Getting "Pampered" with Antonette Mendoza

A close family friend, and another practically "other" sister, Antonette (shown above), recently became a Pampered Chef consultant. Just to help her practice for cooking shows, we occasionally have "test kitchens" at each others' houses, making recipes especially designed by the Pampered Chef. So not only does Antonette get to learn from these experiences, she (and the rest of us) get to indulge in some of the yummiest, sweetest recipes--some of which are listed below. We did this about two weeks ago. It was a whole family affair and everyone got to help out, had tons of fun and left with satisfied tummies!

Antonette's sister, Charisse, and Charisse's husband, Jacques, prepared Jerk Chicken Nachos. If you've ever seen Pampered Chef recipes, you'll know that they call for use of Pampered Chef cookware, as well as seasonings and spices. Just so you know, you can use the cookware you already have and find comparable seasonings at your local grocery store. Here's the lovely couple whipping up their yummy appetizer and what it looked like when they were done. We found that the nachos are better served straight out of the oven.

Jerk Chicken Nachos
(adapted from The Pampered Chef: Season's Best Recipe Collection (Spring/Summer 2008)



6 cups tortilla chips
3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
2 tbsp Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided
1 small yellow or red bell pepper combination
1 lime
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 sour cream and 1 tsp additional Jamaican Jerk Rub (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange tortilla chips in a slightly overlapping layer on a large round baking sheet (we used a 9x13 glass baking pan and it worked equally well).
2. In a bowl, combine chicken, cheese, and 1 tbsp of the rub; mix gently. Sprinkle mixture over tortilla chips and bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. Meanwhile, dice bell pepper. Cut lime in half crosswise. Juice half the lime into a small bowl. Add remaining rub and bell pepper and mix well.
4. Spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with snipped cilantro. If desired, combine sour cream and additional rub in a resealable plastic bag; trim corner to allow sour cream to flow through. Pipe sour cream mixture over nachos. Garnish with lime slices.

Yields 12 servings.

Even my mom, grandma, and sister were there. My mom and grandma used a microwaveable Pampered Chef cooker to make a German Chocolate cake. My sister made a vegetable pizza, also compliments of the Pampered Chef. I don't have these recipes, but I do have some cute pictures seen below.






Several of my friends are also Pampered Chef consultants and I have lots of their cookware and cookbooks. I took a dessert recipe from an older cookbook and it was so easy to make and very delicious! You should try it!

Caramel Pecan Dessert Ring
(adapted from The Pampered Chef: Season's Best Recipe Collection (Spring/Summer 2003))



1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 package (16.3 oz) refrigerated grand-size flaky biscuits (8 biscuits)
1 large red baking apple such as jonathan
1/4 caramel ice cream topping or maple-flavored syrup
vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine pecans and brown sugar. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pecan mixture. Add flour to the remaining pecan mixture and mix well. Add egg and vanilla; mix until well blended.
2. Separate biscuits; peel each apart into two layers for a total of 16 biscuit halves. Arrange biscuit halves in an overlapping circular pattern around a large round baking stone or baking sheet, leaving two inches from the edge. The originial recipe calls to roll the biscuits to form a round crust, with a hole in the center (a ring). I found it more effective to use my fingers. Spoon pecan mixture evenly onto biscuit ring.
3. Core and cut apple into 16 very thin slices. Arrange over pecan filling in a circular pattern. Sprinkle reserved pecan mixture over apples.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with ice cream topping. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Yields 16 servings


Well, that was a pretty eventful day! I hope you guys enjoy these recipes as much as we did!