Chicken Ricotta Meatballs over Pan Fried Polenta and Mushroom Ragu

Thanks to Cooking Light, and Elly My dinner tonight was the bomb! I subscribe to CL and I always can find something, usually a bunch of things that I want to make. I usually forget though, but I didn't tonight. Tonight I remembered a meatball recipe in this month's issue that looked to die for. I didn't have any ground turkey so I used the ground chicken I had on hand instead. I can see these going into my regular rotation, they were that good.

Not wanting to make just the meatballs by themselves I ask the advice of my Nesties. Elly had commented on making a chunky tomato sauce to go with them, and I remembered a fabulous recipe she had on her blog. It was the mushroom ragu and pan fried polenta. I had found my pairing for the meatballs. : ) I did make a few slight modifications to the CL recipe, as well as Elly's due to what I had on hand.

I have enough left over for about 4 more lunches too, which is a huge bonus while I'm on this weight loss kick.

The meatballs were 5 points per serving (4 meatballs), the ragu was one point per serving (about 1/4-1/2 cup), and the polenta was 3 points per serving (2 slices). You can make the polenta healthier without the pan frying, but I just wanted the crispiness tonight.

Chicken-Ricotta Meatballs

(Inspired by Cooking Light)

I got 23 meatballs out of this

Preheat oven to 375

1 Lb. ground chicken

1/2 cup panko

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup eggbeaters or one egg

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and shape into balls. Put foil on a cookie sheet and a cooling rack on top of that. Put meatballs on top of cooling rack and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

Pan Fried Polenta and Mushroom Ragu

For the Polenta

1 Tbs. light butter

1 cup corn meal (I used white)

1 cup low fat milk

3 cups water

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp. oregano

2 cloves garlic

flour for dredging

2 Tbs. olive oil

Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant. Add liquids and bring to a boil. Whisk in corn meal in a steady stream and continue to whisk until incorporated. Lower heat and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes.

Pour into a 9x13 pan and cool a few hours or overnight. Cut into squares, dust with flour. Heat oil into a medium sized pan and brown on both sides.

Mushroom Ragu

1 Tbs. light butter

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms sliced

1/4 cup diced onion

1 bay leaf

2 garlic cloves minced

2 1/2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 Tbs. fresh basil

1 Tsp. dried oregano

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup marsala wine

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and butter in a med. sized sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onions for about 2 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, basil, oregano, and bay leaf and saute another minute. Lower heat and cook about 20 minutes until moisture from mushrooms has been released. Add tomato paste and cook about a minute. Add wine and cook about 3 minutes. Add broth and cook another couple of minutes. Serve over polenta and meatballs.

Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

If I were Rachel Ray I'd probably describe this dish as "Delish" or "Yummo". But because I'm me I'll say it was Freaking Fabulous. The taste of the fresh reduction with the ever so tender pork loin was amazing. This was so simple to do too. The cook time for the pork was about 20 minutes from sear to oven. While it rested I whipped up the reduction and sauteed some squash and zucchini.

The reduction was perfect. I had some blueberries left over from a pastry I made and needed to use up what was left. This was a healthy dinner too, so no worries there.

Pork Loin

1 lb pork loin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Pam

2 tsp. canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bring pork to room temperature and season. Heat a medium/large skillet over medium heat and add pam and oil. Sear pork on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side, or until it has a nice deep brown color. Transfer pork to oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until a thermometer read 145. Take out of oven, transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Let rest about 10 minutes.

Bluberry Balsamic Reduction

1/4 cup onions finely chopped

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tsp. water

1 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 cup low sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 Tbs. red wine

1 Tbs. fresh chopped basil

1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Using the same skillet as the pork, add onions and cook about 2 minutes. While onions are cooking add blueberries and water to a microwave safe dish. Cook about a minute and a half. Smash a bit with a spoon. Add garlic to pan and cook a minute more. Add chicken broth and scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and reduce by 1/2.

Slice pork and spoon sauce over the top.

Calories 258.7
Total Fat 10.7 g
Saturated Fat 3.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat1.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat4.5 g
Cholesterol93.4 mg
Sodium517.3 mg
potassium635.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate5.3 g
Dietary Fiber0.9 g
Sugars0.8 g

Protein32.6 g

Chicken Kafta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Traditionally, Kafta is made with ground lamb (or a mixture of beef and lamb). In an effort to continue my healthy cooking habits I decided to use ground chicken. Kafta is either grilled on a bbq, or simmered in a sauce. I did neither. I decided to make use of the broiler on my oven, and it worked wonderful. The kafta is very simple, and doesn't use many ingredients. You wouldn't know it though because the flavor is so intense. I made a cool cucumber sauce with some left over yogurt, a little mint and cucumbers to serve on top (or just dip into). The sauce complimented the kafta well, I'm glad I made it (it was a last minute decision).

This was the first time I used ground chicken and I am really happy how the kafta turned out. I don't think I want to go back to red meat, it was that good!

Chicken Kafta

1 lb ground chicken

1/4 cup grated onion

2 tbs. fresh chopped parsley

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. olive oil

1.5 Tbs. bread crumbs (I used this because the grated onion made the meat rather wet)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to broil

Mix all ingredients together and shape into oblong patties. Lightly oil an oven safe grill pan and arrange the patties on top. put in broiler and cook for about 5-6 minutes each side. (the temp may vary so keep an eye on them.)

Serve with a simple puree of cucumber, mint, and yogurt.

This is how I enjoyed mine, but they are just as good alone.

Herb Infused Gnocchi with Parsley Garlic Brown Butter Sauce

I impressed myself tonight. I love gnocchi but I was always a little intimidated to prepare my own. Since I bought a potato ricer this past weekend I thought of all the recipes I could use it for. One that came to mind was gnocchi. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tackle something new this week, but then I though, what the hell? I am on summer vacation!

So I browsed some recipes looking for the perfect gnocchi but didn't find one. So I made up my own recipe using bits and pieces of others.

I decided to pan fry the gnocchi after boiling. It really gave them a wonderful bite. I topped with the parsley and garlic brown butter sauce and served with chicken apple sausage.

I am very happy with myself for attempting and conquering the gnocchi, it was not difficult at all.

Herb Infused Gnocchi

2 lbs. potatoes (I used russet)

1 egg beaten

1 1/4 + unbleached AP flour sifted

1 Tbs. finely chopped oregano

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork all over to let steam escape while baking. Bake potatoes for 40-60 minutes or until baked through.

Remove skin from potatoes and roughly chop. transfer potatoes to a ricer and rice the potatoes in a seperate bowl. Let cool to room temperature.

add egg and flour and use a wooden spoon to combine. sprinkle flour on a counter and work dough making sure all the flour is combined. When dough is no longer sticky, grab a chunk and roll into ropes about 3/4 " thick. Cut into 1 " pieces and roll on the back of a fork to make indentations (this is to capture sauce, but it isn't necessary).

Boil water in a large pot and drop in the gnocchi. When the float to the top they are done.

To pan fry add a little oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add gnocchi and saute until they are browned.

Parsley and Garlic Brown Butter Sauce

6 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic finely minced

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Melt butter over med low heat. Let it foam and bubble for about 3 minutes. Add parsley and garlic and let cook about 3 minutes longer. Serve on top of gnocchi.

Chicken Francese

MMM. I just love the lemony taste of the sauce in this dish. Paired with lightly floured, pounded thin, pan sauteed chicken cutlets and sauteed mushrooms and I'm in heaven.

I got this recipe from the trusted Cooks Illustrated web site. It is one of my favorites and I can always find something with the ingredients I have on hand. I've been eyeing this recipe for a while and couldn't wait to make it tonight. I didn't change this recipe much like I do to others I have tried. I cut back about 2 tsp. of lemon juice (couldn't get any more juice out the one lemon I had) and added about a tsp. and a half to the pan of the finishing sauce. I decided to serve this over angel hair pasta because both Chad and I were in the mood for some pasta. I recommend this dish to everyone, it was just that good!

Chicken Francese

Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Table salt and ground black pepper

Chicken:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, breasts trimmed of excess fat, halved horizontally and pounded to even 1/4-inch thickness
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack on rimmed baking sheet and place sheet in oven.

2.FOR THE SAUCE: Heat 1 tablespoon butter in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in wine, lemon juice, and broth; increase heat to high and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Lower heat to medium-high and cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain sauce through mesh strainer, return to saucepan, and set aside.

3. FOR THE CHICKEN: Set second wire rack on second rimmed baking sheet on counter. Whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk eggs and milk until combined. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with 2 cutlets at a time, coat cutlets in seasoned flour; shake off excess flour. Transfer cutlets to egg mixture; coat evenly and let excess run off. Return cutlets to seasoned flour; coat evenly and shake off excess flour. Place coated cutlets on wire rack on counter.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, place 4 cutlets in skillet. Cook until well browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Carefully flip cutlets and continue to cook until lightly browned on second sides, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer chicken to wire rack in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat, using remaining 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to cook remaining cutlets in now-empty skillet. After transferring chicken to oven, wipe out skillet with paper towels.

5. TO FINISH SAUCE AND SERVE: Transfer sauce to now-empty skillet and set over low heat; cook until sauce is heated through, about 1 minute. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove baking sheet with chicken from oven; transfer 4 cutlets to skillet, turn to coat with sauce, then transfer each serving (2 cutlets) to individual plates. Repeat with remaining cutlets. Spoon 2 tablespoons additional sauce over each serving and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately

Sauteed Turkey Cutlets w/ Sage Vermouth Pan Sauce

My mother-in-law was coming over for dinner tonight so I wanted to make something lip-smacking good. I asked my cooking board ladies for some ideas on how to prepare my turkey cutlets. One nestie, Bakingblonde recommended this recipe from Katie's blog and subbing the turkey cutlets for the chicken. Sounded delicious, so I decided I would do something similar.

I browsed a few different recipes on Cooks Illustrated but I ended up just taking bits of a few different recipes. I was so happy how everything turned out. The turkey was so perfect. I am definitely going to be using these cutlets again soon. And the sauce, well I shamefully admit I licked the plate. And Chads. My MIL caught me doing that last bit, whoops!

Sauteed Turkey Cutlets

(inspired by CI and My Nesties)

6 1/4" thin turkey cutlets

3 Tbs. canola oil

flour for dredging

Salt, pepper and garlic powder for seasoning

Season cutlets with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge in flour shaking off excess and set aside. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over med. high heat. Saute cutlets a couple minutes on each side transfer to a plate and put a tent of foil over the plate to keep them warm.

**CI recommends to heat your oven to 200 degrees and put cutlets in the oven until ready to serve***

Pan Sauce:

1/2 cup onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 Tbs. fresh chopped sage

1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 cup dry vermouth

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

2 tsp. flour

water

Use the same pan that the turkey was sauteed in. Heat oil and add onions and mushrooms. Saute a few minutes and add garlic. Saute for a couple minutes more and add the vermouth and sage. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan,. The simmer until almost all the vermouth is evaporated. Add chicken stock salt and pepper and reduce by 1/2-3/4. Add a flour and water slurry to sauce if it isn't thickened to your liking. Serve over turkey cutlets.

I served this over orzo and roasted asparagus.

Theme Week Wrap up: Nola: Bread Pudding

To wrap up my Nola theme week, I decided to make a Louisiana Classic. Bread Pudding with a whiskey sauce. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts because it isn't overly sweet and I love the texture. It is great to make if you have some day (or two or three) old bread laying around. I just happened to have some french bread left over from our dinners last week which is where I got the idea to make bread pudding.

I used a recipe from a restaurant in Nola called Commanders Palace, the only thing I omit is the meringue. If you ever get a chance to go to Nola, try and get a reservation to Commander's Palace. The food, service and atmosphere are fantastic.

Bread Pudding

• 5 cups day old french bread dut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup raisins

Whiskey sauce

• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
• 1 Tbsp. Water
• 3 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1/4 cup Bourbon

To make the bread pudding, first preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" square baking pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow bread to soak up custard.
Place the raisins in a greased pan. Top with the egg mixture, which prevents the raisins from burning. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. The mixture of pudding should be nice and moist, not runny or dry. Cool to room temperature.
To make the whiskey sauce, place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Whisk corn starch and water together, and add to cream while whisking. Bring to a boil. Whisk and let simmer for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture on the bottom. Remove from heat.
Stir in the sugar and the bourbon. Taste to make sure the sauce has a thick consistency, a sufficiently sweet taste, and a good bourbon flavor. Cool to room temperature.

Swedish Meatballs

A pound and a quarter of ground chuck and what to do with it? I wasn't in the mood for Italian. Chad suggested meatloaf, but I wasn't in the mood for that either. So I started to browse th FN website and found what we were having for dinner.

I absolutely love Alton Brown. He is so knowledgeable, and every recipe I've made from him has been spot on. These meatballs were so moist, and very simple to make. Next time I think I will saute some fresh mushroom to go along with.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but my adaptations are in orange.

Swedish Meatballs

• 2 slices fresh white bread I used 1 1/2 hamburger bun since I never have white bread on hand.
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided Very easy to do. Check out the joy of baking to find out how.
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 pound ground chuck
• 3/4 pound ground pork Omitted because I only had 1 1/4 lb chuck on hand.
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
  

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.
In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.
Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. I saute for a minute in the skillet then transferred to a sheet pan and baked in the 250 oven for 15 minutes or so. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve. I had to add a slurry to get the right consistency for the sauce. I like it a bit thicker. I served over egg noodles and garnished with fresh italian parsley.

Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Tonight's dinner was pretty simple. I had store bought pie crusts, as well as a rotisserie chicken.

I was in the mood for some comfort food and this really hit the spot. I haven't had this in quite a while since I don't consider making this dish unless the weather is a bit cooler. This is definitely a fall/winter type meal but what can one do when they are hit with a wave of cravings? Give in is what I tend to do!

Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie

For the chicken:

Remove all chicken from the rotisserie and chop into bite sized pieces.

For the Crust:

Remove crusts from the cardboard packaging and bring to room temperature. Line a 9" pie plate with one of the crusts, and when filled layer the other on top, cut excess off edges and flute. Cut a couple of slits to allow steam to escape.

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion


• 1/2 cup chopped celery


• 2 garlic cloves minced


• 1 tsp. Fresh chopped thyme


• 1 Tbs. Fresh chopped italian parsley


• 1 cup diced new potato (I left the skin on)


• 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots


• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter


• 3 Tbs. flour


• 3/4 cup 2 % milk


• 3/4 cup Heavy cream


• 1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg


• 1/2 cup chicken stock


• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Heat butter in a medium sized sauce pan and add onions and celery. Cook until onions are translucent and add garlic. Add herbs, salt and pepper and cook a couple of minutes longer and add flour. Whisk until smooth (about a minute) and add stock. Continue to whisk until flour and stock are well incorporated. Slowly add milk and cream whisking the entire time. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for about a minute. Add nutmeg and remove from heat.

Stir in Chicken, potatoes, peas and carrots and thoroughly combine. Fill pie plate, add second pie crust, flute edges, cut a couple of slits and brush with an egg wash. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes and then remove foil. Bake another 20 (or until crust is golden brown) remove from oven and let set for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Lunch Club Friday

Now that school is in full swing so is Lunch Club Friday (with a couple of Wed. thrown in there too.)
Lunch Club Friday is made up of teachers who share a common lunch (or planning) and cooks a meal for the members. It generally consists of a main dish, side, and a dessert. Since I had to re-do the schedule due to adding mew members my Friday which was supposed to be next week was bumped up to today. I wasn't sure what to make until Wednesday of this week and I was a little stressed since I like to have it all planned out way ahead of time.

I decided to make chicken breasts topped with prosciutto, pesto, and asiago cheese. I started the meal with a simple salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, for a side I made a parmesan risotto with baby bella mushrooms and cannelini beans. And finally for dessert, I browsed around on the foodie blog roll and found a perfect cupcake to make from this blog.

Elly from Elly Says Opa! also gave me a few pointers on this dish. Since I only had a vision of How I wanted to prepare my chicken, It was nice to see one finished that was very similar to my idea.

Pesto Procuitto Chicken with Asiago
(I made this recipe for 12, you can definitely scale it down)

• 12 boneless, skinless, Chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups italian dressing (to marinate chicken over night)
• 12 thin slices of prosciutto
• Pesto
• flour for dredging
• 3 Tbs. butter
• 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
• 1 cup chicken stock

Heat oven to 350
Take chicken out of marinade and pat with a paper towel to dry. Fit one slice of prosciutto over chicken and dredge in flour. Shake off excess and put aside until all are finished. Heat oil over medium heat and add chicken in batches prosciutto side down. Cook for a couple minutes and carefully flip and cook a couple more. Transfer chicken to an oven safe pan until all chicken is finished. Lower heat a bit and add wine and stock. Scrape up all the browned bit off the bottom of pan, let come to a simmer until reduced by 1/2. Pour over chicken and let bake for 20-25 minutes (or until chicken has reached 180 degrees, I only cooked for 15 minutes and they weren't done. The chicken breasts were huge!)

Pesto
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
one large garlic clove
3 table spoons Parmesan
Fresh ground pepper
Kosher salt
Put in processor and mix until well blended.

Parmesan Mushroom Orzo

• 1 box Orzo
• 3 Tbs. butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tbs. heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet. add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and pasta and cook for about 3 more minutes to let the pasta toast. Add stock, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so (add more stock or water if it gets too sticky).
Simple Salad
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
grape tomatoes
Romaine lettuce

Dressing

• 1 cup balsamic dressing
• 1 tbs. dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. orange juice
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• Garlic powder
  1/2 cup. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Add together in a small bowl and whisk until combined.



Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
(source Bake and Destroy)

• (my adjustments in orange)
  30 Oreo (or Oreo-like) cookies
  1 pkg plain white cake mix I used french vanilla
  1 cup sour cream I used low fat vanilla yogurt
  1/2 cup vegetable oil
  3 large eggs
  1 tsp vanilla extract I used 1/2 tsp.

Preheat your over to 350 and line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Count out 12 Oreos and separate the top and bottom wafers. Make sure each half has some icing on it. Place one wafer, icing side up, in the bottom of each paper liner. Crush the remaining oreos and set them aside. Place the cake mix, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and beat again on medium about 1.5 minutes more. Measure out 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos and fold these into the batter. Set the rest of the crumbs aside for garnish.
Fill your liners 3/4 full with batter and place the pans int he oven. A little trick if you get fewer than 2 dozen cupcakes out of this, take the liners out of the empty cups and fill them about half way with water. This helps the cakes bake evenly despite the pan not being filled with batter.
Bake the cupcakes for about 18-20 minutes until they are golden and spring back when lightly touched with your finger. Cool in the pan on wire racks for about 5 minutes and then remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Butter Cream Frosting
(source: Hell on HIgh Heels)

• 1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• pinch salt
• 1/3 cup whipping cream I used half and half
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 Oreos broken into pieces

In a small bowl, using and electric mixer on low, beat together sugar,butter and salt until well combined. Increase speed to high, beating until light and fluffy. Add cream and vanilla, beating until smooth.Add broken cookies, beating until mixed.

Pasta Jambalaya

When I lived in New Orleans one of my favorite places to eat this dish was Semolina's. I haven't had their version in such a long time so I had to recreate it on my own.

I have been craving spicy food lately, so this was on the menu for tonight. It didn't take long since I had some chicken left over from Wednesday's spicy roasted chicken.

The only thing it was missing was the tasso (smoked pork). They don't carry this in the Publix or Kroger by my house, and I wasn't making a special trip to Whole foods in the rain. I'm not even sure if Whole Foods have it. I used a smoky salt pork instead, but after the fat had rendered, I tossed it. I essentially just wanted the intense pork flavor to infuse with the other ingredients.

I bought some smoked gouda and provolone shredded it and topped my pasta with it. This really hit the spot. I always make myself too big a portion, and I could not even eat half of what I served.

Pasta Jambalaya

Sauce:

• 1 14 oz. canned diced tomatoes
  1 can tomato paste
• 1 8oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 green pepper roughly chopped
• 1/2 onion roughly chopped
• 1 stalk of celery roughly chopped
• 2 Tbs. fresh basil chopped
• 1 Tbs. fresh oregano chopped
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 2 tsp. cayenne
• 1 Tbs. hot sauce (I used Louisiana brand)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. sugar

Put green pepper, onion, celery (aka the trinity), and garlic cloves in food processor and chop very fine. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and add chopped veggies, basil, oregano, and bay leaves. Saute 4 minutes and add the rest of the ingredients. Turn up the heat until it comes to a simmer. Let simmer for about 45 minutes.

Meat and Veggies

• 1/2 package smoked sausage (I prefer andouille but didn't have any on hand) cut into half moons.
• 2 cups cooked chicken cut into chunks
• 2 Tbs. salt pork chopped
• 1/2 green pepper cut into 1 " strips
• 1/2 med. onion cut into strips
• 1 tsp. of Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
  

Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add salt pork and let the fat render for about 6-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon let it cool and toss in garbage (you can leave it in if you'd like). Add butter, green pepper and onion and saute until onions start caramelizing. Add meat and cajun seasoning and saute about 6 minutes.

Serve sauce and meat over cooked rotini pasta and top with shredded smoked gouda and provolone (the gouda is a must!)

Sunday Night Supper

I love a well rounded, comforting meal on Sunday evenings. And because I have more time to prepare the meal on Sundays, time isn't of the essence. At our monthly trip to Costco yesterday, I picked up a 5 lb. pork loin roast for only about 13 bucks. Not only was I thrilled with how cheap it was, I knew that I would be able to get about 3 meals out of it. What a way to stretch the dollar!
I got home and realized that it was 2 loins tied together in butcher's twine instead of one. No biggie, I would use one for a roast, and cut the other in about 1 lb. pieces and freeze for later use.
I decided to prepare the roast tonight, because like I said, Sunday dinner's are all about comfort food. I didn't feel like potatoes or rice so I looked in the pantry and I found that I had some barley. For the greens tonight I remembered how I have been craving zucchini and since Chad isn't a fan I never get to make it that often. So I had sauteed some zucchini and yellow squash, and Chad had sauteed fresh green beans. To add the finishing touches, I made a simple pan gravy from the roasting juices left in the pan.

Herb Rubbed Roasted Pork Loin

*Rub Ingredients*

• 2 Tbs. fresh rosemary leaves roughly chopped
  
  
• 2 Tbs. Fresh sage leaves roughly chopped



• 1 Tbs. Fresh thyme leaves roughly chopped



• 3 Garlic cloves skin removed



• 2 Tbs. olive oil

Put all ingredients in a mini processor and process until smooth.

Pork
Heat oven to 325 degrees.

With a sharp knife, cut a few slits into the pork on both sides. Generously salt and pepper each side. Take the rub and massage it onto the pork using your finger to push some into the slits.

heat large skillet to med. high heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Sear meat on all sides until you get a nice brown color. Put into shallow roasting pan and cook for an hour and 15 minutes, or internal temperature reaches 155. (generally 30 minutes per pound, mine was about 2 1/2)

Citrus Chicken With Pasta and Lemon Beurre Blanc

Thanks to my hubby giving me 2 requests for this week's menu, I only had to come up with 4. One of his requests was "some kind of chicken and pasta". So, being summer and all, I thought I would make a citrus grilled chicken on a bed of tagliatelle, and serve it with a lemon beurre blanc, and sauteed asparagus tips. Whew, that was a lot of ingredients. Oh, and I also added some fried goat cheese. Sinful, I know.

For The Chicken:

(Marinade)

• 3 Tbs. Olive oil


• Juice of one lemon


• Juice of one lime


• Couple splashes of OJ


• Tbs. Honey


• 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped


• 3 sprigs thyme


• Salt and Fresh ground white pepper
• 
  Whisk all ingredients together
  Put chicken (I used 4 very thin cutlets about 3/4 pound) in a plastic zip lock, add marinade, squish and put in fridge for a couple hours.
  
  Grilling Chicken:
  Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium heat brush with olive oil. Remove chicken from marinade and cook for about 3 minutes per side. *My chicken was really thin so that is all it took*
  
  Lemon Beurre Blanc
  
  *See recipe below (I added a little more cream, and 2 sprigs thyme)
  
  Sauteed Asparagus
  
  1/2 lb. skinny asparagus cut on a bias
  1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
  Few dashes garlic powder

Over medium heat oil in a medium sized saute pan. Add asparagus, and garlic powder and saute for 3-5 minutes.

Fried goat cheese balls

Take a little less than of a tsp. of goat cheese and roll into ball, dip in egg wash then in seasoned bread crumbs and fry in vegetable oil for about 30 seconds.

Make pasta according to package directions drain and toss with beurre blanc, top with asparagus and chicken, and serve the fried goat cheese on the side.

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.