These sliders are flavor packed!  Two is all that anyone in our house could eat.  Enjoy!

Zesty Italian Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sliders
2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 12 ounce bottles barbecue sauce (use your favorite)
1/4  cup brown sugar
1/2 recipe Homemade Zesty Italian Salad Dressing (recipe to follow)
slider rolls
dill pickle slices
shredded Monterey jack cheese

Place chicken in crock pot, pour over barbecue sauce, Italian dressing and brown sugar.


Mix together well. Cook 3-4 hours on high.  Stirring occasionally.  Once chicken is cooked, you can use 2 large forks to pull chicken apart.


Allow to cook another 1/2 hour -1 hour to let the chicken absorb the sauce and let the sauce thicken. Assemble sliders. 


To assemble sliders:

Slice open slider rolls (we used 2 per person).   Put 2 heaping tablespoons of pulled chicken on each slider.  Add a tablespoon of cheese, then top with a pickle slice.



Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com

Cranberry Walnut Baked Oatmeal

Happy Tuesday, it is Simply Delicious here at The Slow Roasted Italian.  Every Tuesday we feature dishes that are easy and quick to make, but pack some serious flavor.  Today we feature the Cranberry Walnut Baked Oatmeal.  Cooler days certainly inspired this recipe, although we are warming back up. 

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Simple Southwestern Chicken Salad with Spicy Ranch

Happy Monday everyone!  Today is On the Lighter Side here at The Slow Roasted Italian.

To we are featuring a Simple Southwestern Chicken Salad.   I first had a Southwestern Chicken Salad made by my friend Mary.  I have been on a bit of a flavor kick lately.  I have really been enjoying Mexican, Greek and of course Italian flavors,  so to incorporate that into a salad I opted for a Southwestern Chicken Salad.  I simplified this salad, as I was having a casual relaxing day.

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Italian Chili

It's funny how a little dip in temperatures can get you so excited when you live in the desert.  Last week we were experiencing a lovely 70 degrees.  We even took a trip to Sedona (about 1 1/2 hours north of here) and it was in the 50's and dipped as low as the 30's in one part of the city.

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Grilled London Broil

While I was planning for Saturday's Date Nights and Dinner Parties here at The Slow Roasted Italian I decided to have London Broil.  A very nice lean cut of beef, when prepared properly it can be very impressive and delicious!

This same day I was on The Cafe Sucre Farine's blog and ran across a post I had read a while back.  All about grilling London broil after "marinating" it in salt and a tight wrap.  It is amazing, the concept of the salt drawing out the juice and the tight plastic wrap forcing the juice back in.

Well, I was a little apprehensive after I read that the perfect London Broil is cooked to medium rare.  Anything more is over cooked.  I do have a tendency to try and massacre all my meat.  Consciously I don't want to.  But something happens when self doubt creeps in during the cooking process.  I would end up with a very 'brown' piece of meat.  Kind of like eating shoe leather.

Well I have to tell you that this time was different.  I followed the recipe to a T and the Grilled London Broil was so amazing.  It was a perfect shade of grilled on the outside with delicious caramelized grill marks on the outside.  It was so lush and juicy.  A bit more cooked than medium rare, but unbelievable!

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Soft and Chewy Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

I have to say I have never been a big butterscotch fan.  When I was younger and I would go 'trick or treating' it was one of the last things in the candy bowl, that and candy corns.  Not a big fan of those either.  Go figure!  Well, right after I had Em my friend Mary brought over these cookies.  I wasn't interested in the slightest, but by the end of the night the stress of the new baby got me and I ended up just grabbing one.  Well, one led to two and two led to three (you get the picture).  They really are delicious!!  Soft and chewy, sweet and comforting.  Really surprising being I don't really like butterscotch.

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Caramel Apple Martini

Tonight's feature cocktail is the Caramel Apple Martini.  This is a delightful drink, with the sour apple flavor, the creamy butterscotch and a punch of vodka!  A wonderful cocktail to enjoy on a cool fall evening. 

Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Martini
2 ounces sour apple schnapps
2 ounces butterscotch schnapps
1 ounce Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka
1 caramel candy

In a martini shaker filled with ice combine alcohol, shake to combine. Pour into a martini glass with caramel candy in the bottom.  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Fry Sauce

It's The Happy Hour here at The Slow Roasted Italian!  Happy Hump Day!

Here is a fantastic Happy Hour treat to get you through the mid-week blahs!!!

Fries are a favorite in The Slow Roasted Italian household; Oven Baked Garlic Potato Fries, Red Robin Seasoned Oven Baked Fries and now Crispy Sweet Potato Fries.

I found this fabulous write up on Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries at The Art of Doing Stuff.   I was skeptical but hopeful as I prepared these fries.  I then discovered La Kocinera and their Sweet Potato Oven Fries with a wonderfully written recipe.  It took me 4 trays before they came out.  But, THEY CAME OUT CRISPY!!!  I must warn you, sweet potato fries are destined to be soft.  After they sit for hours, they do soften up.  But, served straight out of the oven I couldn't stop eating them.  Even the soft batches, before I perfected my recipe. 

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil, or regular aluminum foil coated well with cooking spray. Set aside.

Rinse the sweet potatoes, scrubbing the dirt off the skins with a brush. Dry, then peel. Cut each sweet potato in half. Cut each of those pieces in half. Then cut each of those pieces in half. 

Note: This recipe is more geared towards thick-cut, steak fries, with a crisp exterior and soft interior. If you want thin fries that are 100% crisp all the way through, cut each potato as small as you’d like. Just keep an eye on them in the oven, as they may take less time to cook.

Place half the potatoes in a large plastic bag and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Seal the bag and shake it all around to evenly coat the potatoes with cornstarch. Open up the bag and add 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sealing and shaking again until coated. 

On the baking sheet, evenly space the fries with plenty of room in between each one, so they get crispy instead of steamed and softened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Place in the oven. After 15 minutes, use a pair of tongs to flip each fry and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how dark you like your fries.

Prepare the other half of the potatoes in this same way—coating, cooking, flipping, etc.

While the final batch of potatoes are in the oven, prepare the Spicy Fry Sauce.  Recipe follows.

Spicy Fry Sauce  
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup light sour cream

3-4 teaspoons Sriracha sauce, to taste
pinch cayenne

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Sriracha sauce and cayenne pepper in a small bowl until well combined. Chill.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com

Gigi's Simple Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Do I have a fabulous soup for you today.  I got this recipe from Chad's mom Gigi (Munchkin nicknamed her Gigi for Grandma, easier to say and so sweet).  This is the Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup that my husband grew up on.  It is the soup he had every time he was sick and this soup kicked every cold he ever had.  There is just something about a chicken noodle soup made with love.

Well I enjoyed this soup many times when Gigi made it, and I naturally assumed that the flavorful soup cooked all day long to taste so good.  Much to my surprise all this chicken goodness was achieved with 5 ingredients and in 40 minutes!  You heard me right, 5 ingredients (including the water) and 40 minutes.

Thank you Gigi for sharing this amazing recipe!

Enjoy, it really is awesome!!!


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Gigi's Simple Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup