Sunday, August 28, 2011

Recipe File: Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad



I pulled a MacGyver last night. I had two great recipes left to make from last week’s meal list, but after a huge lunch at Brio after moving Dustin, we all wanted something a little lighter. 


I had chicken and salad greens (that’s a start…), but I also had bacon, cherry tomatoes and grapes in the fridge that needed to be used. The seventeen different varieties of mustard I keep on the fridge door were also beckoning. But no one in my family, except me, eats mustard. On anything. Unless…I disguise it. And add sugar. And don’t tell them it’s mustard.


Thinking back to a Quizno’s salad I love-the Honey Mustard Chicken Salad, I pieced together three recipes, and the result was fantastic-they loved it. I’m going to make this again this week, because I have extra dressing-and because I need a picture of this amazing salad!



Ingredients:


For the Dressing:


1/4 cup + 2 tsp mayonnaise


2-1/2 tsp sugar


2-1/2 tsp honey


1-1/4 tsp spicy or dijon mustard


1-1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar


1-1/4 tsp chopped onion


1 tbsp and 2 tsp vegetable oil


For the Sauce:


tbsp honey


tbsp spicy or dijon mustard


1/2 tsp grated lemon rind


tsp lemon juice


 tsp soy sauce


 1/2 tsp garlic salt


For the Salad:


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves


1/4 tsp salt


1/4 tsp pepper


1 large package mixed salad greens


6 strips bacon


cherry tomatoes (if desired)


grapes (if desired)


shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:


Make the dressing. In a blender or food processor, combine the first six ingredients. Slowly add oil; process until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.


Make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stir.


Cook bacon, crumble into bits.


Heat grill. In small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients; blend well, set aside. When ready to grill, sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken on gas grill over medium or on charcoal 4 to 6 inches from medium coals.


Brush chicken with sauce; cook 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken; brush generously with remaining sauce. Cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes or until chicken is done.


Chop salad greens into bite sized pieces. Combine salad greens with salad dressing in a large bowl; toss to coat. Cut chicken into strips or bite sized pieces. Add chicken to salad and top with cherry tomatoes, grapes, crumbled bacon and cheese.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

This Week for Dinner: August 21-27


Fall is just around the corner and I’m mentally transitioning into making soups, casseroles, and comfort foods. (And S’mores!) But not quite yet…I’ve still got a bit of summer left, and I’m going to enjoy it!


We have another busy week ahead. Cory has his first football game tomorrow night, and we’re moving Dustin back to college on Saturday. So I’ve decided to list this week’s (mostly) still summer-inspired dishes in random order, because the meals will likely revolve around work, kids, football, and when the tomatoes and peppers in the garden decide to get ripe enough to make more salsa :) Cause summer’s not over til we pick the last pepper…


Sunday Dinner: 


Cheese Stuffed Shells


I always make a large batch of these-they are great re-heated! You can also substitute the Asiago cheese for extra parmesan and mozzarella.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/4-cheese-stuffed-shells-recipe/index.html


Quick and Easy Dinner:


Rotisserie Chicken Tostadas with Black Beans and Corn



The recipe below was my inspiration, but I’ll be using rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breast to save time.


http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/04/06/chicken-tostadas-with-black-beans-and-sweet-corn/


Cookout Dinner:


Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and Antipasto Skewers


Not sure I’ll get to the hamburgers and hot dogs after noshing on these:



http://aprettylifeinthesuburbs.blogspot.com/2011/05/skewerlicious.html


30 Minute Meal:


Coconut Shrimp


A shrimp recipe for Dustin’s last week at home…


My Red Lobster favorite, reinvented for the home cook…I can’t wait for these!



http://plumdelicious.tumblr.com/post/3075519523/coconut-shrimp


Pinterest-inspired Meal:


Calzone with Italian Sausage and Peppers 


This is just too cool!


I’ll have my husband grill some extra Italian sausage and peppers the night we have our cookout just to make this recipe. I always buy pizza dough in balls in the freezer section when I’m in a rush-they’re quick and easy, and taste great.




http://www.squidoo.com/homemade-calzone


Enjoy the week, and stay tuned for more new recipes coming soon!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Recipe File: Roasted Chile Tomato Salsa


I lived in the Southwest for about eight years in my 20s. For a lot of that time, I lived in a neighborhood in Las Vegas with a thriving food culture like I’d never experienced. There were a one large and two small Mexican groceries in my neighborhood, all of whom made their own salsas, marinated meats and homemade sausages and cheeses.


The tiny grocery closest to my house was family-run, and they made the best salsa I’d ever had. It was fresh and spicy and I craved it daily. Only problem-when the salsa ran out, it was out for a while. That family made it fresh each week, and if you didn’t get there on Sunday or Monday, you didn’t get any.


So with the help of friends, I learned to make it. The best way I can describe it is that it’s similar to the consistency of the salsa they serve at the Mexican restaurants in my area (La Charreada) but with a little bit of a different flavor. It’s not the quickest recipe, but I’ve found the results to be much different, and better, than any jar of salsa I’ve ever bought.


A few tips: 


* I tend to call salsa peppers “chiles” instead of peppers to differentiate between those and sweet peppers.


* Buy more chiles than you need. A lot of times, I won’t get the entire chile to peel perfectly, and at other times, the chiles are very small. The amount of peppers you use is entirely up to you, but this is a guide to one good formula.


* Very important-Add jalapenos just a little at a time. Start with just a half a jalapeno, and work your way up. You can always add more heat, but it’s difficult to make scorching hot salsa milder. This recipe is for Medium heat, but my jalapenos are also huge. If you have smaller jalapenos, you may need to add more.


* Salt is key. To me, the salt is what helps make the tomato/chile mixture taste like salsa. As you’ll be using all natural ingredients, it’s necessary to add more salt than you might think-as Emeril once said, “my tomatoes don’t grow seasoned”.


Ingredients:


1 Poblano Chile


3 Anaheim Chile


1/2 Jalapeno Chile (or more or less to taste)


2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes (or equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes, peeled and stem ends removed)


1/4 tsp sugar


1.5 tsp Salt


1/2 tsp Pepper


1/2 tsp Garlic Powder


For the Chiles:


  1. Prepare chiles
    Clean chiles and dry thoroughly.Â

  2. Prepare heat
    Preheat your oven to 400. Arrange your chiles in rows on a foil-lined baking sheet.

  3. Char chiles
    Roast chiles in the oven until they begins to blacken. The entire chile will not be completely black, but it should be charred about 60%. The bottoms of the peppers will blacken first, so watch them every few minutes until the bottoms are black. Flip the peppers over, then blacken the other side. The second side of the peppers will blacken more quickly than the first side. This process will take approximately 12-20 minutes.

  4. Remove from heat
    Carefully remove the charred chiles from the baking pan. Tongs are helpful for this.

  5. Sweat chiles (Optional)
    Carefully place the chiles into a plastic baggie and seal it. This will steam the chiles to continue the cooking and make the skins easier to remove. Let the chiles sweat for 10-15 minutes. Use additional baggies if roasting a large number of chiles.

  6. Remove skins (Gloves are optional, but suggested, for peeling jalapenos)
    Remove the chiles from the bag one at a time. Remove the skins while holding the chile under cold water. As you remove them, rub the chiles to remove the skins. Remove the entire stem and the seeds as well. You may leave a few seeds in, but the seeds will add a lot of heat.


For the Salsa:


Place all of the roasted, peeled chiles in a food processor along with about 1 and a half cans of the canned tomatoes, reserving the juice. Add salt, pepper, garlic and sugar. Add a dash of the juice from the canned tomatoes.



Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and well incorporated. If your salsa is too thick, add the juice from the canned tomatoes a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.


Then, taste your salsa. Adjust seasonings and add jalapenos if desired.


If your salsa tastes too tomatoey, add salt, a quarter teaspoon at a time, until it is to your taste. Alternately, you can also add more chiles if you have them.


If your salsa has too much chile flavor, add the remainder of the tomatoes from the second can, and pulse in the blender to combine.


Enjoy! 

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Recipe File: Super Simple Tomato Basil Soup


I love grilled cheese with tomato soup. Nothing against Campbell’s, but if I’d known it was this easy to make my own, I’d have been making it long ago. Take this recipe for a spin, and let me know what you think!



Ingredients:



4 cloves of garlic, minced


2 tablespoons of olive oil


2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes


1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes


2 cups of chicken stock


1 tsp of sugar


salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)


1/4 cup of heavy cream


3 tablespoons of chopped, fresh basil


parmesan cheese



Directions:


Saute garlic in olive oil in a skillet on medium heat for 1 minute. Careful not to burn the garlic!  Add the crushed tomatoes, then add the whole tomatoes one at a time, breaking them up with your fingers while squeezing them into the pan.  Add the juice from the whole tomatoes.  Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar.  Heat the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.  
To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich.


*recipe adapted from Everyday Occasions by Jenny Steffens

Recipe File: Mini Lasagna Cups and my Pinterest Obsession


Late at night, under cover of darkness, I indulge in foodie heaven.


About a year ago I was introduced to pinterest.com through a friend. Pinterest is a group of virtual pinboards that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Pinboards are also shared with the pinterest community-so rather than searching for cool things using Google Images and the like, I use pinterest to search for images. It generally provides photos of the most up-to-date, creative ideas that people are talking about.


I’m hooked. Any time I see an interesting image, recipe, or product on the internet, onto the pinboards it goes. I have pinboards for everything, ranging from “Wear It” for cool clothes, to “Flower Power” for interesting flowers, to my favorite board, Plumdelicious.




You see, the beauty of Pinterest is that when you “pin” an image, you can go back to it later, click on it, and it will take you directly to the website where the image originated. In the case of the Plumdelicious board, the images direct me back to my favorite recipes. I then have a nice, tidy, visual representation of meals I love and meals I want to make-almost like a visual Recipe Box.


Back to my late night transgressions. 


Pinterest also offers iphone and ipad apps, and after my husband goes to sleep, I get out the ipad and search through pinterest, checking out other people’s pinboards and especially searching for great new recipe ideas. You can search Pinterest specifically by “Food and Drink”, and you will get an appetizing selection of creative dishes. 


This is one recipe I found through pinterest, and it was fantastic-I’ll be making many more in the future!


recipe slightly adapted from Hungry Girl


(makes 12)


Ingredients:


 12 oz raw ground beef


¼ tsp salt, divided


¼ tsp pepper


½ tsp dried basil


1 large jar Prego Traditional Marinara Sauce


1 ½ cups part skim ricotta cheese


24 small square wonton wrappers (the kind near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the produce dept)


1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions:


Preheat oven to 375ºF. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, salt and pepper. Crumble the meat and saute the mixture for about 10 minutes, or until the ground beef is cooked through. Drain the fat from the skillet, and add about a half jar of the marinara (more or less to your taste). Heat beef marinara over medium heat until bubbling, then set aside.


In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the basil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.


Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 wonton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.


Using half of the ricotta mixture, divide it among the 12 muffin cups. Next, using half of the beef marinara, spoon it evenly over each of the ricotta filled cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of mozzarella. Gently press another wonton wrapper on top of the mozzarella layer. Repeat the process by distributing the remaining ricotta, then the remaining tomato sauce, and finally the rest of the shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Let the cups cool, remove them from the pan, and serve!


Image Credit: Can you stay for dinner? via Pinterest

Recipe File: Filet Mignon with Crabmeat Crust


Last week, both of my parents turned 40. 


Ok, not 40…but nevertheless a special birthday dinner was on the menu. I had a simple cookout idea in the works, but when asked what they would like me to cook for their birthdays, they chose this-and it was absolutely amazing.


I purchased a whole tenderloin of beef for $9.99/lb on sale the week prior. We were able to cut 11 nice-sized filets from the whole tenderloin, which worked out to about $6.00 per person. I served this recipe with roasted red potatoes and asparagus, bringing the grand total to around $7.25 per person. I’m guessing a restaurant would charge over $30 for this meal, so we were thrilled that not only that we had a fantastic meal, but that we did it for about a quarter of the cost of a night out. 


This recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse and serves four. You can easily scale the recipe up or down, depending on how many you are cooking for.


Ingredients


  • 4 (6-ounce) beef Filets

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons Emeril’s Bayou Blast Essence

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions

  • 1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions


Preheat a grill to high. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.


Season the filets with 2 teaspoons Essence, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Mark the steaks on the grill, searing on both sides. Transfer to a small baking pan and set aside.


Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, remaining 1/4 tsp Essence, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of parsley and the green onions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.


Place the crabmeat in a medium bowl and add the cooked vegetables. Add the mayonnaise and bread crumbs and stir to combine.


Evenly divide the crabmeat between the steaks, allowing about 1/4 cup for each steak. Pack the crabmeat on top of each steak, gently molding to the steak’s shape to create a crust. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes for medium-rare. Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.



Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of this beautiful dish as I was busy cooking, documenting the birthday events and enjoying the company :) The filet in the top middle of the top photo illustrates the look of the finished entree, minus the potatoes.


Photo Credit:


http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-boston/fall-recipes-filet-oscar-by-fleming-s-prime-steakhouse-wine-bar

McDonald's perceived healthier than Subway?

McDonald's perceived healthier than Subway?

Sunday, August 14, 2011

This Week for Dinner: August 14-20

As summer winds down, the garden is coming to life.


I’ve planned this week’s menu knowing that there is a ton of work to do in the evenings-namely processing tomatoes and peppers and making salsa.


So here’s the plan for this week:


Sunday-Shredded Chicken Sandwiches and Orzo with Corn off the Cob




http://www.food.com/recipe/orzo-and-corn-off-the-cob-387827


I just made this recipe for the first time, and will definitely make it again! I took it to a BBQ this afternoon and found it to be the perfect summer pasta salad-light, tangy, and delicious. It’s also to be served at room temperature…so no worries about refrigeration at a picnic or BBQ!


Monday-Chicken Lettuce Wraps


Â


One of our family favorites-this recipe is spot on. I usually make a triple batch, and we eat it throughout the week…thus the Monday slot.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/almost-famous-chicken-lettuce-wraps-recipe/index.html


Tuesday-Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers and Veggies



http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html


Chicken satay is one of my favorite dishes-and super simple to prepare. I could probably eat just the peanut sauce with a spoon.


Wednesday-Mini Meatball Sliders




http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/16-minute-meal-3-mini-meatball-sandwiches/


She claims this recipe can be made in sixteen minutes-that sounds like a great mid-week meal to me!


Thursday-Roasted Red Pepper Ravioli with leftover meatballs


We didn’t get to the Whole Foods Ravioli last week-so it’s reappearing on this week’s menu on the night of my final photography class.


Friday-Leftover Lettuce Wraps or Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon




http://www.food.com/recipe/brown-sugar-glazed-salmon-150614


My husband’s favorite new salmon recipe on the grill for a relaxing night in (most likely spent processing tomatoes!)


Saturday-OUT


Stay tuned for a recap of this week’s adventures, as well as new recipes and garden news later this week!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Recipe File: Basilicious Pesto



Each year I end up with copious amounts of fragrant basil at the end of the season. While I enjoy bruschetta weekly during the summer, what’s a girl to do with all that basil? When life hands you basil, make pesto!




I’ve found that Ball Freezer Jars work perfectly to preserve the basil pesto all winter. It’s wonderful to be able to visit the freezer for a taste of the summery spread in a calzone or on a sandwich.




I have used two different pesto recipes over the years. The first recipe I’m including incorporates all of the ingredients in the jar.


The second recipe doesn’t incorporate the nuts or cheese-they are to be added after unfreezing.


Either way, having frozen pesto on hand is like a finding bright green gem in the middle of winter-when I’m longing for the dog days of August once again.


RECIPE 1:


Ingredients:


4 cups basil leaves


1/2 cup pine nuts


4 cloves chopped garlic


1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese


3-4 tbsp olive oil, to the desired consistency


salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


Rough chop the garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Add the basil leaves and pulse until mixed, then while mixing, add the olive oil slowly through the chute until incorporated. Add the cheese, salt and pepper to taste and pulse until combined.


Store in the refrigerator for up to a week, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, or freeze in Ball freezer jars.


RECIPE 2:


My other favorite basil pesto recipe is from Michael Chiarello of NapaStyle fame. 


Ingredients:


(Makes about 3/4 cup, enough for 1 pound pasta.)
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Sea salt, preferably Gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:


Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the basil in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the basil and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the basil into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.


Squeeze the water out of the basil with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the basil and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste and olive oil. Blend for at least 30 seconds. Pulse to combine.


Freeze in Ball freezer jars. When you’d like to use the pesto, defrost the jar. Add 1/4 cup pine nuts and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to the pesto and pulse in the food processor until incorporated.


Preserving: Canning Green Beans in Ten Steps

Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables. With an abundance of green beans on hand this year, supplemented with some in season from the local grocery, I processed 14 quarts and 19 pints of green beans for this winter. Mom and I did the job over a three days, two hours at a time. Initially, I thought it would be a much bigger job, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really pretty simple and very rewarding.


Green beans are a low acid vegetable, as are most veggies you’d want to can with the exception of tomatoes and pickled items. To preserve low acid veggies through canning, you’ll need a pressure canner similar to this one:



Step 1: Wash the beans thoroughtly. Remove the stem and blossom ends or any strings. Cut the beans into one inch pieces.



Here are the beans after cutting:



Step 2: Pack the beans tightly in clean Mason jars using a canning funnel, leaving one inch of space at the top.



Step 3: Cover the jarred beans with boiling water, leaving one inch headspace. Add one teaspoon of salt to the jar. Wipe the mouth of the jar to eliminate any specks of salt or debris, as this will hinder the lids from sealing tightly.




Step 4: Place lids and rings on the jars, tighten.



Step 5: Add beans to your pressure canner. Our canner fit 7 Quarts or 20 Pints easily.



Step 6: Process beans according to your pressure canner’s instruction manual.


With this particular pressure cooker, it has a vent pipe on top. Exhaust the air from the canner by adjusting the heat to a relatively high setting to obtain a free flow of steam from the vent pipe.



Step 7: Reduce heat to maintain a moderate steam flow for approximately 10 minutes, then place the pressure regulator on the vent pipe. 



Over pressure plug should rise within a minute or two to signal the canner is sealed and the pressure will start.



Step 8: Set burner to high heat until pressure gauge reaches 9 pounds. The goal is 11 pounds, but at this point, turn the burner down slowly over several minutes to reach 11. To excede 11 pounds would make the beans mushy.



Step 9: Processing time begins when you reach correct pressure. 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts. Maintain the pressure by continually monitoring the gauge and burner.



Step 10: At the end of the processing time, turn the burner off. Let the pressure drop on it’s own. Pressure is completely reduced when air vent/cover lock and pressure plug have dropped and no steam escapes when the pressure regulator is tilted. At this point it is safe to open the canner.



Enjoy your green beans-I know we will!


Thanks so much to my mom for helping teach me to can, and for help in writing this post!

Sunday, August 7, 2011



August: A tomato a day!


A great list of 31 ideas for Tomatoes from Food Network Magazine. Click on the image for the hi resolution version of the pic. Enjoy!

Recipe File: "Philly Cheesesteak"


There’s a reason for the “quotation marks”. This isn’t a Philly Cheesesteak in the classic style, but an amazingly flavorful steak and cheese sandwich nonetheless. 



I went looking for a good steak sandwich recipe as it’s one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I’ve also had a hard time perfecting it, mainly because the cuts of meat I use for them tends to be tough and chewy instead of smooth and buttery. 



I had a Sirloin in the freezer that was begging to be cooked, and I was determined that this time, the meat would be tender. I stirred a half packet of Adolph’s “Marinade in Minutes” into the original marinade recipe-and the meat, and the sandwich-were perfect.


Â


Marinade


  • 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

  • 1/2 packet Adolph’s Marinade in Minutes for Meat

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

“Philly Cheesesteak”:


  • 1 (2 pound) sirloin steak

  • 1 red bell pepper, halved 

  • 1 red onion, cut into slices

  • 4 sub buns

  • 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions


Combine the mustard, balsamic, garlic and olive oil while stirring. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Put the steak in a resealable plastic bag. Pour in 3/4 of the marinade and seal the bag. (Reserve the remaining marinade for the bread.) Let the steak marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.


Put the peppers and onions on the grill. Once the peppers and onions are charred, move them to the top rack to keep them warm.


Remove the steak from the marinade and put on the grill. After 5 minutes turn the steak over to sear the other side, about 12 minutes total cooking time for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.


Toast the buns on the grill, brushing the remaining marinade on both sides of the buns. Arrange the steak on the bottom halves of the buns and cover with the peppers and onions. Top with the cheese and cover with the other half of the bread. Serve with potato chips or french fries.

This Week for Dinner: August 7-13


It’ll be a cake-filled week for the Turners, with two birthdays and a wedding this week. Wishing a very happy birthday week to my mom and dad, two of the people who have most inspired me in life and in cooking!


Looking forward to a busy but fun week ahead. On Tuesday, mom and I are going to Columbus on yet another Whole Foods adventure, Wednesday I’m hosting a dual birthday dinner, Thursday night I have photo class, and we are attending a wedding Saturday-and I have lots of fun meals and a few side projects on the menu as well!


This week’s menu is based on what is ripening in the garden (tomatoes and peppers) and a few things I need to use up from the fridge (bacon, marinara, cherry tomatoes).


I’ve also promised Cory we’ll make blueberry ice cream this week. I’m still debating on what kind of cake or dessert to make for Mom and Dad this week-I’ll keep you posted. I’d like to make a batch of Shredded Chicken for sandwiches for lunch, and to top off the week-I’ll be making my first few batches of salsa. 


So here’s the plan for this week:


Sunday-Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Onions, Pineapple, Cherry Tomatoes and Marinated Cucumbers 




Getting out the grill tonight for one of our favorite meals.


Monday-Cinnamon Roll Waffles and Bacon-Breakfast for Dinner!


 


Another Pinterest find, and a sure hit with Cory.


http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/04/14/cinnamon-roll-waffles/


Tuesday-Mystery Dinner from Columbus :)


It’ll either be Lobster Bisque from Bon Vie or a special salad from the Whole Foods hot bar. Food Network magazine has a great article this month about the cost of specific items on a grocery store salad bar, and how they compare with purchasing the individual items in the aisles. Check it out!



http://www.foodnetmag.com/


http://www.bon-vie.com/index.html


Wednesday-Birthday Dinner!


Crab Crusted Filet Mignon with Asparagus and Red Potatoes 




Five star recipe from Emeril…I’ve made this before for special events and it was amazing!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/filets-with-crabmeat-crust-recipe/index.html


Thursday-Whole Foods Smoked Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper Ravioli with Carfagna’s Marinara


Whole Foods makes their own amazing ravioli, and I’m looking forward to making these with my favorite jarred marinara from Carfagna’s.


Friday-Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Roasted Tomato Soup from the garden 



http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/04/jalapeno-popper-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html


Saturday-Deborah and Tony’s Wedding




Best Wishes for a wonderful life together! 


Stay tuned for a recap of this week’s adventures, as well as new recipes and garden news later this week!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

A busy week in the kitchen...

Stay tuned for a bunch of new posts! It’s been a busy week in the plumdelicious kitchen. I’ll be posting tips on canning green beans, making bread crumbs, basil pesto and a cool way to freeze green onions. I’ll also be recapping the past week’s dinner adventures, including the mini lasagnas which were a huge hit.


This week’s menu is also in the works, and I’m super excited as all of my new food magazines have arrived in the mail. Looking forward to a great week ahead!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Recipe File: Salmon and Veggie Grill Packets


I love the idea of all-in-one meals…and this simple foil packet filled with fish and veggies is a great way to maximize flavor and minimize cleanup. 


You can easily customize these packets with any seasoning or any vegetable you desire. Simple, creative and fun, this was a great meal to make on a hot weeknight-no stove required.



Ingredients:


4-6oz salmon filets 


1 lemon, sliced thinly


4 cloves garlic, minced


2 tbsp butter


sea salt and fresh ground pepper


1 yellow squash, sliced into strips


1 zucchini, sliced into strips


1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips


1 small white onion, sliced into strips


basil, capers or sun-dried tomatoes (optional)


Directions:


Heat grill for direct heat. Spray four 12x12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with cooking spray.


Place salmon filet on center of each foil piece. Arrange lemon slices over salmon. Place 1/2 tbsp butter in each packet beside salmon. Arrange a few slices each of squash, zucchini, bell pepper and onion on top of butter, beside salmon. Sprinkle salmon and veggies with salt, pepper and minced garlic as desired. Fold foil over salmon and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. 


Cover and grill packets 10 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork. Place packets on plates. Cut large X across top of each packet; fold back foil.