Well, I'm back! I got a chance to cook tonight and I decided to make a puttanesca inspired pasta dish. I wrote the recipe last night, however it did get changed a little as I was cooking. :) This recipe can feed 6-8 people.
-1 lb loose Italian sausage (any heat level you like)
-1 lb short cut pasta (I like pasta with lines, it holds the sauce better)
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1 TBS anchovy paste (just eyeball it. I found this near the canned tuna.)
-1 large shallot, finely chopped (this is found near the garlic bulbs and has a garlicky-oniony tasty to it)
-1 to 2 cloves of garlic (optional, fresh garlic gives me a stomach ache, but if you like it, go ahead and use it)
-1/2 cup of chopped pitted Kalamata olives (these olives taste like a Spanish Green Olives, but they are black)
-a handful of capers (you can find them near the olives and they look like small, dark green peas. They are salty and taste similar to an olive.)
-1 small lemon
-1/2 of shredded parmesan (please, please, PLEASE don't use the Kraft Parmesan. Get the real stuff. :) There really is a difference in taste.)
-7 or 8 large sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped (look for them in the produce section, near the fresh tomatoes)
-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
-6 large leaves of fresh basil, sliced thinly
-a handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
-1/2 cup of white wine
-1/2 cup of chicken stock (you might want to get the reduced sodium chicken stock since the olives, capers and cheese are pretty salty)
In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil for the pasta. In a large skillet, over medium high (I had my burner between 6 and 7), heat 2 TBS of the olive oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Add in the anchovy paste and let that melt into the olive oil for 1 minute. This will spatter a bit, so you might want to step away from the pan. Add the Italian sausage and let it brown and caramelize on one side. When you turn the meat over, you can add the shallots to the pan. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and let the liquid reduce. Add in the olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Warm through, then add the roma tomatoes and chicken stock. (At this point, drop the pasta into the boiling water.) Simmer for 5 minutes. When the roma tomatoes have rendered their juice and have softened, add in the entire can of tomato paste. Stir to combine. With a microplane or other zesting tool, zest the lemon into the sauce. (You just want to take the color off of the lemon. That's where all the essential oils are and it has more flavor than the juice. Try not to get any of the white part of the peel in the sauce, this can make it bitter.) Juice one half of the lemon into the sauce and stir in the parsley. Drain the pasta after it has cooked for 8 minutes. (You want to drain the pasta when it's still al dente (which means, it has a little bite to it) because it will continue cooking as you combine it with the sauce.) Return the pasta to its pot and sprinkle the cheese over it. Pour the sauce over the cheese and pasta and stir to combine.
*Cook's Note: I prepped all of my ingredients before I started. There is a lot of chopping in this recipe and if it's all prepped and ready to go, then you can just drop it into the pan. :)
Of all the red sauces I've made, this is the one I'm most proud of. I could taste all of the ingredients separately, yet together. I could tell when I ate an olive or a caper and the lemon juice really brightened the flavor of everything. This recipe is really versatile, too. When I originally wrote this recipe, I was going to do another chicken roll-up with a sun-dried tomato, kalamata olive and caper filling. I also thought of doing a pasta salad with the same ingredients (plus some feta) and a lemon vinaigrette with shredded basil. So, there are 3 different recipes you can play around with! Let me know what you come up with! :) Happy cooking!
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted some new recipes in awhile. I've been working and staying with family, so it's been a little hard to cook and post recipes. I've written 4 new recipes that I'm wanting to try out...hopefully, sometime next week! :) I will let you know! Hope you're all doing well! :)
I love making homemade macaroni and cheese. You can do so much with it! I mix up the cheeses, add in bacon and other ingredients and it makes it really fun. This one is my BLT version. BLT stands for Bacon (you can't have mac n cheese with out it!), spinach Leaves and Tomatoes. If you don't like spinach, you could also try this with arugula, which has a pepper-y taste to it. Here's the recipe:
-3 TBS butter
-about 2 TBS flour
-1 1/2 cups of warmed milk
-5 slices of bacon, chopped
-1/2 of a large onion, chopped
-2 handfuls of baby spinach
-2 handfuls of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
-about 1/4 tsp of nutmeg (just eyeball it)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 lb of short cut pasta (I use a pasta with lines, it holds the sauce better)
-about 3 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar (you need one cheese with a strong flavor, so I always use this. You can't usually find this already shredded, so there is an extra step, but it's worth it.)
-about 1 to 2 cups of another cheese of your choice (this time I used a gouda. You can use this or a smoked gouda, which would enhance the smokey-ness of the bacon or pepperjack if you like things a little spicy. The second cheese can be a little more subtle. Play around with different cheeses and see what you like best!)
In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil to cook the pasta. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon and onions. When the bacon is crisp and the onions are tender, remove them from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess grease. Drain the excess bacon grease from the pan and wipe the pan with a paper towel. You can now drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook 8-10 minutes or until your level of doneness. Add butter to the saute pan and melt. Once melted, add the flour and whisk until combined. Cook the flour for a minute, then slowly add the warmed milk, whisking continuously. Let the milk thicken for a few minutes, then add a heavy pinch of salt, some pepper and the nutmeg. Whisk to combine. (This sauce at this state is called a bechamel sauce, aka cream sauce.) You want it to be thick, but not goopy. It should be smooth and coat the back of a spoon. At this point, lower the heat to medium-low and start adding small amounts of cheese. Using a wooden spoon, stir in a figure 8 form. (Don't ask me why it's important to stir this way, it just works best. Ha, ha!) Keep adding the cheese in small amounts until it's all added. Once it's all added, wilt in the spinach, stir in the bacon, onions and tomatoes. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and stir to combine. If you'd like you can garnish with some parsley.
This is the basic recipe, but you can definitely play around with the flavors. You could add some smoked paprika into the cheese sauce for a smoky flavor which would compliment the smokey-ness of the bacon. This cheese sauce can also be used to make scalloped potatoes! Really, the possibilities are endless. :) I'd love to hear any versions of macaroni and cheese that you come up with!
This is one of my Classics. I created this recipe when I had braces. I was really craving chicken wings, but since I had braces, I couldn't really eat them. So, I thought about how I could get the same flavors of chicken wings, but in another form. I've done a lot of other recipes this way too. It's a really fun way to mix things up a little! :) Here's what I came up with:
-1 lb ground chicken (I've seen it more and more lately, but I've always found it at Albertson's)
-1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
-a handful of parsley, chopped
-a heavy sprinkle of celery seed
-a handful of bleu cheese crumbles (this may be optional if you don't like bleu cheese)
-1/2 cup of plain breadcrumbs (you may need a little more)
-buns of your choice
Optional toppings:
-sliced tomatoes
-romaine lettuce
-ranch dressing
-more hot sauce for those who like it hot :)
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. If the mixture is still really sticky, add a little more breadcrumbs until the mixture holds together. Form into 1/2 thick (or thinner) patties. One pound of meat will make about 4 large patties or 6 regular sized patties. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add 2 TBS of olive oil and cook the burgers about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown. When I flip the burgers over, I usually put a lid over the skillet just to ensure the middle is cooked through. Serve on buns with your choice of toppings. A simple salad and sweet potato fries make great sides with this! :)
My dad came up with a breakfast burrito recipe that he would make on Saturday mornings. They are one of the best things you could put in your mouth. My brother-in-law says that I always end up making them when he's hungover and that sometimes when he is hungover he craves them...maybe it's a new hangover cure! :) Anyway, I make them a little differently than my dad does. They're still really good, but it's like one of the recipes that you can't quite get it right unless the person who created it is cooking it. You know what I mean? It's the same way with my mom's fried chicken. She makes the best fried chicken and no matter what I do, I can't make it like she does. That's okay though because it makes me appreciate it more when she makes it...the fact that I can't get it all the time because I can't make it like that, makes me savor each and every bite! :) Sorry, I got off on a tangent, but if you've tasted my mom's fried chicken...well, you'd understand. :) Anyway, on to the burritos. Matt calls this recipe one of my Classics, which he says are the really good ones that I make fairly often. When I make this for Matt and I, I just use half of the sausage and we still have leftovers. So, this recipe will be for 2-4 people. If you need to feed more than that, use the whole package of sausage and then adjust the spices, hash browns and eggs accordingly. A good rule of thumb for the eggs would be 1 egg per person and 2 for the pot. :) -Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage in the tube package (cut the tube in half and place the unused portion in the freezer to have on hand for next time!)
-3 big handfuls of shredded or cubed frozen hash browns
-4 to 6 eggs, scrambled (if you like more eggs than sausage, use 6 eggs. If you like more sausage, use 4 or 5 eggs.)
-1 small can of green chilies (I use mild, but use whatever heat level you like)
-a handful of cilantro, chopped
-about 1 TBS of chili powder (I usually don't measure spices, just eyeball it.)
-about 1 TBS of coriander
-about 1/2 TBS onion powder (you can also use some chopped chives or scallions if you'd like more of an onion-y taste. If you use the chopped scallions/chives, then add them in after the potatoes.)
Optional add-ins for the burritos:
-shredded cheese (cheddar, mexican cheese blend, whatever you have on hand)
-salsa
-sour cream
In an electric skillet or large skillet, over medium heat, start breaking up and browning the meat. Once the meat is browned on one side, flip it over and scoot it over to the outsides of the pan. Place the hash browns in the hole you just created and place a lid over the skillet. Let the hash browns crisp up for a few minutes. Then you can add your onions if you are using them and a pinch of salt to the potatoes. Stir to combine the potatoes and sausage. Add your spices, stirring to distribute them evenly. Let that cook for a minute, then you can add the cilantro and green chilies and stir again. Once again, make a hole in the middle of the pan and pour in the scrambled eggs. Stirring gently, begin combining the sausage and potato mixture into the scrambled eggs. Stirring occasionally, cook the mixture until the eggs reach your level of done-ness. Some people like their eggs more wet, others like them more dry, so I will leave that decision up to you! :) Serve with warmed flour tortillas, cheese and salsa.
I'm sorry I don't have any pictures this time, but I'm sure you all know what eggs and sausage and potatoes mixed together look like! Ha, ha! :) I will try to get a picture up here in the near future. Enjoy! :)
I guess I should start this entry by saying that I'm not a huge fan of meatloaf. I mean, it's okay, I will eat it every once in awhile, but it's not my favorite. There aren't many things that I make with ground beef...I'd rather use some other form of beef. But Matt really likes my meatloaf, so I make it for him every once in awhile. But I don't make "normal" meatloaf. I change it up and add in the flavors that I like so I can least try to enjoy it. Ha, ha! :) I have several other recipes for jazzed up meatloaf, but I've been working on this one for a couple of days, so I wanted to try it out. And surprisingly, I really liked it. I was going to call it Nacho Meatloaf, but I didn't want you to think that it was covered in that goopy Nacho cheese sauce because that sounds a little gross. As you will see, it has all of the ingredients of nachos except for the nacho cheese sauce. Anyway, I suppose I should just get on with it...
-1/2 lbs of ground beef (I use 80-20 to keep it moist. If you use 93-7, you still have to add some sort of fat to it, like extra virgin olive oil or it will be bone dry when it's done.)
-3 to 4 scallions, chopped
-1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
-1/3 cup of chopped pickled jalapenos (or to taste, but I recommend just using this amount. You don't want to overpower the meatloaf, plus you can also top your piece of meatloaf with more jalapenos.)
-1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
-2 handfuls of Monterrey jack cheese (or your favorite Mexican cheese blend)
-1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips (you can use a food processor or just put them in a freezer bag and pound away!)
-1 egg, beaten
-a heavy splash of Worcestershire sauce
-1 TBS coriander
-1 TBS chili powder
-1 TBS paprika
-about 1 cup of your favorite jarred salsa
Optional, but recommend toppings
-sliced avocado
-sour cream (I used light sour cream, it tastes the same as regular)
-more salsa and jalapenos
Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, herbs, spices, Worcestershire, beans, cheese, chips, jalapenos and the egg. Carefully, but thoroughly begin mixing the ingredients together. Try not to smash or squish (technical meatloaf terms. Ha, ha!) the mixture so you don't crush the beans. Form into a oval mound and place into a 9x5 loaf pan. Spread the salsa over the top in an even layer and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes after removing it from the oven. Slice the meatloaf and top each portion with some avocado and sour cream or any other toppings you want.
We just had a big salad with this, but you could also make Spanish rice or fried or baked potatoes. There is a definite bonus to making meatloaf...you can put almost anything in it! :) Enjoy!
I have been trying to think of a new chicken burger recipe. I have one that I make all the time and I love it, but I was just trying to think of something new. The one I make all the time is my Hot Wing Chicken Burgers (you will have to keep an eye out for that recipe!) so I wanted something a little different. What I came up with was Ranch Chicken Burgers. I basically just took the flavors of ranch dressing and put them in the burger, plus I few other ingredients. I was really excited about this. I made up the burgers and I even melted some bleu cheese crumbles on top...I mean, this looked really good. And it tasted really good too, but not exactly what I had in mind. It did taste like ranch, but there was something missing. I'm not sure what exactly, but something. So, I'm going to mess around with the recipe a little and when I get it right, I will post the recipe on here. I'm knocking around a few ideas, so I'm sure it won't be long before I get it right. :)
Today for lunch, I made some friends the Chipotle Shrimp and Pineapple Tacos with the black bean salsa. I was really excited to try one of my new recipes on my friends. They all loved it...yay! :) It made me really happy to see them enjoy it. :) Oh, and if you don't like shrimp...you can try the same recipe on chicken or steak! And in all my excitement of making lunch for my friends, I forgot to get something out for dinner! Ha, ha! :) It's either going to be leftovers or take-out!
This was a spur of the moment kind of recipe. When I was getting chicken out of the freezer for dinner, I saw one lonely pork sausage in a baggie. I've been trying to clean out the freezer since we will be gone for awhile. So, as I'm trying to think of what to do with it, I glance around and see the tomatoes and thought "Stuffed tomatoes!" And here was a chance to use up some of the leftover ingredients from making the Chicken Caprese Rollups! Here's how I did it...
-Vine-ripened tomatoes (or whatever you have), cored and seeds removed
-pork sausage (removed from the casing and broken up OR you can obviously get the loose pork sausage in whatever heat level you like)
-fresh basil leaves, chopped
-a handful of fresh spinach, chopped
-1/2 small onion, finely chopped
-a handful of Italian cheese blend
-fresh mozzarella
-a splash of chicken stock (optional)
In a small saute pan, over medium heat, brown the sausage and onions. (I don't use any oil because the sausage will create its own.) Once they sausage is cooked and the onions are tender, add in the shredded or chopped spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted. At this point, I deglazed the pan with chicken stock, (if you don't have any on hand, don't worry about it) scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and let the chicken stock cook out. Remove from heat and if desired, drain the mixture on a paper towel to absorb excess grease. In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage mixture, the Italian cheese blend and the basil. For the tomatoes, you want to core them and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the insides with salt and pepper and fill each tomato to the top with the sausage mixture. Top each tomato with a slice of mozzarella or if you got the small mozzarella balls like I did, I cut them in half and put 3 on top. Place under the broil set on high until the cheese is melted.
This can be a side dish or an appetizer! :) I love coming up with recipes that use leftover ingredients like this. Enjoy!
This is the chicken recipe I had been thinking about lately. Although, after making it this way, I think I might have changed it a little. So, I will write about how I did it and also the corrections I made. It came out tasting really good, but the chicken didn't have much color to it. I know that sounds kind of silly, but it's important for me that the food I make looks good and tastes good. I've heard TV chefs say that you eat with your eyes first and I think that's true. Anyway, on to the recipe! Oh, I should have mentioned in my first blog that most of my recipes will be for 2 servings, so adjust as needed. :)
-Chicken cutlets (I used a boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut through it horizontally, but one of the pieces ended up a little funky, so this is one of the changes I would make in the future)
-a Roma tomato (or whatever you have on hand), sliced thinly
-4 basil leaves, left whole
-fresh mozzarella (I suggest getting the real mozzarella, not the square block of mozzarella. It has a better flavor and melts better, but the choice is up to you.)
-6 to 8 baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced in half (sometimes when you buy a bag of these potatoes you get a bunch of different sizes in the bag. Try to use as close to the same size as possible for even cooking.)
-handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
-Extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup balsamic vinegar
-1 1/2 TBS of brown sugar
-toothpicks (I used about 6 per piece of chicken)
Preheat the oven to 350. Wash the potatoes and slice in half. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Then turn the potatoes cut side down to cook. The potatoes will take about 20 minutes to cook.
For the chicken, if you find that the chicken cutlets still seem a little thick you can pound them out with a meat mallet. I ended up doing that with the chicken breast I used. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the basil leaves, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese on the chicken. Tightly roll up the chicken. This part does get a little tricky, but as long as you keep a hold of the tomatoes, cheese and basil as you roll it, you should be fine. Secure the seam and any open gaps in the chicken with the toothpicks. OK, here's where I would change what I did. From here, I just brushed the chicken with olive oil and put it in the oven for 30-35 minutes. I thought that with the olive oil on the chicken, it would come out nice and golden brown. No sir. So, here's my solution for that. In a saute pan, over medium heat, brown all the sides of the chicken. This will only take a few minutes per side. Then you can finish cooking the chicken in the oven. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, this could take 10-15 minutes. But always check to make sure the juices run clear or better yet, check the internal temperature with a thermometer.
When you have about 10 minutes left until the chicken and potatoes are done, start the glaze. Combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue simmering until sauce is thickened about 5-7 minutes. This gets rather aromatic, so I usually crack a window and/or turn the on the fan above the stove. This glaze can then be drizzled over the chicken and it was also quite tasty on the potatoes too! Garnish the chicken and potatoes with the chopped parsley. I served a spinach salad on the side.
Overall, I was pleased with the flavors of this dish, but in the future I would make the corrections that I wrote about. Hey, live and learn...that's what it's all about, right? :)
Well, I was all prepared to make this chicken dish I've been thinking about, but I've been rather klutzy today and I thought it best not to use knives or other sharp instruments in this state. :) It all started when I dropped an egg this morning while I was making french toast. Oh, did I mention that I dropped this egg onto my bare foot? Yeah, fun times. But the french toast was excellent. I used Vietnamese cinnamon which I must say is so much better than regular cinnamon. I highly recommend getting it. For those of you in the Phoenix area, you can find it at Penzey's Spice Market in Scottsdale on Hayden and Osborn. That spice market is such a cool place. They carry spices from A-Z and have anything you could think of and want. Anyway, I will be making this chicken dish tomorrow and I'm thinking of making potatoes with it...maybe a new potato salad recipe. I will think of something! :) Until then, it's take-out Chinese food! Ha, ha! :)
