Panko Crusted Salmon

I found this recipe on Pinterest.com. If you haven't heard of it, Pinterest is a social catalog. You browse through pictures and can "pin" your favorites. It's like ripping out a page in a magazine that you want to save for later. You browse your friends pins and people can see your pins. So it allows you to share ideas and inspiration. Every pin has the original website as a reference. It's totally addictive.

We love to eat wild salmon, but I always cook it the same way. I searched for some fresh ideas and found this one.

I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. The panko (japanese bread crumbs- don't substitute with regular bread crumbs) was leftover from some other recipe. I always have a lemon in the fridge. And I grew parsley this summer in a container, so I had that as well. In my opinion, dried parsley has no flavor whatsoever, so fresh is a must!! It pairs beautifully with the lemon.

I usually cook my salmon in a skillet, but never though to put it in the oven for the second half of cooking. The trick is to pull it out and let it "rest" on the cast iron skillet while it's still rare in the middle. I almost put it back in, but it continued to cook once it was out. I think it was the most perfectly cooked salmon I've ever made. The flavors were fantastic. Even Matt loved the lemon.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup panko
2 tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.

Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface. Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin. (If you don’t want to eat the skin, this step also helps the skin stick to the pan so the fillets can be easily removed without the skin later on.)

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

I actually have a picture of my salmon! Here it is just beginning to cook. I made three because one is for Matt's lunch. It's healthier and cheaper for him to take leftovers everyday. I will definitely make this again.

The O-M-G Salad

Has anyone else tried this salad?

























It's the Southwest Salad from McDonald's. I think fate brought me to this salad. It was the 4th of July(a Monday), and we had just gotten back into town from vacation. So, of course, we were looking for some quick dinner. We headed to Chick-Fil-A for a nugget meal and a chicken strip salad with berry balsamic dressing(yum).

Hmm...no cars in the parking lot. That's what they call a clue.

Sure enough, they were closed.

McDonald's was right next door. I NEVER go to McDonald's(no offense to those who do). I decided to give it a shot and see what salads they had. The place was empty since it was a holiday. I asked the cashier girl if the southwest salad on the menu was any good, since there was no picture to go by. I'll never forget her response: "Gasp! O-M-G!! That salad is sooo good!" Yes, she spelled it out slow like that.

Sold.

My life has forever changed.

I can't get enough McDonald's these days. I think I've at least 5 since then, and that's a whole lot of eating out for me. This salad is probably kinda on the DL since most of us don't associate golden arches with tasty healthy salads. They pretty much get the bad rap and are made out to be the "worst" fast food chain out there.

I challenge you to go try this salad. It has your choice of grilled or crispy chicken(please don't get crispy. that's bad for you), roasted corn and black beans, chili-lime tortilla strips, cheese, and maybe some other stuff, and a wedge of lime. It comes with Newman's Own Southwest dressing. This salad has just the right amount of spice to it that isn't overwhelming at all! (not like those spicy fried chicken sandwich/salads that I can't eat)

It's even featured in a Cooking Light article about fast food survival guide.

Chipotle Lime Pork Tenderloin

I can't believe it's taken me 2 years to blog about this recipe. It's one of our favorites and is GREAT for summertime entertaining! I originally saw this recipe on an episode of "Good Eats with Alton Brown". The episode was all about pork tenderloin being the new week-night lean meat. Trust me, you've never had pork tenderloin until you've had this pork tenderloin.



(ok so that's not my photo, but dang it looks good!)

Every time we make this for company, someone asks for the recipe. For once, I took photos WHILE I cooked!!

Here are the players for the marinade(minus the lemons, plus garlic powder):



For one tenderloin, you need 1/2 cup fresh lime juice(about 4 limes). This takes a surprising amount of muscle. Maybe one of those squeezy handle things would be easier, but I have the old school kind. I usually make a man do this, if there is one around, so I can move on to other things.




Oh, you should probably do this step before juicing. You need zest from one lime. You don't have to have to zest it after it's been juiced. That's seems frustrating. I guess you could also buy an extra lime to be on the safe side.




Once all the juicing and zesting is done, add 1/4 cup of honey, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.




Mix it well.

The last ingredient is chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The original recipe calls for 1 pepper chopped, but once that can is opened, you can't save the others, so why waste them. I add half the can, which is about 3 peppers. This does not make it too hot. Just give them a quick chop and set them aside.




Now for the pork. I'm only doing one tenderloin, but the package comes with two, so I go ahead and trim the fat and silver skin off of both and freeze the other.




Add the pork to a gallon sized zip lock bag. Pour in only HALF the lime juice mixture. The other half is for basting and resting. Add the peppers to the bag. Seal and mush it around. Pop it into the fridge for 2-6 hrs.




Now go get one of those men that I called for earlier. This is the man part. Not that girls can't grill. I just don't. So here's where the instructions get a little vague. We have a gas grill(I do know that much). And I've always heard that "low and slow" is best. I really don't know how many minutes it takes to cook. Maybe 20. Best to use a thermometer. Take it off the grill when it's between 140-145 degrees. That might sound low to some of you, but the expert chefs all do it this way and it's the only way to keep the meat juicy. Plus, it does keep cooking after it comes off the heat.

While your man(or maybe you are the man) is grilling the meat. Make a canoe/pocket out of aluminum foil to rest the meat.




When the meat comes off the grill, pop it in here and pour on the OTHER half of the lime juice mixture. Seal the pocket up and let it rest for 10 min.




This is a good time to chop up some cilantro garnish. It's not the same without it.




Now it's time to carve.



For plating, you can spoon on the juice from the aluminum pocket(for more flavor), and top with cilantro.

Here's what mine looks like. What it really needs is some Mexican corn salsa. Mmmm, I'll have to try that next time. I also serve it with cilantro-lime rice.




Ingredients

• 1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
• 1 lime, zest finely grated
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Juice 4 limes, and zest one of them. Add 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 garlic powder. Mix well.
2. Chop 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
3. Trim pork and add to zip lock bag. Pour in half of the lime mixture. Top with peppers. Seal and mix.
4. Grill pork until center reaches 140 degrees. Rest for 10 min in an aluminum pocket with reserved juice.
5. Slice and serve with reserved juice and cilantro.

Taco Pizza

Given that Matt loves anything with cilantro(meaning mexican-ish), and we both are liking black beans more and more, I knew we had to try the taco pizza featured on The Pioneer Woman's blog the other day.


















This was a super easy to make recipe. I think most pizzas are. And I cheat a little buy NOT making my own crust. I know homemade tastes much better. I KNOW. I've had both. But I don't plan far enough ahead to give it time to rise and stuff. I need the dough ready NOW because I want to eat in 30 min. So Pillsbury dough it is!

As with all tacos and pizza, you can easily change/add/subtract any ingredients to your taste. I mostly followed the recipe as is, BUT..

I didn't:
-make my own dough
-fry corn tortillas
-add hot sauce to the sour cream

I think my pizza looked even prettier. It was in a round pan, and had less lettuce/cilantro/tomatoes covering it(like you could still see some cheese showing). And I had more sour cream(it needed it, because beans aren't as moist as tomato sauce). But it's ok: I use fat free.

*A little tip about adding the sour cream:
The Pioneer Woman uses a pastry bag(which I don't have and wouldn't want to waste anyway). I used a snack sized zip-lock bag. I reinforced the corner with masking tape before adding sour cream and snipping the end off. If you don't reinforce, the seam could bust open and you'd have a pile of sour cream in the middle of your pizza. I know from experience from working with melted chocolate.


















The verdict was: we loved it!

The recipe: click here

I didn't really follow a recipe. I just followed the pictures. Just don't add a whole packet of taco seasoning when you spice up the beans. That's too much! I used my own spices and added a generous shake of cumin/red pepper/garlic powder/onion powder.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

One of many reasons I'm looking forward to moving to Stanley, NC(and out of kinda-in-Charlotte-but-not-really) is I'll be right down the street from Lineberger's Farm Stand. It's a local family-owned farm(not sure if it's organic. probably not). They have pick-your-own strawberries and pumpkins. People drive 30 min just to go there, and it will be 5 min from our house.

I happened to be over there driving by during opened house, so I pulled in to see what they had that day. I left with strawberries, squash, green beans, tomatoes, and apple butter. In 3 days, we'd eaten everything but the tomatoes and apple butter.

This is what I made with the strawberries:



















(not my photo)

It was fantastic!

I googled and found a recipe for Fresh Strawberry Pie, made with jello and pudding mix, instead of a sugar syrup.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 graham cracker crust(I used a pre-made large size)
1 carton of strawberries
1 small box Jello gelatin Strawberry flavor(sugar-free optional)
1 small box Jello pudding COOK AND SERVE Vanilla flavor(sugar-free optional)
1 1/2 cups water
Fat-free Cool Whip as topping

1. In sauce-pan, combine dry pudding mix, dry gelatin mix, and water. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.
2. After boiling and thickened, remove from heat and stir in chopped strawberries.
3. Pour into crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

*Must use COOK AND SERVE pudding mix.
**Try substituting other fruit and jello flavors.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole(or Mexican Lasagna as I am calling it)

Tonight was yet another new recipe. Found, once again, in the Cooking Light archives. Chicken Enchilada Casserole was so yummy. It really has nothing to do with enchilada, has no enchilada sauce and no rolled up tortillas. So that's why I'm calling it Mexican Lasagna. But be forewarned, it takes some time and there are lots of steps.


















I didn't realize how many steps were involved until I had already started making it and saw in Step 4 the word "blender" and my heart sank a little. Crap. We hand wash all our dishes, so I never get out anything other than a knife, cutting board, and mixing spoon. I don't like fancy contraptions with all those pieces parts.

My changes:
I used boiled chicken breasts instead of thighs because I had some in the freezer, and it's lower fat. So just cook some chicken any method you choose. Also, in using 3 breasts, I ended up with more meat than the recipes calls for and used a 9x13 dish. We like leftovers. I think it also made it a little drier.

I used a can of corn, which was probably more than a cup. Also, I added a can of black beans(Yes, it finally happened!! I like beans!!! And so does Matt!)

I didn't have(nor wanted to buy) salsa verde, so I just used salsa from the pantry.

I used flour tortillas because, again, that's what I had and I don't like the corn ones.

I used way more than 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Seriously?? Is that a misprint? 1/4 cup?? That's only one serving!!

...I think that's it.

We really enjoyed. Matt thought it was amazing. He loves Mexican. I love Italian. I knew he would like it.

I topped it with a dab of sour cream and a little more cilantro.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chopped onion, divided
• 6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 cup salsa verde
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño pepper
• 9 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side. Place skillet in oven; bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; shred. Discard bones. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) to chicken; toss to combine.

3. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.

4. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water, and jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour mixture into a blender/food processor; add 2 tablespoons cilantro. Process until smooth.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tortillas; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove tortillas from pan; repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into quarters.

6. Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 12 tortilla quarters over salsa mixture. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining salsa mixture over tortillas; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with remaining cilantro.

Caramel Pork

I tried a new recipe last night. I know. Shocker. It only happens like every week. What can I say? I get bored with eating the same food, no matter how good.

I love the magazine Cooking Light. Check out their recipe index here. I don't have a subscription yet, so I go there, especially if I saw something good in it in the grocery check-out line while browsing. All of their recipes and all of Southern Living recipes and from other magazines are collaborated at MyRecipes.com. I love how they provide the nutritional information(by the way, this one only has 300 calories). And the recipes from Cooking Light are usually...well...light. They also have video on how to make certain featured recipes which is helpful.

We love pork tenderloin because it's lean and tender and there are countless things to do with it. I try to stock up on a few when they are BOGO at Harris Teeter. That makes it fit any budget. Then, I trim the fat, wrap it in siran wrap(squeezing out the air) and place it in a freezer bag. Date it with a sharpie and freeze. Never freeze meat in the original packaging. That's a recipe for freezer burnt meat(not tasty).

Last night we had this(my veggies were not as pretty):



















It's called Caramel Pork. You can click on that link for the original recipe. There is also a video.

I made a few changes. I took the suggestions of one commenter, that the pork got overcooked while waiting for the sauce to thicken. They suggested removing the pork when it was done, and then returning it to the pan when the sauce was ready.

I have most of the ingredients on hand all the time, except for some fresh stuff like ginger(yes, you need to buy fresh ginger. There is a huge difference in taste, as with herbs, except ginger keeps a lot longer). Don't skip the rice vinegar and lime either. Come on! This is where all the flavor is!

Some other changes:
I cut the pork up into large bite sizes, not giant pieces like in the video.
I only had regular brown sugar not dark.
I was not about to put anchovies in it.
Instead of peas in the rice, I made ginger carrots and green beans.

And after eating it, there is only one thing I would do differently: less red pepper. I'm a wimp, but it was a little too spicy for me. I had ground red pepper instead of crushed, so it might be more concentrated, but I didn't think I added a lot(I didn't measure).

Matt said he could smell the sauce cooking before he even came in the house. It smelled really good and the taste lived up to the smell. I will definitely be saving this one. It's a must repeat.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup uncooked sushi or short-grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 canned anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
• 8 lime wedges

Preparation

1. Combine 1 cup water, rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes; remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes; gently stir in peas and vinegar.

2. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; sauté 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3. Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in broth and next 5 ingredients (through anchovy); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Spoon 1/2 cup rice on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup pork mixture. Serve with lime wedges.

Santa Fe Chicken Bread Bowls

This recipe is super easy. Like, you don't have to be a good cook to make this. It's almost just dumping things in the pot. I know the ingredients list is long and looks intimidating, but it's really simple. It's warm and hardy, kinda like chili, and great for a cold night. It also great as leftovers. You can customize it to your family's tastes making it spicy or mild(depending on the enchilada sauce and taco seasoning chosen), or low fat(with fat free sour cream).



















It's a Pillbury recipe, which you can find here. I don't think I use the two cans of dough though. That's a lot of bread. Divided into three balls, the bread bowls are small, but you can always refill them with seconds, or just serve the soup in a bowl with bread on the side(whatever bread you have on hand).

INGREDIENTS

2 (11-oz.) cans Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 (16-oz.) can chili beans, drained

1 (11-oz.) can Green Giant® Super Sweet Yellow and White Corn, drained

1 (10-oz.) can Old El Paso® Red Enchilada Sauce

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup ketchup

1 (1-oz.) pkg. Old El Paso® Taco Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Remove dough from cans. Cut each loaf into 3 pieces; shape each into ball, placing seam at bottom so dough is smooth on top. Place dough balls, seam side down, on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F. for 22 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, bell pepper and onion; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally.

3. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 7 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

4. With sharp knife, cut small portion off top of each loaf. Lightly press center of bread down to form bowls. Place each bread bowl on individual serving plate. Spoon about 1 cup chicken mixture into each. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Place top of each bread bowl next to filled bread bowl.

Italian Sausage and Zucchini Penne

This is one of our favorite meals! I'm not one to repeat meals very frequently(I get tired of food easy), but to say we eat this several times a month is a lot. I probably make it more frequently than anything else. It's easy, healthy, and we love it. You've got your lean protein(turkey sausage), whole grains, and vegetables all in one. And I LOVE one dish meals. Fewer dishes!

It looks similar to this(not my photo):

Italian “turkey” Sausage and Ziti Skillet Dinner

1/2 lb. Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced bell peppers(I buy frozen bag of mixed peppers from Harris Teeter. Sooo much cheaper than fresh)

1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato Soup

1 1/2 cans of water

2/3 of a box of whole grain pasta

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1 Tbsp dried basil

½ tsp pepper

¼ - ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook sausage, onion, and peppers over med-high heat 8 min or until sausage is no longer pink and veggies are tender.

2. Stir in soup and water, bring to boil, stirring until smooth.

3. Stir in pasta and zucchini, cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 min or until pasta is cooked, stirring occasionally so pasta cooks evenly. Add more water if needed.

4. Remove from heat and stir in basil, pepper, and cheese.

Shrimp and Feta Fettucine

I've said before that I don't take pictures while I cook. So I found one online that resembles the dish the closest. I got this recipe from a friend and it's a great go to for when you haven't been to the store in a while. I keep frozen shrimp, pasta, feta, and canned tomatoes in the kitchen at all times.




















Did you know that the "fresh" seafood sold at grocery stores has actually been frozen and is not fresh at all? They thaw it themselves and it sits in the case all day at the store. Then you bring it home and might not use it for a day or two. The quality will be better if you buy it still frozen and thaw it yourself. You can buy frozen shrimp a million different ways. Of course you want de-shelled and de-veined(since they are frozen, that part would be difficult to do yourself). I buy shrimp tail-off because in an entree, I hate having to eat around the tail. This is not finger food.

You can vary this recipe to fit your needs. It calls for a can of petit diced tomatoes, but if you plan ahead and buy a fresh one, it's much better. This sauce is very light and "tomatoey", but not very "tomato saucey". If you want it saucier, add a small can of tomato sauce. I've also made it before using a can of spaghetti sauce when I didn't have tomatoes. And the seasoning is already in there.

Shrimp and Feta Fettuccine

1 lb. shrimp

¾ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1-3 oz crumbled feta cheese

½ tsp crushed garlic

14.5 oz can petit diced tomatoes

¾ tsp. basil

½ tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup dry white wine/white cooking wine

Whole Grain Fettuccine

1. Saute shrimp and red pepper flakes in olive oil or butter(Use butter if shrimp are wet or frozen. Hot oil and water do not mix.)

2. Arrange cooked shrimp in small/medium baking dish. Sprinkle with feta cheese and set aside.

3. Add remaining olive oil to skillet and sauté garlic over low heat. Add tomatoes with juice and cook 1 min. Stir in wine, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered 10 min.

4. Spoon mixture over shrimp and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 10 min.

Serve over fettuccine(or something similar).

Pasta Verde

I came across this recipe on the Martha Stewart Living website, while browsing. I'm in the facebook group and they put links to categories of recipes from time to time(like pasta recipes, holiday recipes, ect.) I've made it twice. After the first time, I guess I forgot about it and didn't make it again for many months. I really like it, so I plan to put it into my regular circulation of recipes. I follow this recipe to a T, except for the fresh basil(don't shoot me). Yeah, I know dried isn't nearly as flavorful, but it's winter, and I don't have any, and the grocery store makes you buy a huge bunch that will go bad before I can use it all. All the other veggies, you can buy by the pound. The only other thing I do differently is using any kind of whole grain pasta. It just makes it a well rounded dish with whole grains and lots of green veggies.

I serve it on the side of chicken or fish. So, there is always a lot leftover. We love leftovers at our house. It saves so much money for Matt to take leftovers to work instead of paying $6 everyday for lunch. I've noticed that the mustard vinaigrette gets absorbed into the pasta by the next day, so it starts tasting rather bland. The fix? You could add some more mustard to it before you pack it for lunch, but what I like to do is add feta cheese to it. So yummy! I guess it's personal preference whether to eat it hot or cold. I like this one hot.


















Pasta Verde

Serves 4

• 1 pound gemelli, or other short pasta
• FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 2 tablespoons white-wine or sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• FOR THE ADD-INS:
• 1 sweet onion, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 2 small zucchinis, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 8 ounces snap peas, tough strings removed
• 3 ounces baby spinach, (or 1 bunch regular spinach, stems trimmed and leaves coarsely chopped)
• 1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, cut into very thin strips

Directions

1. In a medium bowl whisk together mustard and vinegar. While whisking, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until just softened, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini; cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add snap peas and spinach; cook, stirring, until bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in scallions and basil. Add to pasta along with vinaigrette; toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fiesta Chowder

My mom found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine and made it for her Christmas Eve Party. We couldn't attend it, but we did get to eat the leftovers. I'm not usually a beans and rice kind of person, so I was surprised by how much I liked it.

I really don't see how people manage to take pictures WHILE they cook. Or even as they are serving it. I just don't have the time...or take the time. Cooking is already multi-tasking. The pictures never turn out good anyway. I think it's the lighting in my kitchen. Food looks really unappetizing on the camera with that lighting. So here is a photo taken from the internet. Cuz if you're like me, you don't cook anything unless you can see a picture of how good it looks.















When my good friend, Mariah, had a baby last week, I started brainstorming what food to make and bring to her. She is very much a beans and rice person, so I knew this would be perfect. I did make some changes to the recipe. The store I was at didn't have mexican stewed tomatoes, so I bought regular, but I bet any canned tomatoes would do fine. I also left out olives(because I don't like them) and I used 3 chicken breasts(because that's how they come in the package). My mom had trouble finding Nacho Cheese condensed soup, so she used cheddar cheese soup. I found Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup at Super Target. It definitaly made it better. And whatever you do, don't skip the fresh cilantro and lime juice!!! They really make the dish. You might be one of those weird people genetically prone to think cilantro tastes like soap(It's a real thing! Something about the chemical reaction the smell makes in our brain. Read about it here. It says you can retrain your brain.)















Fiesta Chowder
(click on the title to link to original recipe)

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (1.4-ounce) package fajita seasoning, divided
• 4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cubed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
• 1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives (optional)
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed nacho cheese soup
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro
• Breadsticks/corn chips (optional)

Preparation

Combine flour and 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.

Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven(or stock pot) over high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until browned.

Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes.

Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn, next 5 ingredients, and, if desired, olives. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove lid, and stir in nacho cheese soup, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Garnish, if desired, with extra cilantro and serve with corn chips.

Double Trouble Cookies

I'm always looking for new recipes, especially when I'm making food for other people. Although, I usually try them out myself first, in case they flop. Last week we had a Youth New Years Eve Party at church. As volunteer youth leader, we were asked to make and bring desserts for the kids. I wanted one sugar cookie that looked festive and one really chocolaty cookie. The next few paragraphs are about the sugar cookies, so if you are only reading to get the double trouble recipe, scroll on down.

For the sugar cookies, I just bought Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough(yes, I do call that cheating, but I did decorate them!!). Somehow I got it in my head that I wanted snowflakes on them, or snowflake shaped cookies, so they would look wintery. I have a box of cookie cutters from a yard sale, but there was no snowflake.

So, I decided to put a snowflake on them with blue sugar sprinkles. I would need a stencil. So I made one. I free-handed a little snowflake onto some card stock I had. Then used a razor to cut it out. The cookies are slice-and-bake, so once they are sliced, I pressed the stencil onto it and sprinkled the sprinkles on them, and carefully removed the excess.

They were a little overdone, but so gosh darn pretty!


















I found the recipe for chocolate cookies by googling "double chocolate cookie recipes" I think, and browsing through google images, and picking the one that looks the best and has the best recipe.
I used this one from someone's blog: http://backofthecupboard.blogspot.com/2009/06/double-trouble-chocolate-chip-cookies.html#comment-form

They were quite easy to bake, and OH MY GOSH so good!! The trick is to take them out after 8 minutes when you think they aren't done yet. Get them out when they are still gooey. They will firm up after they cool completely. Half of mine came out perfect and half I left in there a little to long and they were fine, but not as soft and chocolaty. The recipe says the dough and the baked cookies both freeze well. I'll have to try that. It would be great to have dough on hand to pop in the oven.


















Here's the recipe:

Double Trouble Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approx 3 dozen or so cookies

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Butter
• ¾ Cup White Sugar
• ¾ Cup Brown sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Tsp Vanilla
• 2 Cup Flour
• 1 Tsp Baking soda
• ½ Tsp Salt
• 2/3 Cup Cocoa
• 2 Cup Chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, set aside.
2. Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well again, scraping bowl occasionally.
3. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in bowl. Sift in cocoa powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
4. Place by tablespoonfuls couple inches apart onto lined baking sheets. I like to leave mine heaped or rolled into a ball for a nice thick cookie.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 8-10 minutes or until edges and some of the middle is set…cookies will continue to bake as you take them out of the oven. Wait a couple of minutes before transferring to racks to cool.
6. Once cool store in an airtight container.

Can you spot them?
















I managed to save a few at home to enjoy myself. I'll have to make these again real soon.