Time For Chow

All-American Chili

2010-11-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

I made a big old pot of chili over the weekend and have been having it for lunch this week. Love it! I love it with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, crescent rolls, etc. I love chili! Any-who, no pic for this one, I mean chili is chili, but I wanted to share the recipe anyway. I changed a few minor things, so below is my version of the recipe from Cooking Light. This didn't have quite enough heat for us, so another jalapeño or some other sort of heat will be added the next time I make this.

6 oz. pork sausage

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped red/orange/yellow bell pepper

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. ground cumin

3 tbsp. tomato paste (or 1.5 tbsp of the double concentrated stuff in a tube)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 bay leaves

1-1/4 cups beer

2 (28-oz.) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.

Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer, tomatoes and beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle each serving with cheese (and your other favorite toppings) and enjoy!

Hummingbird Cake

2010-11-23T17:16:00.001-08:00

I made a most delicious cake this weekend. I had 3 bananas sitting in my freezer waiting to be used in some sort of baked treat, so I decided this cake would be the one. Oh...I left out the nuts...not a fan.

Unsalted butter, for greasing

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

3 ripe bananas, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1-1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1-3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

For the frosting:

2 pkgs. cream cheese (8 oz. each), at room temperature

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans (I used 9-inch) and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour.

Toss together the bananas, pineapple and 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl.

Whisk the remaining 2-1/4 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a separate bowl with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the vegetable oil.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold to make a thick batter. Fold in the fruit mixture, then transfer the batter to the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50-55 minutes (45 minutes for my 9-inch pans). Cool in the pans on a rack, 25 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy, then gradually beat in the butter until combined. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about half of the frosting on top, then cover with the other cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Enjoy!

Spiced Shrimp with Green Beans and Lime

2010-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't been making dinner much lately, simply because I'm just not home in time. So Jim's been doing a lot of the cooking. Well Friday he said it was my turn to make dinner and to figure out something to do with the shrimp and green beans we had. OK, easy enough. And it was. I found this recipe and had all the ingredients but the jalapeno. I just added some crushed red pepper flakes instead to give it a bit of a kick. I also added parsley to the rice as well as the called for cilantro. I did this because I accidentally grabbed the wrong bunch of herbs out of the fridge lol. Anyway, I think I'll be adding this dish to the "quick and easy" category.

1 cup long-grain white rice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (I added parsley as well)
2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 lb. green beans, halved crosswise

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 red jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (I used crushed red pepper flakes instead)

kosher salt and black pepper

1-1/2 lbs. peeled and deveined large shrimp

1-1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Fluff with a fork and fold in the cilantro and parsley.

Place the shrimp in a bowl and mix with the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and garlic and cook, tossing frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and serve over the rice. Enjoy!

Cafe Manna's Root Vegetable Stir-Fry

2010-11-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Yet another recipe that Jim found in the local paper. This one was interesting. I think it would have been better had some shrimp or chicken been added to it, but the sauce was quite tasty!

1 tbsp. diced ginger

1 green onion

1/4 bunch cilantro

juice of 1/2 orange

1-2 tbsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1-1/2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/4 cup mirin wine

1 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup julienned carrots

3/4 cup julienned parsnips

3.4 cup julienned Daikon radish

3/4 cup julienned yellow beet (couldn't find this so left it out)

3/4 cup julienned celery root

3/4 cup julienned turnip

hot cooked jasmine or basmati rice (we just used regular old white rice)

To prepare the sauce, in a blender (food processor), place the ginger, green onion, cilantro, orange juice, parsley, garlic, sesame oil and mirin and puree until smooth.

In a saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the carrots, parsnips, Daikon radish, yellow beet, celery root and turnip and quickly saute a minute or two, keeping vegetables moving so they don't burn. Add sauce, toss and cook another 2 minutes, keepeing vegetables moving, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve with rice.

Chicken Corn Chowder

2010-11-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

Jim's been on this kick lately of making a soup every week. It's quite nice since he puts it into a bunch of little bowls and then we can have soup for lunch during the week. So far he's made broccoli cheese, potato, butternut squash soup and now this Chicken Corn Chowder. He added some carrots and celery to the soup too. It was quite tasty!

1 tbsp. butter

6 green onions

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 (10-oz) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed and divided

1 (14 oz.) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (Jim used chicken stock)

2 cups milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove green tops from green onions. Chop green onion tops; set aside. Thinly slice white portion of each onion. Add sliced onions to pan; saute 2 minutes. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in chicken, salt, pepper, 1 package of corn and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

While mixture simmers, combine the remaining corn and milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add milk mixture to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until heated through. Ladle into bowls and top with green onions and cheese. Enjoy!

Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2010-11-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

I saw this somewhere and can't remember where, but I thought I'd give these muffins a try. They aren't the prettiest muffins I've ever seen, but they sure were tasty!

1 box spice cake mix

1-15 oz. can pumpkin

1 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat the oven to whatever it says on the cake mix box. I think mine was for 350 degrees F. Mix together the cake mix, pumpkin and cinnamon chips. Drop the mix into cupcake liners and bake for time stated on box for cupcakes. I think mine took about 21 minutes. Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

2010-11-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Jim found this recipe in the local paper, but apparently it's a Rachael Ray recipe. Her recipe calls for 4 potatoes and the one in the paper called for 6. Jim bought the biggest potatoes I've ever seen and there was so much stuffing that we had to put some in an overflow bowl. Anywho...it was EXCELLENT! Jim can make this again any day!

6 large russet potatoes

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling potatoes

salt

1/2 red bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped, divided

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, divided

ground black pepper

1 lb. ground sirloin

1/2 lb. button or cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups beef stock

2 tbsp. spicy brown or Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Oil the potatoes with a hearty dollop of olive oil and some salt. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until tender, about 1 hour., then let cool. Turn off the oven and switch on the broiler.

While the potatoes cool, in a medium skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the bell pepper and half of the onions and saute to soften for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin top slice off each potato. In a bowl, combine the bell pepper and onion mixture, the sour cream, smoked paprika, half of the Gouda, salt and pepper. Scoop the flesh from each potato into the bowl. Mash to combine. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the ground sirloin and brown for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the lumps. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more.

Add the remaining onions and the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Push all of the ingredients to the edge of the pan and add the butter to the middle of the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. In a saucepan, whisk together the beef stock, mustard, soy sauce and Worcestershire. Bring to a bubble then combine with the meat mixture. Adjust the salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Fill the potato shells with the beef and veggie mixture, then top each of them with the reserved mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Pop the potatoes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the tops are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Beer Braised Chicken

2010-08-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

So for some reason I totally love Claire Robinson from 5 Ingredient Fix. Plus, 5 ingredients for a tasty dish? Yes please! I watched her make this beer braised chicken and knew I had to make it! Plus I've never cooked with fennel before, so this was perfect. It was so good!

3 slices thick cut applewood bacon

1 whole chicken, quartered (I just used breasts and thighs)

salt and pepper

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced

1 bottle dark beer

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon until nice and crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and crumble when cooled.

Pat the chicken dry and season on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken on all sides in the pan with the rendered bacon fat, until the outside is brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the fennel to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute until caramelized and tender, about 10 minutes. Add a little water if the fennel starts to burn. Pour in the beer and bring it to a simmer. Nestle the chicken and all the resting juices, breast side down, in the fennel and beer. Cover and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, flipping the chicken over after 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and put over low heat. Remove the chicken pieces to a warmed serving platter. Add the vinegar to the sauce and simmer to reduce to a thicker consistency, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces, top with the crumbled bacon and serve immediately. If you want a smoother sauce, just strain the sauce after it has reduced.

Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes

2010-08-08T16:09:00.001-07:00

I've been in the mood to make cupcakes lately and decided to try this delicious strawberry cupcake recipe. It certainly did not disappoint and I could totally eat the frosting with a spoon! They were a hit at work!

Cupcake:

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Frosting:

1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

pinch of coarse salt

3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.
For the frosting:
Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter (sort of)

2010-08-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

While on vacation at our cottage a few weeks ago, I saw Ina Garten whip up this tasty salmon platter on her show. It looked simple enough and oh so delicious. I didn't quite have all the fixings on hand so I made do with what I had. I didn't have the haricots verts, tomatoes, watercress or olives. Lol, so why even bother calling this salmon nicoise? Because I can and it was delicious. I also cut the recipes in half. I added some radishes to the plate and used spinach in place of the watercress. I guess I could have thrown some capers on the plate to add the saltiness that was missing from the olives/anchovies, but obviously I didn't. The salmon marinade was excellent as was the dressing. Maybe one day I'll try making this again the correct way. But for now, below is what I did.

2 lemons, zested and juiced

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 cup Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 lbs. skin-on fresh salmon fillets

1.5 lbs. small Yukon gold potatoes

3-4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut in half

1 bunch spinach

6-7 radishes

Vinaigrette

1/8 cup champagne vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar)

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup good olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

For the marinade, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Place the salmon on a sheet pan that has been covered in aluminum foil, and drizzle the marinade over the salmon. Allow the salmon to sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15-20 minutes, until tender but firm. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in thick slices and set aside.

Place the salmon in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until it is almost cooked through. Remove to a plate and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and break into large pieces.

For the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.

Arrange the salmon, potatoes, radishes, spinach and eggs on a large platter. Drizzle some vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables and serve the rest in a pitcher on the side.

Blueberry Cream Muffins with Streusel Topping

2010-06-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Jim loves blueberry muffins and since I was in the mood to bake the other day, I decided to pick up some fresh blueberries and make muffins. I found this lovely recipe that adds sour cream to the mix and had to try it! I made a few slight changes/additions so below is what I did. Enjoy!

4 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

zest of one lemon

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sour cream

2 cups blueberries, divided

For streusel:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 tbsp. cold butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add sugars while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, salt and baking soda.

Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in 1-1/2 cups of the blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Place remaining blueberries on top of muffins and press them in slightly.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of muffins before baking.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Salmon Pasta Salad II

2010-06-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ya know, we're getting really sick of this "having to make dinner every night" crap. I mean, really...it's getting old. So yeah...that's pretty much how we both felt the other night when neither of us had any idea what to make for dinner. I was just going to make some sort of pasta salad anyway, so instead of tuna fish, we decided to use salmon.

2 salmon fillets

Miracle Whip (optional)

salt and pepper

1 lb. cooked short pasta of your choice (I used rotini)

6-8 large radishes

2 stalks celery

1/2 small sweet onion

1/2 English cucumber

handful fresh parsley
5-6 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. celery salt

mayonnaise

Jim wanted the salmon to have a little flavor to them before they were added to the salad, so I sprinkled them with salt and pepper, coated the tops with Miracle Whip and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the pasta.

I was feeling pretty lazy so I threw the radishes, celery, onion, cucumber, parsley and basil into the food processor and chopped everything up. You don't want a puree, so pulse it until you feel like you have the veggies to a nice size. Add the coriander, celery salt and salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, flake the salmon and add everything to a large bowl. Add as much mayonnaise as you feel works for you and mix.

Mmmmmmmm, tasty salmon pasta salad.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad With Shrimp and Chickpeas

2010-06-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

We eat a lot of salads but sometimes chopping up all those veggies is so time consuming an such a pain. So I decided to find a recipe that combined everything into a nice little salad. And while I was reading this recipe, there was a little note along the bottom that said the spiced pita chips would go nicely with the salad. So since I needed pita chips for the salad recipe anyway, I decided to make those too (recipe also below).

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into thin strips (8 cups)

1 lb. cooked, peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/2 English cucumber, chopped

1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped

3/4 cup Feta cheese (about 3 oz.)

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

2 cups pita chips, broken into pieces

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

kosher salt and black pepper

In a large bowl, add the lettuce, shrimp, cucumber, chickpeas, onion, Feta, olives and pita chips to the oil and vinegar. Add 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and toss.

Spiced Pita Chips

4 pitas (I used the mini round pitas and cut them in half)

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Heat the broiler. Split the pitas to make 8 rounds and brush them with the oil. Sprinkle with the paprika, oregano and salt. Slice the pitas into triangles. Arrange on 2 baking sheets and broil until crisp, about 2 minutes.

Creamy Rice Pudding

2010-06-09T06:12:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I have been thinking about making rice pudding for like the past month. So the other day, I finally made some. This recipe said to add raisins, but I left them out. For one, I'm not a HUGE fan of raisins and two, I didn't have any. I know most recipes say to serve it warm, but I actually prefer it cold. And don't forget the nutmeg on top...or cinnamon...or honey. Mmmm, rice pudding.

3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

To the cooked rice, add 1-1/2 cups milk, the sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Turkey Taco Salad

2010-06-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the day off work. It wasn't as joyful as it sounds as I had a dentist appointment in the morning, but I digress.

I took some ground turkey out for dinner but had no idea what to do with it. So as usual, I took to the Internet to help me with my dinner challenge. I came across this easy salad recipe and decided it was the one. It made quite the tasty lunch the next day too!

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

kosher salt and pepper

1 16-oz. container store-bought refrigerated fresh salsa

2 tbsp. sour cream

1 head romaine lettuce, cut into pieces (about 8 cups)

tortilla chips

1 15.5-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed

1 avocado, diced

1 cup grated Cheddar

1 6-oz. can sliced black olives (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Pour off any excess liquid. Stir in half the salsa and cook until heat through, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining salsa and sour cream.

Divide the lettuce, chips, turkey mixture, beans, avocado, Cheddar, and olives (if using) among bowls. Serve with the salsa-and-sour-cream dressing.

Gluten Free Tabbouleh

2010-05-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

This was another dish I decided to take to the BBQ/Housewarming we went to on Saturday. Super easy to put together and the final dish is quite tasty. You can eat it as just a side dish or get yourself some pitas and eat it with that.

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions

1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

5 green onions, finely chopped

2 cups small grape tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 to 2 lemons, more to taste

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a large serving bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

2010-05-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

I went to a BBQ/Housewarming party yesterday and decided to take these tasty little treats. For one, they're gluten free which makes them perfect for people on a gluten free diet, and two, they're really easy to make! And quite delicious I might add. I decided to scale the recipe up to 24 servings so below are the following measurements I used. I also decided to pulverize the sugar in a food processor to make it really fine. I then put the chocolate chips in the food processor and made them almost like chocolate crumbs. Mmmmmmmmm, chocolate in every bite.

4 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp. and 1 tsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup and 3 tbsp. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla. Beat until the whites form soft peaks. Slowly add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form and mixture becomes glossy. Fold in cocoa and chocolate chips.

Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Lemon Spaghetti

2010-04-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

I needed a side dish to go with the Garlicky Baked shrimp I made and I came across this. It was quick and I had all the ingredients on hand. Well, almost. I used parsley instead of basil. And I didn't use the full 1/2 cup of lemon juice either. I ended up using 2 lemons which gave me about 1/3 cup of juice. It was the perfect amount. Anymore and I think it would have been too sour.

1 pound spaghetti - I used Ronzoni whole wheat spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about three lemons (I used two)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used parsley)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil/parsley (I added these to the sauce and blended them all together beforehand).

Garlicky Baked Shrimp

2010-04-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Another day, another shrimp dish. I love cooking with shrimp, you can throw together a dish pretty quickly. And Saturday I wanted something quick since we were painting and trying to get more stuff organized at the house. I found this on the Real Simple website.

1 pound raw, peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp
4 cloves sliced garlic
2 tbsp. white wine
salt and pepper
1/4 cup softened butter (I used half butter and half olive oil)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (I used whatever bread crumbs I had in the cupboard and I had to use more than 1/4 cup to get the consistency I wanted)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

In a baking dish, combine the shrimp, garlic and white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a mixture of the butter/olive oil, bread crumbs and parsley.

Bake at 425 degrees F until shrimp are opaque, 15-18 minutes.

Banana-(Walnut) Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2010-04-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

I made these last weekend and they are officially the first thing I baked in the new house. What a joy with so much more counter space. I left the walnuts out because 1.) I didn't have any and 2.) I really just prefer things without nuts. I also used milk chocolate chips instead of the semisweet chocolate chunks. They were still delicious!

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4 inch chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate and walnuts (optional).

Using a 1-1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway though, until golden brown and just set, 12-13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Salmon Pasta Salad

2010-02-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe it's time to update this thing? I just haven't been in the mood to take pictures of food lately. Oh well. Here's one for ya. I wanted to do something different with the salmon so I decided some sort of pasta salad sounded good. You can really put any veggies you want in here. I searched a few recipes and ended up combining a few to come up with a tasty dressing. We wanted a mayo-free dressing to keep it on the healthy side.

1 lb. pasta (elbows, rotini, etc.) - I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Fusilli

2 (8-10) oz. salmon fillets or 2 (7.5 oz.) cans of salmon

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. dill weed
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1-2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow)

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped or half of an English cucumber, chopped

1-2 celery stalks, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. In the meantime, set the broiler to high and salt and pepper both sides of the salmon. Broil the salmon for 5-6 minutes per side or until it flakes apart.

For the dressing, whisk together the oils, vinegars, dill, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and mustard. Cut up all your veggies and toss them in the dressing.

When the salmon has cooled slightly, either flake apart or lightly chop to break it apart. Add this to the dressing and toss.

Finally add in the pasta and parsley and toss once again to evenly coat everything.

Skillet Chicken Souvlaki

2009-11-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

It was one of those nights where neither of us felt like making dinner. I flipped through a few magazines and came across this recipe. It was quick, easy and tasty.

1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper (we used a red pepper instead)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup grated English cucumber
1/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until done. Remove from pan. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add chicken, garlic, and oregano; cook 30 seconds.

Combine cucumber and next 6 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt). Serve chicken mixture with yogurt sauce, warmed pita, and tomato slices.

Crispy Breaded Shrimp With Garlicky Beans

2009-11-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

This was a pretty easy recipe. The original recipe called for rosemary, but I'm not a HUGE fan of rosemary so I used thyme instead...plus that's what I had on hand anyway. I also didn't have any arugula either, so I just made a salad to go with it.

1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (thyme)
kosher salt and pepper
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, chopped
1, 19-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 bunches arugula, trimmed

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the breadcrumbs, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Transfer shrimp and any excess crumbs to a baking sheet. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the breadcrumbs are crispy, 10-12 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beans, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the arugula, and toss to combine. Divide the beans among individual plates and serve with the shrimp. Sprinkle any extra breadcrumbs from the pan over the top.

Honey Glazed Salmon

2009-10-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe browsing through the Cooking Light website. I love salmon so I can pretty much eat it any way it's cooked. This was pretty good. I thought it was an interesting combination of ingredients.

2 tbsp. minced shallots
1 tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Prepare grill or broiler. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Brush honey mixture over skinless side of fish. Place fish on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Butternut Squash Pizza

2009-10-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

This was really good and only used a few simple ingredients. If you like butternut squash, I highly recommend you try this....go....now. I didn't follow these directions exactly because I used the cooking directions on the pizza dough instead. I didn't raise the oven to 450 degrees either...glad I didn't because it probably would have burned otherwise.

1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled
1 small yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1-pound package refrigerated pizza dough
1 tbsp. cornmeal
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh ricotta

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice into 1-inch chunks. Place the squash and onion on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick. Clean the baking sheet and sprinkle it with the cornmeal. Place the dough on top. Scatter the squash and onion mixture over the dough, sprinkle with the thyme, and add dollops of the ricotta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Slice into wedges.

Grilled Flank Steak Soft Tacos with Avocado-Lime Salsa

2009-10-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Jim finally found some flank stead, so I decided to give this recipe a try. I can't tell you how many cooking shows and recipes I see that call for flank steak, yet I can never seem to find that cut at the store. Is there another name for it? Anyone know? I would greatly appreciate any info on that. Anyway, I had cut this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine awhile back and decided to give it a try. Nothing fancy and was pretty good.

STEAK:
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. grated lime rind
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray

SALSA:
1 cup diced peeled avocado
3/4 cup finely chopped tomato
1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. grated lime rind
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4tsp. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas - I used flour tortillas
2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage

To prepare steak, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of steak. Rub chili powder mixture evenly over steak. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

To prepare salsa, combine avocado and next 7 ingredients (through pepper sauce) in a medium bowl. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon steak mixture evenly over each of 8 tortillas. Top each taco with 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 cup cabbage.

Classic German Potato Salad

2009-10-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Jim found this recipe in our local newspaper. I didn't think I liked German potato salad, but this was good stuff.

2 lbs. redskin potatoes, cooked, cooled and sliced
1 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. cooked bacon bits
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cider vinegar
4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

In a large bowl, place the cooked, sliced potatoes.

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon bits and saute until onion softens, about 4-5 minutes. Place onion-bacon mixture on top of potatoes and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and flour until dissolved. Add the vinegar, sugar, celery seed, dry mustard, salt and pepper and continue to whisk until combined. Pour the vinegar mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbly; boil and stir for one minute. Pour sauce over potato and onion-bacon mixture and gently stir to coat. Serve warm.

Shrimp and Asparagus

2009-10-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

Asparagus...one of my favorite things. Add in some shrimp and pasta and you got a yummy meal! We served it with butternut squash. Another easy recipe to prepare.

1 pound fresh asparagus
1 (16 oz.) package egg noodles
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup butter - I only used a few tablespoons of butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice - I used lime juice instead
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced - I only used a handful of mushrooms since I don't really like them
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, boil or steam asparagus in enough water to cover until tender; chop and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to full boil, place the pasta in the pot and return to a rolling boil; cook until al dente. Drain well.

In a large saucepan, saute garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Place butter and lemon juice in the saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted. Place the shrimp in the saucepan and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Place the mushrooms and asparagus into the saucepan, cook until mushrooms are tender.

Toss the shrimp and vegetable mixture with the egg noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Seared Tuna with Wasabi-Butter Sauce

2009-10-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since I've posted anything over here. I seriously don't know where the time goes. But anyway, let's get back into it. Jim made this dinner and O.M.G. So good!! He also brought me flowers...it was a good day.

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar - we didn't have any so used rice wine vinegar instead

10 oz. white wine

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 tbsp. wasabi paste, or to taste (Jim ended up adding a little more)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup unsalted butter, cubed

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil, or as needed

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

6 (6 oz.) fresh tuna steaks, 1 inch thick - we only had two steaks

Combine the white wine vinegar, white wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain out shallot and discard, return liquid to the pan.

Stir the wasabi and soy sauce into the reduction in the pan. Over low heat, gradually whisk in butter one cube at a time allowing the mixture to emulsify. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. When all of the butter has been incorporated, stir in cilantro, and remove from heat. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet, and sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook, this fish should be served still a little pink in the center. Serve with sauce.

Spice-Rubbed Salmon

2009-08-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Another quick and easy salmon recipe. I don't have any creative chit-chat to add so onto the recipe...

2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. packed brown sugar
4 5-oz. skinless salmon fillets (we only had 2)
1 small cabbage, cut in 6 wedges (I used half a head and cut it into 4 wedges)
2 to 3 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 large carrot (I used baby carrots)
Orange wedges

In small bowl mix chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Rub spice mixture on salmon. Brush cabbage wedges with 1 tablespoon of the oil.

On charcoal grill (we used gas), place salmon and cabbage on greased rack of uncovered grill, directly over medium coals. Grill salmon 4 to 6 minutes for each half-inch of thickness or until it flakes when tested with a fork, turning once halfway through cooking time. Grill cabbage 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, peel carrot and cut in wide strips. Remove fish and cabbage from grill. Coarsely cut cabbage; combine with carrot and 1 to 2 tablespoons remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with oranges. I also added some homegrown tomatoes to my plate. So good!

Sausage and Lentils

2009-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

I like lentils but don't use them that often. I had taken some spicy turkey sausage out for dinner but wasn't really sure what to do with it. Then it dawned on me that sausage and lentils would be a tasty combination. I've seen a lot of lentil recipes use bay leaf when cooked but I didn't have any. So feel free to add that in if you want. I used a whole package of lentils and I believe the package said to use about 4 cups of water for the entire package. I had to add a little more at the end of the 20-30 minute cooking time because they were still a little hard for my taste, but everything turned out beautifully.

1 package Jennie-O spicy turkey sausage
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1-2 carrots (or enough bite-size carrots), chopped
1 package lentils
1 bay leaf (optional)
4 cups water
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, chopped

Add a little olive oil to a large skillet and brown sausage on all sides.

In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrots and saute until tender. Add in the lentils, bay leaf and water. Cook for about 20-30 minutes.

When the sausage is finished cooking, slice into bite-size pieces. There should now be yummy bits left in the bottom of the skillet. When the lentils are finished cooking, add them to the skillet along with the sliced sausage to mix in the bits of yumminess on the bottom of the pan and to flavor the lentils a little more. Season with salt and pepper, add in the fresh parsley and enjoy!

Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Cabbage Slaw

2009-08-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

After getting home from vacation and dealing with the issues with our cat, everything had just been so busy so we were in need of a quick meal. I started going through the oodles of recipes I've cut out over the past year and came across this one. Quick and yummy.

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. sour cream
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage (8 ounces), shredded
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeno and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw.

Blackened Salmon Fillets

2009-08-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Since someone had to make the daily visit to the vet for Cheeto, we decided that I would take Cheeto and Jim would stay home and make dinner. Well Jim found this salmon recipe and it was so good! There's nothing better than a delicious piece of salmon. Add some home-grown green beans and YUM!

2 tbsp. ground paprika
1 tbsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
4 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

In a small bowl, mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, basil and oregano. Brush salmon fillets on both sides with 1/4 cup butter (Jim used olive oil), and sprinkle evenly with the cayenne pepper mixture. Drizzle one side of each fillet with 1/2 remaining butter (olive oil).

In a large, heavy skillet over high heat, cook salmon, butter side down, until blackened, 2 to 5 minutes. Turn fillets, drizzle with remaining butter, and continue cooking until blackened and fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

2009-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Once again I was in a baking mood, but I didn't want anything really super sweet. We had a bunch of blueberries and I came across this recipe on the Food Network and thought it was perfect. It's really good too!

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Pasta with Zucchini and Chickpeas

2009-07-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

So apparently this is a Real Simple magazine recipe, but I was unable to find it through their website. I just did a web search for zucchini and chickpeas and came across a few other blogs that said it was from their magazine. Then I found the actual recipe here. Well wherever it came from, it was delish and really quick to make.

12 oz. pasta - I just used spaghetti but it called for linguine

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 small zucchini cut into thin half moon slices

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain and return to the pot. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, tossing often, until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, garlic and red pepper and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Toss the pasta with the reserved pasta water. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the zucchini mixture.

Mexican Style Goulash

2009-07-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe and it seemed to get some good reviews so I gave it a shot. I didn't have tomato sauce so I used some beef broth to make up for the loss of liquid. I also ended up adding some bell pepper and RedHot sauce to give it a little kick, but it was quite tasty.

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion,

1 red/orange/yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup fresh or frozen corn (I used one can)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup beef stock

1-1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

RedHot sauce to taste

2/3 cup uncooked macaroni (I used rotini)

2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (I used pepper-jack cheese)

In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion and bell pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, beef stock, corn, water, chili powder, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Add RedHot sauce to taste. Add pasta. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Avocado Pasta Salad

2009-07-19T13:32:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make some sort of cold salad with avocado to go with our chicken, and this is what I came up with. It was really good and made for a nice lunch too. I found a dressing recipe with lime in it to help with the oxidation of the avocado...or so I thought. The avocado turned brown the next day so I'm thinking next time I'll toss the avocado with the dressing first, THEN add the rest of the ingredients. I mean, it's not that big of a deal but it tends to not look too appetizing.

1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed

1-2 avocaods, large dice

4-5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

chopped fresh parsley

salad dressing:

2 limes, juiced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

about 20 grinds fresh black pepper

1 tbsp. whole-grain mustard

Cook the pasta according to the package. In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Dice the avocado, add to dressing and toss. Run the pasta under cold water to cool off; drain. Add pasta to bowl along with artichoke hearts and feta cheese. I added about a handful of chopped fresh parsley as well. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Salad

2009-07-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

I love this salad! It's basically just a massive amount of veggies on top of some lettuce with a grilled chicken breast on top, but it's fantastic! Oh and use whatever dressing you want. I think I went with Raspberry Vinaigrette this time.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
smoked paprika
salt & pepper
lettuce of your choice - we used Romaine and Spinach
2 slices American cheese
2 slices provolone cheese
2 hard boiled eggs
veggies
dressing

Coat the chicken breasts with salt & pepper and smoked paprika and grill; let sit 5 minutes then slice. Arrange the lettuce on 2 plates. Place 1 slice of the American cheese and 1 slice of the provolone cheese in the middle of each plate of lettuce; place warm chicken breast on top of cheese so it begins to melt. Then add the sliced hard boiled egg and veggies of your choice. We had carrots, cucumber, beets and bell peppers. Top with dressing of your choice.

Cod in a Packet

2009-07-14T18:18:00.001-07:00

Jim threw this together. We had some cod which he coated with olive oil, salt & pepper, paprika and added some fresh thyme. He sliced up some peppers and onions and added everything to a foil packet and tossed them on the grill. Not too much to it really and somewhat similar to another foil packet we made. We served it with some brown rice...quite the healthy meal.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2009-06-07T11:39:00.001-07:00

I realize that probably everyone and their mother has made garlic mashed potatoes at some point in their cooking, but these were so good!! Jim found the recipe. We scaled it down from 100 servings to 4 servings and it turned out great. Sometimes scaling down a recipe doesn't always work, but in this case it did. The only thing Jim added was a little bit of milk. I think next time I'd like to try it again, cutting down the butter and adding sour cream. Needless to say, we'll be making these again!!

2 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
4 ounces butter, room temperature
2 ounces Romano cheese, grated - we used Parmesan
1 tbsp. and 2-3/4 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano

Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain. Stir in butter, cheese, salt and oregano. Mash with a potato masher or with an electric mixer.

Spicy Tomato Glazed Chicken

2009-06-07T11:29:00.001-07:00

This is a really quick glaze to put together and it gives the chicken a little kick. Jim said it just tasted like ketchup, but the pieces I had tasted like more than that. I think the chicken needed to be on the grill a little longer to let the glaze really form a crust, but our grill is on it's last leg and likes to burn things lol.

1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. molasses
1 tbsp. chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cook 2 pounds of poultry, meat, seafood, or vegetables on a lightly oiled grill. When the food has 5 to 10 minutes left to cook, baste it with the glaze and turn it frequently to create a glossy crust.

Tips: Glazes make great dipping sauces to serve at the table along with your food. Simply make a little extra and set aside before grilling.

Resist the urge to apply a glaze early in the cooking process: The sugars in the sauce will burn before the food cooks through.

Best With: Turkey cutlets, bone-in chicken pieces, burgers, and salmon.

Pork Tenderloin in Bourbon

2009-06-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

Jim found this recipe for the pork loin we had in our freezer. He let it marinate overnight and then cooked it on the grill. I know the picture doesn't look like much, but it was pretty good. And then we used the leftovers for pork tacos later in the week.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, halved
3 pounds pork tenderloin

Mix together soy sauce, bourbon, brown sugar, and garlic. Pour over pork, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Remove pork from marinade, and place on rack of shallow roasting pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F/71 degrees C.

Grilled Marinated Shrimp

2009-05-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

So we decided that shrimp was on the menu for tonight and we began our search of the Internet for a recipe. We had to use what we had in the fridge so we were a tad limited on ingredients. Well I found this recipe and it turned out so good. I didn't have lemon so I used lime instead, and I also cut the original recipe in half since we were using 1 pound of shrimp. We served it with some brown rice and fresh green beans. It was the perfect filling, light meal.

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached

skewers

In a mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, parsley, lemon (lime) juice, hot sauce, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and black pepper. Reserve a small amount for basting later. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag with shrimp. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 5 minutes per side, or until opaque, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

Chicken Braised in White Wine

2009-05-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

So it was one of those nights where I thought Jim was in charge of dinner and he thought I was in charge of dinner. We both knew that bone-in chicken breasts were defrosted and ready to be cooked but neither of us had anything planned. Luckily I already had this recipe from Katie over at Good Things Catered printed out and I knew I had everything for it, so Chicken Braised in White Wine was the meal for the night. We only had two chicken breasts so I cut everything in half (except for the flour mixture since these were really big chicken breasts). I really like using the dutch oven. It's relatively easy cleanup and in all reality, it doesn't take that long for chicken with bones to cook.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tbsp, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 large bone-in chicken breasts
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 oz white button mushrooms, quartered
1 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1-2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 lb. red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl (Ziploc bag), combine 1/3 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil to almost smoking. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes (I added a little more olive oil too). Remove the pan from the heat and add the wine. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, to reduce, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and add the garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the chicken is very tender, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf and plate chicken, potatoes and mushrooms. Place Dutch oven over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp. of flour and whisk to combine, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes (I had to add a little chicken broth since I wasn't left with much liquid). Pour thickened braising sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

2009-05-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

It was Jim's turn to come up with dinner. We had already taken some Jennie-O hot Italian turkey sausages out of the freezer so that's what he had to work with. Well he found this recipe and it turned out really good! The recipe actually calls for sweet sausage and we used hot, so I would like to try this out with the sweet sausage next time. And the recipe also calls for heavy cream but Jim decided to use Half & Half instead...it worked fine.

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage - we used hot in links but we just removed the casings
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream - we used Half & Half
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender. Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce. Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

2009-05-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

We needed a side dish and had some fresh green beans, but I wanted to add a little something to them. I just get sick of the same old steamed green beans after awhile. I found this recipe and it was so good! Definitely a keeper!

3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. garlic chili sauce
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. canola oil - I used olive oil

Arrange a steamer basket in a pot over boiling water, and steam the green beans 3 to 4 minutes.
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, garlic, garlic chili sauce, and honey. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans, and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. Continue cooking and stirring 2 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly evaporated. Serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

2009-05-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

It was a night where I really didn't feel like putting all that much effort into dinner. Jim was taking his 3-4 hour "nap" after work in order to stay up for a Wings game so I was on my own. This is what I came up with. All the measurements are approximate since I basically just threw a bunch of veggies on a pan and roasted them.

2 handfuls baby carrots

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1-2 cups broccoli florets

1 medium onion, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 lb. pasta, cooked (I used rotini)

basil

Parmesan chese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and get the water boiling for your pasta. In the meantime, prepare all vegetables and place on a baking sheet. Liberally coat the veggies with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix around to ensure veggies are coated with oil. Place in oven for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes is up, stir the veggies around. Place back in oven and cook for another 10-20 minutes, depending on how tender you want your vegetables and exactly which vegetables you used (you can use anything really). Once the vegetables are roasted, add them to the cooked pasta and mix. I added fresh basil and a little Parmesan cheese to mine.

Creamy Shrimp with Corn and Bacon

2009-05-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

I love making shrimp dishes. They come together so fast so they're great meals to make on nights when you don't have much time. I found this one in my Real Simple magazine and knew it was one I wanted to try. It was delish!

1 cup long-grain white rice - we used brown rice
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 slices bacon
1 tbsp. spoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 10-ounce package frozen corn

Cook rice according to whatever type you are making.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel, let cool, then break into pieces. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Stir in the shrimp, corn, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the bacon; serve over the rice.

Dijon Mustard Chicken Fricassee

2009-04-26T18:57:00.001-07:00

Another recipe found in the Cooking Light magazine. A note - factor at least eight hours into your prep time for the chicken to marinate in the herb-mustard mixture. We only had two chicken breasts, so everything was cut in half. Here is the full recipe. Also, we used dried thyme instead of fresh since that's all we had on hand. This was really yummy!

1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1-1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 bone-in chicken breasts, skinned
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Combine mustard, 1/2 tablespoon parsley, 3/4 teaspoon thyme, and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag; toss well to coat. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Add chopped onion to pan, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic to pan, and sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon parsley and remaining thyme. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon. Keep warm. Cook sauce, uncovered, over medium heat 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Pour sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Gingery Shrimp and Couscous

2009-04-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

So I'm an idiot and erased the pictures from my camera before I was able to download them, so all I have is the picture from the website. They were such pretty pictures too! lol, oh well. Moving on...if you like ginger, this is a must try recipe! We didn't have the snow peas that it called for, but we used some cut-up frozen asparagus instead. It was delish!

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. finely chopped ginger
1 cup white wine
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces snow peas, cut in half on the diagonal - we used asparagus instead
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped - we left this out
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 10-ounce box (1 1/2 cups) couscous

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Nestle the shrimp in the onions and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, salt, and pepper. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the package directions. Divide the couscous among individual bowls and spoon the shrimp and snow peas over the top.

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

2009-04-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

I had the urge to bake yesterday and remembered this recipe that I clipped from my Better Homes and Gardens magazine. These were really good. I didn't have wheat germ, so I just left that out and we don't really like nuts in our cookies, so I left that out too.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour. Stir in rolled oats, flax seed meal, wheat germ, chocolate, cranberries, and walnuts (dough will be a little crumbly).

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Makes about 30 cookies.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

2009-04-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and it was the perfect afternoon snack today, along with some guacamole.

1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of ground red pepper

Place garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, black beans, jalapeño pepper, and crushed red pepper; process until smooth. Spoon bean mixture into a medium bowl, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with ground red pepper.

Poached Salmon Salad w/Beets

2009-04-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

So I found this recipe in my Real Simple magazine and it seemed real simple to make...lol...get it? OK, moving on...Jim made this tonight while I was out "running" and when I came home the house stunk SO BAD like vinegar! So of course I immediately thought that dinner was going to be horrible. Boy was I wrong! There are some really strong flavors going on in this dish but it was so good! Our dressing was a little strong but it might have had something to do with the fact that the horseradish we used was JUST opened and that it says extra strong or something on the side of it. Yeah, Jim didn't notice that when he bought it...at least that's what he says. Oh and we couldn't find water cress so we just used spinach instead. We also used the rest of the salmon fillet from the other day. Try this recipe!

1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tbsp. prepared horseradish
2 bunches watercress, thick stems removed (about 6 cups) - we used spinach
3 medium beets, peeled and sliced paper-thin - we used canned sliced beets
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped

Place the salmon in a large skillet and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add 1/4 cup of the rice vinegar and water to reach halfway up the salmon. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the salmon is opaque and beginning to flake, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Using a fork, flake the salmon into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, horseradish, the remaining 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In individual bowls, combine the spinach, salmon, and beets. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the dill.

Ancho Grilled Salmon w/Sweet Potatoes

2009-04-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

So this is an old recipe I clipped from a Better Homes and Garden magazine, who knows how long ago, so there's no link to it. But, it was really good and a fairly quick meal to put together. We bought a whole salmon fillet and just cut off what we wanted to use for this recipe. So in reality, we didn't have the 4 pieces it was asking for. It turned out fine though.

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground ancho chili pepper or chili powder - we used the ground ancho chili pepper

4 5-to 6-oz. skinless salmon fillets

Preheat broiler. Scrub potatoes. Halve lengthwise; cut in 1/4-inch slices. Place on greased rack of unheated broiler pan. In bowl, combine sugar, salt, cumin and chili pepper. Coat potatoes with cooking spray (or we used olive oil) and sprinkle both sides with half the spice mixture. Broil 4 inches from the heat 10 minutes (ours took about 13 minutes) or until tender; turn once midway through cooking.

Meanwhile, rinse salmon; pat dry. Sprinkle with remaining spice. In skillet, cook fish in 1 tablespoon hot olive oil over medium heat 8 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with fork; turn once midway through cooking.

Grilled liver sausage sandwich

2009-04-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Jim was so proud of his creation and I'll give that to him since it was quite yummy...and I hate mushrooms! Another thing about Jim is that he loves his mustards. I swear, every other week he comes home with some new mustard that he just had to try. Well this particular one is called Kozlik's Canadian Sweet & Smokey mustard.

sliced mushrooms and onions, sauteed
2 slices of pumpernickel bread
a few slices of smoked liver sausage
1-2 slices of Colby cheese
sweet & smokey mustard

First Jim sauteed up a little sliced mushrooms and onions. Then he assembled the sandwich and grilled it up like you would a grilled cheese. Not rocket science here, but I definitely thought the sandwich was blog-worthy :o)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2009-04-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

I was in the mood for baking and had some pretty sad looking, really ripe bananas hanging out in my kitchen, so something with banana in it was what I was going to make! I found this recipe and thought it would be perfect. A little banana, a little chocolate, what could be bad about that? Mine turned out a little darker than I would have liked, so I probably didn't need the full hour of baking time, but it's still delicious! The only slight changes I made was that I used half white flour and half whole wheat flour, and I only used 2 bananas instead of three, since that was all I had.

1-3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 heaping c. chocolate chips
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 large extra ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare loaf pan. In medium bowl, combine all flour but 2 Tbsp, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix. Whisk to combine and set aside. In small bowl, combine remaining flour and chocolate chips, tossing well to combine and set aside. In bowl of stand mixer, combine shortening and sugar. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined. Add milk and vanilla, then banana to mixture and combine well. With mixer on low, add flour mixture until just combined then fold in chocolate chips. Spread into loaf pan, tap to remove air pockets, and place in oven to bake. Bake loaf in oven for 1hr or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let loaf cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Sausage and Pasta Bake II

2009-04-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is pretty much the same one as I made before, but this time I attempted making my own sort of Alfredo sauce to go along with it...plus I added in some asparagus.

1 bunch of roasted asparagus cut into bite size pieces
1 package hot Italian turkey sausage - of course regular Italian sausage will work as well

1 pound pasta of your choice

1-2 cups fresh spinach

Sauce:

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups cheese (we used 8 oz of cream cheese and the rest Parmesan cheese)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. In the meantime, heat up a skillet, remove the casings from the sausage and add it to the skillet. Cook the sausage until there is no more pink.

For the sauce, add the butter and flour to a sauce pan and whisk on low heat until the mixture just starts to turn a light brown color. Add in the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. (In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box). Once it thickens a little, add in the cheeses, salt, garlic powder and black pepper and whisk to combine.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot adding the spinach so it begins to wilt. Also add in the roasted asparagus. Once the sausage is cooked, add it to the pot with the pasta, spinach and asparagus. Stir in the Alfredo sauce. Transfer the mixture to a 13x9 baking dish and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Add parsley for garnish if you'd like. Enjoy!

Chicken Couscous Pita

2009-04-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

This meal was quick and easy and utilized some leftover couscous we had in the fridge. I didn't really follow any recipe, but this is what I threw together.

First we marinated some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Newman's Own Lighten Up Light Lime Vinaigrette and cooked them in the oven. Then I took the leftover plain couscous, heated it up in a pan with some chili powder, cumin and black beans.

I took a pita, cut it in half and split it open. I smeared a little sour cream in there, added the couscous mixture, some sliced chicken, avocado, spinach and cheese. Quick, easy and tasty!

Lemony Shrimp With White Beans and Couscous

2009-03-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

This one is definitely a keeper! So quick to put together and so good!

1 10-ounce box couscous (1 1/2 cups)
kosher salt and black pepper
3 tbsp. unsalted butter - I used olive oil instead
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and let sit off heat for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork before serving. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter (olive oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, parsley, lemon juice, the remaining butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the couscous.

Cuban-Style Pork and Rice

2009-03-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

We had some boneless pork chops in the freezer but pork is so boring sometimes. I knew I wanted to add a lot of flavor and this dish did the trick! I pretty much followed the recipe, but there were a few slight changes I made. I left out the rum, used chicken stock rather than broth, didn't use shrimp, used a can of artichokes and left out the roasted red peppers. I also changed up the cooking time a little since I didn't use the shrimp. Below is what I did.

1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp. minced garlic plus 2 tbsp. chopped garlic, divided
2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops (3/4-1 inch thick), trimmed, cut into cubes
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups arborio rice or short-grain brown rice
28 ounces chicken stock
1 cup canned diced tomatoes diced
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

Combine paprika, lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin in a medium bowl, stirring to make a homogeneous paste. Add pork and stir to coat. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork, leaving any excess spice mixture in the bowl to add later. Cook the pork, stirring, until just cooked on the outside and the spices are very fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate.

Add onion and the remaining 2 tablespoons garlic to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until well coated with the onion mixture. Stir in broth, tomatoes, capers, saffron and any remaining spice mixture. (If using brown rice, also add 3/4 cup water now.) Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes for arborio, 30 minutes for brown rice.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Add the pork back in and stir artichokes into the rice. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed

Sausages with Garlic Quinoa

2009-03-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to make garlic lentils since I thought we had them, but of course we were out. So I decided to use quinoa instead. The sausages were just some chipotle chicken sausages I had picked up at Trader Joe's...they were okay. And of course we served it with our favorite...roasted asparagus.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 fresh bay leaf
4 large cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
sausages of your choice

In a pot, bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. In a shallow pasta bowl combine the garlic and about 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and let stand 15 minutes.

Place sausages in a small pan and add 1/4-inch water and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, a little drizzle. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high. Let the water simmer away 8 minutes or so, then crisp the casings 3 to 4 minutes more.

When the quinoa is done, and all water has absorbed, remove from heat, and remove bay leaf. Toss the hot quinoa with garlic oil, parsley and salt and pepper and serve.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stirfry

2009-03-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

This turned out way better than I expected, so that's always a good thing. I pretty much followed the recipe for the sauce part of it but I added in way more veggies than it called for and left out the cherries and green onions. I also doubled the sauce since I did add in a lot more veggies. Below is what I used.

12 tbsp. chicken stock
6 tbsp. ketchup
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. pineapple juice
4 tbsp. vinegar
4 tsp. soy sauce
1.5 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 pound shrimp
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger (I didn't have fresh)
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2-3 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup pineapple chunks

To make the sauce, in a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of stock, the ketchup, sugar, juice, vinegar, soy, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper flakes. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the remaining stock and stir to dissolve. Set aside. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the ginger, garlic, and remaining pepper flakes. Set aside for 10 to 20 minutes.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides and bottom of the pan. Add the shrimp, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the onions, peppers, broccoli and carrots and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Return the shrimp to the pan and add the pineapples. Cook until the sauce is thick, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and serve over rice.

Roasted Chicken and Veggies

2009-03-04T18:39:00.001-08:00

This was a pretty easy dinner. I just threw together some baby carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic and chicken in a dish and baked it. Simple and good!

3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 handfuls baby carrots
3 potatoes, cut in large pieces
2 onions, cut in large pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
about 1 cup chicken stock

I wanted to put something more than salt and pepper on the chicken so I found this:

4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

I also added olive oil to the rub to make it more of a paste

I rubbed the spice paste underneath the skin as well as on top, put everything in the dish and popped it in a 350 degree oven for about and hour and a half. I had it covered with foil for the first 40 minutes and then removed the foil, but I think if I would have just left the foil on, it wouldn't have taken so long. Either way...it was pretty good.

Quick Barbecue Chicken

2009-03-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

I came across this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and it looked pretty easy so we gave it a try. It was really good!

1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breast halves
Cooking spray

Prepare grill. Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Loosen skin from chicken by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat; rub spice mixture evenly under skin over meat. Lightly coat skin with cooking spray. Place chicken, breast-side down, on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165°, turning twice. Let chicken stand 10 minutes. Remove skin; discard.

Au Gratin Potatoes

2009-03-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Potatoes + cheese = delicious! These were surprisingly easy to make, but they do take awhile to cook, so you definitely have to plan in advance to make them. We didn't have any cheddar cheese though, so I used 3 slices of Muenster and 3 slices of Colby.

4 russet potatoes, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish. Mix together the potatoes and onions and place in the prepared casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake 1 - 1-1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

Beet Salad

2009-03-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

We love beets! Almost as much as we love asparagus, so we eat them pretty often. Well we get sick of just eating them the same way all the time so I tried to spruce them up a little. Here's what I came up with.

One can sliced beets
1 stalk celery, chopped
4-5 radishes, sliced
handful chopped parsley

Dressing:
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the veggies and dressing together and you have a quick and easy salad.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

2009-02-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

I needed another excuse to use my food processor and have always wanted to make pesto, so this was the perfect opportunity. Jim is "allergic" to nuts like almonds, pecans, etc., so I used pistachios for this. He says pine nuts would be fine, but I didn't have any on hand, so pistachios it was.

For the chicken, I just roasted two bone-in, skin-on, chicken breasts.

Pesto recipe
1-1/2 cups basil
1/2 cup parsley
zest of half a lemon
3 cloves garlic
1 cup pistachios
1/4 - 3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

I just whipped up the pesto, cooked up some pasta, cut up the chicken (once it was cooled a little) and mixed it all together in a pot. Add as much or as little pesto as you'd like...I used about half of what this made. I also added about half a cup of the pasta water to sort of loosen up the pesto a little and make it more sauce-like. It was delicious!

Tiramisu

2009-02-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

Holy crap, this was heaven! It was the perfect dessert for our Valentine's Day dinner. The only thing I changed was using Kahlua instead of rum. I thought we had rum, but apparently I was wrong. I made this the night before so it had time for the flavors to mingle, but oh sweet lord. I couldn't get enough of this. Not exactly the healthiest dish in the world though...lol.

6 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
2 tablespoons rum (Kahlua)
2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies (I used one 7-oz package of Alessi Biscotti Savoiardi Lady Fingers)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.

In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum (Kahlua). Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture. (I laid the ladyfingers in the dish first and drizzled the coffee mixture on top of them).

Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish (I used an 8x8 dish). Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

Ultimate Lasagna

2009-02-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was Valentine's Day and I told Jim I'd make him his favorite...lasagna. I found a few recipes online, sent them to him and this is the one he picked. It called for cinnamon, which I was a little hesitant on adding, since I had added it to a meat dish once before and it was horrible. Jim told me to keep the recipe as it was and not change anything. Well it was really good, but you could definitely taste the cinnamon. I think next time I would just leave it out. We also cut the recipe in half since the original uses a 4-inch deep 13x9 pan. I just served this with a salad and some breadsticks.

1 pound dried lasagna noodles
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage - I used the Jennie-O Hot Lean Italian Turkey Style Sausage and removed the casings
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1.5 carrots, chopped
1 stalks celery, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tbsp. chopped oregano leaves
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
1.2 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 quart ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

2009-02-15T07:23:00.001-08:00

Jim found this recipe. We had to change things up as we went along, but the end result was SO GOOD!

4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 large Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and sliced

Combine cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag and add in pork chops. Let marinate for about 15 minutes. In a medium skillet, saute 2 small onions in butter and olive oil until really soft and tender. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the meantime, in another medium skillet, cook the pork chops, browning on both sides. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan with the onions, then add in the brown sugar mixture and the apples. Cover and cook until the apples are tender. At this point I removed the onions and apples, added in about 1/2 cup of apple juice and a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Once it had thickened, I added the apple mixture back to the pan.

We served these pork chops with, you guessed it, roasted asparagus, and brown rice.

Roasted chicken breasts

2009-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Not really rocket science here, but these chicken breasts were delish! I watch Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network sometimes, and this is how she always makes roasted chicken for dishes. I figured it was worth a try. They were so moist and juicy!

whole chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked.

We always use a meat thermometer to make sure the food is done and I think it took ours closer to 50 minutes to cook through.

We served the chicken with roasted asparagus and leftover pasta with cottage cheese on top. Gross you say? Try it! It's so good!

Artichokes in a Garlic and Olive Oil Sauce

2009-02-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

It was one of those days where we had no idea what to make and were sort of limited on ingredients. I did a search for what ingredients we did have and this is what I found. We used thin spaghetti noodles instead, and Jim felt it necessary to use the entire box instead of half a box like I had planned. So there was A LOT of pasta. We also left out the butter, used parsley instead of basil, used marinated artichoke hearts and added red pepper to the mix.

1/2 pound uncooked pasta of your choice
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 (8 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cloves garlic
1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cook according to package instructions, until al dente, and drain. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mix in the red pepper and artichoke hearts and cook until red pepper is tender. Add in the garlic and parsley and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Toss with the cooked pasta to serve.

"Homemade" Pizza

2009-02-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, well we really did want to make the pizza dough ourselves, but by the time we got home from the daily errands (a grocery store trip that took way too long) it was just too late to wait for dough to rise. Luckily we thought ahead and bought pre-made dough at the store. I did find a sauce recipe to use though.

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water (I used a small can of sauce instead of paste and water), Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese. Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

We added fresh mozzarella, ham, red onion, marinated artichoke hearts, and Jim put mushrooms on his half.

I can't remember what temp or how long we cooked the pizza, but we just followed the directions on the dough container.

When the pizza came out I added fresh basil on top as well.

This was definitely a different kind of pizza sauce than I was used to. I don't know if it had to do with the sauce I used instead of the paste, but definitely different. It was good though. And it was even better the next day as leftovers for lunch!

Roasted Red Pepper and Cheese stuffed Chicken Breast

2009-02-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well we took out some chicken...now what. We had some roasted red peppers and some of those Babybel cheeses hanging around, so I cut them up, rolled them up in the chicken (which we had pounded to thin them out) and threw them in the oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After 30 minutes we checked them and decided they needed another 10 minutes. It was pretty good, but a stronger tasting cheese would be good...maybe next time.

Shrimp, asparagus and quinoa

2009-02-02T17:46:00.001-08:00

When we came home form work tonight, we were just going to eat whatever was leftover in the fridge. Well, there really wasn't much to choose from and I was starving! I looked around to see what we had and came up with this. We had some quinoa, frozen asparagus spears from Trader Joe's (not the best by the way...stick with fresh) and some shrimp. I decided to roast the asparagus, cook the shrimp scampi style, and then mixed everything together. It was quite yummy and Jim said it's a keeper. Score!

1 pound roasted asparagus - I just used olive oil, salt and pepper on these
Quinoa - cooked according to package (mine was 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water - it basically cooks like rice)
1.5 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lemon

The asparagus and quinoa can cook at the same time since they'll both take about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, melt the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in wine and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds while stirring constantly.

Add the cooked shrimp (with a little of the leftover juice) and quinoa to a serving dish. Cut the roasted asparagus into 1.5-2 inch pieces and add those as well. Add in the parsley, a little bit more black pepper, a little salt to taste and the juice of half a lemon. Enjoy!

Hash Brown Casserole

2009-02-02T17:39:00.001-08:00

So what better side dish for the shredded pork sandwiches than a nice, cheesy, carb-filled dish? This hash brown casserole wasn't the healthiest choice, but it was Super Bowl Sunday! So good!

1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal - I used Ritz crackers instead
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chopped onion, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Place mixture in a 3 quart casserole dish. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute cornflakes (Ritz crackers) in 1/4 cup melted butter, and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole. Bake covered in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Shredded Pork

2009-02-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

Jim decided to have his dad over to watch the Super Bowl so I thought it would be a good time to try and make shredded pork. He had bought a pork loin and cut half into chops and half into a roast. So it was about a 2-2.5 pound pork loin roast. He put a dry rub on it and let it sit, wrapped in plastic, overnight in the fridge. It doesn't need to sit that long, but it should sit for at least a few hours.

Ingredients for dry rub:

2 tbsp. kosher or coarse salt
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. dried tarragon (optional)

apple juice
BBQ sauce

Rub the roast with the dry rub and let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours to overnight.

When it comes time to cook the roast, add enough apple juice so that it is 1/2" up the side of the crockpot liner. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Once cooked through, remove the roast, discard the liquid, and shred the pork using two forks. Return the pork to the crockpot and add your favorite BBQ sauce. We ended up using an entire bottle (16 oz) of Stubbs BBQ sauce. It can sit in there on low until you're ready to eat.

Oat 'n' Toffee Grahams

2009-02-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

So Jim decided to have his dad over to watch the Super Bowl since we didn't have any plans. I wanted to make something sweet and came across this quick and easy dish. OMG, so yummy!

12 graham crackers
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp. flour
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate pieces - I had half a leftover package and added in a Hershey bar
1/2 cup whole smoked almonds, coarsely chopped - I left these out

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with foil, extending foil beyond edges of pan. Arrange whole graham crackers in a single layer in pan. In a large bowl, combine oats, sugars, and flour. Stir in melted butter, egg and vanilla until well combined. Spoon over graham crackers and spread evenly to edges of pan to cover graham crackers. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until oat mixture bubbles and is lightly browned on top. Remove from oven and sprinkle with almonds and chocolate pieces. Pop the pan back into the over for another minute or two then remove from oven and spread the chocolate out a little, as best you can. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift from pan. Remove foil. Cut or break into bars.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

2009-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is definitely a grown-up casserole. I know there's a lot of people that hate casseroles, but I would definitely give this one a try. This is a recipe I clipped from my Better Homes and Gardens magazine (who know how long ago) that we finally decided to make. We will definitely be making this again. The only change I made was using roasted red peppers instead of the tomatoes because a) Jim couldn't find them at the store and b) Jim isn't a HUGE fan of tomatoes.

8 oz dried bow tie pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped - this is where I used roasted red peppers instead
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In medium skillet cook onion in 1 tbsp butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside. In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.

Potato Soup

2009-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

We never make soup. I don't know why...I guess it just seems like we never have what we need on hand, or it just takes too long. Well I was determined to make some yesterday and decided potato soup would be a good choice since it didn't require any kind of meat - because I hadn't taken anything out to thaw. So I came across this recipe on All Recipes. I know, I know...instant potatoes?? Trust me...this was so good! We made a few minor changes, so below is our adaptation on the recipe. Enjoy!

2 potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool. We baked our potatoes in the microwave because I just didn't feel like waiting that long. We used 3 medium sized potatoes, pricked them with a fork, added some water to the bottom of the dish and cooked them for about 10 minutes in the microwave.

Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions and celery until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes. Season with salt, pepper and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half-and-half and parsley. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.

Spicy Shrimp Creole

2009-01-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Dinner was up to Jim tonight and he came across this recipe. Now I like spicy, but this was really spicy. I like spicy that has flavor and this was just H.O.T. Jim LOVED it. I would make this again, but maybe tone down the spicy a little and add all Red Hot sauce instead of Tabasco. Red Hot seems to have a little more flavor than Tabasco does. We served this over brown rice.

3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups julienne celery
2 onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. white sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce - I used half Tabasco and half Red Hot sauce
2 pounds medium shrimp - peeled and deveined

Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat. Saute celery, onions, red pepper and garlic in the Dutch oven until the onions are pearly white and the celery has begun to soften. Mix sugar, flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper into the Dutch oven. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, both pieces of bay leaf, and hot sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Approximately 15 minutes before serving, add shrimp to the pot and stir well. If necessary, raise the temperature to medium-low to ensure the Creole is bubbling but not burning. Scoop out the bay leaf halves before serving. Serve when the shrimp is pink and thoroughly cooked.

Hershey's Best Brownies

2009-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

OK, so who doesn't love brownies?? I was in the mood for them so I decided to peruse the Internet and see what delicious recipe I could find. Well wouldn't ya know it...Hershey's has a recipe :o) These were so good! And really easy to make too.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional) - I left these out

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in nuts, if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost if desired. Cut into bars. About 36 brownies.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

2009-01-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

This recipe was all the rave over on The Nest boards, so I figured I'd give it a try. Bonus is that you don't even have to think ahead since the recipe uses frozen chicken. Nice huh?

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen - I used two HUGE ones
1 cup salsa - I used my favorite, Garden Fresh Salsa
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed) or cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Add chicken to slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Mix salsa and soup together and then pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. At this point after the chicken was cooked, I shredded it with a fork. Stir in sour cream until heated, then serve. We served it over some white rice.

I realize it doesn't look very appetizing, but it was delish! Leftovers were good too!

Springfield Chili

2009-01-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

I love chili! I could seriously eat it everyday! Well today seemed like the perfect day for a nice, cozy bowl of chili. I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light. I added a dried chipotle pepper for a little smokiness and some heat and a little cayenne pepper for some more heat. Oh, and I got to use my dutch oven again! Score!

1 bacon slice, finely chopped - I used ham instead
2 1/4 cups finely chopped onion, divided (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 (12-ounce) can beer (such as Budweiser)
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 dried chipotle pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Cook ham in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 2 cups onion; cover and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Uncover and stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium-high; add ground beef to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add beer; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 7 minutes). Stir in chili powder and next 7 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

We topped our chili with some shredded mozzarella cheese (normally I like to use cheddar, but this was all we had, and hey...cheese is cheese) and sour cream. We like to eat our chili with some tortilla chips too.

Hershey's Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Honey Cinnamon Frosting

2009-01-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

Usually when it comes to making cakes and cupcakes I head straight for the box...so much easier that way. Well today I wanted to try and actually make cupcakes without the box! I found this recipe and it seemed easy enough. It only makes 12 cupcakes, but that's plenty for just me and Jim...I don't plan on sharing these :o) The frosting recipe I found came from Good Things Catered. I know it might sound like a strange combination, but it's fantastic! My cupcakes did deflate a little when I pulled them out of the oven, but nothing a little frosting can't hide. They're yummy!

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 tbsp. Hershey's Cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

Place rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with 12 paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, milk, egg, and vanilla. Using a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat for two minutes. Add boiling water and beat to combine (batter will be thin). Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Honey Cinnamon Frosting
Everyday Food

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. honey
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes

Braised Chicken with Lemon & Green Olives

2009-01-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

So another fantastic gift we got for Christmas was a 5-quart Dutch Oven. I'm in love with this thing. I've been looking for recipes specifically so I can use my new toy. One of my favorite food blogs to get ideas from is Good Things Catered. I saw this fantastic recipe and just had to try it! I didn't have the amount of chicken pieces it called for, and only used 2 HUGE bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. I left all the ingredients the same though just to make sure it turned out. It was great...and such unique flavorings. Enjoy!

8 mixed chicken pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup Chardonnay
30 green olives - I used 15 BIG ones, but in half
1 lemon, sliced 1/8 inch thick
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp. sifted flour

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large braiser over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 seconds; do not allow it to burn. Add the Chardonnay wine reduction and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom, about 2 minutes. Add the olives, lemon slices and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is very tender, about 1 1⁄2 hours.Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Here's another picture once I remembered to put the parsley on

I served it with some roasted potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and crushed red pepper flakes on them.

Herb and Crumb Topped Tilapia

2009-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in my Women's Health magazine a long time ago and we finally decided to make it. Actually...I but together a binder of all of the recipes I've clipped over the months and I divided it up into sections. So tonight we wanted fish, so I flipped to the fish section and lookie there...a tilapia recipe. Plus we had all the ingredients which is saying a lot since we haven't been grocery shopping in about a month...the cupboards are lookin' kind of bare. So anyway...onto the recipe.

4 tbsp. bread crumbs
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 5-oz. tilapia filets (we used 2 large ones)
4 lemon wedges for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a small baking pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, oregano, garlic, and salt to taste. Drizzle half of oil over tilapia. Rub to coat. Sprinkle on bread crumb mixture. Rub to coat evenly. Place in baking pan. Drizzle with remaining oil. Bake until tilapia is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Serve with lemon.

German Potato Pancakes

2009-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Once again I was at a loss what to make for dinner. We had some leftovers in the fridge but I just wasn't feelin' it. I hadn't taken any type of meat or chicken out to defrost, so it was pasta or something else. I decided to go with something else. I have no idea what made me decide to make Potato Pancakes but I'm glad I did. They were delish! I served them up with some applesauce and sour cream. Mmmm, mmmm good!

2 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2008-12-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

Whether you're on a gluten-free diet or not, if you're a chocolate lover, this cake is for you! This is definitely NOT cake-like, but more fudgey and dense and delicious. Make this for the chocolate lovers in your life!

1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup white sugar
18 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch round cake pan (I used a 9-inch cake pan and added 5 minutes to the cooking time) and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside. Either in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the bittersweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-12-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

We had a little get together with the girls today since a friend was visiting from out of town, so I figured I'd have some desserts ready for us after we got back from lunch. These are really easy, and gluten free! Perfect for Rachel!

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the ingredients and roll into small balls. Roll the balls in white sugar, place on cookie sheet and make the ever-so-recognizable peanut butter cookie design using the back of a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool.

Peppered Beef Tenderloin

2008-12-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

Jim was in charge of this one. He found a really good sale on a beef tenderloin, so we cut it in half so we could make two meals out of it. The recipe was found on All Recipes and scaled down to what we needed. It was really good!

1.5 tbsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 pound beef tenderloin

Combine the pepper, oil, lemon peel, salt and garlic; rub over tenderloin. Place on a greased rack in a foil-lined roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-65 minutes or until beef reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145 degrees F; medium, 160 degrees F; well-done, 170 degrees F). Cover and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Avocado Bacon Wrap

2008-12-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

We had some leftover chicken that we had marinated in Newman's Own Lighten Up Light Lime Vinaigrette. We decided to make a wrap with a few items we had around the house...and a few items I had to pick up at the store. It was quite delish and quick and easy!

leftover chicken shredded or cut into strips
1 avocado, sliced thin
shredded cheese
romaine lettuce
watercress
2-4 strips of bacon
tomato, sliced thin

we made 2-3 wraps out of this

Just layer everything on the wrap of your choice, roll it up and enjoy!

Taco Bake

2008-12-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on All Recipes but made some minor changes of my own. For some reason I tend to gravitate toward some type of Mexican-type food, so below is what I made.

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup sour cream - I didn't have any sour cream so I used cottage cheese instead
2/3 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
2 tbsp. RedHot sauce
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice
corn tortilla chips - I used Blue Corn Kettle Style Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, onion and garlic. Once ground beef is cooked through, add the chiles, water, sour cream (or cottage cheese), taco seasoning mix and RedHot sauce. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. In the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, place a layer of tortilla chips. Cover with a layer of the meat mixture then a layer of cheese. Repeat this process until the last layer is cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.

Ukrainian Chicken Kiev

2008-12-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

I went to yoga class and came home to this yummy dinner. Jim scaled the original recipe from 8 servings to 4 servings. He only used 2 chicken breasts but they're HUGE so the recipe below worked out fine.

2 large or 4 small-ish skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp. and 2 tsp. butter, softened
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
1 tbsp. and 1-1/2 tsp. water
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil

Place each chicken breast between a sheet of wax paper and pound, using a mallet or rolling pin, to about 1/8 inch thickness; be careful not to 'break' the chicken. Wrap and refrigerate until seasoned butter is frozen.

To Make Seasoned Butter: In a small bowl combine the softened butter, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and mix well. Spread mixture into a 2x4 inch rectangle on a piece of aluminum foil; freeze until firm. When butter is firm, cut into 2-4 equal size pieces and place one piece on each chicken breast. Fold in edges of chicken and roll to encase butter completely. Secure with toothpicks.

In a small bowl, beat egg with water. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, dill weed and flour. Place bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish or bowl. Dip chicken rolls in seasoned flour, then egg mixture, then crumbs. Place coated chicken in a shallow dish, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, deep fry chicken rolls for about 5 minutes, then turn over and deep fry for another 5 minutes until golden and cooked through, with no pink showing inside. At this point Jim popped them into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to make sure the chicken was cooked all the way through.

Autumn Apple Cake

2008-11-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

So I was browsing through my first issue of Cooking Light and came across this recipe. I was so glad I had everything I needed to make this. I realize the ingredients aren't that much to ask to have on hand, but I actually had a Pink Lady apple AND golden raisins. Awesome. The best thing was that I actually wanted to bake something today, but wasn't sure what...this fit the bill. It's yummy!

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup finely chopped peeled Pink Lady apple (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts - I didn't use them since we're not really fans of nuts in our desserts
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray, and dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Weigh or lightly spoon 6.75 ounces flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 6.75 ounces flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer until well blended. Beat in vanilla and egg. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in apple and raisins. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over cake. Cut into wedges.

Chicken Piccata

2008-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Pretty much the only reason I decided to make this is because I took chicken out of the freezer and we've had capers sitting in our cupboard forever! I found this over on the Food Network website. It turned out good. I just served it over some brown rice.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp. drained bottled capers, rinsed and chopped
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large plastic sheet of plastic wrap. Place 2 of the breast halves on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 breast halves.

Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in 2 batches, place the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.

Pour off the fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the heat. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up and browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer, turning often, until warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the capers. Season with salt and pepper and heat just until the butter has melted.

Creamy Skillet Turkey

2008-11-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

So I took some turkey breasts out of the freezer with really no idea what to do with them. I was apparently too preoccupied with my new Nintendo DS game I bought earlier in the day, so Jim ended up taking over cooking duties. He found a Lipton Vegetable Soup packet in the cupboard with a recipe for creamy skillet chicken, so we figured it work fine for turkey as well. It was really good!

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
4 boneless, skinless turkey breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Vegetable Soup Mix
1 cup milk*
1 cup water
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat Olive Oil over medium-high heat and brown turkey, turning once. Remove turkey; keep warm. In same skillet, bring Lipton Recipe Secrets Vegetable Soup Mix blended with milk/half-and-half and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted and simmer 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook 5 minutes or until turkey is thoroughly cooked. Serve with warm buttermilk biscuits, hot cooked rice or noodles.

*Jim actually used 1/2 cup half-and-half and a 1/2 cup of milk. We had some half-and-half to get rid of

Chic Greek Salad

2008-11-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

I know some people absolutely despise Rachael Ray, but she does have some pretty tasty recipes...this being one of them. And it's so easy! I did have to stop by the store on the way home to pick up some of the ingredients, but I was dead set on making this! Especially since I pretty much ate like crap this week and this is all veggies, so it made me feel better. I did have a few Costco mini spinach pie things on the side, but they were so yummy!!

1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
2 cans imported tuna in oil, drained
12 pepperoncini hot peppers
1 cup pitted kalamata olives

Arrange the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and peppers, artichoke hearts and parsley on a platter. Squeeze the lemon juice over the platter, juicing the fruit cut-side-up to keep the seeds from falling into salad. Season with salt and pepper. Place shallots, vinegar and oregano in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. Pour dressing over salad. Garnish salad with chunks of tuna, hot peppers and olives. We added some feta to the top too.

This makes a TON of salad, but now we have lunch for tomorrow. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Salmon

2008-11-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Another fab find from All Recipes. We actually planned dinner this time, so there was no "workin' with what ya got" for this meal. It was really good!

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 (3 ounce) fillets salmon
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Mix together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Arrange the salmon fillets in a shallow baking dish. Rub garlic onto the fillets, then pour the vinegar and oil over them, turning once to coat. Season with cilantro, basil, and garlic salt. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven's broiler. Place the salmon about 6 inches from the heat source, and broil for 15 minutes, turning once, or until browned on both sides and easily flaked with a fork. Brush occasionally with the sauce from the pan.

We served it with some Mediterranean couscous and it was delicious!

One Pan Chili Chicken

2008-11-16T16:18:00.000-08:00

It was basically another night where it was, okay, what do we have on hand? Chicken? Check. Rice? Check. Potatoes? Check. So what can we make? I came across this recipe on the Food Network and decided to give it a shot. The only thing we didn't have was carrots, but I added a can of kidney beans instead. Not exactly the same, but beans just seemed like a good fit.

2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into cubes
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound small red potatoes cut into quarters, about 8 potatoes
Coarse salt
Cracked pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
3/4 cups long grain rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth - we used beef broth
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a non-stick paella pan, wok pan or 12-inch skillet. Add the chicken, and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the onions and potatoes and cook, stirring often, until onions have softened and are lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, rice, broth, beans and the cooked chicken. If it appears too dry, add more liquid. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove cover, add the peas to the top without stirring in. Cover and cook 5 minutes more or until rice is cooked through and soft.

We added some hot sauce for a little kick and sour cream on top. Enjoy!