Sarah's Test Kitchen

Seafood in saffron broth

2011-04-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

I know ive been away awile. Sorry peeps! I've still been cooking just havent had time to post (ya know, with the little munchkin and all). I promise to rekindle the blog and continue to bring you test kitchen approved meals.

Here is a really good and simple one you can make any day of the week. I promise you will love it.

Seafood in Saffron Broth
Gourmet 1999

{excuse the celphone pic}

1/2 fennel bulb
1 small onion
1 large plum tomato
1 large garlic clove
1/2 pound mussels (preferably cultivated)
1/4 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/2-pound piece skinless halibut
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups low-salt chicken broth

Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb, discarding stalks. Finely chop fennel and onion. Seed tomato and finely chop. Mince garlic. Scrub mussels well and remove beards. Shell shrimp and devein. Cut halibut into 1-inch pieces. Stir saffron into wine.

In a 4-quart kettle cook fennel and onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine mixture and simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 3 minutes. Add mussels with 1/2 cup stock and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until most mussels are opened, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp, halibut, tomato, and remaining 2 1/2 cups stock and cook at a bare simmer until fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.) Season mixture with salt and pepper.

** Optional: add artichoke hearts

Divide seafood between 2 bowls and ladle broth over it. Garnish seafood with lemon wedges and serve with crusty bread.

Baby Food: Chicken and barley

2010-10-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Making baby food is surprisingly easy. A few weeks ago I threw together this chicken and barley mash using a leftover precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store plus a few other simple ingredients.

What's great about this is you can use it as a base for any of your baby's meals. I usually defrost 1 of the chicken cubes and mix with a pureed veg. You can use pretty much anything...carrot, sweet potato, green bean, peas, squash. It makes a complete meal your baby will love!

Ingredients:

Leftover rotisserie chicken (bones and all)

1 cup dried barley (in your supermarket rice section)

1 container of Trader Joe's MirePoix (pre-diced celery, carrot,onions)

Low sodium chicken broth (at least 2 -4 cans depending on how thick you want end result to be)

Mini Food processor

2 ice cube trays

1. Sautee celery, carrot & onion until soft. I didn't use any oil but you can if you would like.

2. Add rotisserie chicken and pour in broth until it almost covers chicken. Bring to a slight boil.

3. Add barley and stir. Turn down heat to medium and cook until barley is very soft. About 30-40 min. You can add more broth if it becomes to thick. Don't make it to runny though, otherwise it will be watery when you puree.

4. Now that barley is soft you can pull out all the chicken bones and pick off the meat. It should fall right off.

5. Place small portions into mini food processor. Puree until desired consistency. I left it a bit chunky. You may need to add a bit of broth or water if the mixture is to thick.

6. Spoon pureed mixture into ice cube trays. Wrap with plastic and freeze. Once frozen you can transfer the cubes to a ziploc bag.

When its time to eat simply pop 1-2 cubes in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir then add a pureed veg and heat for another 15 seconds.

Next up...the best mini food processor and more baby food recipes!

Seared Scallops with Tomato Beurre Blanc

2010-09-05T07:57:00.001-07:00

I have been seriously neglecting my blog...sorry, STK readers!

I wanted to share this delicious recipe with you. I made it for our 2 year wedding anniversary in August (gulp!). It was super easy and really good. I ended up having a bunch of the tomato butter leftover so I kept it in freezer and was able to use it with a few other dishes (its great with fish & chicken)

Seared Scallops with Tomato Beurre Blanc
Gourmet : May 2002

For beurre blanc

1/4 cup packed soft dried tomatoes (not packed in oil; 1 1/4 oz) or dried tomatoes soaked in hot water until soft.
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup minced shallot
2/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For scallops

2 lb large sea scallops (30), tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary (rinse & pat dry with paper towel)
About 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Make beurre blanc:

Soak tomatoes in warm water until softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and pat dry, then mince. Stir together tomatoes, butter, and salt, then form into an 8-inch log on a sheet of plastic wrap and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour. Cut tomato butter into 12 equal pieces.

Cook shallot in 1 piece of tomato butter (keep remaining butter chilled) in a small heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining cold tomato butter 1 piece at a time, adding each piece before previous one has completely melted and lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool mixture (sauce should not get hot enough to separate). Whisk in water and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.

Transfer beurre blanc to a bowl and keep warm, covered, in a larger bowl of warm water.

Sauté scallops:

Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear 6 to 8 scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter as cooked and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Sear remaining scallops in same manner, wiping out skillet and adding about 1 teaspoon oil between batches.

Spoon 3 tablespoons beurre blanc onto each of 6 plates, then top with scallops.

I served the scallops over a bed of spinach angel hair pasta with a side of sautéed rainbow chard.

Ice cream!

2010-07-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

H got me the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid last Christmas. I finally brought it out of hiding and used it for the first time. I must say, homemade ice cream is awesome and easy! I don't know why I would ever buy store bought again.

He also got me the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Cookbook. So far i've made Heath Bar Crunch, Chocolate and Cherry Garcia.

Ive added the cookbook and ice cream maker to my amazon store so if you cant resist, start shopping!!!!

Blue cheese stuffed chicken with buffalo sauce

2010-05-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the SUPER long silence. Keeping up with a baby and the blog has been tough work.

I think you will really like this recipe. I adapted it from one I found in cooking light to make it a bit more user friendly. Enjoy!

4 chicken breast

Blue cheese crumbles (or, I like the new blue cheese slices from Trader Joe's)

Panko

Flour

1 egg (beaten)

Hot wing sauce

1 tbs melted butter

1. Make a slit in the fat part of chicken breast then use your finger to make a little pocket inside. Slip in blue cheese then secure flap shut with a small toothpick (if flap isn't closed the cheese will melt and leak out. I tried using cooking string to tie chicken closed but it didn't work because string got stuck to breading. A toothpick is a better option)

2. Toss stuffed chicken breast in flour, then dip in egg and roll in panko.

3. Place 1 tbs olive oil in heated skillet. Brown chicken on both sides then place in 350 degree oven to complete cooking. About 10 min.

Once chicken is done mix 1 tbs melted butter with 1/4 cup hot wing sauce.

Remove toothpick then slice chicken on bias and drizzle sauce over top.

Braised beef brisket

2010-04-11T20:16:00.001-07:00

I made this brisket for Easter dinner. It was super tasty and surprisingly easy.

Recipe from here {Gourmet - 2009}

The Easter table. Yum!

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 (2-pounds) piece beef brisket

2 large white onions, chopped

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 garlic cloves

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 cup chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used 1 can beef broth)

1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350°F

Heat oil in a wide 5-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season brisket with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, then brown brisket, turning once, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Add carrots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add vinegar, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Return brisket to pot, nestling it in braising liquid (liquid will not cover meat). Cover with a tight-fitting lid and braise in oven until fork-tender, about 3 hours.

Pork tenderloin with roasted tomatoes, polenta and balsamic reduction

2010-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

I usually make this dish with skirt steak but this time I tried it with pork tenderloin and we loved it.

For roasted tomatoes:

1 Container of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Shallot, sliced
S&P
Olive oil

For Pork:
1 Pork tenderloin
S&P
Olive oil

For polenta:
2 cups milk
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup quick cooking polenta (yellow corn meal)
2 tbs butter
S&P

For Balsamic reduction:
1 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Place balsamic vinegar in small sauce pan over medium heat. Let simmer slowly until reduced to a thick syrup or coats the back of a spoon. Don't cook over a high flame or it will burn. Takes about 30min. Turn on your stove exhaust for this. When the vinegar evaporates it might make your eyes sting a bit.

2. Preheat oven to 400. Toss tomatoes and shallot with olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread in even layer on baking sheet and roast in oven for about 20 min or until soft.

3. Bring milk and broth to a boil. Slowly whisk in polenta then reduce heat to low. Let simmer gently for about 20 min. Add butter and S&P at end to taste. (I like adding some grated parm too)

4. Place 1 tbs olive oil in saute pan. Sear tenderloin over high heat until well browned on both sides. Place in oven ( with roasted tomatoes) to complete cooking. About 20 min. Once to desired doneness let rest for 10 min prior to cutting.

To plate: Place tenderloin medallions over polenta. Top with roasted tomatoes and balsamic reduction.

{Enjoy!}

A shot a week....

2010-01-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

Keeps Mommy from going insane....more Patron please!

Pulled pork

2010-01-16T11:04:00.001-08:00

I LOVE a good pulled pork sandwich. I consider myself quite the connoisseur.

My favorite recipe is one I found years ago in Bon Appetit. Between the dry rub and the vinegary mop its tastylicious.

Click here for recipe

Cooks notes: Recipe calls for making it on a BBQ over slow heat. I prepare it in the slow cooker (low for 8-10 hours) and it turns out just as good.

Serve on white bread with a drizzle of the carolina red sauce and your favorite BBQ sauce. Mine is Everett & Jones "Super Q"

Sorry for the silence...

2009-11-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

But I kind of have a good excuse....I had a baby! She arrived on 11/14. 8 days early.

I'm going to try to keep up with STK but for now I'm not doing a ton of cooking. We are pretty much eating the freezer meals I made a few weeks back. Which, I must say have been a Godsend. Also, many of our fantastic friends have brought over food which has been awesome too.

You can check out my freezer meals here and here .

To tide you over until I get back in the test kitchen here is a recipe for a great crockpot dinner from Sunset Magazine. It was really easy and tasty. The leftovers were good too.

Braised pork with lemon and sage

Serve with: sauteed carrots and asparagus risotto {from Trader Joe's}

Cooks notes: I didn't have sage so used thyme. Also, I strained the sauce before serving to make it smooth. The milk makes it a little chunky.

{enjoy!}

A months worth of dinners in 2 days! {Part 2 - cooking marathon}

2009-11-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

OK...I admit. When I said {part 2} was going to come the day after {part 1} I was lying. Sorry! I know you'll forgive me. I have pregnancy brain and cant concentrate on anything for more than 5 seconds these days :)

Alright...here we go.

After you get yourself organized as mentioned in {part 1} of my "making freezer meals" post...its time to cook!!!

The recipes I decided to use are ones I have tried in the past so I know they tasted yummy and would work straight out of the freezer. The first 3 recipes are ones I have blogged about previously so you can click on the links to see them. The enchiladas I just kind of made up so excuse my super non technical recipe.

Artichoke Manicotti with pesto cream sauce

* Note: I tweaked this one a bit since the first time I made it. I decided I was to lazy to make the pesto myself so used store bought and combined it with Parmesan and heavy cream in the blender. I thought it turned out pretty good. I just kept tasting it until the pesto/cream ratio was perfect.

* Another note: I doubled the filling and cream sauce but think that I will triple it next time because I wasn't able to fill as many shells as I wanted.

Chili con carne

Basic pasta sauce

Chicken Enchiladas {here is my attempt at remembering how I made them}

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 small cans of diced green chilis
- Sour cream
- 4 cups shredded cheese ( I used the Mexican blend)
- 1 large can of enchilada sauce
- 20 pack of white corn tortillas

1. Bake chicken breasts - place in a shallow baking pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill pan with water to almost cover chicken then bake at 350 degrees for 40 min or until cooked through. Let cool.

2. Once chicken is cool shred with a fork and place in a large bowl. Mix in green chili's, sour cream and about half of the shredded cheese {this is the part I don't really measure. Just keep adding until it tastes good. I like mine creamy so put in lots of sour cream}

3. Start rolling filling inside corn tortillas, place in bake pans then top with enchilada sauce and cheese. {Tip: its helps to warm tortillas a bit so they don't break when rolling}

4. When cooking from frozen - cover with foil and place in 400 degree oven for about 40 min.

* Note: When I was cooking I only made 2 meals at the same time to avoid confusion. I started off by popping chicken in oven for enchiladas since it took a while to cook and cool then I began on the chili and tomato sauce. Once they were done I started up on assembling the enchiladas and manicotti.

Now its time to package your meals! Be sure everything is cool prior to sealing up containers and placing in freezer.

The manicotti was portioned out 4 per tray.

I packaged the Chili in the round soup containers. Be sure to label and date them!

Enchiladas were in the tins. I was able to fit 3 per pan.

The zip top bags are great for the tomato sauce because they close tight and wont leak plus you can stack them flat in the freezer so they don't take up much space. I measured out 2 cups of sauce per bag. I find that's a good amount for a 2 person pasta dinner.

One other thing I did was buy 5 loaves of the Columbo garlic bread. I sliced each loaf in half then placed in freezer bags. Now we have 10 portions of garlic bread we can easily use to accompany either the chili or pasta dinners.

Now we are all set for a few weeks once the baby comes. But, trust me you dont need to be having a baby to prepare make ahead meals. This is a great plan for every busy household. What could be better than always having a stash of easy no fuss dinners on hand.

Oh, and also this coming week im picking up the share of beef we resesrved a few months ago through the Bay Area Meat CSA. So, in addition to having all of the prepared meals we will have loads of prepackaged grass fed beef to cook too!

A months worth of dinners in 2 days! {Part 1- the prep}

2009-11-01T17:31:00.001-08:00

Part 1 - The PREP WORK

Since our little bundle of joy will be arriving soon (3 weeks!) I decided it was about time that I stocked up on freezer meals. I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to do this but am now just getting around to it.

Believe it or not, it was pretty easy. You just have to be prepared and dedicate the time. It took me about 6 straight hours of marathon cooking but I know the time invested will pay off later when we are sleep deprived. Once the baby arrives all we will have to do is pop the premade stuff in the oven or microwave. That's it!

I know we could just buy frozen dinners or order take out but making the meals yourself is much healthier and saves money.

The plan:

1. Buy containers so you can portion out the meals. I love the ones they have at Dollar Tree. I get the aluminum trays, plastic soup containers and zip top bags. I noticed that at Dollar Tree only certain types of the plastic containers are microwave safe so be sure to read the label. I spent $15 on all of the packaging and have a few left over if I decide to make more meals later on.

2. Go shopping! Have your list prepared for what you need at the grocery store. If you forget anything its going to put a cramp in the marathon session. FYI- the grocery bill for all the meals I made was $122. Not bad.

3. Got freezer space? Hopefully you have an extra freezer in the garage like we do. :)

Stay tuned tomorrow for the recipes so you can make your grocery list and get started!

Fall is here!

2009-11-01T11:02:00.001-08:00

I know, I know...Ive been lagging on blogging. I have a good excuse though. I got a job! After 8 months of being unemployed I'm now back to the working world. Don't worry, I'll try not to let it cut into my cooking time. We still have to eat right??

While you are waiting for my next great recipe how about a cup of cocoa? Fall is here! Time to get cozy and enjoy the start of cooler weather before the Holiday craziness begins

Things I have coming up....preparing for baby and making freezer meals. Also, my most favorite crock pot recipe.

What are you eating????

2009-10-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

As you know (well, at least most of you) I've worked in the food safety industry for the past 10 years. Its a line of work that I am very passionate about and I find it really interesting.

One thing I like to do is keep my friends and family abreast of the latest issues. When you don't work in the industry you may not hear about the latest news and be aware of the risks we take everyday just by having a simple meal. I'm not trying to scare people but I do think it's important to be educated about the things you are eating.

One of my favorite resources for up to date Food Safety News just came up with a widget so I thought it was an awesome thing to add to my blog. Now you can find all your food safety info right here on STK! Knowing about the things you eat is key to a healthy life so I hope you find it useful. Plus, its great party conversation.

Pork and Stilton

2009-10-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite recipes. I cant believe I haven't blogged about it before!

A little background...many years ago H wanted to make me dinner. He found this recipe and gave it a go. Unfortunately, it turned out pretty bad, the sauce curdled and it was a big mess. We wanted to make it again and it turned out to be another FAIL. Ugh, so frustrating. It's an easy recipe but for some reason it kept turning on us but we were determined to conquer it. On the 4th try we finally got it right! Woohoo!

Don't let my story deter you...it is easy. The trick is to simmer the port/broth down until its slightly thick then once you add the cream DO NOT let it come to a boil. The original recipe says to boil it but that is a big mistake and where we went wrong initially. The cream will burn and when you add the Stilton it will cause it to curdle. The magic word for this recipe is SIMMER, SIMMER, SIMMER.

Serves 4

I N G R E D I E N T S:

1-2 pork tenderloins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup full-bodied port
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1/4 pound Stilton cheese, crumbled (Can be found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Stilton is a strong blue cheese)
2 fresh jalapeno chilies, halved lengthwise, stemmed, veins removed, then finely diced

I N S T R U C T I O N S :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Use a small sharp knife and trim the surface fat and silvery membrane from the pork.

Place the oil in a 12" pan and brown each tenderloin on both sides over medium-high heat.

Transfer the the tenderloins to a roasting pan. Bake until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Discard any accumulated fat from the frying pan and deglaze over medium-high heat with the port and broth. Allow the liquid to reduce to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to MEDIUM before next step.

Stir in the cream then add the cheese and chilies and cook until the cheese melts. Never allow the sauce to come to a BOIL. Maintain over medium heat only.

Once tenderloin is cooked through, remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 5 min. Slice the pork across the grain, fan equal portions onto 4 plates and spoon the sauce atop the meat.

Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Enjoy!

Chili con carne

2009-10-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

I found this Chile Con Carne recipe on Epicurious and I just had to try it. It has over 200 reviews and 92% of people said they loved it. Sounds like a winner to me!

For those of you who don't know about Epicurious...you should check it out! It's where you can find recipes from Gourmet, Bon Appetit and other yummy cooking magazines. There is even an iphone app which is really cool...I actually came across this recipe on my phone while at the grocery store. Its great for those times when you don't know what to make for dinner.

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine - February 1990
Serves 6
(Note: items with ** are those that I have changed from original recipe)

2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 carrots (Chop most of carrots in mini chopper and then coarsely chop the rest by hand) **
2 pounds boneless beef chuck **
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon crumbled dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1- 29 ounce can tomato sauce **
1 - 14 ounce can beef broth **
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2- 16-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained **
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped **

In a kettle cook the onions in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, add the garlic, carrots, bell pepper, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the chuck and cook it over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up any lumps, for 10 minutes, or until it is no longer pink. Add the chili powder, the cumin, the paprika, the oregano, and the red pepper flakes and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the tomato sauce, the broth, and the vinegar, bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer it, covered, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.

Add the kidney beans and salt and black pepper to taste, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for a few more minutes (until beans are warmed through)

Serve with garlic bread, corn bread or chili cheddar shortcakes

We loved this recipe. Its definitely a keeper! Oh, also this can be frozen for up to 2-3 months and reheated.

Pear Galette

2009-09-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

I received an abundance of pears in our CSA box last week so decided to try making a galette. If you haven't seen one before its like a free form pie or tart. It turned out great and looked impressive plus it was really easy!

The recipe I used is actually for a plum galette from Martha Stewart. It worked out nicely using the pears and I think you could do apples too. A combo of pear, plum and apple might be great as well.

Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 1 3/4 hours

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ice water
1/4 cup whole, skin-on almonds, toasted
5 to 6 plums, halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick. Keep slices together. (**see cooks notes below)
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, butter, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Don't over mix. Remove dough from processor and shape into a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (I kept it in fridge overnight).

Meanwhile, wipe bowl of food processor clean and add almonds, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons flour; pulse until ground to a coarse meal. (**see cooks notes below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; sprinkle almond mixture over dough. With a spatula, transfer plums to dough; press lightly to fan out, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edge of dough over fruit. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Brush crust with cream; sprinkle galette with 2 tablespoons sanding sugar. Bake until crust is golden and underside is cooked through, about 60-70 minutes.

* Cooks notes:

- I purchased almond meal from Trader Joe's rather then grinding up my own. It was much easier. I took 1 cup almond meal and combined with 1/4 cup sugar and 2-3 tbs flour then spread that on dough before layering on fruit. This is important because it soaks up the juices released from fruit and prevents crust from being soggy on bottom.

- You can substitute pears or apples for the plums. To prep the pears I sliced off stem and bottom part of fruit then sliced in half. I used a small melon baller to scoop out center part with seeds.

- Sanding sugar can be found at most craft or party supply stores in the baking section. Its nice to have some on hand because it adds a special touch to the final look of the pastry.

- I sprinkled toasted sliced almonds on top of the galette once it was done baking. This is optional but thought it looked pretty.

Enjoy!

Crunchy shrimp w/ toasted couscous and ginger-orange sauce

2009-09-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

I cant believe I haven't blogged about this recipe before. Its pretty much one of our favorite things to eat. If it were up to H we would have it every week. The orange-ginger sauce is to die for!

There are several steps to this recipe and it will take you about an hour but its worth it. Trust me. As long as you can multi-task you will have no problem.

Recipe from Cooking Light (Jan 2006 issue)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Sauce:
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Couscous:
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Shrimp:
20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 3/4 pound)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups trimmed watercress

Preparation:

To prepare sauce, bring 1 cup orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; cool completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); set aside.

To prepare couscous, place couscous in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; add onions, almonds, and butter, stirring until butter melts. Keep warm.

To prepare shrimp, combine shrimp and egg white in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Combine the panko, 1 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and black pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add shrimp to the bag, and seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; arrange shrimp in a single layer in pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.

Place 3/4 cup couscous on each of 4 plates; top each with 1/2 cup watercress and 5 shrimp. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce.

Notes:

- To shave off a little time I use the pre-grated ginger that comes in a tube. You can find it in the produce section of grocery store. Its usually near the fresh herbs. Also, I toss the cilantro in my mini chopper rather then chop it by hand.

- Its a good idea to double the amount of panko. I find the 1/2 cup is not enough to completely coat all shrimp.

- Make sure to get the OJ for sauce reducing and toast the almond slices in oven right off the bat. Sometimes I forget to do it and end up rushing at the end to get it all done.

- Don't forget the watercress! Its definitely adds to the flavor if dish.

Best banana bread on earth, really?

2009-09-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

While doing research for our trip to Maui a few weeks ago I kept seeing a place called Julia's Banana Bread being mentioned. Apparently they claim to have the best banana bread on EARTH. Could this be true? I must try this bread! While H and I were driving around the west side of the island on some pretty sketchy roads (Well, sketchy for me, not H)

We came across the roadside sign for this banana bread mecca so decided to stop and check it out. Here is me with Julia the baker and our magic bread. For some reason, I look super super happy...maybe it was just pregnancy cravings.

We broke it out once back to the hotel and let me tell you...it was pretty dang good. Really moist and banana-y. Its was also super dark in color (almost black) which is unlike most banana breads I've tried.

Fast forward to today....I wanted to try to recreate this super bread for myself. Using the basic banana bread recipe from Americas Test Kitchen and tweaking it a bit (extra butter, vanilla and tossing in a touch of molasses) I think I managed to make something pretty good. Its really moist and has a nice flavor but its not super dark like Julia's. I have no idea how she does that! I thought the molasses would do it but it didn't. Anyone have any ideas?

Here is the Americas Test Kitchen recipe (in my cooks notes at the bottom you can see the extras I added)

2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups walnuts, toasted, chopped coarse (about 1 cup)
3 bananas, very ripe, soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 5 inch loaf pan; set aside. Combine first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.

2. Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES:

I doubled the vanilla, added 2 tbs extra butter and 1/4 cup molasses. Also, I removed the walnuts totally.

There is nothing worse then a dry banana bread so keep an eye on it. Remove from oven the second its cooked through!

Pimping my pantry

2009-09-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

I found these free printable labels on the Decor8 blog and decided to pimp out my pantry. Who doesn't want their flour and sugar bins to look cute? Maybe its just me.

You can find the .pdf template HERE. I printed it out on 8.5 x 11 sticker paper, cut them out and voila! Cuteness!

{Image via Decor8)

I love a freebie as much as the next girl...seems like lots of websites and blogs are offering free printables to make your life easier (and more organized). Here are some of the ones I've been holding on to just in case I need a super cute gift tag or mailing label spur of the moment.

Printable mailing labels (via Creature Comforts)

Printable gift tags (via Paper Crave)

Paper & Cake - printable party ware

Enjoy!!

A visit to the islands

2009-09-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had a bridal shower at my house for my good friend Natalie. Since she is having a destination wedding in Kauai we thought it would be fun to play off the Hawaiian theme. After a little searching around I found a great luau themed party menu in Sunset magazine that would give us a taste of the islands yet be sophisticated and modern (no tiki torches or plastic leis at this party..haha)

You can find the full menu from Sunset Magazine by clicking HERE. We did alter a few things because Natalie is allergic to fish so we didn't do the coconut shrimp skewers (don't want to kill the bride, right?). Instead my friend Kerry found an awesome chicken skewer recipe with avocado crema dip. It was super tasty and fit in great with the rest of the menu.

Also, I couldn't resist buying some of the macaroni salad from L&L Hawaiian BBQ. If you have tasted it you know why. Its the best mac salad EVER.

Papaya and Avocado Salad with Hawaiian Vanilla Vinaigrette
(We used the presliced mango from Trader Joe's just because it was easier then papaya)

Macaroni Salad from L&L Hawaiian BBQ

Glazed Pork and Pineapple Buns
Ohhh boy. These were really good. I marinated the pork tenderloin overnight and grilled it about an hour prior to guests showing up. Also, I used canned pineapple slices just because it was much easier (and cheaper) then buying, coring and slicing a whole pineapple.

Lime marinated chicken skewers with avocado crema dip (see recipe below)

Pineapple drops (of course you MUST have the perfect cocktail)

My girls, Joy and Kerry...the most awesome bartenders

The full spread...yum.

Recipe: Lime marinated chicken skewers with avocado crema dip

1. Cut chicken breast into 1 inch cubes (for a party of 20 people I used 4-5 breasts). Prepare lime marinade..find recipe here

2. Place marinade and chicken cubes in Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. Thread marinated chicken on to presoaked bamboo skewers (you want to soak the skewers in water for at least 1 hour so they don't catch on fire in oven or on grill).

4. To make things easier on party day I precooked the skewers in oven the night before (350 for about 20-30 min) then refrigerated overnight. About an hour before guests arrived I put them on grill to reheat.

5. While skewers are on grill prepare crema dip

1 avocado, remove pit

3 scallions, chopped

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to blender and pulse until smooth.

This is a great menu for a shower or any sort of party. Try it! I know your guests will be impressed.

2 great marinades

2009-09-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Ive used both of these marinades a few times over the past couple of weeks. They are really flavorful and most likely you have the ingredients in your pantry already (well, maybe except the cilantro).

Both of these are perfect to keep in your back pocket for those nights when you want to throw something together fast and easy.

Lime marinade for chicken

Juice of 1 lime
1 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil
1 small can diced green chili's
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt & black pepper

* I like to add extra lime but thats just me

Zesty marinade for beef or chicken

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs chopped cilantro
1-2 tbs chipotle chili sauce (from can)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

* If you want more spice add a little extra chipotle

Whisk all ingredients together and pour in a Ziploc bag then add your meat. Let marinate in refrigerator for 20-30 min.

I know you wont be disappointed!

Clam Chowder

2009-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm back to blogging after a wonderful and relaxing trip to Maui!

I should be posting about something summer-y but H and I had a craving for clam chowder the other day so despite the warm weather I decided to give it a try. Its a good thing even in summertime we get fog here in San Francisco. That way we were able to pretend we were eating soup on a cozy winter night even though the rest of the Bay Area is dying of heat.

This recipe is from the November 2003 issue of Gourmet Magazine (via Epicurious). I modified it a bit because I didn't feel like dealing with the hassle of fresh clams (I used canned) or leeks (I used shallots). OK, OK leeks are not a hassle...I was just being cheap and didn't want to buy them.

See my cooks notes at the bottom. After making it once I would do some things different the next time.

Makes about 4-6 servings

3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices (*Note- you can substitute with about 3 shallots, diced)
1 cup water
40 small (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (4 pounds) such as littlenecks, scrubbed well (*Note-I used two 6.5 oz cans of diced clams, drained & rinsed)
3 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
5 celery ribs, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
2 pounds russet (baking) potatoes (4 medium)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice or water
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1. Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well (if using shallots as a substitute skip this step).

2. Bring 1 cup fresh water to a boil in a 5-quart heavy pot, then add clams and cook over moderately high heat, covered, until clams are fully open, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl as they fully open. (Discard any clams that have not opened after 8 minutes.) Pour cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. Remove cooked clams from shells, discarding shells. Coarsely chop clams and transfer to a bowl, then coarsely chop raw oysters and transfer to another bowl. Pour reserved oyster liquor through sieve into bowl with clam cooking liquid. (If using canned clams you can skip this step)

3. Cook bacon in cleaned pot over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, about 6 minutes, then transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add butter to pot and when foam subsides, cook onion, leeks/shallots, celery, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. While vegetables are cooking, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add wine to softened vegetables and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add potatoes and bottled clam juice. (If potatoes aren't fully covered with liquid, add more clam juice or water.) Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Purée 2 cups soup in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add cream, salt, pepper, Old Bay, and cayenne and cook at a bare simmer, stirring, until soup is heated through (do not let boil). Add clams and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Serve topped with crumbled bacon.

COOKS NOTES:

1- As mentioned above you can use canned clams rather then fresh. I put in two 6.5oz cans but will add more next time. Maybe 1-2 more cans. The soup wasn't very clammy tasting.

2. I used 1 bottle of clam juice but will add 2 next time so I don't have to add water in step 4 when cooking potatoes. I wanted to have a bit more clam taste and didn't get that because I had to put in about 1 cup of water to cover potatoes.

3. The bacon topping is good but next time I will double the bacon and mix the cooked crumbles in with the soup to give it a deeper smoky flavor.

4. Recipe calls to puree 2 cups of the soup at the end but I did 4 cups because I wanted it more creamy then chunky. This turned out to be the perfect ratio. It was really creamy with just a few potato chunks mixed in.

All in all this was a yummy soup and tasted great leftover too.

I have lots of blog updates to come...a great menu for a Hawaiian themed party and the status on our worm farm! I know you cant wait!

Simple tomato sauce

2009-08-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here is another great recipe from my favorite blog Sweet Paul. I made this simple tomato sauce the other day and it was really good. Sometimes when I make my own I get a little to complicated with it. Simple is better! This has only a few ingredients (most of which you might have on hand already) and tastes so fresh. I'm going to make this my new standby.

{Super cute photo from here. }

The thing that's so great about this sauce is that you could make a double batch and freeze some for a rainy (or lazy) day. When I made it the other day I added spicy Italian sausage and spooned it over pasta. Tonight I'm using the leftovers as pizza sauce (yup...doing the BBQ pizza thing again). The possibilities are endless.

Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can good quality crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups water

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic, cook until soft.
Add the crushed tomatoes with their liquid.
Add brown sugar.
Add the basil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the water.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened. This takes 20 min.

BBQ pizza: It's easy!!

2009-08-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

I have heard about BBQ pizza but never tried it at home. Last week I saw that one of my favorite bloggers Sweet Paul posted a recipe and video about it so I decided to get off my butt and give it a go.

I like making pizza at home but usually go the easy route by buying dough at Trader Joe's. I don't know why I've been so lazy!!! Making dough at home is sooooo simple plus it tastes much much better then store bought.

Recipe:

Makes 2 pizzas
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups plain flour

Mix yeast and water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes and add honey, salt, oil and flour. Mix until you have a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for at least 1 hour. Get your grill going, remember it needs to be really hot!

Here is my dough after it has been left to sit for about 1 hour .

Divide your dough in two and place it on well greased parchment paper.

Press it out using your fingers and coat it with a layer of olive oil (coating with olive oil is an important step. It prevents dough from sticking to your hands, parchment and the grill)

Get your toppings all ready- I used prosciutto, goat cheese, pesto, heirloom tomato and basil. You can use anything you want. Have fun with it!

Once your grill is nice and hot flip the paper upside down on grill and slowly remove the paper. Let the pizza cook for 3 minutes.

Flip dough over, place toppings on and let grill for another 3 min or so. Mine got a little charred but that's OK. It added to the flavor. Once the dough seemed cooked I turned the heat off to allow cheese to melt. Remove from grill, cut and serve. YUM!

I really loved this pizza and had a good time making it.

Thanks to Sweet Paul for the great recipe. If you don't follow his blog, you should!! Hes a food stylist, crafter and cook. He has some really amazing projects, recipes and drool worthy food photography. If he lived in San Francisco I might force him to be my friend. Hes so crafty!!

Whats in this weeks CSA box?

2009-08-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

I just got this weeks CSA box from Farm Fresh to You. It looks really good! I cant wait to dig into it.

Here is what came:

Heirloom Tomatoes
Cucumber
Romaine lettuce
Radish
Mini watermelon
Blueberries
Peaches

When I first signed up for the produce delivery I ordered the "small mixed" box. I ended up getting a few to many zucchini and bell pepper which I wasn't jazzed about. I decided to switch to the "small fast fruit & veggie" box because it includes more things that we will eat in our house and its the same price. Now I don't have to worry about wasting the stuff we don't really like (or figuring out how to include some random veggie into our meals)

If you haven't considered produce delivery you should. Its all organic, supports local farmers and the price is the same (or less) then what you would pay at the supermarket. I am paying $23 every 2 weeks which includes the delivery charge. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Tri tip w/ fresh corn salad and scallion cheddar cornbread

2009-08-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

I was down in Palo Alto yesterday and stopped by Schaubs Meat and Poultry which is one of my favorite little butcher shops. They sell this tri tip called "Freds Steak" and it is ohhhhh sooo good! I have no idea what the secret marinade is but its tasty. After picking up some Freds Steak I stopped over at the produce stand next door and got some fresh white corn.

Ive been wanting to duplicate a corn salad I had at Karens Bakery Cafe in Folsom last week while out to lunch with my girl Kerry. It was so flipping good. I cant say my corn salad turned out as good as Karens but it wasn't bad. I need to tweak it a bit....if anyone can get me the recipe from Karens Bakery I will love you forever!

This dinner was super easy...not much cooking involved other than throwing tri tip in oven (375 for 35 min) and cooking corn and bread. Perfect for a weeknight meal.

You don't need to actually have "Fred Steak" to make this dinner. Any tri tip with your favorite marinade will do.

Corn Salad:

4 ears white corn (boil in water for 10 min, cut corn off cob and refrigerate)
2 tomato (diced)
1 cucumber (diced)
Salt & Pepper
Dash of balsamic

After corn has been cut off cob and cooled toss all ingredients together. Add balsamic to taste.

Corn bread:

I use the Marie Calendars brand mix. Its really good.

Toss in diced scallions and enough shredded cheese to suit your liking (I use about 1/2 cup). Bake according to package directions.

Recipe rewind: Jalapeno bacon cheeseburgers

2009-08-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight im making one of my old favorites. Jalapeno bacon cheeseburgers! I sense a bacon theme with my posts today...hmmm.

These are great burgers. Try them!

Bon Appétit July 2005

Spicy Ranch Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

{if making less then 8 burgers you can half this recipe}

Burgers
2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño chile
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Worcestershire-Coffee Glaze
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter

8 bacon slices
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
8 hamburger buns
8 lettuce leaves
Cheddar cheese slices
Assorted additional toppings (such as tomato and grilled onion slices)

For spicy ranch sauce:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

For burgers:
Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Form mixture into eight 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place on small baking sheet. Cover and chill.

For glaze:
Stir first 5 ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Working in batches if necessary, cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Grill burgers about 5 min, basting with glaze. Turn burgers, baste with glaze, and grill until cooked to desired doneness about 5-6 min more for medium. Press cheese on top of each burger and allow to melt. Place some ranch sauce, then 1 burger on each bun bottom. Top each with 2 slices bacon and desired additional toppings. Cover with bun top. Serve with remaining sauce.

{Time}
About 30min prep time then more time for grilling (but its worth it!)

STK cooking tip: Baking bacon

2009-08-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

We LOVE bacon in our house. Maybe a little to much. We buy it in bulk from Costco...if we ever run out its like a serious travesty.

I love eating it but cooking it is a whole other story. Standing over the stove while grease splatters on me and everything else really drives me nuts. Plus, I super extra hate the cleanup. The greasy pan and stove top. Ugh.

For the past few months I have been baking my bacon and let me tell you...its so much better! There is no splatter to worry about, clean up is 100% easier and it frees you up to do other things while its cooking in the oven. No need to hover over the stove anymore! Also, I think it gets crispier and shrinks less this way.

Here is what I do....line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cookie cooling rack on top. Lay out the bacon on the rack and pop in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20 min (or until crispy). That's it!

Here is the before:

And after: Perfectly crisp bacon without the hassle and very little clean up.

To clean up I wait for the pan to cool and grease to harden a bit then roll up the foil with grease inside and toss in trash. Wash pan and cookie rack. Pretty easy.

I bought a cow!!

2009-08-09T12:35:00.001-07:00

Well...not exactly. I actually bought 1 share of a cow through the Bay Area Meat CSA.

{image from here}

I have been wanting to find a place to purchase local, grass fed, hormone-free, humanly treated beef for a while now. I didn't know where to even start my search. But, a few weeks ago I stumbled across the Bay Area Meat CSA website. I joined the message boards for San Francisco and discovered that lots of people are doing this already and I didn't even have to do much investigating on my own. Today I saw that one of the members was organizing a purchase so I jumped right on it and placed my order.

The way animals are treated, mass produced and slaughtered in the meat industry has been weighing on my mind for quite a while and I wanted to do something about it in my household. I have friends who feel the same way as I do and decided to go vegetarian. But, for me that wasn't an option. I love meat way to much and I think H would die without juicy steaks in his life. I know I cant control the mega huge meat industry in general but if I purchase the product I eat in a more responsible way and support ranchers who are doing the right thing then its a start. Plus, I know what im feeding my family and where it comes from and that makes me feel really good.

What is a meat CSA?

Meat CSA is a network of people who cooperate to buy meat directly from local ranchers. It's the most cost-effective way to buy good, healthy, local meat and it's an opportunity to connect with the ranchers and processors whose work feeds us

What do you get when you purchase a share?

You can buy different sizes of shares. Im doing 1 share which is = to 20 lbs. There are 9 shares to half a cow, 19 shares to a full cow.

What do you get in a share?

A 20 lb share contains 10 lb ground beef, about 5 lbs of braising meat (for ex. brisket, bottom round, chuck roast), 3 lb of grill and slice steaks (such as sirloin tip, skirt steak, flank, tritip), and 1.9 lbs of strip/ribeye/filet

How much is a share?

The prices can vary slightly depending on where you are getting the meat from. The one I am purchasing is $120. I figure this is about a 2 - 3 month supply of meat for our household. So about $40-50 per month which is about what I would pay if I purchased my meat from the supermarket.

All the meat comes trimmed, portioned, vacuum packed, labeled and frozen straight from the rancher.

Where does the meat come from?

There are many different ranches throughout the Bay Area (find them here). The beef I am getting is from the organic herd at Prather Ranch in Siskiyou County, CA .

{from their website}

The Prather Ranch has become a stellar example of a self-sustaining agricultural operation that promotes strong environmental philosophies, holistic management practices and the humane treatment of livestock. Those at the ranch understand that the first step is to be good stewards of the land, which includes caring for the soil, the water, the air, the cattle and those who work the land. Food safety and a superior tasting product is the primary goal of the ranch.

- The unique “Closed Herd” status ensures that our animals are the healthiest, most documented cattle you can find. No new animals have been added to the herd since the early 1990’s

-The majority of the feed fed to the cattle is raised on the Prather Ranch.The ranch raises all of its own hay, which is chopped and mixed with barley and organic rice for their feed ration

-The beef is carefully hand-cut by our artisan meat processors in our own USDA inspected facility

And my favorite part

-Prather Ranch is committed to food safety issues by testing for e.coli three times more frequently than required by the USDA and has never had a positive test for e.coli to date.

Here are some more reasons why buying directly from the rancher is so great.

I have a feeling that some of you are thinking im a total wack-a-do for doing this. Which is totally OK. I don't mind if you think im crazy. I'll invite you over for a steak and THEN you can tell me if im still nuts.

Later down the road I will look into chicken and pork too. For now I want to see how this first purchase works out for us. I'll keep you posted!!

Pasta with chicken sausage and broccoli

2009-08-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from the Sept '09 issue of Real Simple magazine. It was pretty good but didn't knock my socks off. I added artichoke hearts to spice it up a bit but it still needed more zest. Maybe ill throw in some sun dried tomato next time.

One thing that's great about this meal is its SUPER EASY (plus, H loved it). It only took about 20 min total.

12 oz rigatoni
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
6 oz fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced (I used Aidells spinach and feta)
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets and trim stems
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Cook pasta according to package directions

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Cook the onion until slightly browned. About 3 min. Add the sausage and cook until brown. About 3 min. Add the broccoli and 1 cup water and simmer until broccoli is tender. About 3 min.

3. Toss the pasta with sausage mixture and any remaining liquid and Parmesan

** NOTES: Recipe calls for 1 1/4 water to be added in step 2 but I only added 1 cup. I still felt like it was to much. I ended up removing about 1/4 cup after broccoli was done cooking just so there was not to much water mixed in with pasta and sausage in the end.

Blueberry peach cobbler w/ oatmeal cookie topping

2009-08-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

I made this a few weeks ago and it was SO good. The blueberries were something not in original recipe but I thought they would pair well with the peaches and I was right!! I loved the combo. Also, the oatmeal cookie is so different...not your average crumbly cobbler topping.

With fresh fruit overflowing at farmers markets this summer I bet you could make this with just about anything and it would be good.

* Note: I halved the recipe and used a 8x8 baking dish. It was enough for 4 people plus some leftovers.

Recipe from Cooking Light

12 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients
Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
11 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 5 pounds)
2 pints blueberries ** STK addition
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. To prepare topping, place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Weigh or lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour, oats, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

3. To prepare filling, combine sliced peeled peaches, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and fresh lemon juice in a bowl; toss to coat. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dollop 12 mounds of chilled dough over peach mixture at even intervals. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Food Safety bill passes!!

2009-07-31T15:51:00.001-07:00

As mentioned yesterday the Food Safety bill (HR 2749) was up for a re vote in the house. After a second time around...it passed!!! Now its on its way to President Obamas desk. Hes a strong supporter so I know it will go all the way.

Im so excited for this. Our countries food safety system needs a serious overhaul and this is a huge leap into making it better.

Food Poisoning attorney Bill Marler puts it like this...

"The bill...will greatly strengthen the FDA’s power to regulate 80% of food economy. HR 2749 will give the FDA the power to order food recalls and set record-keeping standards for food facilities. It will mandate increased frequency of inspections and have the fees to pay for them. There will be stiffer criminal penalties and imports will have to meet the same standard as products produced in the US. What it certainly will do is reduce the enormous number of foodborne illness outbreaks, keep kids out of ICUs and off dialysis, and increase the overall safety of our food.

HR 2749 is the first meaningful food safety legislation in 50 years. It was time for the left to stop making perfect the enemy of good. It was time for the right to get out of the way of consumer protection in the name of industry protection. It was time for all of us to acknowledge that ensuring safety in a sprawling, global food system is not free, nor without pain. It was past time for every part of the food economy – regardless of size - to become part of the system, to share in the costs of the system, and to promote the safety of the system"

Couldnt have said it better myself :)

Farm Fresh to You

2009-07-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) fruit & veggie box through Farm Fresh to You. My first one just arrived and yummmmm...it looks amazing.

CSA's are great because you get super fresh, organic product delivered to your doorstep and at the same time you are supporting local farmers. You might be thinking..."well, isn't that expensive?" Actually, no its not. Im getting the small fruit and veggie box delivered every other week which is $23. That's only $11.50 per week im paying for a whole box full of awesome stuff. I definitely spend much more then that for sub par produce at the supermarket. Plus, most of the stuff at the grocery store can be from other countries and who knows how long ago it was harvested or how it was handled. At least with my CSA box I know where its from and that it was just picked fresh within the last day or so.

When I first opened the box..WOW! The smell was amazing. So fresh!

Here is what came in my box

Krimson Pears
Honeydew Melon
Summer Squash
Gypsy Peppers
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cucumber
Basil
Yellow Onions

Farm Fresh to You delivers all over Nor Cal and has a several different types of boxes to suit your needs. I picked the small box every other week because I was concerned that a larger box might be to much for 2 people. I can always change it later to something bigger if I find we are using it up quicker than anticipated.

If you want to see if they come to your neighborhood...check out their website. If they don't come to your area there are tons of other CSA's throughout the country.

Im going to cook my way through the box this week. I cant wait to try out some new recipes.

I also might look into meat which is local and raised without hormones or antibiotics. I hear you can buy a fraction of an animal and share the cost with people. Anyone do this?

Food Safety state of the union

2009-07-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

As if you didn't know...our country has a serious food safety problem. To make it worse a recent bill (HR 2749) to improve the system was shot down on the house floor a few days ago. Only 6 votes short! Sad, very sad.

We are constantly seeing recalls and foodborn illness outbreaks splashed all over the news. People are getting sick and even dying from completely preventable issues. Its overwhelming! When will it stop? With working in retail food safety for 10 years I have seen more than my share of product recalls...from spinach to pet food to ground beef. No one product is safe. Its seriously insane and our system needs to get fixed. We can only do so much in preventing illness on the retail level. We need manufactures, growers and the REGULATORS to do their part as well.

When I saw the latest HR 2749 news on Marler Blog it made me sick. I cant believe congress did not pass it! Ugh! I know the Obama administration strongly supports the bill but still...as of now, we got nada. Its up for vote again today...keep your fingers crossed people. We need to win this one.

Here is some info on the bill from Marler Blog (BTW - if you don't follow this guy...you should. Hes an attorney who specializes in food poisoning outbreaks and litigation. Very smart dude)

"The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The legislation includes many of the recommendations of the President's Food Safety Working Group and focuses on key Administration goals by prioritizing prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response and recovery.

This bill addresses longstanding challenges in the food safety system and provides the Federal Government with the appropriate tools to accomplish its core food safety goals. The bill also would complement efforts that the Administration has already undertaken administratively to improve food safety and would, among other things, require all food facilities that operate within the U.S. or import food into the U.S. to register annually with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The legislation enables the FDA to implement further preventative measures by issuing new food safety regulations and increasing site inspections and also provides additional authorities to the Federal Government, improving its ability to engage in surveillance and enforcement and respond to food safety emergencies quickly. In addition, the legislation provides the FDA with mandatory recall authority and grants the FDA a new dedicated source of funding to help conduct its vital work of protecting the food supply. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress on this legislation"

I plan to pull more food safety stuff into the STK blog. I think its important to keep my readers up to date and educated on whats going on with the food we eat.

Chipotle chicken and rice

2009-07-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty good one pot dinner and easy to make. It didn't knock our socks off though but it is a solid meal and makes enough for a family. Its more ho hum then WOW! If I made it again I might use chicken breasts rather than thighs and shred them into the rice in the end and also add some veggies to the mix to make it more balanced.

You can use leftovers for quesadillas the following day. Two meals in one...sweet!

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine (July/Aug 2009 issue)
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hr 20 min

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (if you want less spice use 1- 1.5)
2 large tomatoes, diced large
1 cup long-grain white rice
Lime wedges, for serving
Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown chicken on both sides, about 6 minutes total; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.

Add garlic, cumin, and chiles; cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

Remove several pieces of chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Replace chicken, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.

** Note - I thought it was pretty spicy with 2 chipotles (and I like spice). If you don't want it quite as zesty use a bit less.

Ive been away...sorry!!

2009-07-26T12:54:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...I've been a bad blogger for the past few weeks. Sorry friends! I have good reason if it makes a difference. First my Pops came up to San Francisco for a visit (and to help us with some home improvements...Woohoo!) then we road tripped down to Orange Couny where I spent a week with the fam. Then we hit the road again for a leisurely 3 day drive back to SF.

First we stopped in Solvange which is a super cute town. Then spent another day in Carmel where we celebrated my Moms birthday. We just got back last night and now im recovering from my 2 week adventure. Phew! I have to admit...its good to be home and back in my bed.

In addition to my trip down south I have some heart breaking news. My beloved horse, Arvis had to be put to sleep on Thursday. Ive had him for 20 years! I know, we have all probably lost a pet at one time or another but he was more than that. We literally grew up together. I was 13 and he was 4. I spent my childhood and teen years at the barn with my buddy. He was a best friend and took care of me like I was his baby. Over the years we spent most of our time competing on the horse show circuit all over California. He was a true champion...hence the nickname, Marvelous Arvis. :)

I have to say...if it wasn't for horseback riding I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today. It taught me time management, organization, discipline and respect. We were a team for many years and i'll miss that so much. Even though he has been retired for a few years now he still lived on my parents ranch and was a huge part of our lives. Im going to miss him desperately. Im grateful to have had the chance to say goodbye before he went to horse heaven.

This is us in our heyday

The last pics I have of him a few days before he left us.

Im gonna miss you boy!

I have lots of blog updates coming...stay tuned.

STK Favorites: Kitchen tools

2009-07-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I showed you a few of my favorite kitchen appliances. Now, I wanted to share two of my must have kitchen tools! Seriously...I cant live without these.

Messermeister take apart kitchen shears

I had never thought kitchen sears would really be something I would use much in the kitchen..until I actually bought a pair. Now, I wonder how I lived without them! I use these for so many things. From snipping herbs into small pieces (easier then getting out a cutting board and knife) to breaking down a whole chicken.

The reason I really like the Messermeister brand is because the scissor blades can be taken apart. This is great for food safety reasons because it allows for more complete cleaning. After you cut up raw chicken you don't want any of the meat or potential bacteria getting caught in the joint. Right? These pull apart really easily and can be thrown in the dishwasher.

Microplane grater/zester

The microplane is another awesome tool you must have in your kitchen stockpile. I use this puppy all the time. Its great for turning parmesan and other hard cheeses into piles of fluffy goodness and also for zesting citrus and grating spices.

If you want to add these to your kitchen they can be purchased directly from Amazon though my STK Favorites list!

Happy 4th! Whats cookin?

2009-07-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! Hopefully you all are doing something fun today.

Are you having a hard time deciding what to bring to your friends BBQ? Try Jalapeno bacon cheese burgers ! They are really good and will seriously impress your buddies.

Im bringing them to a friends house today. I know they will be a huge hit!

The un-BBQ'd rib

2009-07-02T15:37:00.001-07:00

Over the past week or so I have been seeing droolworthy 4th of July recipes and menus plastered all over magazine covers and blogs. The one thing I noticed is that most of them seem to suggest that you actually need to BBQ something to have a great holiday. I beg to differ...

Don't get me wrong...I do love BBQ but sometimes its a hassle. Especially with ribs which is like my most favorite food ever and a popular thing to make for 4th of July gatherings. Many recipes like the one shown in this months Sunset Magazine by Tyler Florence show you how to do it but its soooo complicated...first, soak the wood chips then get briquettes ready then smoke ribs then, then, then...blah blah blah. Its just to much for my tiny brain to deal with.

I wish most recipes would not leave out the fact that you can do an awesome fall off the bone rib in your oven at home. You will get the same BBQ taste with about 10 less steps. I have been perfecting my sticky rib recipe for a while now. I think they are pretty dang good not to mention easy!

Recipe here

Try them out for the 4th... I promise no one will know you didn't even turn on the BBQ.

Freezer meals: Artichoke manicotti in pesto cream

2009-06-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here is one of those recipes that works great straight out of the freezer. You can prepare a bunch in advance then save them for later. Everyone has those nights where they just don't feel like cooking. Right?

As mentioned in a previous post. I purchased a bunch of tins from the Dollar Tree (3 for $1). They are perfect size for a 2 person meal, store easy and can be popped straight into the oven then thrown away. No cleanup!!

The only real work you have to do is preheat the oven, open a bottle of wine and put on some So You Think You Can Dance. Now that's what I call the perfect night...but maybe its just me.

Here is what they looked like after assembly but prior to freezing

Recipe from Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller

Total time: 40 min

Makes about 3-4 meals (I doubled recipe to make more)

1lb manicotti shells

1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained (not marinated)

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (plus more for topping)

1 tsp dried oregano

Pesto Cream

2 tbs pine nuts (toasted in oven or in skillet)

2 cups packed fresh basil

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

2 cloves garlic

1. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions. Once done remove from water and let drain on paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, in blender or food processor combine artichoke hearts, ricotta, mozzarella and oregano until smooth.

3. Fill shells with ricotta mixture. An easy technique is to fill a large ziploc with the mixture. Snip of one corner of bag then squeeze into shells. This is faster and less messy then spooning it in by hand.

4. Make pesto cream: Blend toasted pine nuts, basil, cream, oil, parmesean and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth (don't over mix as the sauce might separate a bit. This happened to me. Didn't look as pretty as it should have but still tasted great)

5. Assembly: Spoon layer of pesto cream on bottom of foil container. Place 4 filled manicotti shells on top. Layer on more pesto cream then sprinkle parmesean and shredded mozzarella on top. Once cool you can place the lids on and freeze. Don't forget to label the containers so you know whats inside!!

**NOTE: Can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.

6. Cooking:

From freezer: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove cardboard lid from foil tray, cover with tin foil. Bake for 40-50 min (no need to defrost first). If you want the cheese to brown a little remove foil for last 5 min of baking.

If defrosted or fresh made: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 25 min.

Enjoy!!

I have 2 other freezer meals to share with you. All of them are really easy. You can make all 3 at once over the span of a few hours then package them up so you have a nice size supply of dinners for later.

Dinner idea: quick fix freezer meals

2009-06-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Since im having a baby in November I have been planning on making some freezer meals ahead of time so we don't have to cook once the little bundle arrives. I can imagine that making dinner + newborn = crazyville!

My friends Nicole and Tim (hey guys!!) just had a baby last week so I decided it was a great time to test out some recipes and also give my friends a break during the first few days of parenthood. To be honest...it was kind of an evil plan. I had never tested these recipes so I wasn't sure if they would work out. I had my fingers crossed that they wouldn't disown me for making them cruddy food during their moment of weakness. The good news is that I heard from Nicole today and she said the food has been great. A real lifesaver. PHEW!!!!

My new cookbook Robin Rescues Dinner has some great make ahead meal ideas. I decided on the artichoke manicotti with pesto cream sauce, mojito chicken, 3-onion soup and also threw in my own recipe for meat lasagna.

I purchased some oven safe food containers from the dollar store (3 pack for $1) to package the food and make them super easy to store. The foil containers can just be popped in the oven and the plastic soup ones are microwave safe.

All in all it took me a tad over 2 hours to make 2 weeks worth of dinners. I gave 10 to my friends and kept a few for myself. Not bad! Once cool I threw them in the freezer. They can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.

In the next few posts i'll spell out the recipes. Hope you will try them! I love the idea of stocking up the freezer. Even the most passionate cook wants the day off every once in a while.

STK favorite things: Kitchen appliances

2009-06-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed my new "STK Favorites" list over on the side bar. These are all the kitchen tools, appliances and cookbooks I simply cant live without. As I find new and cool things I will add them to the list so you can just click on over to Amazon if you feel the urge buy it for your kitchen (or maybe a friends).

Today I wanted to introduce you to a few of my must have appliances...

Kitchen Aid Mixer - What kitchen doesn't need one of these? This workhorse literally does it all. I use mine mostly for baking but am dying to get the ice cream and pasta making attachments. I might also try my hand at homemade sausage using the meat grinder.

Cuisinart Food Processor: This is another powerhouse in the kitchen. If you need to quickly chop or slice large amounts of product this will do the job. I use it for shredding bulk cheese (doing it yourself saves money!) and also to slice and dice veggies. It also makes a great dough for baking.

Breville Icon blender: I have professed my love for this blender in a previous post about making smoothies. It is seriously the best blender I have ever used. It chops ice with ease and even has a special smoothie setting! I have used to to make sauces as well.

Cuisinart mini chopper: Meet my mini sous chef! I use it almost on a daily basis to chop onions, garlic and herbs. Sure, you could chop them by hand but that's kind of a pain. Plus, Im the type of person who hates big chunks of onion (and even worse celery) in my food. The mini chopper dices fine enough for any ingredient to meld into your recipes perfectly. Its also awesome for super spicy things like jalapenos. All the parts can be placed in the dishwasher so cleanup is a snap.

{all images from Amazon}

Do you have any favorites I should add to the list?

Blueberry waffles with strawberry, peach, blueberry compote

2009-06-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

I made Hamish a special Father-to-be breakfast this morning. I have to say....it was deeeelicious!

Waffles are a nice treat on any given weekend. They are really easy and make breakfast extra special. I jazzed these up by adding a little ground flax seed to the batter (shhhhhh...its healthy!) and also topped them off with a fresh fruit compote.

(im hoping the omega-3's in the flax seed are going to counteract all the butter and syrup. Wishful thinking perhaps?)

This waffle recipe is from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Makes 8 6-inch waffles

Preheat waffle iron

Whisk together:

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground flax seed (STK addition)

In another bowl whisk together:

3 large eggs
5 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup milk

1-2 pints fresh blueberries, rinse and set aside.

Combine wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Do not over mix.

Pour approx 1/2 cup batter onto waffle iron. Sprinkle 5-6 blueberries on top and then close the lid. Bake waffle until golden brown. Serve immediately or keep warm on a wire rack in a 200 degree oven.

For compote:

In a small bowl combine sliced strawberries, peaches and remaining whole blueberries. Mix well. Use compote to top waffles in addition to other goodies like butter, syrup and whip cream. Enjoy!

Im a friend of Martha!!

2009-06-19T10:29:00.001-07:00

Did you hear? Martha and I are BFF's now. We hang out all the time cooking and crafting. Good times!

{image}

Just kidding! The truth is I am now part of the Friends of Martha blog network. Its a group of bloggers who love all things Martha. If you like cooking, crafts, gardening and just cool things in general you can check out some of the other blogs in the network. All you got to do is click on the badge over yonder. Check it out!!

Chipotle shrimp tacos

2009-06-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I just made up on the fly and it turned out pretty tasty. The shrimp were really flavorful and juicy. YUM!

Makes 4-5 small tacos

1 lb med size raw shrimp (31/40) - deveined, shells removed
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs chipotle sauce (from the can)
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
White corn tortillas and any other taco fixins you want

Toss all ingredients together in a small bowl then allow to marinate 30 min in refrigerator.

If you have a veggie basket for the BBQ you can cook shrimp on the grill. That's what I did and they turned out really good. If you don't want to BBQ them you could saute in a nonstick pan.

Once cooked through, remove tails and give meat a rough chop. Assemble your tacos!! Enjoy!

Worms eat my garbage!

2009-06-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

I have 1000 new best friends and they eat my garbage!

We just received our Wriggly Wranch worm bin from San Mateo County Recycle works. Our county (along with many others) have a composting and worm bin program. You can order bins at a subsidised price which is pretty cool. Ours was $29 and we paid an extra $5 for the "Worms eat my garbage" book so we can learn how to take care of these little buggers.

What is a worm composting you ask?

In a nutshell, the worms eat your food scraps and turn them into fertilizer for your garden and plants. Its pretty much like regular composting except on a smaller scale and worms do all the work. They poop out "castings" which is a very rich manure.

How do I use this worm manure?

There are several ways to use the castings

1. Sprinkle it around your plants and veggies straight out of the worm bin
2. Mix directly into your soil
3. Make a "tea" out of it to water your plants

Why is it so great?

- Improves and enriches your soil
- Enhances plant growth and crop yield
- Improves root growth
- Reduces amount of stuff you are sending to landfills (soooo ecofriendly!!)
- It pretty much will make your garden awesome and its easy!

Is it really THAT easy??

We just set up our worm bin today and it was really simple (well, at least so far it seems that way)

How do you set it up?

Here we are with our worms. We purchased them from Sloat Garden Center in San Bruno. Each container holds at least 300 worms and costs $14.99. To get the bin started you need about 1000 worms. We can always add more later if we want to speed up the factory :)

Our worm bin came with a block of "coir" which is the outside part of coconut shells. It makes for great worm bedding plus its ecofriendly. We had to soak the block in a bucket of water for 15 min. It rehydrates and expands to 3 times its size. After that you spread it out in the bottom tray of the bin. As you can see my worm farming assistant is doing a fabulous job.

After adding the coir we dumped the worms in. The are super wriggly! I thought I would be freaked out but wasn't at all (until H tried to throw one on me. Eeekk!). They pretty much don't like light so immediately burrowed into the bedding.

Next come the food scraps. I have been collecting these over the past week. Apparently the worms will eat them faster if the scraps are in smaller pieces so I chopped them up a bit then we sprinkled them on top of the worms. Its important to not overfeed the worms at first so, as you can tell there isn't a ton of food for them right off the bat. Once they get accustomed to their new environment we can add more during each feeding.

The final step in setting up the bin is to cover the scraps with shredded newspaper and put on the lid. This will keep the light out (worms love the dark) and cut down on potential odors and discourages fruit flies.

Its important to keep the bin in an area where it wont get to much heat (over 90 degrees) and also is sheltered from rain. Worms don't swim. We put ours on the deck outside the kitchen. Its protected from the elements plus convenient for feeding.

Now...we wait. Boooo. I hate waiting. But, it does take some time for the worms to start breaking down the scraps and producing castings for us.

Pretty much all we will do for now is keep an eye on them to monitor how fast they are eating the scraps then add more as necessary. Once they get in full swing the worms will eat at least 1 lb of scraps per week.

What do they eat?

Fruit: apples, pears, banana peels, strawberries, peaches, and all melons

Veggies: beans, cabbage, celery, carrots, cucumbers, all greens, corn/cobs and squash

Cereal and grains: oatmeal, pasta, rice, non sugared breakfast cereal, corn meal, pancakes

Misc: coffee filter paper, tea bags, egg shells, dead flowers, newspaper, cardboard, paperboard, paper egg cartons and brown leaves

Do not feed: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, junk food, citrus (is toxic to worms), non-biodegradable items like plastic, sponges, foil, dog and cat feces.

I will keep you all updated on the progress of our bin. Im very excited about this. Its our first step to making our house more ecofriendly plus all the cool kids are doing it. Its soooo 2009.

Are you going to get one?

Nutty Asian chicken over noodles

2009-06-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

Here is yet another easy weeknight dinner using the leftover chipotle-honey mustard chicken. So far that's 3 recipes its been incorporated into. Woohoo! Im really bad at planning ahead when it comes to dinner so I love these Robin Miller recipes that show me how to stretch 1 meal into several. My life is getting easier by the minute.

If you are thinking that using the chipotle chicken several times in 1 week is going to be a bit repetitive...think again, it wasn't at all. All 3 of the recipes I used are so different that you couldn't even tell it was actually leftovers. Score!!

Recipe from Robin Rescues Dinner by Robin Miller

Total time: 15min
Serves 4

8oz cellophane noodles (found in Asian section at supermarket)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 tbs ponzu* sauce or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 cooked chicken breasts cut into strips (I used 3 leftover chipotle-honey mustard chicken breasts)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews
1/3 cup chopped roasted macadamia nuts

Soak cellophane noodles and frozen green peas in enough hot water to cover for 10 min until noodles are soft and peas defrosted. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, whisk together chicken broth, peanut butter, ponzu/soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set pan over med heat and simmer. ( I let simmer for about 10 min until it became a little thicker). Remove from heat.

Pile noodles and peas in bowl, arrange sliced chicken on top (Note: I didn't even heat up chicken. Just used it cold). Top with cilantro, cashews and macadamia nuts. Spoon peanut sauce over top. Enjoy!!!

*Ponzu sauce is a citrus flavored soy sauce. Can be found in most supermarkets.

Chicken and sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions

2009-06-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Remember those chipotle-honey mustard chicken breasts I made the other day? By making a few extra you can use the leftovers for this super duper fast dinner.

This is another recipe from Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller (she is secretly my new BFF even though she doesn't know it yet).

Pretty lettuce, eh? Its from our garden!!

Total time: 15-20min

Makes 4 sandwiches

2 tbs olive oil

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into strips (I used 1 red and 1 green)

1 cup onion sliced into half moons

Salt & Pepper

1lb chicken breast, cut into cubes (I used 3 leftover chipotle-honey mustard chicken breasts)

1 cup diced precooked spicy sausage (I used Aidells andouille)

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

4 Hoagie rolls

Heat 1 tbs oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions. Cook until soft and slightly caramelized. About 5 min. Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan.

Heat remaining oil in same skillet over med-high heat. Add the chicken (if using leftover chipotle chicken you don't need to cook it again, simply reheat in pan). Add the precooked sausage to pan with chicken until warmed through. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 min.

Toast hoagie rolls if desired. Using tongs pile on chicken mixture then top with onion and peppers. Enjoy!

Roasted chipotle-honey mustard chicken

2009-06-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my previous post im going to be cooking a bunch of recipes from the Robin Miller cookbook I just purchased. This roasted chipotle-honey mustard chicken is one of them. It was really good although, I went a bit heavy on the chipotle, lesson learned...wowza! It was spicy. (note to self: measuring out ingredients is a good thing)

The best part about this recipe is that by making a few extra chicken breasts (I did 8) you can save them for other recipes later in the week. Tonight im using them for fancy chicken and sausage sandwiches then I will use them again on Friday for nutty asian chicken over noodles.

Recipe from Robin Rescues Dinner by Robin Miller

Notice that beautiful salad...the spinach is straight from our garden! (cant help but brag...it was really good)

Prep time : 10 min
Cook time: 30-45 min
Serves: 2-3

Cooking spray
2-3 chicken breast ( I did 8 so we would have leftovers)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup honey
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs minced chipotle chili in adobo, plus 1 tsp sauce from can
2 tsp dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray (don't forget this part as the honey will burn onto sheet pan while cooking). Arrange chicken on prepared pan and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together honey, oil, chipotle chile with sauce and dijon in small bowl. Brush mixture over chicken.

Roast in oven 30-45 min or until chicken is cooked through.

Slice chicken and serve with brown rice.

Cookbook review: Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller

2009-06-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

While at the Sunset Celebration Weekend I had the opportunity to watch a cooking demo with Robin Miller. I have to admit, even though im a Food Network fanatic...I had never watched her show. During the demo I realized that I had been really missing out! I like Robin's personality and love her cooking philosophy. She is all about quick fix meals that are tasty which is pretty much my method of cooking too.

Since we have a little one on the way I have been thinking that I really need to organize myself in the kitchen by planning ahead, shopping in advance and making 1 meal that I can turn into 2 (or even 3). Also, I have a plan to make a months worth of dinners and freeze them in advance so we don't have to cook once the baby comes (I know I might be crazy for doing that but its worth a shot)

I purchased Robin to the Rescue (autographed of course) and have not put it down since. A few things that drew me to the book are that the recipes are quick and easy (which is key for weeknight meals) and for each recipe she tells you how to "morph it" into another meal, "bank a batch" by making extra and freezing it for up to 3 months to eat later or "make it your own" by adding a few more choice ingredients.

So far I have gone through the book and listed out 2 weeks worth of meals. I paired up the meals so I can "morph" one meal into several. Last night I made a great chicken dish and by making a few extra chicken breasts I will be able to stretch it into 2 more tasty dinners. Awesome! Cook once....eat 3 times!!

I highly recommend getting this book! She has a new one called Robin Rescues Dinner which is coming out in the next few weeks. I cant wait to get my hands on it.

Over the next few weeks im going to share many of Robins recipes with you. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Roast beef and two-chile grilled cheese (can be made veggie too!)

2009-06-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

This was a recipe I sampled at the Sunset Celebration Weekend. It was so good that I had to make it immediately. You could easily make this vegetarian by substituting a big 'ol slice of heirloom tomato for roast beef.

{Recipe from Sunset Kitchens}

Makes 4 sandwiches
15 min

1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tbs canned chipotle chile (minced)
4 onion rolls or fresh kaiser rolls
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 lb pepper jack cheese
1/2 lb sliced roast beef (or heirloom tomato for veggie option)
1 small can mild green chili. Seeded and split in half.

1. Combine mayo and minced chipotle chili in small bowl.

2. Preheat panini press or grill pan. Brush outsides of rolls with olive oil. Spread rolls with chipotle mayo then top with 2 slices cheese, 2-3 slices roast beef (or thick tomato slice), 1 green chili and 2 more cheese slices.

3. Place in panini press or in grill pan (I don't have a panini press so I used a pie plate as a weight on top of sandwiches while they cooked). Grill until cheese is melted. Slice in half and serve.

Next up...I want to tell you about all the great things I saw and learned at Sunset Celebration!

STK new recipe rating system

2009-06-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

I want to introduce you to my new recipe rating system. Going forward all recipes will be rated so you know what was amazing and what flopped in the test kitchen. Aren't these spatulas the cutest things ever!

= Awesome, amazing, add it to the bomb list ASAP!

= Very good. A definite keeper

= Good but didn't knock my socks off

= Ho hum, not a fan

= Ugh, would not make again

Thanks again to Stinkerpants Designs for the great illustrations!

Next up...an easy week night dinner from Sunset Magazine!

Looking good, Eh?

2009-06-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

My blog has a new look! What do you think? I personally lurve it...seriously I do. I really, really do.

A million thanks to Stinkerpants Designs for the header illustration and Rainy Day Templates for the background. You guys did a great job!

If you are viewing this on reader...click here to see it in all its glory.

I cant wait to show you my new recipe rating system...until tomorrow peeps.

Summertime smoothies

2009-05-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

The other day my friend Mike asked me how I make smoothies. They may seem simple but in my experience getting the ice to fruit ratio just right takes some practice.

I have 2 secret weapons when it comes to the perfect smoothie

1. Only use frozen fruit because then you don't have to add ice at all. You can really use any type you want but I am in LOVE with "Mangolicious" from Trader Joes. Its a blend of frozen mango, raspberries and blueberries. YUM!

2. You need a great blender. I have the Breville Icon which is seriously the most amazing blender EVER. It makes quick work of anything and everything you want to blend and even has a smoothie setting which is awesome. If you don't have a super powered blender its no problem. By using frozen fruit rather then ice you don't need to worry about your blender having to chop the ice which can be problematic.

My tried and true recipe is 3 cups frozen fruit, 3 cups milk and 1 tbs sugar. Its thick but not so much that you cant drink it. Enjoy!! {makes about 3 good size smoothies}

Mini lemon meringue pies

2009-05-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been so nice lately I was inspired to make a summertime treat. I love anything lemon so thought mini lemon meringue pies would be really fun. These little buggers are so adorable and perfectly bite size.

I used the lemon meringue recipe from Americas Test Kitchen "Family Cookbook" and tweaked it a bit to make mini pies.

Here is a step by step (see full recipe below):

1. Using a 1/3 cup measuring scoop cut out rounds for crust (I used Pillsbury refrigerated pie dough)

2. Press rounds into mini muffin pan. Prick a hole in bottom of each crust using a fork. Precook crusts at 375 degrees for 6 minutes (or until light brown). Allow to cool prior to filling.

3. Fill crusts and top with a dollop of meringue. (I used an ice cream scoop and it worked perfectly)

4. Bake in 325 degree oven for 8-10 min or until meringue is starting to brown and filling is set.

5. Allow to cool and try not to eat them all in one sitting!

Makes approx 24 mini pies

Supplies:

Mini muffin pan

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

6 large egg yolks

1 tbs lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

2 tbs unsalted butter

Meringue:

1/3 cup water

1 tbs cornstarch

4 large egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie dough

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees

2. To prepare filling: Combine water, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer while whisking constantly. When mixture begins to turn translucent, slowly whisk in egg yolks. (Its important to "temper" the egg yolks first by adding a few tablespoons of the cooked cornstarch mixture to the yolks and whisking. This will prevent them from scrambling when added to the saucepan.)

Whisk in zest, lemon juice and the butter. Return to a low simmer then remove the pan from heat.

3. To prepare meringue: Bring water and cornstarch to a simmer over med-high heat, whisking frequently. When the mixture turns translucent and begins to bubble, remove from heat.

4. Whip the egg whites and vanilla with an electric or stand mixer on low speed until frothy. Mix the sugar and cream of tartar together, then add it to the egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium and whip until soft peaks form. Add the cooked cornstarch mixture to the whipped egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to whip until they are glossy and form stiff peaks.

5. Now, reheat the lemon filling over low heat for about 1 minute. Pour the hot filling into mini pie shells and then place a dollop of meringue on top (follow step by step photos above). Bake in 325 oven for about 8 minutes or until filling looks set and meringue is browning.

{Review}

These pies turned out great and were really fun to eat! I imagine the shells could be pretty much filled with anything and used as a great appetizer too. Herbed goat cheese maybe? I'll have to experiment with some more ideas.

* Note: Be sure the filling is hot (as mentioned in step 5) when filling the shells. This is important because if it is not your meringue might leak into the filling below causing a mess.

{Time}

About 1 hour total

Bomb list

2009-05-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

In our household when we find a recipe we love we put it on the "bomb list". Hamish thought it would be a good idea to have a link on my blog to the list so you can find all the "bomb" recipes yourself. For future reference you can access them by clicking on the "bomb list" link at the top of the page

Dinner:

Mini lamb burgers with couscous
Tortilla soup
Chicken with artichokes and angel hair pasta
Creamy one pot pasta
Sarah's sticky ribs
Sarah's awesome mac n' cheese
Mustard sauce for corned beef
Chicken picatta
Pork katsu with pickled carrot salad
Simple roast chicken
Jalapeno bacon cheeseburgers
Lobster pasta with herbed cream sauce

Breakfast or brunch:

24 hour omelet
Strawberry ricotta muffins

Sweets:

Summer surprise (berry fruit salad)
Blueberry cream pie

Margarita cupcakes with lime buttercream frosting

2009-05-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

These were a big hit at Hamish's birthday. I don't think we had a crumb left at the end of the night.

Cupcake recipe from Bake Space and frosting recipe from Cooking Light (May 2009)

Cupcakes:
Makes 12
9 oz Margarita mix (such as Mrs. T's)
3 oz tequila
3/4 oz Grand Marnier
White cake mix
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp lime zest

Mix together the margarita mix, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a large glass or spouted bowl. You will use 1 1/4 cup of this in the cupcake mix. Pour the remainder over ice and enjoy the mini-rita while you're baking.

In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest, and 1 1/4 cup of the margarita mixture. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for two minutes (the batter will still be a bit lumpy).

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pan and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers done in the center cupcake. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing and ice the cupcakes.

Lime buttercream frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Combine 3 tablespoons butter and next 3 ingredients (through juice) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating just until smooth. Spread about 2 1/2 teaspoons frosting onto each cupcake.

Tip: I spooned the frosting into a ziploc then snipped off a corner of bag. This makes for super duper easy frosting of the cupcakes. Also, it looks better then just smearing it on top (that's how I got the cute little swirls on mine)

{Review}
All I can say is yum!
FYI: I added a bit more lime juice then the recipe calls for. I didnt think the 1 tbs gave it enough lime flavor. I just kept squeezing more in until it tasted right.

{Time}
30min

Black bean and cheese empanadas

2009-05-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

For Hamish's Mexican fiesta themed birthday party I made empanadas as an appetizer (thanks for the suggestion Kerry). These were really good but lots of work.

Here is a step by step:

1. After making dough (see recipe below) I rolled it out to 1/4 in thick and used a large drinking glass to cut out circles.

2. I found (by trial and error) that the rounds were easier to fill if they were more oval shape. I took the cut out circles and rolled them a little more to stretch them out lengthwise.

3. I put about a teaspoon of filling in each. (see my easy filling recipe below)

4. Fold the dough over top and crimp edges down with a fork.

5. Fry them in a pot of vegetable oil until crispy. YUMMY!

Dough:

(makes 12)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup ice water

oil for frying

Using a standing mixer sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add shortening until combined. Slowly add water.

Roll out dough and cut out 2-3 in round circles (use a drinking glass or biscuit cutter). Once circles are cut out roll them into an oval shape so they are easier to fill.

Fill then fold in half and press edges together as noted in photos above.

Filling:

(fills 24)

Here is a simple black bean and cheese filling I threw together.

Combine 2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 can fire roasted green chili's, 3/4 cup jack cheese and 1/4-1/2 cup queso fresco.

Once empanadas are filled I put them in the fridge for a few hours so they could set up prior to frying.

Heat large pot with 2 in of veg oil until very hot. Using tongs place empanadas in oil and fry until crispy and brown. Let drain on paper towels prior to serving.

{Review}

These were a hit at the party but I must say they do take a lot of time to make.

Husband (and party guest) approved

{Time}

3-4 hours

Birthday dinner course 3: Basil and lime granita

2009-05-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

This recipe is based off one I found online from Martha Stewart. I changed it a bit from the original (read: took out the time consuming part) and think it turned out pretty tasty.

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh honeydew juice (from 1 1/4 pounds honeydew) * see note
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest from 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Raspberries for garnish

*Note- I had no idea where to get honeydew juice so I just made it up as I went. I cut up half of a melon into chunks and liquefied it in the blender. Then I strained the juice into a bowl. It turned out perfect. Half the melon made about 2 cups juice.

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add basil; cook until basil turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath until cool, about 1 minute. Drain; pat dry.

Stir together sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved. Add basil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let cool completely.

Puree the basil mixture in a blender, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in honeydew juice, lime juice, zest and salt.

Transfer to an 8-inch square nonreactive baking dish, and place in freezer. Rake with a fork every 30 - 45 minutes until mixture is completely frozen, about 3 hours.

Scoop into small bowls and garnish with raspberries.

{Review}
This is a very light dessert. Perfect compliment to a rich dinner.
This was my first time making a granita and found it very easy. Now im wondering what other types I can do.
I bet this recipe could be made into popsicles too. Yummy!
Husband approved

{Serve with}
A tasty dinner or have as a snack on a hot day.

{Time}
15 min prep time
3 hours in the freezer

Birthday dinner course 2: Lobster pasta with herbed cream sauce

2009-05-10T12:45:00.001-07:00

This recipe is from Bon Appétit December 2004

If you want to seriously impress your friends and family this is the dish to make. Don't be intimidated...its very, very easy and takes almost no time at all. The best part is that it can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.

* Note: Recipe serves 6. I cut it in half for 2 people and it was the perfect amount. I bought two 7 oz lobster tails. I didn't want to fuss with the live ones (and the screaming...ack!)

3 1 3/4-pound live lobsters * see note
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 fresh tarragon sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh Italian parsley sprigs
6 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 pounds fettuccine or linguine (using fresh pasta is best)

Bring very large pot of salted water to boil. Add lobsters. Boil until cooked through, about 12 minutes (or cook in batches, if necessary). Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large rimmed baking sheet. Remove meat from tail and claws; place meat in medium bowl. Remove any roe from bodies and place in small bowl. Cover and chill meat and roe (if any). Remove tomalley (green matter) from bodies and discard. Reserve bodies and shells.

If only using lobster tails, boil them in large pot of salted water for 10 min. When done remove from pot and allow to cool. Remove meat from shells. Cover and refrigerate. Reserve shells for sauce.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add reserved lobster bodies and shells. Sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add tomato paste; stir 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, vinegar, garlic, tarragon, thyme, and parsley. Add cream; boil 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer just until lobster flavor infuses cream, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Strain sauce into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard contents of strainer. (Lobster and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Transfer sauce to heavy large saucepan. Cut lobster meat into bite-size pieces; coarsely crumble roe, if using. Add to sauce. Gently rewarm over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add sauce; toss over medium-high heat until sauce coats pasta, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large shallow bowl and serve. Garnish with tarragon sprigs if desired.

{Review}

This dish was really good and looked fancy although it was very easy to make. It would be great for any special occasion, holiday or dinner party.

I recently discovered the New England Lobster Company in South San Francisco. This made buying the tails really convenient. I know sometimes they are hard to find. If you don't have a fresh seafood store near you try Costco.

Husband approved for sure

{Serve with}

Beet and Stilton salad with orange vinaigrette

{Time}
30 min

Birthday dinner course 1 : Beet and gorgonzola salad with orange vinaigrette

2009-05-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

As mentioned the other day I was planning a fancy dinner for Hamish's birthday. Im going to post each course separately for your viewing pleasure.

This recipe is based off one found in the Williams Sonoma "Healthful Cooking" Cookbook (pg 76). I changed it a bit due to not having some of the ingredients on hand (dill, green onions, garlic). I think it turned out great despite missing a few items.

For salad:

Spring mix salad greens

2 cooked beets (I buy the Trader Joes brand)

Cucumber

Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)

Orange segments (1 orange)

Vinaigrette:

3 tbs orange juice

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp orange zest

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in small bowl and whisk well. Set aside

In a large salad bowl combine ingredients for salad and toss with vinaigrette.

{Review}

Great tasting and easy dressing recipe. One I will keep on hand for sure. I love making a fresh dressing. It makes such a difference and is better for you!

Husband approved ( I think hes actually starting to like beets..yay!)

{Serve with}

Anything!

{Time}

10 min or less

A happy birthday dinner!

2009-05-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Hamish's birthday so im pulling out all the stops with dinner. Im making fettuccine with lobster cream sauce and a basil lime granita with raspberries for desert. Hopefully it turns out great. Im excited about this meal. I'll post the "results" tomorrow.

By the way - I made a great find yesterday. There is actually a lobster store right by my house. Go figure. I bought 2 BEAUTIFUL fresh lobster tails. I cant wait to eat them!

Lemon spaghetti with garlic artichoke sausage

2009-05-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

This lemon spaghetti recipe is from the "Everyday Italian" cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis. I added the sausage to give it a little more oomph and to make it more of a main dish.

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Aidells brand garlic and artichoke precooked sausages (found at most supermarkets)

Slice precooked sausages and brown slightly in saute pan. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the sausage, lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid (if needed). Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

{Review}

Wow! This recipe was really easy and pretty dang good. My favorite part is that I pretty much stock these ingredients in my fridge so this recipe is a great backup plan if I don't really have much time to cook.

Adding the sausage made it more filling.

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Salad and garlic bread

{Time}

30 min or less (more like 20min...woohoo!)

STK product review : Trader Joes mini croissants

2009-05-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Holy moly! I love these. They are just how a fresh croissant should be...flaky and buttery. Sorry about the sad looking photo. Most of them got eaten (you know who you are!) before I could take the pic.

These are found in the freezer section at Trader Joes and come in a box of 8. The dough is uncooked so you have to place them on a sheet pan and allow to proof overnight (at least 8 hours). The next day you pop them in the oven for 15-20 min and voila! Perfect croissants! Your friends and family are going to think you slaved over them. I wont tell if you dont.

By the way, these would be a great addition to your Mothers Day brunch menu.

24 hour omelet

2009-05-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is a great brunch dish and obscenely easy. Its definitely a tried and true recipe that I will continue to make for years to come.

Want to impress your family on Mothers day? Try it!

{recipe from Cooks Country }

24-Hour Omelet

Serves 6 to 8 (at least)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, plus extra for greasing the dish
10 slices high-quality white sandwich bread
12 ounces cheddar cheese , shredded (3 cups)
8 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1 onion , grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or casserole dish of similar size) with butter. Spread the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over one side of each slice of bread, then cut the bread into 1-inch pieces. Scatter half of the bread evenly into the prepared dish and sprinkle with half of the cheddar. Repeat with the remaining bread and cheddar.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, onion, salt, pepper, mustard, and Tabasco and pour evenly over the bread. Press lightly on the bread to submerge. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and uncover. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

To Make Ahead
The 24-Hour Omelet and can be made and held in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 36 hours before baking.

{Review}

Love this recipe. A keeper for sure.

It can be prepared up to 36 hours ahead of time then popped in the oven when needed.

{Serve with}

Fruit salad

Sometimes I serve sour cream and salsa on the side as toppings for the dish

{Time}

30 or less (active time)

Must be refrigerated overnight

1 hour cook time.

STK product review: CDN digital cooking thermometer with probe and timer

2009-04-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

I cant even explain how much easier cooking is when you have an awesome thermometer. I have the CDN digital cooking thermometer with probe and timer and it is my little kitchen soldier....he makes sure my roasts, chickens or whatever are cooked perfectly every time!

This little gadget has it all

Temperature range: 14 degrees to 392 degrees F
Digital thermometer, timer with oven test feature
Count up and down timer
Cord, probe and clip for candy making

My favorite feature is that I can set a temperature range and it will beep at me when my item hits that range. The probe cord is long enough where I can snake it out of the oven and leave the timer sitting on the counter. It takes the guess work out of cooking whole roasts, turkeys, chickens etc. I never have a dry bird or a raw roast. Amen to that!

Penne A La Carbonara

2009-04-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from the "Everyday Italian" cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis {pg 113}

1 pound pancetta, diced into 1-inch cubes (can substitute bacon)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pound dried penne
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Heat a large saute pan, until hot. Add pancetta/bacon and saute until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Season with black pepper and remove pan from heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish.

In a large pot, boil 6 quarts of salted boiling water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse with water; you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will stick.

While the pasta is still hot, return it back to the pot. Add the browned pancetta/bacon and mix well. Add the cream mixture and coat the pasta completely. It's important to work quickly while the pasta is still warm so that the cream mixture will cook, but not curdle. Add remaining Parmesan and chopped parsley.

{Review}
This was a very easy recipe and quite tasty. I did substitute the pancetta with bacon and used 5 eggs rather then 6 and still had some leftover cream mixture. I didn't use all the mixture for fear of it becoming to much sauce. I had about 1/2 cup leftover.
Husband approved.

{Serve with}
We just ate it by itself. Its pretty rich! Although a salad might have been nice.

{Time}
30 min or less

STK cooking tip: Avoiding spicy hands

2009-04-21T19:19:00.001-07:00

I made the jalapeno cheeseburgers again yesterday and thought of a great tip to share with you.

Usually when I chop peppers the oils stay on my hands for hours afterwards no matter how much I scrub. I inevitably end up rubbing my face/eyes and then the burning begins. Ouch! Not fun.

To prevent this I started putting ziploc bags over my hands whenever im chopping spicy things. Works like a charm! Try it!

Heavenly hots

2009-04-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

My friend told me how yummy these hotcakes are and she was right! They do not disappoint.

{recipe from Marion Cunningham's "Breakfast Book" }

1/4 cup cake flour -- Do not substitute!
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 large eggs -- beaten
1 16 oz. sour cream

**See note in review

Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar until well blended. In another bowl, mix together the eggs and sour cream until well blended. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until all dry ingredients are mixed in. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up a large frying pan. Once it's hot add a little oil and lightly coat the bottom of the skillet. Using a TABLESPOON(or ice cream scoop), drop the batter onto hot skillet. Cook on one side until the bubbles on the top start to pop and the edges begin to look dry. Careful that you don't burn them. They puff up when you flip them.

{Review}

I was concerned with the # of eggs vs. amount of flour. I ended up adding an extra 1/4 cup flour and im glad I did. I think they would have been to eggy otherwise. I also added a dash of vanilla.

I used an ice cream scoop to drop batter into pan. This made for perfectly sized and shaped hotcakes.

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Syrup

{Time}

30 min or less

Salad with orange, fennel and asparagus

2009-04-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

I made this salad to go with our Easter dinner and as you can tell I broke out the fine china :)

Epicurious March 2007

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest from 1 orange
1 pound thick asparagus, ends trimmed
4 medium oranges
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed, quartered, cored, and very thinly sliced crosswise
3 quarts loosely packed tender salad greens such as mâche, Boston, or red leaf lettuce, torn
1/3 cup fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)

Preparation
In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil, then zest.

In large sauté pan, bring 1 inch water to boil. Add asparagus and simmer until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain in colander, then rinse under cold running water until cool. Thinly slice on diagonal and transfer to large bowl.

Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Working over medium bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Add segments and any juice in medium bowl to large bowl with asparagus; squeeze juice from membranes into dressing and whisk to combine.

Add fennel and then salad greens to large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle chives on top and serve immediately.

{Review}
Tip: I had never worked with fennel so didn't know how to slice it. Here are directions if needed.
I added a dash of balsamic and also squeezed some orange juice into the dressing to zest it up a bit.
I also marinated the asparagus and fennel in dressing for a few hours before tossing with salad and adding orange segments.
Overall this was a great salad
Husband approved!

{Serve with}
Anything! Great side salad

{Time}
10 min or less

Jalapeno bacon cheeseburger

2009-04-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is not your average burger....it is mouthwatering to say the least. A must try!

Bon Appétit July 2005

Spicy Ranch Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

{if making less then 8 burgers you can half this recipe}

Burgers
2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño chile
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Worcestershire-Coffee Glaze
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter

8 bacon slices
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
8 hamburger buns
8 lettuce leaves
Cheddar cheese slices
Assorted additional toppings (such as tomato and grilled onion slices)

For spicy ranch sauce:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

For burgers:
Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Form mixture into eight 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place on small baking sheet. Cover and chill.

For glaze:
Stir first 5 ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Working in batches if necessary, cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Grill burgers about 5 min, basting with glaze. Turn burgers, baste with glaze, and grill until cooked to desired doneness about 5-6 min more for medium. Press cheese atop each burger and allow cheese to melt. Place some ranch sauce, then 1 burger on each bun bottom. Top each with 2 slices bacon and desired additional toppings. Cover with bun top. Serve with remaining sauce.

{Review}
Since discovering this recipe about 2 years ago they are pretty much the only burgers I make. I just cant go back to having a boring 'ol burger.
*Note: I add cilantro to the burger mix and also sprinkle a little cayenne on top of the patties prior to grilling.
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Sweet potato fries
Baked beans
Corn on the cob

{Time}
About 30min prep time then more time for grilling (but its worth it!)

Summer surprise

2009-04-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know why this dessert is called summer surprise but I do know its tasty!

Ingredients:

Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Nectarines or peaches
Brown sugar
Sour cream

* Note: you can really use any type of fresh fruit you want in this. Sometimes I add blackberries which are good too.

Cut strawberries and peaches/nectarines into bite sized pieces. Toss all fruit in a bowl with 4 tbs of brown sugar (you might need a bit more depending on how much fruit you have). Place in serving dish then spread a thin layer of sour cream over the top, kind of like icing a cake. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

{Review}
This is a really easy dessert and super yummy. For some reason the brown sugar and sour cream combo is just so good.
Husband approved

{Time}
10 min or less

STK cooking tip: What is trussing?

2009-04-09T12:00:00.001-07:00

For a roasted chicken to hold its shape it needs to be trussed (tied) before cooking. A smaller chicken may only require that the legs are tied together but a larger bird will require that it be tied around the legs and around the wings to hold its shape.

Im not the best at doing this and I usually only do the legs. I use either food grade twine or silicone food loops (shown above) to tie the legs together tight so they aren't flopping around during roasting. It makes for a great presentation and a juicer bird. Try it!

Simple roast chicken

2009-04-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from famed Chef Robert Keller (Epicurious October 2004). Seriously, this is some of the most tasty, juicy chicken I have ever made.

The recipe calls for one chicken but I made two so I can get another meal out of it. Tomorrow night...chicken tacos!

Ingredients

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
Unsalted butter

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

*Note: my trussing skills are not perfect but you can get an idea if what I did from the photo above.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a saute pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done (should reach 165 degrees), 50 to 60 minutes.

Remove it from the oven and add the thyme (optional) to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board. Then Slice.

If you want to use the drippings for homemade gravy just whisk a tablespoon of flour into the pan. Scrape up all the juicy bits then transfer to a small saute pan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Serve over sliced chicken.

{Review}
This is really good chicken and very easy. It takes some cook time but the prep is a snap.
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Sweet potato fries
Corn
Salad

{Time}
1 hour cook time. 5 min prep time

Pork katsu with pickled carrot salad

2009-04-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

I love ordering the bento box when I go to Japanese restaurants. I thought it might be fun to recreate it at home. Here we have...pork katsu, pickled carrot salad, jasmin rice with scallions and sesame seeds and store bought sushi. YUM!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large carrots
2 scallions, very thinly sliced diagonally
1 large egg
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
4 boneless center-cut pork chops (thin sliced preferred)

1/2 cup Jasmin rice
Vegetable oil

Sesame seeds

Sesame oil

Optional:

Store bought katsu sauce and sushi

Preparation

Whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 4-5 drops sesame oil in a large bowl. Using a vegetable peeler, shave as many ribbons as possible from carrots. Toss carrots and scallions with dressing. Set aside.

Lightly beat egg in a shallow bowl. Combine panko, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper on a large plate.

Pound pork chops to 1/8 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin. Season both sides with 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total).

Coat with egg, letting excess drip off, then with panko, pressing to help adhere. Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook chops (in batches if necessary), turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total.

Drain briefly on paper towels and slice thin prior to serving.

For rice:

Cook according to package directions. When done add in chopped scallions and sesame seeds.

{Review}

Great recipe and EASY!

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Pickled carrot salad, rice and store bought sushi

Don't forget the katsu sauce!

{Time}

25 - 30 min

Homemade croutons

2009-04-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Im notorious for buying a loaf of hot french bread at the supermarket, eating half of it then letting the other half go bad. Well, I don't technically feel that its my fault. The bread seems to get stale after one day! Right?

What better way to save bread then homemade croutons! They are super easy and really tasty

Ingredients:

Day old bread cut into cubes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
Herbs like rosemary, thyme (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut bread into cubes and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add dried herbs if desired.

When adding the olive oil you want to coat the bread but not soak it.

Spread out on baking sheet and cook for 15 min or until crispy and brown. Let cool and transfer to a ziploc bag. They will stay fresh for several days (if they last that long).

Top salads or eat as a tasty snack. Yum!

STK product review: Foil sheets

2009-04-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a "Try this" section of my blog which is dedicated to all my favorite kitchen tools and tips.

This first one you may think is pretty lame but...I must tell you, these foil sheets are pretty much a godsend. I use them daily and with pretty much every meal I make. Also, they are 100 times easier and more convenient then tin foil on the roll (plus no sharp edge to cut yourself on). These are the perfect size for lining a sheet pan, wrapping leftover food or covering a dish while in the oven.

I buy the Kirkland brand from Costco. They come 500 sheets per box and cost $12

Strawberry ricotta muffins

2009-03-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

WOW! These are seriously so good! You must try them.

The recipe is from here

Ingredients:
2 cups medium strawberries ** see note below
3/4 cup ricotta
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
10 Tbsp. butter melted and cooled, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. lime zest (or lemon)
2 cups flour
2 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Sanding sugar (optional)

makes 12 muffins

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently wash, hull, and cut strawberries into quarters. Place berries on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Bake until strawberries are partially dried, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (**note: I used a full 2 lbs of strawberries. My thoughts are..the more the better!)

Increase oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 12-mold muffin tin with 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining butter.

In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub together sugar and lime or lemon zest until sugar is moist. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Use a spatula to gently but quickly fold ricotta mixture into dry ingredients. Don’t overwork it. The batter will be thick and heavy. Stir in strawberries and spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Top with sanding sugar if desired. Bake until tops of muffins are golden and springy to the touch, about 20-25

What is sanding sugar you ask? Well, its that course type sugar that you see on top of sugar cookies. Its a great touch to the top of muffins. You can find it in any party supply or craft store in the baking/cake decorating section.

{Review}
Holy moly. I {heart} these muffins
I used lemon zest rather than lime. But, I imagine the lime is just as good
Beware: like the recipe says..when you mix the dry & wet ingredients together initially the dough will be really stiff. This worried me a bit but once I added berries it loosened up because of the extra moisture

{Serve with}
Coffee or tea? or nothing. They are that good.

{Time}
45 min to dry out berries and 20 min in oven

Cod with leeks, tomatoes and artichoke hearts served with saffron rice

2009-03-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Every Day Food Cookbook (Pg 61)

2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced, rinsed well, and patted dry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts (run under warm water to slightly defrost)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
3 sprigs thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, (about 12 ounces)
4 cod fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together leeks, lemon juice, oil, lemon zest, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover with foil, and bake until leeks just begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove baking dish from oven. Add tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and toss to combine. Season both sides of cod fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables.

Cover dish and bake until fish is opaque throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

{Review}
This is a great spring dish and was really easy. I admit that I don't cook fish as often as I should but, this is one that might entice me to make more
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Saffron rice. I buy the kind in a box (kind if like rice a roni) its easy and tasty.

{Time}
10 min prep, 30 min in oven

Baked penne with white cheddar and leeks

2009-03-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Bon Appétit March 2009

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 5 large)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pound extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 4 cups packed)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 pound penne pasta

(Note: I also added gouda cheese to add a bit more flavor)

Lightly butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes (do not brown). Uncover saucepan; add flour. Stir 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to simmer, stirring often. Add cheese, mustard, and pepper sauce. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Season cheese sauce to taste with salt.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Return to pot.

Stir cheese sauce into pasta in pot. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake pasta until cheese sauce is bubbling around edges and some ends of pasta are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let stand 15 minutes. Serve hot.

{Review}
This was good although a little bland. I think adding more types of cheese would be better. I added gouda but next time might add fontina as well.

The recipe in magazine calls for adding an egg to cheese mixture. I totally removed this step because you don't really need it and the chance of egg curdling from hot cheese sauce is pretty high (read: screwing up the entire dish).

This is husband approved but he said it needed more flavor which I have to agree with him on.

{Serve with}
Steamed veggies on the side

{Time}
25 min prep. 25 min in oven

Steak with parsley sauce, polenta and sauteed mushrooms

2009-03-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Every Day Food Cookbook (pg 46 & 360)

For steak & sauce:

1-½ pounds flank steak
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup olive oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (about 4 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Generously season both sides of flank steak with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steak 5 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. (Note: this can be made on the grill too!)Transfer to a cutting board; let rest, covered, 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain.

Meanwhile, make sauce: In a food processor, pulse garlic until finely chopped. Add parsley, oregano, vinegar, pepper flakes, 1/4 cup oil, 2 tablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pulse until herbs are finely chopped. Serve with steak.

For sauteed mushrooms:

8 oz mushrooms (cremini)
2 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
S & P

Cut off mushroom stems and discard. Thinly slice the caps.

Heat olive oil over med heat. Add the shallot and mushrooms. Cook until light brown and soft. Season with S & P

For polenta:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (not the quick cooking kind)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tbs butter

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper to biol over high heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add the cornmeal, whisk until smooth before adding more

Reduce heat to low, simmer, whisking often until thick. About 10 min. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and butter. Serve immediately.

{Review}
This was a pretty good recipe. Although, try not to kiss someone after because that sauce has some garlic to it :)
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Polenta and sauteed mushrooms as noted above}

{Time}
25 - 30 min

Sarah's mini meatballs with penne

2009-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

This recipe makes 30 mini meatballs. You can freeze them then take a few out to cook as needed. I love having something easy lurking in the freezer for those days I really don't feel like cooking.

Tip: I roll out the meatballs and place in a mini muffin pan. That way they are all the same size. I freeze them in the pan then transfer them to a ziploc bag for long term storage.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (90/10)

1 lb ground pork

1/2 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tsp each salt and pepper

- Over med heat saute onion and garlic in 1 tbs olive oil until soft.

- To large mixing bowl add ground beef, pork, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, S&P and cooled onion/garlic mixture. Mix together gently.

- Roll out mini meat balls and place in mini muffin pan. Put some aside for dinner and place the rest in freezer. Freeze overnight then transfer to ziploc bag for storage. (see tip above)

To cook meatballs:

- Add 2 tbs olive oil to saute pan. Brown mini meatballs on all sides then simmer in marinara sauce until cooked all the way through. About 10 min.

- Serve over pasta of choice with marinara sauce. Top with ricotta if desired.

** If using frozen meatballs be sure to defrost prior to browning step.
**These will keep in freezer for a few months.

{Review}
Love these. They are so easy and this one recipe makes about 4 meals.
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Penne and marinara sauce
Ricotta optional
Garlic bread

{Time}
25 - 30 min

Sarah's chicken picatta with artichoke hearts and angel hair pasta

2009-03-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts last week. Hamish was out of town so I didn't have anyone to cook for...boooooo. Now im back and have some good stuff planned.

First up is chicken picatta with artichoke hearts and angel hair pasta

4 thin sliced chicken breast
1 cup flour
3 tbs butter
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen artichoke hearts (I like the Trader Joes brand)
2 tbs capers, drained and rinsed
S & P

Serves 2-3

- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Shake off excess. ** Note: I like to use the foster farms thin sliced breasts because they cook faster.
- Add 1 tbs olive oil to saute pan and cook chicken until golden brown on both sides over med-high heat. Set aside chicken and cover with foil.
**No need to worry about cooking chicken completely through at this point. They will be added back to pan later.
- Add 1 tbs butter to same pan and saute shallots until soft. Add in white wine and let boil for 1 min. Add in capers, frozen artichoke hearts, broth and juice from 1/2 lemon. Bring back to a boil.
- Add chicken back to pan along with 2 tbs butter and the squeezed out lemon rind. Cover and turn down heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 min (if using thicker chicken breasts you may need to add more time)
- While chicken is cooking, make pasta and set aside.
- Taste sauce - it may need more lemon or salt. Season if needed. At the very end I like to remove chicken and boil sauce for a few minutes until it becomes thicker. This step is optional.
- Serve chicken, artichoke hearts and sauce over angel hair pasta.

{Review}
I've been making this for years and its one of my easy weeknight standbys
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Garlic bread

{Time}
25 min

Tomorrow i'll have my homemade mini meatballs with pasta. Its a great recipe because you can make some now then freeze the rest for a rainy day. Stay tuned!

Mediterranean salad with chickpea patties

2009-03-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Real Simple magazine (April 09 issue pg 178)

I thought this was pretty good...it can be pulled together quickly plus its vegetarian.

1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed (aka garbanzo beans)
1/2 c fresh flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbs flour
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 c low fat plain yogurt
Feta cheese, crumbled
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
mixed greens
grape tomatoes
red onion
Pita chips

*The feta was my addition - I love cheese.

In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin and 1/4 tsp each of S & P just until coarsely chopped and mixture comes together when gently squeezed. Form into 1/2 in thick patties (recipe says it makes 8, I only got 4). Coat patties with flower, tap off excess.

Heat oil in non stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook the patties, turning carefully until golden brown, 2-3 min per side.

In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice and S & P. Divide greens, tomatoes, onion and chickpea patties among plates. Drizzle with yogurt sauce. Top with feta crumbles.

{Review}
This was good although I dont think it would be husband approved. Its one of those things I would make for myself when the hubbs is out of town.
Very easy and fast!
Tip: Next time I might add a little panko bread crumbs to the mixture to firm up the patties. They were pretty soft and crumbly.

{Serve with}
Pita chips or Naan

{Time}
20 min

Its corned beef and cabbage day!!!!

2009-03-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Oh, I mean....Happy St Pattys Day!

I love corned beef and cabbage. What makes it even better is covering it in traditional mustard sauce. This recipe is from my husbands Mom (hope I don't get in trouble for posting it). Its just so good...I wanted to share the deliciousness.

Sauce for corned beef

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons sugar

1 egg

½ cup vinegar

½ cup of liquid in which corn beef was boiled (cooled)

Mix mustard and sugar together in small saucepan. Break egg into this mixture and stir well together. Then add vinegar and corned beef liquid. Simmer for a few minutes stirring well (do not boil or egg might curdle). Serve with hot corned beef.

For thicker sauce add a bit of cornstarch to the mustard powder and sugar mixture.

Blueberry cream pie

2009-03-12T11:28:00.001-07:00

I love this pie! The recipe was given to me by a friend many years ago. Its so easy and people just love it.

Pillsbury premade pie dough
1 pint fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup flour
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
9in pie dish

Unroll pie dough and place in pie dish. Crimp edges. Prick holes in bottom with fork and follow package baking directions. (its usually 350 degrees for 10min). You want the shell to be light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400.

When pie shell is cool, fill with blueberries.

Combine rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over berries. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 min or until center is set. Allow to cool and enjoy!

{Review}
Love this pie (obviously)
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Ice cream

{Time}
20 min prep time (including baking shell)
40min bake time

Marys margaritas

2009-03-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe is awesome!

2 cups tequila

2 cups Jose Cuervo margarita mix

1/2 cup Grand Marnier

1/2 cup OJ

1/2 cup frozen limeade (use the concentrate straight from can)

Mix in a pitcher and enjoy!

{Review}

Who doesn't love a good margarita

{Serve with}

Chicken with poblano cream sauce

Black beans

Cilantro rice

{Time}

5 min

Chicken with poblano cream sauce and cilantro rice

2009-03-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Martha Stewarts "Everyday Food" cookbook. Page 205

No...that is not green slime. Its poblano cream sauce and boy, it was good! Try it!

Serves 4

1 poblano chile
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions
Roast chile over a gas burner or under the broiler, until charred all over. Wrap in foil; let steam 5 minutes. Rub off skin; remove seeds and ribs. Chop coarsely.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; add onion and garlic; cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chile and cream.

Puree in blender; add water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden and juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Slice and serve with sauce.

{Review}

I cooked this meal for a few friends and everyone loved it. It got 6 thumbs up and a husband approved. Pretty good!

This was very easy to make

{Serve with}

Cilantro rice (simply add chopped cilantro and scallions to cooked white or brown rice)

Black beans (from a can)

Margaritas!!!

{Time}

30 min

Chili rubbed skirt steak with sweet potato fries

2009-03-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Martha Stewart "Everyday Food" cookbook. Page 294

4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 to 3 pound beef skirt steak, cut into 8 even pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat (can also be cooked on BBQ). In a small bowl, combine chili powder, coriander, sugar, oregano, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Coat steaks evenly on both sides with oil, then spice mixture, patting to adhere.

Place half the steaks on a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil, without turning, until medium-rare, 5 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to a large platter, and cover with aluminum foil; let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

If BBQing, cook about 6 min on each side (depending on thickness)

{Review}
Very, very easy
Definitely husband approved
Leftovers would make great tacos

{Serve with}
Romaine-Heart Salad (The dressing is great and makes a nice dipping sauce for fries)
Sweet potato fries (These can be purchased in the freezer section at Trader Joe's. If you don't have a TJ's near you try Whole Foods)

{Time}
30 min

Sarah's ultimate

2009-03-09T11:19:00.001-07:00

I {heart} comfort food. For me this is heaven on a plate.

{Sarah's sticky ribs}
{Sarah's awesome mac n' cheese}

Sarah's awesome mac n' cheese

2009-03-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

My other favorite food is homemade mac n' cheese. I have gone through so many recipes and think I finally mastered it. This one is easy and so creamy. It also has a crisp panko topping which is like the icing on the cake ...ummm, macaroni.

Ingredients
Topping:
1/2 cup panko
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Macaroni:
1 lb bag of large macaroni noodles
3 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs flour
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
2 cup milk (I use 2%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
8 oz white cheddar
Small block of fontina (remove red wax from outside)
4 oz Gruyere
2 cup Sharp cheddar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.

Shred all cheese in food processor. Set aside.

Bring stock pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package directions (about 5-6 min) Drain in colander and return to stock pot.

Melt 3tbs butter over medium heat in large sauce pan. Once melted add diced onion and saute until soft. Stir in red pepper flakes. Add 3 tbs flour and stir for 1 min until combined. Whisk in milk. Bring to a slight boil whisking constantly.

Add cream, dijon, salt, pepper and all cheeses. Remove pan from heat. Stir together until all cheese is melted.

Combine about 3/4 cheese sauce to cooked macaroni in stock pot. Mix well. I usually end up having some cheese sauce left over. Feel free to add all of sauce but I find it ends up being more sauce then noodles.

Pour into large baking dish. Sprinkle 1 c sharp cheddar on top.

Combine panko with 2 tbs melted butter and sprinkle on top of macaroni. Bake in 350 oven for 25 min or until bubbly.

{Review}
Husband approved
Pretty easy
Great comfort food

{Serve with}
Sarah's Sticky ribs
Salad

{Time}
20 min prep time
25 min cook time

Sarah's sticky ribs

2009-03-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

I LOVE ribs so I taught myself how to make them just the way I like to eat them...nice crust on outside, moist on inside and a little sweet with some spice. These are fall off the bone tasty (and messy..have napkins ready)

Ingredients:

For rub:

1 c brown sugar

1 tbs kosher salt

1 tbs black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

For ribs:

1 slab of pork baby back ribs

BBQ sauce of choice (I love the Trader Joes Kansas City style)

Preheat oven to 400. Line baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray (don't forget this part...if you don't line the pan you will be cursing at yourself later when its time to clean up)

Prior to putting rub on ribs you must remove thin membrane from bone side of ribs. This is the key to the best ribs ever. I learned it from some BBQ cook off on TV...hahaha. Starting at one end of ribs (bone side up) slide a butter knife just under the membrane. Its really thin, like tissue paper. Grasp it with a piece of paper towel and pull it off length of ribs.

If you need help here is a video. Warning: Its pretty cheezy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fqJcc4n_I

Combine rub ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Rub all over both sides of ribs.

Place ribs on lined baking sheet and place in 400 degree oven. Cook for 1 hour. Turn over ribs after 30min.

After 1st hour, turn heat down to 250 degrees and cook for 2 more hours. Flip over every hour.

Baste with BBQ sauce last 30 min on both sides.

Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min. Cut ribs between bones with sharp knife to separate.

{Review}

Awsome and husband approved

Very easy

{Serve with}

Sarah's mac n' cheese

Salad

{Time}

10 min prep time

3 hours cook time

Creamy One-Pot Pasta

2009-03-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

The other day while hanging out with my friend Sara we had some leftovers of this yummy pasta she made. Its seriously awesome and so easy.

* This can be made vegetarian by substituting veg broth for chicken broth.

4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 jar (7 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (5¼ cups)
1 lb uncooked penne pasta
1 head broccoli (2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)

Thinly slice garlic. Place garlic and 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes into
(8-qt.) Stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner; increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets; place into bowl. Cut carrots in half lengthwise; thinly
slice crosswise on a bias. Drain sun-dried tomatoes; pat dry with a paper towel.

Slice sun dried tomatoes into thin strips. Add carrots and tomatoes to batter bowl. Mix well.

Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add vegetables, cream cheese, salt and black pepper to Stockpot. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve immediately. If desired, top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil.
Makes: 6 servings

{Review}

This was a great dish and incredibly easy.

Note: After penne was done but prior to adding veggies & cream cheese I removed about 3/4 cup of the broth from pot. I was worried it would water down the sauce to much. Once cheese melted in pot it was a good consistency. If you want to thin it out just add some of the broth back in. Once the pasta cooled down it became pretty thick. I added the reserve broth back in prior to putting it in the fridge as leftovers. It stayed nice and creamy for the next day.

{Serve with}

Garlic bread

{Time}

30min or less

Easy butternut squash soup

2009-03-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Epicurious and adapted it a little. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

{before}

{after}

Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1- pound butternut squash (I used 2 8oz packages of diced butternut squash from Trader Joes) 2 cans low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 onion (layers separated)
Nonfat sour cream (optional)
Chopped fresh chives (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place diced squash and onions in prepared dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with S&P. Toss well to combine. Bake until tender, about 35 minutes.
Scrape squash and onions into large bowl. Add broth and puree until smooth (use blender or immersion blender). Transfer puree to heavy large saucepan. Mix in cream and enough broth to thin to desired consistency. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream and chives, if desired.

{review}

Very good and easy

Cant say its husband approved yet because hes not home tonight to eat it.

{Serve with}

garlic bread

{Time}

35 to 45 min

Spaghetti with meat sauce

2009-03-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

I've made spaghetti and meat sauce before but this time it was much better than in the past. I think it was the high quality organic ground beef I used. It didn't taste "beefy" at all. It was more melt in your mouth. Yummy!

{image}

The ingredients are just a guess because I don't usually measure when I cook.

Ingredients:

1 lb organic ground beef (85/15)

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup finely diced green pepper

1 tbs tomato paste

28oz can crushed tomato

garlic salt

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

Italian herb seasoning

splash of red wine

1/2 tbs crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan.

pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper over ground beef. Set aside.

Finely chop onions and bell pepper in food processor (I used my mini chopper). You want them to melt into the sauce rather than be in chunky pieces. Saute over medium-high heat until softened with 1 tbs olive oil. Turn down heat and add crushed garlic cloves. Be careful not to let them scorch.

Add 1 tbs tomato paste and stir over med heat to combine. (tip: buy the kind that comes in a tube. Its easier to use and you don't waste a whole can when you only need a little bit. ). Add splash of red wine (about 1/4 cup).

Add ground beef to onion/pepper mixture and stir until browned. Once brown add can of crushed tomato, Italian herb seasoning and red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 20min.

Right before serving add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to sauce and stir. Add more garlic salt as needed for flavor.

Voila! Yummy sauce!

Serve over pasta with more parm.

{Review}

This was a really good sauce. Much better then jarred and easy to make.

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Garlic bread

{Time}

30 min

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2009-02-25T17:10:00.001-08:00

This recipe is from "Everyday Food Magazine" Pasta innovations issue

*Note: Recipe calls for provalone cheese. I didnt find it to have much flavor (it pretty much had none). If I made this again I would substitute with gouda and white chedder.

To cut out some fat I boiled the chicken for about 20min then sliced rather than pan frying as recipe calls for.

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) *See note
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.
Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

{Review}
This is easy to make
Recipe would have been better if cheese mixture had more flavor. See note above.

{Serve with}
Garlic bread
Salad

{Time}
About 30min prep and 20min in oven

Roast pork chops with carrots and mustard gravy

2009-02-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from "Everyday Food Magazine" Pasta innovation issue

* Note: recipe calls for a pork loin but I used 4 thick cut pork chops because they cook faster

{Image}

2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise if large
1/2 pound shallots, peeled and halved if large
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast (or 4 thick cut pork chops)
3/4 cup white wine (can substitute chicken broth if needed)
2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots, shallots, and 1 tablespoon rosemary with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, season pork with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add pork loin/chops; cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes for loin or 3-4 min for chops. Transfer pork to a plate, and reserve skillet.

Remove baking sheet from oven; push vegetables to sides. Place pork in center; return sheet to oven. Roast, tossing vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes for loin of 10-15 for chops. (note: might need to remove carrots early to avoid overcooking). Loosely tent pork with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

While pork rests, pour off almost all of the fat from skillet. Add wine (or broth), and cook over medium-high, scraping up browned bits, until syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually add 1/2 cup water or broth, whisking constantly. Add 1 tablespoon rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk in mustard, and season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve pork with carrots and gravy.

{Review}

Very easy

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Garlic bread or rolls

Salad

{Time}

30 min

Chicken w/ artichokes and anglehair pasta

2009-02-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from "Everyday Food Magazine" Pasta innovations issue

{Image}

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
14 oz artichoke hearts (I use the frozen ones from Trader Joes)
2 tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces angel-hair pasta
1/2 cup parsley leaves (optional)

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Place flour in a shallow dish, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in batches, adding remaining oil as needed, until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a dish.

Add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Add frozen artichokes , capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently swirl to combine, and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat. Swirl in butter, and cover to keep warm.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta, topped with parsley.

{Review}
Very good and easy
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Garlic bread

{Time}
25min or less

Tortilla soup w/ mini quesidillas

2009-02-25T16:13:00.000-08:00

I've made this tortilla soup a few times. I cant remember when the original recipe is from (maybe Gourmet??)

{image}
this is not actual image of soup but it looks pretty close.

Tortilla Strips

8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Kosher salt

Soup

2 chicken breasts (skin removed and well trimmed of excess fat)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 very large white onion (about 1 pound), trimmed of root end, quartered, and peeled
4 medium cloves garlic , peeled
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
Kosher salt
2 medium tomatoes , cored and quartered
1/2 medium jalapeño chile (seeds removed)
1 chipotle chile en adobo , plus up to 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Garnishes

1 lime , cut into wedges
1Hass avocado , diced fine
8 ounces cotija cheese , crumbled, or Monterey Jack cheese, diced fine
Mexican crema or sour cream

1.FOR THE TORTILLA STRIPS:Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread tortilla strips on rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil and toss until evenly coated. Bake until strips are deep golden brown and crisped, about 14 minutes, rotating pan and shaking strips (to redistribute) halfway through baking time. Season strips lightly with salt; transfer to plate lined with several layers paper towels.

2. FOR THE SOUP:While tortilla strips bake, bring chicken, broth, 2 onion quarters, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil over medium-high heat in large saucepan; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large plate. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer; discard solids in strainer. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.

3. Puree tomatoes, 2 remaining onion quarters, 2 remaining garlic cloves, jalapeño, chipotle chile, and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce in food processor until smooth. Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering; add tomato/onion puree and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has darkened in color, about 10 minutes. Stir strained broth into tomato mixture, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer to blend flavors, about 15 minutes. Taste soup; if desired, add up to 2 teaspoons additional adobo sauce. Add shredded chicken and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. To serve, place portions of tortilla strips in bottom of individual bowls and ladle soup into bowls; pass garnishes separately.

{Review}

This is a great soup but a little time consuming (although still easy)

Makes enough for leftovers

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Quesadillas (make them mini by using small corn tortillas)

{Time}

1 hour but its pretty easy