Home Style Meal

I didn't have much to work with yesterday since I hadn't gone grocery shopping, so I was limited with what I could make. After checking the pantry and freezer, I decided to take out the lb. of lean ground beef to defrost. Now, what to make??
Well, thankfully I had some potatoes, and also in the freezer, frozen cut green beans and a few slices of bacon. With those ingredients on hand, the only thing that came to my mind was something home"styley"... Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans with bacon. To cut down on cooking time, I made mini meatloaves.
My mother-in-law gave me a nifty little mini loaf pan with 4 compartments. I love the thing!

Mini Meat Loaves (for 2)

• 1 lb lean ground beef
  1/4 cup diced onions
  1 clove of garlic minced
  2 Tbs. fresh basil chopped
  1 tsp. oregano
  3 Tbs. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  1 egg
  3 dashes of milk (maybe 3 tbs???)
  1/3 cup bread crumbs
  coarse salt and pepper
  
  For the glaze:
  4 Tbs. tomato sauce
  1 tsp brown sugar
  1 squirt Dijon mustard
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  combine all meat loaf ingredients into a bowl with hands. Shape into 2 individual loaves, or use mini loaf pans.
  
  Combine glaze ingredients together and spread on the top of meat loaves. Cook in oven for 30 minutes.
  
  Mashed Potatoes
  
  3 med. Yukon gold
  3 Tbs. unsalted butter
  1/4 cup milk
  Salt and pepper
  
  Cut potatoes into 2 inch chunks and put in pot with cold water (about 2 inches above potatoes). Bring to boil for about 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain potatoes, and return to pot. Add butter, milk and salt and pepper. Use a hand mixer (or a masher) and mix together.
  
  Green Beans
  
  1 1/2 cup frozen cut green beans (defrosted a bit)
  3 slices of bacon
  1 clove of garlic
  salt and pepper
  
  Saute bacon in pan until almost done add green beans and bacon, continue to saute for 3-6 minutes until beans are heated through and but not soggy, and bacon is crisp.

Ahhh, I love the blue waters....

We just got back from Nassau, and I miss the blue waters already. I love wading into water and being able to see my feet. It was a short trip, but well worth it. Here's a glimpse of what we were into last weekend...

Buy One Get One Free

My local Publix had a buy one get one free special on whole chicken roasters, so of course I took advantage of the deal. I finally decided to use one of my 3 1/2 lb. chickens for dinner tonight. I don't have a roasting rack, and not even a nice roasting pan. I decided that I would use the rack of my toaster oven as a substitute, and set it in a 9 x 13 glass casserole. ( Sometimes you just have to work with what you have!!!)

The chicken came out very juicy and tender, and the skin was browned just enough (although, I like it a little more than pictured).

Since I had made a pretty heavy side the night before, I decided to make something a little bit healthier for tonight. My first thought was barley. I absolutely love barley! It is such a versatile grain. It can be used for risotto's, salads, stuffings, etc. Thankfully my picky, dear husband loves it as well. I prepared the barley pretty simple, because I knew I would be making a delicious pan gravy to top it with which would give it tons of flavor.

I picked up some baby broccoli the other day from Trader Joe's and I couldn't wait to eat it. My dear husband isn't a fan of broccoli, so I roasted fresh snap beans in the same pan as my broccoli to complete his meal.

Roasted Whole Chicken

• 1 3-4 lb chicken
• half a medium sized vidalia roughly chopped
• 5 garlic cloves removed from skin
• 1 stalk of celery roughly chopped
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 Tbs. fresh basil
• 1 Tbs. Fresh oregano
• 1 Tbs. Fresh parsley
• 2 Sprigs fresh thyme removed from stem and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Coarse Salt and Fresh ground White pepper (plus 1 Tbs. peppercorns)
  
• Note: save 1 tbs. fresh herbs for barley

Remove giblets from the cavity of the chicken(save to make stock later), and wash the body under cold water. Pat dry.

Mix butter with the fresh herbs and set aside. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with onion, garlic, celery bay leaves and pepper corns. Roll the lemon to release the juices and slice in 1/2. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon over the entire chicken and then stuff it in the cavity. Repeat with the other 1/2.

Take the butter and massage the entire chicken and try to get under the skin. Generously salt and pepper the entire bird, put in roasting pan or rack and roast for 1 hour (check temp at 50 min. since ovens may vary)

Barley

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 1 shallot minced
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbs. fresh herbs
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat. Add shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add Chicken stock and let come to a boil. Add barley and fresh herbs. Let boil for a minute or so, and reduce to low and let simmer for 30-40 minutes (mine was done in 35)

Pan Gravy (I'm a gravy girl... love it!)

• Drippings from chicken (plus browned bits Came to about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 C. Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbs. flour

Note: This is where I had to be creative since I do not own a nice roast pan. I actually used my toaster oven rack and a 9 x 13 casserole. So I wasn't able to put the casserole over a burner, but the gravy, oh the gravy.... It was divine!!!

Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil and let rest. Pour drippings and browned bits (you may have to scrape) into a container and try to remove as much fat as possible. Add to a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until you have a smooth roux. Add Chicken stock slowly, whisking constantly while it simmers and thickens. Remove from heat when you reach the desired consistency.

Baby Broccoli

• 3 spears baby broccoli
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• dash garlic powder
• salt and pepper
  

line a small baking pan with foil, season broccoli with salt, pepper and garlic powder. add the olive oil and toss. Roast for 15 minutes. (in the same oven at 375)

Awesome Au Gratin!

I had originally wanted to make this for the BBQ yesterday, but like I said in my last post, the potatoes were already covered. So I decided to make them tonight with leftover mushroom crusted pork chops I ordered from a restaurant (Wildfire Grill) on Friday. The portion was huge, and it was enough for Chad and I to share for leftovers.

The potatoes came out great, and I'm very pleased with the recipe. It's a keeper!



Au Gratin Potatoes

• 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes sliced very thin
• 1/2 cup finely chopped vidalia onion
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cup of milk (2%)
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbs. flour
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar/jack blend
• 1/2 tsp. freshly gated nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper

For the Bechamel

Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and add onions. Saute for about a minute and add garlic. Saute for another minute and add flour. Whisk until smooth and add milk slowly Whisking the entire time. Add nutmeg and Salt and pepper. Let come to a simmer and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a small casserole with butter and layer 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom. Layer the bechamel over the potatoes, and then add a layer of cheese. Complete this layering process until all ingredients are used. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, and remove the foil the last 15 minutes to let the cheese get nice and browned.

Last minute Dip for a bbq

• My mother was throwing a bbq birthday party for my step-dad and a close family friend. She asked that everyone bring their favorite steak, and a side. I was having trouble deciding what to bring since veggies, salad, potatoes, and dessert were covered. The lovely ladies of the "What's Cooking" board on the nest gave me great ideas, but I decided to wing a dip recipe.
  
  I went to the grocery store and bought a couple of red peppers, fresh basil, cream cheese and Italian blend shredded cheese. I thought I would throw this together with some other ingredients and make a dip. Instead of chips for dipping, I wanted to do something a little different. I got the idea to do a fried farfalle from a restaurant called Copeland's.
  It all came together quite nicely, and we had a blast at the party! Happy Birthday Daddy!!!
  
  Roasted Red Pepper Dip
  
  2 Roasted red peppers
  3 roasted cloves of garlic
  1/2 C. Mayo
  1 block plus 3oz. of cream cheese softened (I used a little square of the Philadelphia brand)
  3 Tbs. Fresh basil cut into a chiffonade
  1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  1 tsp. dried minced onion
  olive oil
  salt and pepper
  1/2 cup-1 cup Italian blend cheese
  
  Preheat oven to 375
  Roughly chop red peppers. Arrange on foil lined baking sheet and add garlic cloves in their skin. Add about 2-3 tbs. olive oil and add salt and pepper. Toss a bit to coat. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes.
  
  While peppers and garlic are roasting, combine cream cheese, mayo, minced onion and basil together in a bowl. When peppers and garlic are done roasting transfer to processor and process until you have a puree.
  
  Add to cream cheese mixture and toss in 1/2 to 1 cup of Italian blend cheese. Bake in oven (375) for 15 minutes.
  
  Fried Farfalle
  
  1 lb. farfalle
  2 cups bread crumbs
  3 eggs
  splash of milk
  Oil for frying
  
  Boil pasta according to package directions. Let cool. Combine eggs and milk and whisk together. Dip pasta in egg, then bread crumbs. Over medium high heat in a large skillet with 2" sides fry in oil until golden.

Giving in to my sweet tooth

I was craving something sweet so I decided to make a strawberry shake with home made whipped cream. So glad I did, it definitely did the trick.

Strawberry Shake

• 1-1/2 c. low fat vanilla ice cream
• 1 tbs. sugar
• 1/4-1/2 C. frozen strawberries
• 1/4-1/2 C. 2% milk

Mix together in a blender until smooth.

Whipped Cream

• 1/2 C. heavy cream
• pinch of sugar
• 1/2 capful of vanilla extract

Put into cold glass bowl and mix using a hand mixer. When there are stiff peaks stop blending.

The Pleasure of Penne

Last night I decided to used the meat sauce I had frozen in the freezer form an earlier batch I made about a month ago. I wanted to do a baked ziti, but no I had no ziti, so I subbed penne.

I used fresh basil, and oregano which made the flavor very intense and delicious.

For another variation I decided to make a bechamel sauce to layer over the meat sauce. I'm glad I did this, it really made for a spectacular dish!

Baked Penne

• 1 lb. penne pasta


• 3 cups meat sauce (I used lean ground beef, onions, peppers, celery, garlic, oregano, basil, bay, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock)


• 1/4 cup fresh basil cut into a chiffonade (roll up like a cigar and chop so you get thin strips)


• 3 tbs. fresh oregano


• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan divided


• 2-2/12 cups mozzarella cheese
  

Bechamel Sauce

• 5 Tbs. unsalted butter


• 4 Tbs. flour


• Garlic Powder


• Onion Powder


• 2 cups milk


• 1/2 cup heavy cream


• Freshly grated nutmeg (1/2 tsp.)


• 1/2 cup Parmesan
  

Melt butter over meduim heat in a sauce pan. Add flour, onion and garlic powders and cook whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Add milk and cream slowly (1/2 cup at a time) and contiue to whisk. bring to a simmer and let thicken about 1 minute. remove from heat and whisk in parmesan and freshly grated nutmeg.

Cook penne in salted boiling water for 6 minutes (it will finish cooking while it bakes). Layer a little of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 glass casserole. Add a layer of penne. On top of the penne layer some bechamel. Add another layer of meat sauce. Then Parmesan, then basil and oregano, then mozzarella. Continue to layer until ingredients are gone. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil the last 5 minutes so the mozzarella can get a nice golden color.

It's fish night!

I picked up some Orange Roughy at the local Trader Joe's, and couldn't wait to cook it tonight. I looked at different techniques on the web and decided to potato crust them. Per Chad's request I served it with herbed Parmesan risotto with fresh green beans. I finished the dish with a lemon butter sauce I got from the FN website (I believe it was Sara Moultan). It was soooo delicious!

Potato Crusted Orange Roughy

• 2 6oz. Fillets of Orange Roughy (you can use almost any fish you like though)
• 1 cup potato flakes
• 1 egg beaten with a little cream and dijon mustard
• flour for dredging
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Pat fish dry and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour, then egg, then potato flakes. Heat oil (I used best blend) over med. high heat and cook a few minutes on each side. drain on paper towel lined plate.

Herbed Parmesan Orzo

• 1 1/2 c. orzo
• 1 1/2 C. chicken stock
• 1 table spoon fresh chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated paremsan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh green beans
• 1/4 C. onion finely chopped
• 2 1/2 Tbs. butter
• Salt and pepper

Heat butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, fresh herbs and green beans. Saute for 3 minutes. Add orzo and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock salt and pepper and bring to a boil. let boil for one minute turn down the heat and cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. When finished stir in parmesan cheese and blend together.

Lemon Beurre Blanc

• juice of one lemon
• 1 cup white wine (I used a chardonnay)
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 7 Tbs. butter
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream

In a non reactive sauce pan add wine, lemon juice and shallots. Cook for 4-7 minutes until reduced to about 3 Tbs. Add heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Add butter a few tablespoons at a time whisking the entire time. Take sauce off heat and add the rest of the butter in increments continuing to whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over fish and orzo.

I had the desire to bake...

• I had planned on using the 2 blocks of cream cheese (buy one get one free) when I bought them, but I never did come up with a way to use them. Chad isn't very fond of cream cheese (weirdo) but, nevertheless, I saw a sale and purchased them.
  
  Tonight I made the decision to make little cheesecakes with a Nilla Wafer as the bottom crust, a recipe I saw on Paula Deen. I tweaked it a bit, and I will probably keep tweaking because the Nilla's are a little small for the muffin cups I had on hand. Next time I may use a graham cracker, or oreo crust.
  
  This recipe was totally put together in the kitchen, so other than the base for the mini cheesecake, the rest I just eyeballed.
  
  Mini Raspberry Cheesecake Tarts with Nutella and Toasted Coconut
  
  
  2 8 oz. pkg. of Cream Cheese softened
  2 Eggs
  1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  1 cup sugar
  2 Tbs. good raspberry preserves
  Nutella
  butter
  semi sweet chocolate chips
  1/4 C. flaked coconut
  
  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.
  Cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer until blended. Add one egg at a time and mix thoroughly.
  Heat the preserves in the microwave for about 40 seconds until the consistency is loosened. Add preserves to cheesecake mixture and incorporate.
  fill each muffin cup and bake for 20 min.
  When finished cool in the fridge until set.
  
  For the topping, I melted a small handful of semi sweet chocolate chips, a tablespoon of butter and a 1 1/2 tablespoons of nutella. I heated at 20 second intervals and stirred in between.
  
  I toasted flaked coconut in my toaster oven for a few minutes on 325 degrees.
  
  When cheesecakes were cooled I used a fork to drizzle the nutella mixture over the top of them, and then topped with toasted coconut.
  
  I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but I loved these. I added extra coconut to mine since I love it.
  
  
  

MMMMM Mushrooms!

I went to lunch with my mom today to a cute little place near her work called "Cafe at the Corner" http://www.cafeatthecorner.com/. It is a quaint, french themed restaurant popular for lunching to the people who live and work nearby. For today's special they had cream of mushroom soup. I ordered that and a club sandwich on a croissant.

When I got home I started thinking about the soup and how delicious it was. Because I had a 1/2 container of baby bellas in the fridge I decided to duplicate the restaurant's recipe.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

(I didn't use any measuring tools, so these are just approximate amts.)

• 1/2 container of baby bella mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 C. 2% milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbs. unsalted butter
• 3 (plus a little more for thickening) AP flour
• 1/4 c. finely chopped vidalia onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
• 2 Tbs. sherry
• Salt and Pepper
  

Chop onions finely and mince garlic.

roughly chop mushrooms, and leave a few to the side to finely chop.Add butter to a medium sized sauce pan or dutch oven and melt. Add onions, garlic mushrooms and thyme. Saute 3-5 minutes and add flour, stir until flour is Incorporated (about 1 minute).

Add chicken stock and milk and heat to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and whisk in cream, sherry, and nutmeg. Let it simmer gently for another 5 minutes. Transfer 3/4 of the soup to a blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Return to pot and thicken with a flour slurry if needed.

The Birds in my Backyard...

So, yesterday I was thinking that I wanted to get a bird feeder since our balcony backs up to a bunch of tall trees. I always watch the birds, but I wanted to invite them to our balcony. So last night after eating at a local Chinese restaurant (I had sesame chicken, won ton soup and fried rice my hubby had chicken and asparagus tips), Chad and I went and bought a birdfeeder for $4 and a 5lb. bag of bird seed.

Chad pounded in a nail, I filled it, and voila! We gave the birds in my backyard a chirping post. After putting it up around 6pm last night, I was hoping to see some birds. No luck. But I kept my eye on the feeder all night.

Well this morning when Chad was giving me a kiss goodbye, he told me there were all sorts of birds feeding. I thought he was lying, but I still got out of bed to run and see. He was right!!! They love it! Unfortunately Ceaser isn't to isn't too happy, but he'll adjust. At least it keeps him busy rather than sleeping all day!

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Bread

I had a craving for something sweet last night, which is rare for me because I usually crave salty foods. I had over ripe banana's and an awesome recipe for banana nut bread so, I decided to use what I had on hand to make something sweet and give in to my craving.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Bread

• 1 stick unsalted butter softened


• 1/2 Cup brown sugar


• 1/2 cup white sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla


• 2 cups flour


• 1 tsp. baking soda


• 1/2 c. chopped pecans (or any other nut you prefer)


• 3 over ripe bananas mashed


• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I used more : -) )


• 2 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 375

Cream eggs butter and sugar together. Add mashed bananas. Add flour 1 cup at a time and incorporate into batter. mix in soda. Add choc. chips and nuts. Generously grease a loaf pan with butter, and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

I like to eat these warm with butter (I know, how Paula Deen of me!) on top.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Vegetable Couscous

Chad and I went to a local farmer's market a couple of weeks ago, and I picked up some spices that I don't usually use. One of them was Garam Masala. The market had so many interesting spices to choose from so I also picked up some whole nutmeg, curry, herbs de provence, and a few others.

I wanted to make a dish using the garam masala so I looked online and got some ideas. I decided on making chicken tikka's or chicken chunks. I planned to grill mine on a bamboo skewer.

Chicken Tikkas

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freeshly ground white pepper

Cube chicken into one inch pieces, season with salt and pepper and add to a large freezer bag. In a separate bowl, add all other ingredients and blend together. Add to freezer bag and marinate for 4 hours or overnight.

Thread marinated chicken on bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for 20 minutes. Heat olive oil on a grill pan over medium high heat and add chicken skewers. Grill on all sides until done. (I transferred my to the oven for about 4 minutes on a 400 degree setting)

Vegetable Couscous

• 1 cup instant couscous
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 lb. asparagus cut on the bias in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup. roughly chopped red, yellow, orange pepper
• 2 table spoons red onion roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Add dry couscous to a medium sized bowl

Saute vegetables in a small skillet over medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

Heat broth in a pan until boiling, and pour over couscous. Add vegetables.

Let sit 5 minutes and fluff with a fork, and serve.

I'm lazy and I need something easy!

I was feeling very lazy Friday, but I needed to use the pound and a half of chuck stew meat that was in my firdge. I decided to make a slow cooker beef stroganoff. It was super easy, and very comforting.

• 1 1/2 lbs chuck stew meat
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• salt and pepper
• flour for dredging meat
• 3 tbs. vegetable oil
  couple of dashes of Worcestershire
• 1 cup baby bella mushrooms
  1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 lb farfalle (bow tie pasta)
  

Put slow cooker on low and throw in onions and garlic. Season meat with salt and pepper, and dredge them in flour. In a medium sized skillet heat oil over medium heat and brown on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix soup, beef stock, and Worcestershire. Add to slow cooker. Mix contents of the slow cooker together and let cook for 5-6 hours.After cooking for 5-6 hours add mushrooms and sour cream, let cook 30 more minutes. After adding mushrooms and sour cream, bring a large post of water to boil, add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes.

Transfer pasta and beef stroganoff to a large bowl combine and serve.

Empanadas and Leftover Risotto

Chad and I met with friends a few weeks ago at a tapas restaurant called Eclipse de Luna. One of the dishes I ordered was a roasted eggplant and drunken goat cheese empanada. It was delicious and I knew I would try to duplicate the dish on my own.

My father, who is from Buenos Aires, Argentina introduced my brothers and I to this dish when we were young. It has been a favorite ever since. There are many different fillings from meat to vegetables, raisins, olives, etc. I usually fill mine with a ground beef ragu and boiled egg.

I use a pastry shell most of the time to cut down on time, but making your own dough is easy too. The pastry shell I recommend is La Saltena, the make them for baking and for frying.

When I decided to duplicate the empanada I had at the restaurant, I had to make a meat one as well. Chad is not a fan of eggplant, nor goat cheese. To go along with the meal, I used my leftover risotto to make Arancini.
Arancini which translates literally to "little orange" is a popular Sicilian dish, that is composed of arborio rice and is often stuffed with a variety of fillings such as cheese, vegetables, and even meat.


Eggplant and Goat Cheese Empanadas

• 1 eggplant sliced long ways and cut into small pieces
  
  
• 1/2 cup red, yellow, orange peppers roughly chopped (I had these frozen on hand from a prior bbq)



• 2 cloves in garlic skin removed



• 1/4 cup red onion roughly chopped (bigger than diced)



• salt and pepper



• 3 tablespoons goat cheese



• 6 pastry shells for empanadas
  

Pre heat oven to 375.

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and line a baking sheet with foil. roast vegetables in the oven for 20-25 minutes until onions have caramelized. Transfer veggies to a bowl and add goat cheese. Take garlic and make a paste, add to bowl. lay out pastry and put a tbs. of filling in center of the dough. fold over to meet edges (you may want to wet your fingers to seal) and crimp.

Meat Filled Empanadas

(this is a scaled down version since I was only making about 7 of these for Chad)

• 1/2 lb ground sirloin



• 1/4 c. chopped onion



• 1/4 of a green pepper chopped



• 1 tbs. minced garlic



• salt and pepper



• couple dashes of dried oregano



• 1 boiled egg



• 3 tbs. tomato sauce

Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add ground beef, onions, peppers and garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. When meat is browning heat enough water to boiling in a small saucepan. when water is boiling add the egg and boil for 10 minutes.

Remove meat from pan and drain fat. transfer to bowl. Peel the boiled egg and discard yolk. finely chop white of egg and add to bowl. Mix in tomato sauce and set aside to cool.

Use the same method of preparing the eggplant empanadas.

Heat oil in a large skillet with 2" sides. When oil is ready fry empanadas in batches and drain on paper towels.


Arancini

• Leftover Risotto



• Cubed mozzarella



• 1 egg



• 1 cup bread crumbs
  
  Take a scoopful of risotto and make a ball in your hands. Make an indentation with your finger in the center of the ball. Insert a cube of mozzarella and close the gap. Carefully dip in egg, then bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil and enjoy!

Omaha Yum!

Filet Mignon and Basil Parmesan Risotto with a Balsamic Reduction

Chad and I recieved a gift certificate from his mother for Omaha Steaks. I decided to go online and I ordered 4 ribeyes and 4 filet mignon. I also got 20% off my order since they were having a 4th of July special, so I was really excited to be getting a great deal.

I have never had a steak from this company so I wasn't sure of the quality. Let me just say, they arrived 3 days later as planned and I was immediately impressed. I thawed 2 of the filets immediately since I hadn't had a prime cut of meat in quite some time. That night I decided to sear the steaks in a bit of butter and then broil them in the oven. I made a basil parmesan risotto to go with the steaks, and a balsamic reduction for a little sweetness. No greens for this dish (I know, I know) but I didn't feel like making an extra trip to the store. (And Chad wouldn't have eaten the broccoli or spinach I had on hand)

I have to say, the Omaha Steaks were fantastic quality! I would totally recommend them!

Filet Mignon

• 2 6oz. filets
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder

Pre heat oven to 500 and turn dial to broil.

Season the steaks with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Melt butter in a heavy cast iron skillet (since we only had 2 servings I used a small cast iron pan about 8") over med. high heat.

Place steaks in pan with tongs and sear for one minute each side

Transfer oven safe skillet to pan and broil 4 minutes per side (medium)

Basil Parmesan Risotto

• 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup arborio or short grain rice
• 1/4 c. minced onion
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 1/2 c. dry white wine (I used barefoot chardonnay)
• 2-2 1/2 Cups chicken stock
• 3 Tbs. Fresh chopped basil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

I used a 12" skillet for this recipe but other equipment can be substituted.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add onion and garlic sautee for 3 minutes. Add rice and sautee for 1 minute. Add wine, and stir constantly until it has been fully absorbed. Add the chopped Basil, and 1/2 cup of chk stock at a time until it is absorbed. When all liquid has been incorperated, (this should take 30-35 minutes) add the parmesan cheese and blend into the risotto.

Balsamic Reduction

• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1/3 (about) balsamic vinegar
• 1 shallot minced

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat (I used the same pan I broiled the filets in), and add shallots. Sautee for 2 minutes and add balsamic vinegar. Stir frequently and lower heat to med. low to a low setting. Let reduce about 5 minutes.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the filet and risotto and enjoy!!

Cravings....

Pretzel Dogs

Every time I go to the mall, the smell of Auntie Anne's is hard to ignore. I try to stay away, but it is oh so hard.

I caved one day, and I noticed a woman eating a pretzel dog. I was jealous. But, I didn't purchase one. Instead, I vowed to make my own version.

Lucky for me a fellow nestie Krashed24 has a delicious recipe for soft pretzels and that was where I started. After making the dough, I spiraled it around the all beef Nathan's hot dogs and then baked them in the oven. Let me just say, they were incredible!

Krashed24's recipe for Soft Pretzels:

Ingredients: 1/8 cup hot water

1 package active dry yeast

1 1/3 warm water

1/3 cup brown sugar

4+ cups flour

Coarse kosher salt

Baking soda

Butter or shortening (to generously grease cookie sheets)

Directions:

In a large bowl mix together hot water and yeast until the yeast dissolves. Stir in the warm water and brown sugar and stir until the brown sugar dissolves.

Slowly add 4 cups of flour, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Lightly flour counter.

Dip your hands into extra flour. Knead the dough until it is stretchy and smooth. (Push it down and away from you with the palms of your hands, turning the dough as you work) Grease cookie sheets generously with butter or shortening.

Sprinkle greased cookie sheet(s) with kosher salt.

Preheat oven to 475. (It is very important that you grease the cookie sheets very well) Using liquid measuring cup fill a large saucepan at least 1/2 full of water. For each 1 cup of water, add 1 tbls baking soda. Divide the dough into equal sized pieces. Using the following 4 steps shape each dough ball into a pretzel shape...

1). Roll the dough into a rope 14" long and as thick as your thumb. Bend the dough into a U shape. (if you have trouble rolling the dough into a rope slightly wet your hands and try again).
2). Cross one end of the rope over the other one. The ropes should cross about three inches from the tips.
3). Twist the crossed ends, making a full turn. Fold the ends back, towards the middle of the U.
4). Open the ends slightly to form a pretzel shape. Press the ends into the dough firmly.

Bring water into saucepan to a gentle boil (not too many bubbles) Use pancake turner to lower each pretzel into the saucepan. Count slowly to 30. Then lift the pretzel onto the greased and salted cookie sheet (shaking off excess water back into the saucepan).

Repeat until all the pretzels are done. Sprinkle some kosher salt on top of the pretzels and put them in preheated oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until the pretzels are golden.

I used 7" ropes, spiraled them around the dogs, and then boiled them in the soda water concoction. I took them out to a greased cookie sheet lined with foil, basted with melted butter, and sprinkled with kosher salt. Then I baked for 8-10 minutes until golden, and served with mustard. MMMMM!!

Let's get started!

So I've decided to jump on the band wagon and start a cooking blog. I have been saving some pics of various dinners, so I will be adding those shortly.