Scallops in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

I was at Whole Foods the other day when I decided to buy some scallops, not really knowing what I wanted to do with them.  When I got home I looked and saw we had some mushrooms that were unopened, so I quickly googled an easy cream sauce, and came up with this recipe!  I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, but you can literally put it over anything. They tasted great, but visually... not so much.  Nonetheless, a great recipe for you....

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter
1 lb scallops
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped scallions
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Handful of chopped cherry tomatoes (remove seeds)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsp of butter in large skillet.  When butter is hot, but before it browns, add the scallops.  Cook, shaking the skillet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove scallops from pan and keep warm.

Add scallions to the skillet and cook for a minute or so.  Add mushrooms and chopped tomatoes.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add wine, and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream.  Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.  Add scallops, and swirl in remaining butter.  Serve.

Not the prettiest dish, but tastes good!

Garlic Shrimp Scampi

I've always loved Shrimp Scampi.  I usually always have shrimp in the house as well, so this is an easy dish when I don't feel like spending a lot of time cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb linguine
2 tbsp butter
6 tbsp white wine
5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

Cook pasta according to box. Drain.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium low heat.  Add wine, cheese, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper.  Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Increase heat to medium and add shrimp to skillet.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until shrimp starts to turn pink.  Make sure not to overcook them.

Plate pasta and pour sauce ontop.  Add more Parmesan cheese if you would like.

Bacon Fried Rice

Like most dudes, Chris is obsessed with Bacon.  Whenever I make a dish that has Bacon in it, I am instructed to make 4-5 pieces extras so that he can have it.  I didn't have any pork in the house, or chicken for that matter, so I decided to make some Bacon Fried Rice and see how it came out.......and it was awesome.  It was actually even better the next day.

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked white rice
4 tbsp oil
1/2 can of baby corn, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs
10 pieces of bacon
2 carrots, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
4 tbsp soy sauce (I always add more)

Directions:

Heat large skillet over high heat.  When pan is hot, add 2 tbsp of oil. Swirl to coat pan.

Add eggs to pan and cook til they are scrambled.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add bacon to pan and cook until crispy.  Set aside to cool, and then chop.

Wipe pan clean and return to high heat.  Add remaining oil and coat. When oil is very hot, add onion and cook for about 30 seconds. Add rice to the pan and stir well to mix onions.  Spread the rice out evenly over the pan and let rice cook without stirring until you hear the rice sizzle, about 2-3 minutes.  Toss rice again with spatula, then spread out evenly again.

Drizzle soy sauce over rice, and toss again.  Add the baby corn, bacon, carrots, and egg to the pan.  Toss to combine all ingredients.  Let everything heat again until you hear the rice sizzling. 

Add a top coat of soy sauce, toss, and serve.

so good.

Chinese Beef and Broccoli

I have a severe peanut allergy.  So for those who love nuts, you will be at a loss with these recipes!  I'm allergic to all nuts, and especially peanut oil, therefore I am very limited with Chinese Food.  Even when I let restaurants know about my allergy, somehow, I still manage to blow up.  I have found a few recipes for staple Chinese dishes that have allowed me to still somewhat eat this genre of food that I love so much.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flour
1 can of beef broth
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 lb thinly sliced round steak, cut into bite size pieces (I had the meat man slice it thin for me)
1 can of baby corn
2 large carrots, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp copped fresh ginger
1 clove of minced garlic
4 cups of chopped broccoli

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine flour, broth, sugar, and soy sauce.  Stir until sugar and flour are dissolved.

In a large skilled over high heat, cook and stir beef about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in broth mixture, ginger, garlic, baby corn, carrots and broccoli.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

still cooking!

Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic, Red Pepper, and Parmesan Cheese

This is a quick easy side dish, one that I make frequently because it is fast and I love broccoli.  Make sure that you pay attention to hot your pan/the oil gets, because you can easily burn the broccoli.

Ingredients:

Fresh broccoli, chopped

3-4 tbsp oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat 3 tbsp oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Add broccoli and stir to coat.  Stir frequently for about 5 minutes, or until broccoli begins to soften.

Add garlic, drizzle remaining oil, and add red pepper flakes, and stir to mix well.

Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes.  Plate and top with Parmesan cheese.

I love my ghetto iphone pics!

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes and Basil

I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, For the Love of Cooking, and it instantly became a favorite in my house.  I probably make this a few times a month, and it always comes out great.

Ingredients:

1 cup of ricotta cheese (I use part-skim)

Small handful of baby spinach, chopped (frozen spinach works just as well)

Large handful of grape tomatoes, diced, and all seeds and middle removed

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 clove of minced garlic

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sprinkle of oregano

2 thick chicken breasts

Panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, parm cheese, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Mix until blended well.

Rise the chicken breasts then cut a long horizontal slit almost til the other side.  Stuff the middle with the ricotta mixture.  Season each side of chicken breast with salt and pepper, then carefully dip the chicken breast in breadcrumbs until both sides are evenly coated.  


Close the slit together with toothpicks.


Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over medium high heat.  Place chicken in the skillet at cook for 3 minutes.


Flip the chicken over and place skillet into the oven.  Cook for about 20 min.  Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before eating.

Martha Stewart's Mac and Cheese

I have to admit, there are a couple things that I just cant seem to master.  One is caramelizing onions.  I just cant do it right.  The other obstacle I've come across is finding the best mac and cheese recipe.  My Bacon, Mushroom, and Spinach Mac and Cheese is the great, but this recipe, adapted from Martha Stewart, has done wonders for me.  I hope you like it.


Ingredients:


1 stick of unsalted butter
6 slices of white bread, without crusts, torn into little bits
5 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, I've done it both ways and seen no difference)
4 1/2 cups sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
1 lb elbow macaroni


Directions:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 2 quart casserole dish.


Cook pasta according to directions on box, but subtract about 3 minutes to time that it should be done, so it is still very al dente.  Rinse with cold water and set aside.


While pasta is cooking, melt 2 tbsp butter.  Toss butter with torn bread in a medium bowl. Set aside.


Warm milk in a saucepan over medium heat. 


Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 min.


Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter and flour, whisking constantly, until it is mixed well together, about 6 minutes.


Remove the pan from heat, and stir in the salt, nutmeg, pepper, 3 out of the 4.5 cups of Cheddar cheese, and 1.5 cups out of the 3 of Gruyere.  Set aside.


Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.


Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.  Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar and Gruyere cheese on top.  Then add the breadcrumbs to top.


Bake about 30 min, or until the top is golden brown.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes on wire rack, then serve.




Cooling on wire rack (thank you Nancy Karassik)- Nom I love M&C.



Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Chris loves everything Buffalo.  Buffalo wings, sammies, pizza.  I think I could dip a shoe in Buffalo sauce and Chris would eat it.  Therefore, I try to incorporate Buffalo something, once every other week or so.  One of our favorite bars, Clerys, has this pizza on their menu, and their version was my inspiration for my version.  For the chicken, I always buy a rotisserie chicken, then pick it apart, and store the shredded pieces in a tupperware to use in pizzas, enchiladas, etc.  You could use any type of chicken for this recipe, but if you do not use a rotisserie chicken, I recommend that you poach the chicken and then shred it.  This pizza is a favorite in our house.  


Ingredients:
1 package Trader Joes Garlic and Herb pizza dough (though I'm sure you could use any kind)
Cornmeal
1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, shredded
Ken's Buffalo Wing sauce
1 package of shredded cheddar cheese
Ken's Blue Cheese salad dressing
2 stalks of celery, cut lengthwise, then chopped into small pieces
2 large carrots, cut lengthwise, then chopped into small pieces


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.


Remove the pizza dough from the bag and let sit on a floured counter for 20 min.


Coat a pizza tray with cooking spray and a bit of cornmeal sprinkled over the top of the tray.


Place the chopped chicken in a small bowl and drizzle with the buffalo sauce.  Add more sauce and mix until it is coated well.


Flatten the pizza dough onto the prepared pizza tray.


Spread the blue cheese dressing evenly over the top of the dough then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.


Top the cheese with the buffalo chicken, chopped celery, and carrots.


Drizzle a small layer of buffalo sauce over the top, then add one more layer of cheddar cheese.


Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Baked Ziti

My favorite favorite favorite dish is baked ziti.  It could be the fact I'm half Italian, or the fact I just love pasta, but ever since I was little, baked ziti was it for me.  My Aunt Marie makes a great version, and whenever she does make it, I steal and take home all the leftovers.  Enjoy!


Ingredients:


1 package of ziti
1 small container of Ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
1/2 bag of shredded mozzarella
1 jar of pasta sauce (Newman's Own Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce works real well)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin pieces
Garlic Powder
2 quart casserole dish


Directions:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Boil pasta according to directions on box, to just about al dente.  Drain, and pour into a large mixing bowl


Add ricotta, and about 1/4 of the jar of pasta sauce.  Sprinkle Garlic powder on top to liking.  Mix well.


Grease casserole dish (I use simple Pam).  Spread a small layer of pasta sauce on bottom of dish.

Spread half of the pasta/ricotta/sauce mixture flat in the dish.  Pour half of the remaining pasta sauce on top and evenly spread.  Layer with shredded mozzarella cheese. 


Repeat this step again, so that there are now two layers of the pasta mixture, sauce, and mozzarella cheese.  


Add the fresh mozzarella slices on top of the shredded mozzarella.


Bake in oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top starts to turn golden brown.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

So good.

Sausage and Peppers!

Fenway Sausage and Peppers sammies are one of the best things to come out of Boston (I like the truck outside the park called Sausage King).  Everytime we go to a Redsox game, Chris and I always get one.  One time it was raining, and we went into the park, grabbed a beer and a S&P sub, and then left.  I came up with this recipe by combining a few that I found on allrecipes.com.  I think sometimes the best recipes come from when you mix a few together.  The recipe yields 3 subs.  These aren't quite the Fenway kind, but they're a close second....

Ingredients:

3  links sweet Italian sausage

1 tbsp butter

1/2 onion, sliced (the long way)

1/4 red onion, sliced (the long way)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced (the long way)

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced (the long way)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons white wine

1 large baguette (I get mine from Trader Joes)

Ingredients, minus the wine, basil, and oregano

Directions:

Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet, and slice in half, lengthwise.

Melt butter in the skillet. Stir in the yellow onion, red onion, and garlic, and cook 2 to 3 minutes.

Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Season with basil, and oregano.

Stir in white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.

Return sausage to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

Overstuff baguette with onions, 2 halves of the sausage, and peppers.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

I am a sucker for potatoes... so you will probably find a ton of recipes on this blog that will have potato in them one way or another.  This side dish is a regular in our house.  The serving size is for 4, because leftovers rule.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

1 onion, diced

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Parmesan cheese

Fresh ground pepper

1 quart casserole dish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the casserole dish. Top with the onion, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 1 min.

Pour cheese over the potatoes, sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and cover the dish with aluminum foil (I spray Pam on the bottom of the aluminum foil so it does not stick to the cheese).

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven. 

Please note: Our oven is brand new, so it cooks real fast.  For older ovens, you might have to adjust to 1.5 hours.

I.love.potatoes.

Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with an Apricot Ginger Glaze

This is one of Chris' favorite recipes.  I have only made it twice, but every time I do, there are no leftovers. It is a nice touch of sweet and spicy, but I do not recommend it for anyone who has a sensitive tongue, because there is quite a kick!

Ingredients:

Spice Rub:

1.5 tsp chili powder

1.5 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Glaze:

3/4 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp hot sauce (I use Frank's)

1.5 tsp chopped cilantro

1/2 lime

Directions:

Place chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper in a bag; shake to blend. Rub spice mixture onto pork tenderloin. Cover tenderloin (I threw mine in a Pyrex baking dish with cover) and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Before throwing it in the fridge

Before grilling, melt apricot preserves in saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from the heat and stir in remaining glaze ingredients. Place half of the glaze in a serving bowl and use for a dipping sauce. 

Prepare grill at medium-high heat. Grill pork tenderloins for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.

When about 4 minutes of cook time remains, brush the pork tenderloins with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turn the pork tenderloins and brush glaze on other side. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove pork from the grill and let set for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved glaze dipping sauce.

End result is awesome.

Honey Chicken Kabobs

I love this chicken kabob recipe.  I stumbled upon it while mixing two things I love more than anything: honey, and soy sauce (odd, I know), and just adapted it from there.  I have made it about 5-10 times since then, most recently when my very best friend (and future bridesmaid!) Teddy came down for a weekend.  They were bomb.  This is scaled for a serving size of 6, but 3-4 could eat this, hands down. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the marinade - split these evenly into two separate bowls (one for chicken, one for veggies):

2 tbsp oil

4 tbsp honey

4 tbsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

1 clove garlic

1 large red onion, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 green pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

skewers

Directions:

In two separate bowls, whisk together the oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken and veggies, pour a small amount of marinade into a 3rd small separate bowl to brush onto kabobs while cooking.

Place the chicken in one bowl, veggies in another, cover with tinfoil and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.

Lightly oil the grill grate, I usually just use Pam for this (this is a MUST though- when Teddy was here, we were too excited to see each other and I forgot to oil the grate. Needless to say, the chicken stuck and I had to rip them off)

Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for about 10 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Please note:  The veggie skewers will cook faster then the chicken, so I usually place those on the ends of the grill and cook the chicken in the middle.

Bacon, Mushroom, and Spinach Mac & Cheese

I first saw this mac and cheese recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Annie's Eats.  Annie's recipes are the best, and they are always so different.  I changed the recipe a bit to my liking, and it came out wonderful.  The serving size is portioned to about 4 people, and it tasted even better the next day.  This is a great entree - its easy, and does not take long to make at all!

Ingredients:

12 oz. of pasta (I used medium shells)
6-7 pieces of bacon
8 oz. (about half of a package) of sliced mushrooms, diced.
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup of flour
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh ground black pepper
6 oz fontina cheese, grated
6 oz white cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup of frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
2 quart casserole dish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Once boiling, cook the pasta until just shy of al dente.  Drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate (set aside 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooked bacon for topping the baked mac and cheese.)  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.  

Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

I usually cook pre-packaged frozen spinach in the microwave according to the directions on the bag, so, do that.

Then, to make the cheese sauce, add the reserved bacon grease to a medium saucepan with the butter.  (If there was not enough bacon grease to make 2 tablespoons, replace the missing amount by adding an equal amount of butter.)  Heat over medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted.  Whisk in the flour and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a golden brown. but not burned, probably about 1-2 minutes.  Whisk in the milk.  Stir the mixture, stirring frequently, until it begins to bubble and thicken.  Then whisk in the salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper.  

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the fontina and white cheddar until completely melted and all the lumps are gone.    

Return the drained pasta to the pot.  Mix in the cooked bacon and mushrooms, the cheese sauce and the chopped spinach.  Stir everything together gently until well combined.  

Spread the mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is light golden and the cheese is bubbling.  Spoon into bowl/dish and add the tablespoons of bacon you had kept. NOM NOM NOM.

My First Blog Post!

Goooood morning!

This is my first blog post, and I am super excited to share some of my very favorite dishes that I have adapted with all of you!  I started steadily cooking when I ditched the idea of having roommates and moved into a 1 bedroom by myself.  Now that I live with my fiance, I have doubled my recipe box and have a wide variety of entres, appetizers, and sweets that I love to make.  I hope you all enjoy!