Tiny Kitchen Cooking

Staying Home All Day?

2009-03-02T11:07:00.004-05:00

If so, then this might be the recipe for you! This bolognese sauce, from Ann Burrell (really quirky new chef on the Food Network) took about 5 and a half hours from beginning to end. Was it worth it? I think so. This sauce had such a nice depth of flavor, plus anything with this much meat pleases the husband (I've been known to go days, and possibly even weeks w/out cooking meat for dinner). The great thing, is that it makes enough sauce for 2 boxes of pasta (I used a 13.5 oz box of whole grain spaghetti), so you can freeze half of it for another time if you want to!

The most important thing to note before trying this dish, which you'd definitely remember if you watch the Ms. Burrell make this on her Food Network show, is to be incredibly patient during the browning of the vegetables and then the browning of the meat. This is such an important step - so important in fact that Ann writes it into the recipe in all caps! Don't be tempted to rush through this like I usually am!!

James' Favorite

2009-03-02T10:52:00.003-05:00

The meal presented here is probably one of James' all time favorite dishes, and one of mine too. I got this recipe from his mother, who used to make it frequently when we were dating. While it's not the healthiest recipe around (I close my eyes when I'm adding the butter), it's definitely worth the extra calories! We also had this dish at our wedding!

Chicken Francaise
Recipe courtesy my mother in law, Betty

Ingredients...

8 boneless chicken breast halves

Batter:

1 cup eggs, beaten (5 or 6 eggs)
2 tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. butter

Wine Sauce:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions...

Lightly pound chicken breasts to flatten. Dust chicken in flour and set aside. Make the batter by beating eggs briskly, then beating in lemon juice, parsley salt, wine, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and parmesan cheese. Coat skillet (non-stick works best) with olive oil and butter and place over medium high heat. Dip floured chicken pieces in batter, coat generously and place in heated skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and drain excess fat. Make wine sauce. Melt butter in the pan, then stir in the wine and lemon juice. Return chicken to the pan, spooning the wine sauce over all and cook for about one minute longer. Serve Immediately (I also topped with some extra chopped parsley).

I served this with mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus. Enjoy!

Onion Soup

2009-02-16T20:18:00.002-05:00

This recipe was surprisingly tasty considering it's simplicity. It will definitely be repeated at our dinner table!

Onion Soup with Fontina and Thyme
Recipe courtesy Giada Di Laurentiis and Food Network

Ingredients...

3 T Olive Oil
2 large Vidalia onions, sliced
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
1 t fresh thyme leaves
4 cups beef broth
4 slices ciabatta bread, cubed
4 oz sliced fontina cheese
4 oven-proof ramekins

Directions...

In a medium, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and broth. Simmer, uncovered, until the onions are soft, about 15 minutes.
Divide the soup between the 4 ovenproof ramekins. Divide the cubed bread among the ramekins. Top each with slices of fontina cheese. Place under the broiler, until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:02:00.008-05:00

2008 was definitely a rocky year for a number of reasons, but I still count myself lucky to be married to a wonderful man, have a job that I enjoy, and great friends and family around! It is now 2009 and I resolve to be better about updating this blog! I certainly haven't stopped cooking, but when school started in September I hit the ground running and didn't have the patience to keep photographing my creations each night. What better time to start back up again than with a delicious New Years meal!

My husband loves steak, but I really don't and since I'm the cook of the family, we really never eat it. So for our special dinner I knew steak was a necessary treat. We balanced that out with one of my favorite seafood dishes - baked stuffed shrimp. For sides we had Wild Mushroom Risotto and sauteed asparagus. Delicious! **Note: Please excuse the quality of my photographs. I didn't want our food to get cold!

Pan Seared Rib Eye
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients

1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 1/2-inch thick
Canola oil to coat
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature.

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

Mushroom Risotto

Recipe courtesty Tyler Florence

Ingredients

8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Recipe courtesy Gourmet/Epicurious

Ingredients

1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 1/4 pound)
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced celery ribs
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound scallops, chopped, or lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup chicken broth
32 Ritz crackers (about two thirds of a 12-ounce package), crushed into coarse crumbs
18 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled, leaving tail and connecting shell segment intact
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley leaves
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a large baking dish.

In a large heavy skillet cook mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic, and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add scallops or crabmeat and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in broth and cracker crumbs and remove skillet from heat.

Butterfly shrimp by cutting lengthwise along inside curve, almost completely through. Split open shrimp and devein. Mound about 2 tablespoons stuffing onto each shrimp, pressing gently, and put shrimp, stuffed sides up, in baking dish. Melt butter and drizzle over shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and bake 20 minutes, or until stuffing is golden.

Garnish shrimp with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Corn Chowder

2008-08-20T13:31:00.005-04:00

The hubby and I really enjoyed this soup. As a bonus, it's pretty filling and light - even with the use of bacon!

Corn Chowder
Recipe courtesy of The Kitchen Sink

Ingredients...

4 ounces of bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 celery ribs, diced
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
4 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock (low-sodium or homemade)
2 cups water
4 ears of corn, kernels shaved from the cob and one shaved cob reserved
Greek yogurt, for garnish
snipped chives, for garnish

Directions...

Fry the bacon in the bottom of a large soup pot, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain the bacon drippings from the pot, but do not wipe out the pot. Return the pot to the stove, turn the heat up to medium high and heat the olive oil in the pot. Add the onion, celery and herbs (through the black pepper). Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil and herbs and cook until the onions have become translucent and soft (several minutes). Add the potatoes and cook for five minutes, until the potatoes have begun to soften. Turn the heat down to low and sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir and cook for several minutes.

Add the chicken stock and water. Crumble the bacon and add all but 1 tablespoon to the soup. Next, stir in the corn kernels. Finally, add the reserved, shaved cob of corn to the soup (which will help flavor and thicken the broth). Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Before serving, remove the shaved corn cob and taste the soup for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Serve the soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, snipped chives and the reserved crumbled bacon.

My first meme!

2008-08-18T15:50:00.002-04:00

This is a week of firsts!

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results
5) added by other memers: italicize ones you'd like to try

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. ~~Steak tartare~~
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. ~~Foie gras~~
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. ~~Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper~~
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. ~~Whole insects~~
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. ~~McDonald’s Big Mac Meal~~
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. ~~Sweetbreads~~
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (I call them Doughboys!)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. ~~Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. ~~Horse~~
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Hmm...I guess I haven't really eaten a lot of these things,

sushi, sushi, sushi!! (My First Blogging Event!)

2008-08-17T21:41:00.009-04:00

I'm so excited to be participating in my first blogging event! After making maki rolls three times in 1 week, I didn't really have any excuses for not entering Joelen's Makin' Maki Sushi Event!

Anyway, here's how it all started...

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting some new friends who live in our town. Better yet, one of these new friends, Masako, is awesome at making sushi! She was kind enough to have a few of us over to her place for a sushi and spring roll lunch. I've attempted to make maki (sushi rolls) before, but it was great to get some tips from someone with more experience.

Here's a shot of the supplies:

For the salmon sushi, we layered cooked sushi rice on a half sheet of nori with cream cheese and slices of smoked salmon. The key to rolling the sushi is to use a rolling mat, and to make sure you aim the first roll for the middle, and then squeeze tight before continuing to roll. Here's me with a successful roll (my second try).

We also made some rolls with eel that Masako got at the Asian market.
In addition to sushi, Masako showed us how to make fried spring rolls. These were delicious!

Spring Rolls
Recipe courtesy Masako

Ingredients...

ground pork
cooked shrimp
bean sprouts
rice noodles (softened in hot water)
sliced mushrooms
carrots, chopped
scallions, chopped
egg roll wrappers
oil for frying
water for wrapping

Directions...

Start by heating a skillet at medium high heat. Brown the pork, then add the mushrooms, carrots, and scallions. Once the mushrooms and carrots have started to soften, add bean sprouts, shrimp, and noodles. Mix and cook ingredients until softened and heated through.

Lay an egg roll wrapper on a clean, dry surface. Place a couple spoonfuls of the mixture onto the center of the wrapper. Fold one corner in toward the center, fold in the side corners, and roll until closed (pictures would have helped here, sorry!). Dab the last corner with some water to make it stick. Repeat until you've used up all the mixture.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry spring rolls until golden brown (about 1 minute on each side). Place on a paper towel to drain. Enjoy!

OK, so after making sushi with Masako, I was feeling motivated and have made sushi two more times since!! Once with my sisters (not pictured) and another time for the hubby. This time I decided to make california rolls.

Ingredients...

sushi rolling mat
nori (seaweed wrappers)
sushi rice
rice wine vinegar (about 1/4 cup? I didn't measure)
avocado, sliced
cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin sticks
crabstick
soy sauce for dipping

Directions...

Prepare sushi rice as directed on bag (I made about 3 cups of rice for 5 california rolls). Let the rice cool to room temperature and mix in rice wine vinegar. Lay a sheet of nori on your rolling mat. Wet your hands with some water (to prevent sticking), and grab a handful of rice. Spread the rice on the nori, covering about half the sheet. Lay one line of sliced avocado, crabstick, and cucumber across. Roll your sushi, making sure to press tightly as you go. Repeat with your next nori sheet!

Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 6-8 pieces. Dip in soy sauce and enjoy!

Pesto Penne

2008-08-07T19:59:00.002-04:00

After our trip to Tanglewood I had some extra pesto and mozzarella to do something with, so I whipped up this super-simple pasta dish. First, I cooked some whole-wheat penne. Meanwhile, I sliced some cherry tomatoes in half and roasted them in the oven at 475 degrees for about 15 minutes. Last, I just mixed the pasta with the pesto, tomatoes, and diced mozzarella cheese. Done!

Tanglewood!

2008-08-07T09:07:00.011-04:00

On Sunday, the hubby and I trekked out to Lenox, MA to visit Tanglewood, the summer home of the BSO. This was part of his anniversary gift to me, and a very nice gift it was! Since this is a cooking blog, I'll try to get through the music stuff quickly. Their program included three pieces: Suite from Iberia by Albeniz, Lalo's Cello Concerto (performed by Yo-Yo Ma!), and Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninoff. I wasn't super familiar with any of these pieces, so it was nice to hear some new things. I think if we'd been in a concert hall (I'll explain momentarily), my favorite would have been the cello concerto. In this case, my favorite ended up being the Rachmaninoff. I'm definitely going to need to get a recording.

Anyway, Tanglewood has a few different performance venues, this concert being held at the Koussevitzky Music Shed, which has a few sections of covered seating close to the stage, but then a huge lawn area in the back for people to picnic (do you see the food connection now?) and lounge while they listen to the music. The thing I love about it, is that unlike many other outdoor concerts that I have attended in the summer of jazz and rock/pop groups, people are really here to listen intently to the music and when the concert begins everyone is quiet (except for the small children who do their best to keep things under control!). It's really quite nice.

OK. On to the picnic! We wanted to keep things simple, but delicious. We started with some pesto, tomato, and mozzarella finger sandwiches. For these I just sliced up some ciabatta bread, spread a little pesto on each slice, and layered each sandwich with a slice of tomato and a slice of fresh mozzarella. Easy!

I did make my own pesto using this Cooking Light recipe. I really like this version because it's not as oily as store-bought.

Pesto
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light

Ingredients...

4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 cups packed basil leaves (about 2.5 oz)
1/4 cup pine nuts **I used walnuts
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup warm water
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions...

Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Place basil and next 4 ingredients (basil through pepper) in processor; process 10 seconds. Combine water and oil in a measuring cup. With processor on, slowly pour oil mixture through food chute, processing just until blended.

Next, we had some strawberry spinach salad (not pictured), which consisted simply of baby spinach, sliced strawberries, walnuts, salt, and pepper with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.

After salads...and some rain in the middle of the cello concerto (which is why I cannot call it my favorite...sadly, I couldn't hear the whole second half due to the sound of the rain on our umbrella)...

...we moved on to Brie with Grape Jelly and Wheat Thins. This is honestly one of our favorite treats ever! It was of course accompanied by a nice bottle of merlot. Notice how the sun is now shining brightly. The weather was quite fickle that day.

Finally, during Rachmaninoff, we reached dessert. I wanted something chocolaty, but fairly light. I found this recipe and then simply subbed light ingredients.

Dirt
Recipe courtesy of Recipe Zaar

Ingredients...

1 180z package Oreos, crushed **I used reduced fat Oreos
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 8oz container Cool Whip **I used light
1 8 oz package gummy worms **I left these out and put in some sliced strawberries instead

Directions...

Make the pudding, fold in the Cool-Whip. Place half the cookie crumbs on the bottom of a glass bowl **I used three cookies each on the bottom of individual serving dishes. Spoon in the pudding mixture and place the worms, half in, half out, on top. **I just put some strawberry slices on top. Top with the remaining cookie crumbs. Chill.

The following photographs are examples of why I portioned everything instead of having us share out of one dish. I always feel like I'm racing. In the second photo, hubby's dish is on the left and mine is on the right - about 2 minutes after we started eating...

Nice and Light

2008-08-06T16:20:00.004-04:00

I've been trying to cook and eat healthier lately, so I was pretty excited when I saw this meal posted on Joelen's blog. I knew I had to try it right away! James and I both really enjoyed this meal and it was filling, but still pretty healthy. I did have a couple of issues however, which I think I know how to fix for next time. First, I couldn't get the breadcrumb/macadamia nut mixture to stick to the fish. I think the nuts were not crushed small enough, so next time I think I need to be more diligent about that. The other problem was that I couldn't get baby bok choy at the grocery store - only the larger variety. I think with the larger variety it's probably necessary to chop the white stems smaller than I did so that they will cook a little bit faster. Like I said, neither of these issues will be difficult to resolve the next time I try this recipe! Thanks Joelen!

Macadamia Nut Crusted Tilapia
Recipe courtesy of Joelen

Ingredients...

4 frozen tilapia fillets
1-2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup crushed macadamia nuts
1/2 panko breadcrumbs
salt & pepper to taste

Directions...

In a small bowl, whisk eggs with water for egg wash.
In a shallow baking pan, combine the nuts, breadcrumbs, salt & pepper.
Dip each tilapia fillet in the eggwash and dredge in the nut/breadcrumb mixture until fully coated.
Plate coated fish on a plate and chill for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Place coated fish on a light greased baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Baby Bok Choy and King Oyster Mushroom Saute
Recipe courtesy of Joelen

Ingredients...

3-4 baby bok choy bunches
1 1/2 cups king oyster mushrooms (or any kind of mushroom)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions...

Heat large skillet or wok over high heat. Meanwhile, prep your veggies by cutting bottoms of the bok choy and rinsing any debris between the stalks. Cut off the green tops and set aside.

For the mushrooms, slice them and if you prefer, remove stems. When skillet or wok is hot, add oil to coat the bottom. Add garlic, ginger and bok choy bottoms (not the green leafy tops!). Stir until stalks are softened; then add mushrooms. Stir until mushrooms start to brown and soften.
Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste. Stir and then add bok choy greens.
Remove from heat, add sesame oil and toss until greens wilt. **I also garnished with a few sesame seeds

Dinner Party #...I forget

2008-08-06T15:39:00.004-04:00

Annabel and I decided to take on some good, comforting Italian-American cuisine last week. Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite Italian dishes, but it can be so heavy with all of the breading and oil that's used to fry it. I really like this eggplant dish because it doesn't have any noodles or breading at all, but it's still really delicious. I've also been wanting to try meatballs on the stove as I usually bake mine. These came out wonderfully! There's not much more to say but "yum"!

Eggplant Ricotta Bake
Recipe courtesy of John Barricelli on Martha Stewart's Website

Ingredients...

2 large eggplants (1-1 1/4 lb each), sliced lengthwise into 3/4 inch slices
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish
salt and pepper
1 15oz container part-skim ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried) **I also added some chopped fresh basil
1 jar store bought marinara sauce (16 oz)

Directions...

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Brush lightly on both sides with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden, turning halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil.

Lay a fourth of eggplant slices in bottom of prepared dish; spread with half of marinara sauce. Top with another fourth of eggplant; spread with half of ricotta. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Italian-American Meatballs and Marinara Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients...

2 slices white sandwich bread, stale
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground beef chuck **I purchased a meatloaf mix, which contains all three of these
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 medium onion, grated (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
Quick Marinara Sauce, recipe follows

Directions...

Grate the bread or pulse into crumbs in a food processor. In a small bowl toss the bread crumbs with 1/3 cup cold milk to re-hydrate.

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, pork, veal, beef, Parmesan, parsley, salt, onion, garlic, and egg and mix until combined. Season the meat mixture with pepper.
Using your hands, gently form the meat mixture into 18 slightly larger than golf ball-sized balls. (Packing the meat mixture too tightly together will result in tough meatballs). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Drain the oil and wipe out the skillet, return to the heat, and repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs.

Drain and wipe out the skillet again. Return all the meatballs to the skillet and pour in the marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, swirling the pan occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through about 15 minutes. The cheese in the meatballs will start to melt when the meatballs are ready. Serve immediately with the Quick Marinara Sauce and spaghetti or on sandwiches. If serving with spaghetti, toss with 1/3 of the sauce.These meatballs can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 weeks.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients...

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled, tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions...

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the herb sprigs and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until thickened

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Serve or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

**We served this meal with spaghetti and roasted zucchini

Fresh Herbs

2008-07-31T11:59:00.007-04:00

Let's start with one known fact. Fresh herbs from the supermarket usually suck. Who knows how long they've been sitting on that shelf (or in that plastic package). Half the time I buy basil at the supermarket, when I'm desperate and it's the middle of winter, I get home and open the package and half of it is brown already! In addition to the sub-par quality of supermarket herbs is the often outrageous price. OK - maybe it's not outrageous and maybe I'm just a little bit ~~cheap~~ thrifty. But I hate paying $3.00 for a small bunch of basil that is wilted and half brown OR $2.00 for a GIANT bunch of cilantro, when I only need a little bit for one recipe.

Anyway, this rant brings me to one of my favorite summer time hang outs - Small Farm in Stow, MA. If you are in the area, I strongly encourage you to make a stop here. Small Farm's farm stand is a great place to get fresh veggies, like corn, garlic, scallions, eggplant, zucchini and summer squash, among others that I'm forgetting at this moment. They also have pick your own flowers, tomatoes, and HERBS!!!! Yes! For the small price of $1.50 you can fill up a small plastic bag (about the size of a quart ziploc) with whatever herbs you want! They usually have thyme, oregano, mint, pineapple mint, basil, purple basil, dill, chives, and lavender. So if you only need a couple sprigs of mint for your mojito, but you want a TON of basil to make pesto, then that's what you pick! Since living in the area, this place has been my all-time favorite discovery. You know the herbs are fresh because you're picking them yourself, the price is right, and you can get the exact amount of herbs you want! All of the herbs pictured fit in one bag!

Tasty AND Healthy!

2008-07-30T11:11:00.005-04:00

I often like to hit up our town library for new cookbooks to try. One of my favorites that I've found there is called Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. The book is geared toward busy working moms and is organized by season and then by week. The idea is to get a healthy, easy to prepare dinner on the table for your family every night of the week, all year long. Each chapter includes enough main dishes for a week, along with a shopping list, and suggested side dishes. While I am not exactly in the targeted demographic, I have found some interesting new recipes in this book.

This cashew chicken recipe isn't exactly authentic, but the sauce is really tasty (if not a bit too sweet for some). It's also really versatile - you can really throw in any veggies you like.

Cashew Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely

Ingredients...

¾ cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
2 T vegetable oil, divided
4 green onions, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
**I also added some chopped bok choy and sugar snap peas
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup cashews

Directions...

In a bowl, combine juice, honey, soy sauce, cornstarch, and seasonings.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 T oil until it begins to smoke. Stir-fry vegetables for several minutes until the onions become fragrant. Set aside and keep warm.

In the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of oil until smoking and stir-fry chicken strips until browned and tender.

Add cooked vegetables, cashews, and sauce mixture. Continue cooking until sauce bubbles and thickens.

**I served over brown rice.

I don't like Quiche

2008-07-30T10:51:00.005-04:00

Normally, I really don't like quiche - and neither does James - but when my mom decided to throw a brunch birthday party for my grandfather's 85th birthday, it seemed that quiche was almost necessary! I set out to find a recipe that had a good ratio of vegetable to egg (it's the overly egg-y quiches that I really can't stand) and after going through a number of recipes found this one on All Recipes. I doubled the recipe and instead of making them in pie pans, I decided to use muffin tins to make them easier to serve to a lot of people. Overall, I really liked this....when it was warm. I will say that a lot of people mentioned in the recipe reviews that this can also be served at room temperature, but I thought that it was really at its best when still warm from the oven. I did make a couple of changes to the recipe after reading a lot of reviews. You can see those changes in bold below.

Oh. And James still doesn't like quiche.

Crustless Spinach Quiche
Recipe courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten **I added an extra egg
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese **I used 2 cups of an Italian blend
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
**I added 2 cloves of garlic, and a diced red pepper

Directions...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan. **I used muffin tins instead

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan. **I filled each tin about 3/4 of the way and, after doubling the recipe, got about 26 mini quiches

Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. **In muffin tins they baked for 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Macaroni and Cheese Please!

2008-07-25T11:00:00.010-04:00

I've been trying to find so many new recipes lately that I've kind of neglected some of my old favorites. This recipe actually has somewhat of a history with me. I cooked this for my husband on our 1 year dating anniversary back in August of 2002 and it was the first thing I had ever cooked for him. He loved it! I probably made it once or twice again after that, including once for Annabel (my dinner party partner), but soon moved on to newer and more exciting endeavors.

Well, when Annabel and I were planning our menu for this week's dinner she insisted on this dish, claiming that it's her favorite macaroni and cheese and she needed to have it. I resisted at first, thinking I wanted to try something new, but saw the desperation in her eyes and knew she had to have it. Honestly - she was so right. As we were eating it I realized that this is really the best baked macaroni and cheese EVER and I don't know how I could ever forsake it. It's creamy, tangy, delicious, and SUPER easy to make. Luckily I doubled it so I can enjoy it again for lunch today!

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese
Recipe courtesy All Recipes

Ingredients...

8 oz elbow macaroni
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream **I used light
12 oz small curd cottage cheese **I used light
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
1 cup bread crumbs **I used less, just eyeballed it

Directions...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.

In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

I'm not old, I'm just organized!

2008-07-25T09:10:00.004-04:00

I meal plan every week.

I know, I know. I sound like a soccer mom, or Robin Miller's twin, when I am in fact a 25 year old with no children. It's just that I like to have a plan and I like to attempt to stick to a budget and meal planning helps me do that. So I'm not old, I'm just...sensible...yeah...

Anyway, I usually write my plan down on little scraps of paper, but then it occurred to me: Why not use my cooking blog to record my plans from week to week? In addition, it will provide anyone who's reading this thing a little preview for what recipes and photos to expect next week!

So here is next week's plan:

Sunday - out of town
Monday - Cashew Chicken w/brown rice
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - Shrimp Ceviche Tacos w/vegetables
Thursday - Cooking with Annabel?? (TBD)
Friday - Hawaiian Pizza
Saturday - Black Bean Soup

Simple and Delicious!

2008-07-24T10:36:00.013-04:00

So it seems that my husband, James, has grown increasingly interested in this blog. The following "recipe" is really just something I like to throw together when I can't think of anything else and so I certainly wasn't going to blog it. Blogging should be reserved for something special, right? Well, James was so insistent that this dinner be on my blog that he got the camera out and shot the photos himself! Anyway, the following is going to be more of a description than a recipe and can have about a million variations depending what you have on hand!

Black Bean Quesadillas
Recipe courtesy of me!

Serves 2

Ingredients....

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
about 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1-2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
a couple hand fulls of baby spinach
chili powder
lime juice
4 whole wheat tortillas
oil/cooking spray

Directions...

Heat a skillet w/a little oil on medium heat (anything with a larger diameter than your tortillas - a double griddle so that you can do two at a time would be even better!).

Mix black beans and red onion with chili powder (season to taste) and the juice of 1/2 a lime. Lay one tortilla out on a flat surface. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on the tortilla, covering most of its surface. Layer 1/2 of the black beans over the cheese. Spread a few spinach leaves on top of the black beans and top with another 1/4 of the cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Repeat this process with the rest of the cheese, black beans, spinach, and the other tortillas. Cook the quesedillas for 3-4 minutes on each side until the tortillas are brown and crispy and the cheese in melted. Flip carefully! (I have had many near-misses when flipping my quesedillas) Move to cutting board and cut into 4 wedges. Enjoy!

I serve this with guacamole, light sour cream, and salsa (homemade is best, but jarred is just fine!).

Here's all you need to make a quick salsa with your food processor:

5-6 roma/plum tomatoes
1/4 of a red onion
handful cilantro leaves
salt to taste
juice of one lime
chopped jalepeno

Throw it all in and pulse until everything is chopped and incorporated. To make the guacamole I just mash up an avacado with a couple tablespoons of the fresh salsa. Voila!

Dinner Party #3

2008-07-22T11:51:00.008-04:00

For this third edition of "Cooking Adventures with Annabel," we decided to attempt jambalaya - something which I have never eaten before. Annabel also really wanted to try fried plantains (again - never had them) and I decided that corn bread would compliment the jambalaya quite well.

I'll warn you in advance, we took the easy way out on the corn bread by using a mix. After last week's labor intensive Indian meal we weren't feeling so ambitious. However, we did improve the mundane mix by adding a couple tablespoons of chili powder and about a half cup of cheddar cheese before baking.

The jambalaya was quite tasty, but next time I think I'll use less chicken broth than the recipe called for. We actually ended up pouring some out because the rice was getting so saturated. That being said, neither of us were sure of the texture of authentic jambalaya. Our rice ended up bordering on risotto texture. Who knows if this is "correct" but it sure was tasty!

Cajun Jambalaya
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Food Network

Ingredients...

12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
4 ounces chicken, diced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock **This seemed like way too much. Next time I'd try 2 cups.
5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced **used smoked pork sausage
Salt and pepper

Directions...

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

The plantains were simple to make and really delicious. They will definitely be seen again on my dinner table.

Fried Ripe Plantains
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, Food Network

Ingredients...

4 yellow plantains
vegetable oil for frying
kosher salt

Directions...

Cut the ends off the plantains and cut them into 2 pieces. Peel them and slice them in half lengthwise. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 1/4 cup oil and fry the plantains slowly until they are browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt and serve.

I almost forgot about dessert!! This recipe was so delicious. It was supposed to be light, but all we had was whole milk for the pudding (we weren't really all that dissapointed...). I'm sure it would be delicious with low-fat milk also. The only criticism that I have is that this dessert needs a better title! Any ideas?

Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light

Ingredients...

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
Cooking spray

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) carton frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed and divided
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 (3.9-ounce) packages chocolate instant pudding mix
Unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Directions...

Preheat oven to 325°.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely.

To prepare filling, place 1 cup sugar and cream cheeses in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Cover loosely; refrigerate 1 hour.

Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until pudding is set. Spread the pudding mixture over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining half of thawed whipped topping over pudding layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Cut into 15 pieces.

Thai Curry

2008-07-22T10:57:00.007-04:00

Thai cuisine is fairly new to me. I discovered Pad Thai just a few months ago and have since made it myself a couple of times. While having lunch with a friend last week (eating my usual Pad Thai), I had a taste of her green curry and decided that I really need to branch out!

Last night I tried out a recipe found on Recipe Zaar, which has become one of my new favorite sources for recipes. I changed it up a little bit, using shrimp instead of chicken, and it came out great! It wasn't quite as sweet as the curry in the restaurant, but that's OK. Also, I really wish I hadn't forgotten the fresh basil at the store - I'm sure it would have made the dish that much better!

Chicken and Broccoli Thai Curry
Recipe courtesy of Recipe Zaar

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon green or red curry paste **I used green
1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh basil **I had to use dried
1 can bamboo shoot, drained
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth or chicken stock
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch strips **I used 1/2 lb shrimp
3-4 cups fresh broccoli florets

Directions...
In a medium saucepan combine curry paste and coconut milk and heat. Just before boiling, reduce heat and simmer and 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 10-15 minutes. Serve over freshly cooked rice.

**Because shrimp cooks much faster than chicken, I only added it during the last 5 minutes of cooking

Dinner Party #2

2008-07-18T22:50:00.010-04:00

As I mentioned a couple posts ago, my friend Annabel and I are throwing little dinner parties so we can try out some new recipes! Last week's theme was Indian (see previous post for explanation of newfound Indian food cravings). Anyway, the curry recipe was a lot of work and there by the time we were finished with the chicken curry, dal, and green beans we were totally exhausted! Overall it was a good, satisfying meal. The green beans were absolutely delicious and the dal was tasty but could use a little more of a kick. The chicken came out well, but was it worth the work? I'm not sure. Feel free to decide for yourself! :)

The chicken and green bean recipes both came from a book titled "The Great Curries of India" by Camellia Panjabi. Annabel was kind enough to present me with her extra copy. While we've only tried a couple recipes so far, this book proves to be a great resource for Indian cooking. It includes thorough explanations of the various ingredients found in Indian cuisine, as well as beautiful photos of finished dishes.

Chicken and Cashew Nuts in Black Spices
(Kaja Chicken in Kaala Masala - Bombay)
Recipe courtesy of "The Great Curries of India" by Camellia Panjabi

Serves 4

Ingredients...

2 1/4 lb chicken, skinned (we used leg quarters)
1 cup grated coconut (be sure to use unsweetened!)
12 plump garlic cloves, peeled
1/2-in piece of fresh ginger, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 dried dark-colored red chiles
6 cloves
3-in cinnamon stick
8oz cashew nuts
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons oil
salt

Directions...

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces.

In a large frying pan, without any fat or oil, roast the coconut, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, red chiles, cloves and cinnamon over low heat. After 5 minutes add 2oz. of the cashew nuts and the onion and roast for a further 10 minutes, stirring all the time. Turn off the heat and leave to cool. Grind the mixture in a blender or food processor wtih 3/4 cup water to a fine consistency.

Separate grind 1oz of the remaining cashew nuts with a little water to make a fine paste and set aside.

Heat the oil in a cooking pot, add the ground spiece mixture and fry for 10 minutes over a low heat. Add the ground cashew nuts and salt to taste and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken, turn up the heat to moderate and fry for 5 minutes. Then add 3 cups water and leave to cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, covered.

Add the remaining cashew nuts and continue to cook until the chicken is done. You should have a thick, dark curry with whole cashew nuts in it.

We served this over basmati rice.

Stir-Fried French Beans
(Beans Porial)
Recipe courtesy of "The Great Curries of India" by Camellia Panjabi

Serves 4

Ingredients...

8 oz french beans
1/2 teaspoon whole white urad dal
1/4 cup grated coconut
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
10-12 curry leaves, finely chopped (optional)
salt
2 tablespoons oil or butter
1 green chile, finely chopped and de-seeded if liked
1/3 teaspoon mustard leaves

Directions...

De-string and top and tail the beans. Chop into 1/2-in peces. Soak the urad dal in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Put the grated coconut into a bowl. Add the cumin seeds, onion and curry leaves and mix well. Boil the beans in 1 cup water with 1/4 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes, uncovered. The salt will help retain the bright green color. Drain.

Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan and fry the chiles until pale green, then add the mustard seeds and after 20 seconds add the urad dal grains. After 1 minute, add the coconut and onion and saute, stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Add the beans, toss and cook for a few minutes over a low heat until the beans are tender.

Red Lentil Dal with Charred Onions
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

7 1-cup servings

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 whole clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 dried hot red chile
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 cup dried small red lentils
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions...

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until charred. Carefully turn over onion, and cook an additional 4 minutes or until blackened and charred. Remove from heat. Coarsely chop; set aside.

Combine mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and clove in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 1/2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Combine mustard mixture, cinnamon, cardamom, and chile in spice or coffee grinder. Pulse until ground.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in spices; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, lentils, and tomato to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover; add onion, and cook 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.

We served this over basmati rice.

Chicken Tandoori and Broccoli Dal

2008-07-13T20:05:00.004-04:00

Before I begin, let me first acknowledge the fact that the fonts on my blog are all kinds of messed up. I am having serious problems with formatting...

The first time I had Indian food was in college. I played violin in an ensemble called "Global Rhythms" and we performed a lot of Middle Eastern and Indian-inspired music, so the Indian Student Association would often make us dinner for after our concerts. There were things I loved and things I hated, but it didn't really help me in the future because I never knew what it was that I was eating!

Fast forward four years: Our new friend, Dinesh, who happens to be Indian has us over to his place for Indian food. It was great! But VERY spicy. So spicy that at times I had trouble speaking and had to devour spoonfuls of yogurt to attempt to break the heat.

My third Indian food experience occurred two weeks ago when I was over a friend's place and we ordered Indian take-out. This was delicious! And had the perfect amount of spice (for me). Suddenly I realized all that I had been missing!

In the last two weeks I have visited the local Indian Market twice and purchased most of the spices necessary to make some of my own basic Indian dishes. The two I tried out tonight have been my favorite so far! The chicken was good, but the dal was DELICIOUS! It was so flavorful and will definitely be repeated at our dinner table.

Tandoori Chicken
Recipe courtesy Tizzylish (Kristie)

Ingredients...

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts **I used boneless
1/2 C plain yogurt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Directions...

Run garlic through a press, or finely mince. Grate ginger. Mix together yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Make diagonal slashes in the chicken meat to allow marinade to penetrate better. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken parts.

Marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. If the chicken is placed in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before cooking (approximately 1 hour). I recommend overnight to get full flavor!

Preheat broiler.

Brush grill or shallow baking pan with a little oil to keep chicken from sticking. Arrange chicken on the pan.

Broil chicken 2-3 inches away from the heat until cooked through, approximately 25 minutes, turning halfway through.

Notes: Sadly, I didn't have enough time to marinate the chicken for more than an hour, but don't let that deter you. It was still really quite flavorful. Also, so that the chicken would be easier to eat and cook a little bit faster, I cut it into small pieces before marinating.

Broccoli Dal Curry
Recipe courtesy evelyn/athens on Recipe Zaar

Ingredients...

4 tablespoons butter or ghee
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 cup red lentil
1 lemon, juice of
3 cups chicken broth **this wasn't enough - I ended up using 4 cups of chicken broth plus another 1/2 cup water
2 medium heads of broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup dried coconut (optional) **I didn't have any, so I left it out
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cashew, coarsely chopped **I didn't have any, but this would be a great addition next time!

Directions...

Heat butter in saucepan and saute onions until well browned.
Add chili powder, pepper, cumin, coriander and turmeric.
Stir and cook, 1 minute.
Add lentils, lemon juice, broth and coconut if using.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45-55 minutes (if mixture is too thick, you may need to add a little hot water).
Steam broccoli for 7 minutes.
Plunge broccoli in cold water and set aside.
Remove 1/3 cup of liquid from the lentil mixture.
Add to flour to form a smooth paste.
Return to pan; add broccoli, salt and nuts if using.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve over Basmati rice.

A Dinner Party!

2008-07-11T10:58:00.007-04:00

Being a teacher I get to have summers off. Last summer I was swamped with wedding planning and grad classes and didn't have time for much else. This summer I attempted to get a part time job, but didn't come up with anything. Luckily, Annabel is also off for the summer with her new baby! Being that we both have time to fill, we've committed to a few projects, one being a weekly cooking adventure.

For our first menu we planned:

Spinach Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Shrimp Ceviche Tacos
Fiesta Rice
Classic Spanish Sangria
Lemon Berry Trifle

Everything went off without a hitch and all who attended our little dinner party seemed to enjoy their meal. Here are the recipes for the Salad, Tacos, and Sangria. Sadly, we didn't get any photos of the salad, but it really was delicious.

Spinach Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Recipe courtesy of Giada DiLaurentiis, Everyday Pasta

Ingredients...

Dressing

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped **we left this out
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Spinach Salad

1 bag of spinach **we used baby spinach
2 oranges, cut into segments
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted **we used walnuts
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions...
Combine all the ingredients for the Citrus Vinaigrette in a jar or a tight-sealing plastic container. Shake to blend. Combine the spinach, orange segments, almonds, red onion, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss with Citrus Vinaigrette.

Seviche-Style Shrimp and Avocado Tacos
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients...

3 limes
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1 cup diced peeled avocado (about 1 avocado)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound cooked peeled medium shrimp
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
I also added: 1 finely diced jalapeno pepper and some finely diced red onion

Directions...
Finely grate rind from limes to measure 1 tablespoon; juice limes to measure 1/4 cup. Place rind and juice in a large bowl. Add tomato and remaining ingredients except tortillas; toss well to combine. Cover and chill for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down center of each tortilla; fold in half. Serve immediately.

Classic Spanish Sangria
Recipe Courtesy of Lisa on All Recipes

Ingredients...

1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 1/2 cups rum
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1 cup orange juice

Directions...
Have the fruit, rum, wine, and orange juice well chilled. Slice the lemon, lime and orange into thin rounds and place in a large glass pitcher. Pour in the rum and sugar. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours to develop the flavors.
When ready to serve, crush the fruit lightly with a wooden spoon and stir in the wine and orange juice. Adjust sweetness to taste.

Muffins!

2008-07-11T10:25:00.005-04:00

I'm not a big baker, but when I noticed the overripe bananas on my counter last weekend and then also remembered that I had a bunch of blueberries waiting in the freezer, I decided that it was time to make muffins! I enjoyed both of these recipes, but my husband thought the lemon flavor in the blueberry muffins was too overpowering (well they ARE called lemon-blueberry muffins...). The banana nut muffins were definitely a home-run and I'm planning to make them again for a brunch birthday party for my grandfather in a couple weeks.

Banana Nut Muffins
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence, FoodTV.com

Ingredients...

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped **I used walnuts

Directions...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. **I didn't have an electric mixer, so I hand whisked and it seemed to work just fine** Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
Recipe courtesy of Liz's Cooking Blog who snagged the recipe from Food and Wine

Ingredients...

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions...

Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the blueberries. In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, oil and lemon zest, then whisk in the lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until blended; do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Something New

2008-06-09T20:44:00.002-04:00

You may recall me writing about how my husband loves beef and I rarely make it for him. Well, salmon is another thing he really enjoys, but I've never liked....until now! I thought I'd give this a try and it came out really delicious. It's another refreshing, summery dish - perfect for this stifling weather we're having. I served this over some couscous.

Grilled Salmon with Pineapple, Mango, and Strawberry Salsa Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, foodnetwork.com

For the Fruit Salsa...

3/4 cup small diced pineapple
3/4 cup small diced mango
1/2 cup small diced strawberries
1/4 cup small diced red onion
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium non-reactive bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir to blend. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the salsa to macerate for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

For the Salmon...

Ingredients...

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin-on
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 recipe Fruit Salsa, recipe follows

Directions...

Preheat a grill to medium **I used a grill pan on the stovetop

Brush both sides of the salmon with the olive oil. Season the salmon on both sides with the Essence, salt and pepper. Place the fish on the grill, skin side down and cook for about 3 minutes then turn the fish 45 degrees and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until cooked through to the desired degree of doneness.

Remove the fish from the grill and serve with the fruit salsa spooned over the fish. Serve immediately.

And in case you don't have Essence, here's the idea...

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Summery Goodness

2008-06-09T18:21:00.005-04:00

I brought this dessert to my sister-in-law's graduation this past weekend and it seemed to be a big hit! I knew I wanted to make a trifle, but couldn't seem to find a recipe that sounded delicious but didn't take all day. I ended up studying a few recipes and coming up with my own.

Lemon Berry Trifle

Ingredients...

1 lb strawberries, sliced
1 pint blueberries
1 T sugar
juice from one lemon
1 8 oz container cool-whip
1 package instant lemon pudding
2 cups milk
8 oz sour cream
1 store-bought angel food cake, cut into cubes

Directions...

Combine strawberries, blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Prepare pudding according to package directions. In a separate bowl, fold pudding and sour cream into cool-whip. In a large bowl (ideally, glass, but anything big enough and pretty enough to serve out of) place one layer of angel food cake cubes, top with 1/3 of berry mixture, then add 1/3 cool-whip mixture. Layer ingredients two more times, topping with cool-whip mixture. Reserve a few berries to decorate the top - especially if you don't have a glass bowl so people can kind of tell what's inside. Chill until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).

Fresh Fruit Popsicles

2008-05-31T12:13:00.004-04:00

I got this recipe from Paved With Good Intentions and it looked so good I immediately ran to Target and found popsicle molds. I made a couple changes from the borrowed recipe: I decided not to strain the fruit and I cut back on the sugar a bit. Eating these popsicles reminded me of a good fruit smoothie. Yum!

Ingredients...

1 cup strawberries
1 cup watermelon
handful of mint
1/8 cup sugar
juice of one lime

Directions...

Put everything into the food processor and process until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

2008-05-26T09:00:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post showing my tiny kitchen (and my gorgeous new apron). OK, OK - some people's kitchen's are surely tinier than mine, but you must admit - it is fairly small.

Roast Beef for my Husband

2008-05-26T08:29:00.003-04:00

I am not a roast beef eating kind of person. I much prefer things like chicken or no meat at all. I do enjoy beef hamburgers, but for some reason when beef comes in a giant hunk or a big slab, it is not all that appetizing to me. That being said, I decided to make this for my poor red meat loving husband who doesn't actually get to eat red meat all that often. I served the roast with a side of steamed broccoli and mashed red potatoes with parsley, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

Top Round Roast Beef
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, Food Network

Ingredients...

1 (4 1/2 to 5 pound) top round roast, rinsed and patted dry
16 cloves peeled garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 teaspons salt
1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows **I didn't have this, so I just used some dried thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 small sprigs fresh thyme

Directions...

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees.

Put the roast in a small roasting pan, bone side down. With a small sharp knife, make sixteen 1/2-inch-deep slits in the meaty side of the roast. Insert 1 garlic clove into each slit, pressing into the meat. Pinch with your thumb and index finger to close the openings. Combine the chopped thyme, salt, Essence, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly stir in the oil to make a paste. Rub the paste on both sides of the roast, and place the thyme sprigs under the roast. Roast for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the roast for even browning. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast reads 125 to 130 degrees F for medium-rare, about 45 minutes, or 140 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the roast stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Fiesta Rice

2008-05-26T08:22:00.003-04:00

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. The time spent making this dish is well worth it. The rice is so versatile and can be used as a side dish, in a burrito, on top of nachos, and basically anywhere else you can think of! This recipe makes a nice big batch, so plan on lots of leftovers.

Fiesta Rice

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions...

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn to pan; cook 10 minutes or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Set aside.

Melt butter in pan. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, cumin, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth, black pepper, salt, and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in reserved corn and beans. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.

Yield...

8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information...

CALORIES 226(16% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 6.6g; CHOLESTEROL 4mg; CALCIUM 52mg; SODIUM 354mg; FIBER 4.9g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.5g

I can't spell Shepherd's Pie

2008-05-26T08:09:00.003-04:00

When I sought out a recipe for this classic comfort food I ran into some difficulty due to my inability to spell "shepherd." One would think that someone who frequently did well in Elementary school spelling bees would not have this problem. However, not once did it occur to me that there would be an "h" in the word. Naturally, once I found the proper spelling, it all made sense. Shep-herd - one who herds She(e)p.

In any case, this blog is about cooking, not spelling. On to the recipe! While this dish takes a little while to make from start to finish, it comes out beautifully and is so satisfying! It's one of my new favorites! Enjoy! (Please excuse my poor photography)

Shepherd's Pie
Source: Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients...

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound chopped lamb shoulder or lamb fillet **I used Ground Beef**
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 carrots, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
**I also added about a cup of frozen corn**
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/4 cups lamb or beef stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound potatoes
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup white cheddar, grated

Directions...

Lightly grease a 6-cup baking dish and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the lamb and cook until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bay leaf, and cook, stirring, until their liquid is almost all gone, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until starting to color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually add the stock and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with salted water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pot. Over low heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and nutmeg, and mash to incorporate. Add the heavy cream and mix well. Remove from the heat.

Remove the pot with the meat from the heat. Remove the bay leaf. Spoon into the prepared dish and top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake until browned and bubbly on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Beef Chili wtih Kidney Beans

2008-02-04T19:34:00.000-05:00

My new favorite cookbook is The New Best Recipe from the editor's of Cook's Illustrated. It may not be for everybody, since it lacks any colorful food photos, but I love the extended explanations of the process undertaken to find all of their "best" recipes. Their directions are extremely detailed and clear and it's a great reference for those wanting to learn cooking techniques, from basic to fairly advanced.

This chili recipe came out wonderfully and was even better the next day!

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans
Recipe Courtesy of The New Best Recipe from the editor's of Cook's Illustrated

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients...

2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
Salt
2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions...

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add half the beef. Cook, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining beef and cook, breaking up the chunks with the wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if the chili begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until the beef is tender and the chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Adjust the seasonsing with additional salt to taste. Serve with he lime wedges and condiments, if desired.

**I garnished with cheddar cheese, scallions, and sour cream. Delicious!

Baked Pastina Casserole

2008-02-04T19:22:00.000-05:00

It's time for some much-needed updating! I've been doing plenty of cooking, but have found that I'm a little lazy about updating...

This dish is from Giada's Everyday Pasta cookbook. It turned out well and is definitely a nice week-night go-to meal. It was also great as left-overs!

Baked Pastina Casserole
Recipe Courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis from Everyday Pasta

Ingredients...

1 cup pastina (or any small pasta - I used fusilli/corkscrews)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in small pieces, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions...

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onion is soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add the chicken mixture to the bowl with the drained pasta, then add the canned tomatoes and their juice, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Butter an 8x8x2-inch baking dish and spread the pasta in the prepared dish. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

2007-12-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been over a month since I've posted! I haven't done a ton of cooking in the last month. December is a crazy month for me at work and that in combination with holiday shopping hasn't left me with much time. But now that I've had a bit of vacation, I'm ready to go again!

This recipe comes from Everyday Pasta by Giada DeLaurentiis, a book which I received from my husband for Christmas. It has a lot of great looking recipes and I intend cook each one of them at some point. I chose this recipe first because it looked fairly simple and I had just gone to Trader Joe's and picked up some goat cheese. By the way, if you have a Trader Joe's near you and you're as frustrated with I am at the prices of specialty cheeses at your local grocery store, you must visit! I got a 10 oz log of goat cheese for about $3.50. Normally, I pay that much for 5 oz at my regular grocery store. Unfortunately, the closest Trader Joe's isn't convenient enough for a weekly visit, so it's a special treat for me to make a visit! Anyway, this dish turned out to be really delicious. It will definitely be making another appearance at our dinner table.

Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Recipe courtesy of: Everyday Pasta by Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients...

1 (10 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound angel hair pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3-4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions...

Heat three tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and parsley to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some of the reserved pasta water to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in bowls, sprinkle with the goat cheese, and serve.

Potato Leek Soup

2007-11-28T22:05:00.001-05:00

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes and a really nice creamy soup for a chilly fall evening. I have to say that cleaning and chopping the leeks is not really my favorite thing, but I suffer through it for the sake of this delicious meal!

I did make a couple of changes to this recipe. Instead of using the "bouquet garni" I used ground black pepper, and dried herbs. I suppose if you didn't want little specks in your white soup, you could go for Emeril's technique, but I didn't care. Also, I left out the white pepper because I didn't have any and I also left out the cream. Once you blend the soup, I think it's creamy enough without.

Potato and Leek Soup
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse/Food Network

Ingredients...

1 large or 2 small leeks, about 1 pound
2 bay leaves
20 black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 strips bacon, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 to 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
2 tablespoons snipped chives

Directions...

Trim the green portions of the leek and, using 2 of the largest and longest leaves, make a bouquet garni by folding the 2 leaves around the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Tie into a package-shaped bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. (Alternately, tie 2 leek leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth.)

Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leek lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

Remove the bouquet garni and, working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the creme fraiche and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup.

Pesto Tomato Pizza

2007-11-28T21:52:00.000-05:00

As I think I've mentioned before, Friday nights is pizza night at our place. Nine times out of ten we made Hawaiian pizza, but every once in a while I try to change it up. This pizza was a little heavy due to the very oily store-bought pesto, but still tasted quite delicious! It would probably be better with homemade if you can get your hands on any decent basil this time of year.

Pesto Tomato Pizza
Recipe courtesy of me and the hubby

Ingredients...

pizza dough
fresh mozzarella cheese
pesto sauce
1/2 red onion
2 tomatoes

Directions...

Roll out pizza dough and precook in a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Spread pesto sauce across crust, top with sliced tomatoes, chopped red onion, and sliced mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

2007-11-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

I really like enchiladas, but I've been wanting to try a different sauce than the tomato based kind. I got this recipe from another blog, Smells Like Home, and thought it looked yummy! I really loved the shredded chicken mixture sooo much better than ground beef. Although the chili sauce was a nice change, I think it ended up being maybe a little too much chili powder for my liking. I might experiment with the flavors a little more next time and tone it down a bit.

Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Gravy
Recipe Courtesy of Tara from "Smells Like Home"

Ingredients...

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chili gravy (recipe follows)
4 flour tortillas **I used 5 and had plenty of filling**
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions...

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and peppers and cook for about 5 min. Add shredded chicken and stir. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove from pan and set aside. Using the same pan, make the chili gravy as follows.

Chili Gravy

Ingredients...

1/4 cup lard **I used vegetable oil**
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it’s available)
2 T chili powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods or McCormick)
2 cups chicken broth (or water)

Directions...

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. **It took about 8 minutes for me** Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.
Once the chili gravy is done, add 1/2 a cup to the chicken mixture and stir. Spoon the chicken mixture into the flour tortilla shells and roll up. Spread another half cup of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and place the rolled tortillas in the dish. Top with the remaining cup of sauce and shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min. **I served with some sour cream**

Menu Planning 11/18-11/24

2007-11-18T07:24:00.000-05:00

Sunday

Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Grilled Tuna and Cheese, Green Beans

Monday

Broiled Tilapia
Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday

Chicken in a mushroom pan sauce
Sauteed baby spinach

Wednesday-Friday

At Parents' for Thanksgiving

Saturday

Left-overs or Pasta

spinach and artichoke dip

2007-10-28T18:54:00.001-04:00

For my sister's birthday party, I decided to make some spinach and artichoke dip to go with the sandwiches my mom was putting together. I looked at a few different recipes, but decided on this one because it didn't involve a ton of ingredients and seemed pretty simple to put together. Rather than using a food processor, as the directions call for, I just chopped up the garlic and artichokes and mixed everything in a bowl. It seemed to go over really well - even with people who generally don't like spinach and artichokes!

Sorry, no pictures this time! My changes are included (***).

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz/Food Network

Ingredients...

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 cloves garlic, crushed **I chopped it
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed **I didn't have any, so I just left it out
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
Carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving**I served with pita chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach, place in a food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce. **I just mixed in a bowl, making sure the garlic was finely chopped.

Process until just blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture. **Again - I just made sure the artichokes were chopped small and mixed them in. Place in a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-10-27T12:54:00.000-04:00

This has nothing to do with cooking, but it does involve yummy food, so I thought it was fair game. My birthday was last Monday and my husband surprised me with a yummy cake from Cold Stone Creamery. The delicious treat was made of red velvet cake, along with strawberry ice cream, whipped frosting, and topped with frozen strawberries. YUM!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

2007-10-27T12:33:00.000-04:00

Many of the ladies on the cooking board that I frequent are very enthusiastic about goat cheese and I thought it was time to try cooking with it! I had remembered seeing this recipe on somebody's blog (sorry I don't remember who! **Edit: It was MrsPresley's Blog!) but found the original on the Cooking Light website. I served the chicken with some sauteed green beans and a boxed wild rice mix.

I have to say that before eating this meal, my husband claimed to "hate" goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. After eating this dish, he is totally open to them and we actually put them both on pizza last night!

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light, March 2004

Ingredients...

1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

Preparation...

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots, sugar, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar.

Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm. Add broth, remaining shallots, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and thyme; bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 296(23% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 43.8g; CHOLESTEROL 105mg; CALCIUM 62mg; SODIUM 787mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 2.4mg;
CA RBOHYDRATE 11.3g

Tortilla Soup

2007-10-27T12:20:00.000-04:00

This soup was absolutely delicious! I actually didn't do the whole tortilla strips part, which I guess just makes it a southwest chicken soup. I also ended up adding about 2 cups of corn, and a can of black beans to make it a little more substantial. I've included the original recipe here and noted the changes I made (**).

Emeril's Quick Tortilla Soup
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse and foodnetwork.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped, or 1 pasilla or green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
**2 cups frozen corn (thawed)
**1 can black beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
6 stale corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped, optional garnish
Chipotle Crema, optional garnish, recipe below **I just garnished with plain sour cream

In a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin, and coriander for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or electric fryer to 350 degrees F. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until golden and crisp, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with the Essence. **I skipped this and the soup was still great

Ladle the soup into 4 or 6 serving bowls. Garnish each serving with the fried tortilla strips, avocado and Chipotle Crema, as desired. **I left off the avocado, but sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top

Apple Walnut Cake

2007-10-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to update for a while, but have been soooooo busy with work and graduate courses. Also, our camera broke in September and it took us a few weeks to replace it. The recipes are not nearly as much fun without the pictures!

My mother-in-law has been making this cake for a while, and this was my first attempt. You'll notice as this blog continues that I very rarely bake. I'm just not a huge fan of making exact measurements, but this looked so easy and tasted so good that I thought I'd put all that aside and try it out. It came out great! I'll probably be making it again to take to my Mom's for Thanksgiving.

Apple Walnut Cake
Recipe Courtesy of my Mother-in-law

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups apples, unpeeled, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cream oil and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Sift dry ingredients and spices together. Add to sugar mixture. Add vanilla, apples and nuts to
batter and fold all together. Bake in a well greased Bundt pan for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan and Pesto Pasta

2007-09-02T23:38:00.000-04:00

We've been trying to eat more fish lately and this recipe has been raved about on the cooking board I frequent, so I thought I'd try it. It was so quick and easy and really tasted delicious! My husband says it's the best fish dish I've ever made so I think it will be making some more appearances on my menu! I served this with some sauteed green beans and whole-wheat pasta with pesto sauce.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Recipe Courtesy of All Recipes

Serves 8 (I cut the recipe in half when I made it)

Ingredients...

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder**I didn't have any so I left it out
1/8 teaspoon celery salt**I used celery seed instead because that's what I had
2 pounds tilapia filet

Directions...

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

For the pesto sauce I just processed the following in the food processor:

1 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts (pine nuts are more traditional, but I like walnuts too)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove

This makes enough sauce for about 6-8 oz. pasta. It's one of our favorite summer dishes to make when fresh basil is plentiful. It also freezes really well, making for a nice change of pace in the middle of winter.

Tomato and Garlic Pizza

2007-09-02T23:24:00.001-04:00

Pizza is a meal that my husband enjoys making, which makes it great on nights that I don't feel like cooking! There's no real recipe for this since we just kind of throw it together with whatever toppings we have. We're also still experimenting with the best way to get the cooked. Recently, we've been pre-cooking the dough before adding the toppings and it seems to work out well. Here's the general idea...

Tomato and Garlic Pizza
Recipe Courtesy of Me and the Hubby!

Ingredients...

1 package store-bought raw dough
flour for rolling
olive oil to coat pan
dried oregano
dried basil
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 small can diced tomatoes
1-2 cups shredded cheese (we use the "italian blend" which includes mozzarella and parm. I think)
2-3 vine-ripe tomatoes
grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Directions...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease pan with olive oil so dough doesn't stick. Roll out dough until it fits your pan (we use a rectangular cookie sheet). Poke holes in the dough with a fork so it can aerate and bubbles don't form. Sprinkle the dough with oregano, basil, and parmesan cheese. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the dough from the oven and cover with slices tomatoes, garlic, and cheese. Turn oven up to 400 degrees and bake pizza another 10 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese as desired.

Again, these are all approximate cooking times and we're still experimenting to find a system that works best, but it always tastes delicious! Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

2007-09-02T23:15:00.000-04:00

We found a really great orchard not far from us and took home a bag full of fresh apples. I figured there was no way we could eat them all and, never being a huge fan of baking pies, decided to make some crisp instead!

Apple and Oatmeal Crisp
Recipe Courtesy of Emeril LaGasse/Food Network

Ingredients...

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 pounds cooking apples, cored and cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature

Directions...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the water, 3/4 cup brown sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoons of the flour, salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, whisk until smooth. Place the apples in a 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish (10 cup) and pour the liquid sugar mixture over the apples. Mix well. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, remaining 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 1/2 cups flour, oatmeal, and butter. Using your fingers, work the mixture together until it resembles a coarse crumb-like mixture. Sprinkle the oatmeal topping over the top of the apple mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden.

Of course this could not be complete without some vanilla ice cream. Yum! :)

The Ultimate Stuffed Potatoes

2007-09-02T23:01:00.000-04:00

I decided to make this recipe after picking up some chives at a local farm. I have to say the various flavors in this dish worked together beautifully! It was really delicious and is one of those dishes that is even better reheated the next day. The only thing I think I would change next time is to make the cheese sauce a little thinner. It was a little too "doughy" for me I think. So maybe less flour and more milk would be better?

The Ultimate Stuffed Potatoes
Recipe Courtesy of Tyler Florence/Food Network

Ingredients...

4 medium-sized Idaho potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
About 2 cups, plus more for topping, shredded sharp white Cheddar **I used regular cheddar
2 heads broccoli, florets, blanched in salty water
1/2 pound bacon, medium dice, cooked until crisp **I didn't use quite so much bacon...
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Begin by baking the potatoes, as this will take the longest. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Pierce with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place into preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour.

While they are baking prepare the stuffing. Make a mornay sauce by combining the butter and flour over medium heat and then whisking in the milk. Fold in about 2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Once melted, remove from heat and fold in the cooked broccoli florets, crispy bacon bits, chopped chives and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the potatoes are done make a cut across the top and squeeze it from the bottom so a small pouch opens up and the bottom is squared off. Spoon the filling over the top of the potato, sprinkle with cheese, season with pepper, to taste, and then pop in the oven for 2 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Stuffed Zucchini

2007-08-18T09:35:00.001-04:00

My mother-in-law made stuffed zucchini from Recipe Zaar last week and I got to have some leftovers. It was so delicious, I thought I'd give it a try! If you use larger zucchini than called for, make sure you scoop out most of the middle so that the zucchini cooks all the way through. Overall, I think this was a hit!

Improvisational Pasta

2007-08-17T14:21:00.000-04:00

One of my go-to cooking techniques when I don't have anything planned is to throw together whatever I have with a bunch of pasta! Here are the results of Tuesday night's experiment.

Chicken, Eggplant, and Basil Spaghetti

Ingredients**Note: All are estimated!!

1/2 lb spaghetti
1/2 lb boneless chicken tender
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 small eggplant, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
large handful basil leaves
olive oil
1 egg
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella (fresh would be great! I just didn't have any)

Directions...
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add spaghetti with a couple pinches of salt. Cook until al dente and drain.
Coat the chicken strips in the egg and then the flour and place in a large skillet, coated with a little olive oil. After about 5 minutes, turn the strips over. Cook another 3-4 minutes until they are done. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Sautee eggplant and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Let simmer until some of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened a bit (about 7 or 8 minutes). Meanwhile, chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Add spaghetti, chicken, basil leaves and mozzarella to the pan. Toss and serve!

Portobello Alfredo Manicotti

2007-08-14T16:08:00.000-04:00

This is a recipe I received from a college friend. As with many improvised recipes, the amounts he gave me for ingredients were not exact. I have listed what I used to make this particular batch. Sorry about the poor picture quality. Hopefully I'll be improving my technique as this blog continues!

Portobello Alfredo Manicotti
Recipe courtesy of Josh Thompson

Ingredients...

Mushrooms **I used 2 portobello caps and a small package of button mushrooms
1 small container ricotta cheese
1-2 tablespoons grated asiago cheese
1 jar of alfredo sauce
1 package of Manicotti - cooked most of the way, then lightly covered in olive oil to prevent sticking
1-2 cups olive oil
Italian herbs/seasonings **I used about a cup of chopped fresh basil, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, finely chopped garlic, a little salt, and black pepper

Directions...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop up the mushrooms, then sautée them in olive oil. After they are cooked, put them in the food processor until they are mushy. In a mixing bowl, combine mushrooms, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, and seasonings. Using a gallon-size plastic freezer bag with a hole cut in the corner, squeeze the mixture into the manicotti shells and place in a baking dish, greased with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Cover pasta with alfredo sauce and sprinkle on the remaining cheese and additional seasoning as desired. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked and the sauce is bubbling. **I topped off each dish with some additional chopped basil.

I served this dish with a mixed garden salad and Bruschetta. It was a bit of a challenge to juggle all of the equipment involved with my limited counter space, but I was really pleased with how it came out!

Bruschetta

2007-08-13T21:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my first post! Tonight we had a friend over for dinner and I decided that it would be a great time to try some new recipes.

Ali's Amazing Bruschetta
Recipe courtesy of: All Recipes

Ingredients...
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions...
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, olive oil, oregano, basil, and parsley. Place bread on a baking sheet, scoop tomato mixture on and top with grated cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bread is browned. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I changed a couple things about this recipe (as I typically do). I lightly toasted the sliced bread before putting on the tomato mixture. I think if your bread was stale, you wouldn't have to do this, but otherwise I was afraid it might not be as crunchy. Also, I didn't have any fresh oregano on hand, so I used dried and since I don't really like to measure, I guesstimated all of the amounts and added a lot more fresh basil than called for. Oh! I almost forgot! I really felt this needed garlic, so I went ahead and added some finely chopped garlic to the mixture.

Overall, the Bruschetta was a definite winner! Both my husband and my friend enjoyed it and I think it would be a great recipe to use for future company.