Chicken and Brie Panini

Panini's are like grown up grilled cheese sandwiches.  Cheese is a main component of any panini but you can mix it up by using different varieties of cheese, meat and other yummy fillings.  Brie is one of my favorite cheeses but not often used in sandwiches, mostly cheese trays.  When brie is served on a cheese tray it's usually accompanied by something sweet. Think figs, dried apricots...etc.  Yesterday, when I was thinking about this sandwich my mind turned to carmelized onions to add the sweetness necessary to use Brie.  Round out the chicken, carmelized onions and brie with some peppery arugula and you have one hell of a panini!

The Ingredients:
Ciabatta (or other crusty bread), sliced lengthwise
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, roasted and sliced
1/4 wheel of brie, room temperature
mayonaisse
2 onions, sliced
bag of arugula
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
1 tbls butter
1 tsp sugar

The method:
Pre Heat the oven to 400
Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place chicken breasts on the sheet.  Drizzle well with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until breasts are golden, juices run clear and internal temperature is 170 degrees.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
While the chicken is roasting add onions, butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a saute pan.  Cook over medium heat until onions and wilted and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.  Add sugar and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  To prepare the sandwich:  spread thin layer of mayo on both sides of the bread, spread brie on one side of bread, add a layer of chicken, arugula and finish with the camelized onions.  Place bread halves together and press down.  You can use a panini press or sandwich maker but if you don't have those items here is what I do:  Put half the sandwich in a saute pan, top with a sheet of foil and then add a heavy skillet.  I use my cast iron skillet.  Press down occasionally.  Cook over medium heat until bottom is golden, flip over and cook the other side the same way.  Slice and enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

Turkey Taquitos

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey!  You won't even know this is the same thing you've eaten for the past 4 days. Trust me.  Oh yah, did I mention this turkey dinner is healthy?  These yummy, healthy taquitos can be served with a salad or some rice made with chicken stock and tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2 cups leftover turkey (or chicken), shredded
1/4 cup of store bought salsa
1 c pepper jack cheese, shredded
8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
cooking spray

The method:
Pre-Heat oven to 425 degrees
Cover a cookie sheet with non-stick foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Combine turkey, salsa and cheese in a bowl and mix to combine.  Place approximately 3 tbls of the mixture on one end of the tortilla and roll up tightly.  Place seam side down on the cookie sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas.  Spray the tops of all the taquitos lightly with cooking spray and place in oven.  After about 10 minutes turn the taquitos over and continue baking for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Serve with salsa and light sour cream.

Before baking...

After baking. Yum!

Toronto, Pamela & Jason's Wedding and Pizza Rustica

Oh my!  First blog since returning from Toronto for Jason and Pamela's wedding.  What fun we had visiting with all the family!  We arrived in waves from California...first Benjamin, then Mom, next to arrive was Mark, Andrew and me and finally Scott and Ileana.  We descended upon Pizza Rustica on a daily basis to eat up the delicious pizzas, salads and pasta's.  I already miss the rosemary & potato pizza.  I'll need to get that recipe from the cuz! 

The highlight of the trip was attending Jason and Pamela's wedding!  What an amazing, wonderful time!  Everything was perfect and the bride was beautiful!

Even the wedding favors were cool and I knew we'd put them to good use at our house.  One bottle is filled with balsamic vinegar (Andrew's favorite condiment) and the other bottle is filled with a garlic-chili oil that I whipped up.  The garlic-chili oil makes a great topping for pizza and pasta.  I also use it to saute shrimp.

Ingredients:

1 cup of olive oil

1 tsp chili flakes (or more to taste)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

The method:

Add all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until garlic cloves are slightly brown, approximately 10-15 minutes.  Remove garlic cloves before bottling.

Pumpkins and Seeds

A day late and a dollar short...that's me.  I know it's 3 days after Halloween but anyway, here are Andrew and me being Pumpkin Heads before we started cleaning the goop from the pumpkin seeds prior to roasting.


Here is how I roast Pumpkin Seeds:
Seperate the seeds from the pumpkin goop/innards by manual method or rinse in a collander.  Once the seeds are relatively clean, place in a large bowl and add water to cover.   Add about 1 cup of salt.  It should taste like the ocean.  Let sit about 8 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and rinse the seeds in a collander and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.  Bake for 10 minutes and stir seeds.  Continue baking and stirring every 10 minutes until the seeds are golden, approximately 30 minutes.

BFD

BFD...Breakfast For Dinner.  Sometimes I get a craving to eat breakfast at night.  Usually, we'll do bacon, eggs and hash browns but this week the BFD craving came with a craving for Mexican food.  So hence, my recipe for Huevos Rancheros.  I serve this over refried beans topped with melted cheese and with warm, flour tortillas for dipping!

Ingredients:
Eggs
1 pasilla pepper
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
3 tomatoes
3 tomatillos
2-3 jalapenos, seeds and white membranes removed if you don't want too much spice
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

The method:
Pre heat the oven to 400
Line a sheet pan with foil (for easy clean up).  Cut all vegetables into 1-2 inch pieces.  Peel the garlic cloves.  Place all on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil to coat.  Using your hands, toss the vegetables then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast until the vegetables are soft and browned in spots.

Before and after roasting the vegetables:

 

Place the roasted vegetables in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Melt 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil in a skillet.  Cook the Ranchero sauce over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  In the meantime, prepare the eggs.  I usually do them over medium but feel free to make them the way you like.  Place the eggs on a plate and spoon plenty of Ranchero sauce over the eggs. Serve with refried beans and warm flour tortillas.  Yum!

Easy Peasy Pasta with Parmesan and Pancetta

This is my go to pasta.  Most of the time I have what I need on hand in the pantry or the freezer.  It's also very easy to substitute what you do have on hand.  Don't have peas but have asparagus? Go for it! Don't have pancetta but have bacon? Go for it?  No cherry tomatoes...leave them out or substitute regular tomatoes or 1/4 cup canned.  You get the idea. 

Ingredients:
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 thick slices pancetta, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 c frozen peas
1/4 tsp chile flakes
10-12 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan
1 pkg spaghetti

The Method:
Put large pot of water on for spaghetti.  When boiling, add 2 tbsp of salt and the spaghetti.  Cook 2 minutes less than the package recommends.  The remaining cook time will be in the sauce. Save some of the pasta water to add to the sauce if necessary.
In a large skillet, cook the pancetta to golden brown.  Remove to paper towel line plate.  Add the butter, olive oil and onion to the skillet.  Cook on medium for approximately 12 minutes until slightly carmelized.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and reduce until almost gone.  Add the cherry tomatoes, peas, chile flakes, pancetta and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and heavy cream.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.  Add more chile flakes, salt and pepper if necessary.  Add the spaghetti to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add saved pasta water by ladelfuls if the sauce seems to dry.  Add the parmesan and stir to combine.

Home Run Chicken

Mark loves the St. Louis Cardinals.  He really, really, really loves Albert Pujols.  According to Mark he might just be the best, all-time, greatest player...EVER!  Picture this, Food Network is on (and it usually is in our house), Paula Deen's show is just starting and there on the screen is Albert and Dee Dee Pujol's!  Where is Mark?  Right in front of the television with a big smile on his face.  How could I not create the very meal Albert has been eating his entire life for the LOML?  It came out really good, even though the recipe found here on Food Network didn't include the most important component, a Dominican spice mixture, called Sazon seasoning.  A simple google turned up this method found here.  The entire meal was a success and we're having it again tonight!  Go Cardinals!

Saucy Meatloaf

Meatloaf is often underrated but it's making a come back as restaurants feature home cooking and comfort food.  Here is my version, which, I must admit is pretty yummy. I think the sauce for the top is what makes it.  I've seen a lot of recipes that just call for spreading ketchup on top. Boring!

Ingredients:
2lbs 80/20 Ground Beef
1/2 c onion, chopped
3/4 c ketchup
2 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp worcestersire (Lea & Perrins)
1 egg
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp Lawry's Season Salt
1 tsp garlic salt

The method:
PreHeat Oven to 400
Place ground beef and onions is large bowl.  In seperate bowl, combine next 7 ingredients until well mixed.  Add to ground beef and mix until combined.  Do not overmix or the meat loaf will be tough.  Form meat mixture into 4 small loafs.  Place on foil lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle each loaf with season salt.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  You may have to drain the grease from the baking sheet.  Spread a liberal amount of sauce on each loaf and continue to bake another 10-15 minutes until top is bubbling and brown. Let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.  Serve with extra sauce for dipping.  Kids love this.

The Sauce:
1c ketchup
3 tbsp dijon
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp Lawry's Season

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (Squeak)

On Sunday, Mark and I had brunch for Benj, Illiana, her Mother and Grandmother.  We had a Frittata with pancetta, asparagus and caramelized onion, maple syrup bacon, orange-jicama salad along with some chocolate croissants we bought at Whole Foods.  I decided to use up the 6 leftover croissants to make this Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding!  I'm not a big dessert fan but Mark gobbled this piece up right after the picture was taken.  I also brought in a piece to work for my BFF, Cindy, because bread pudding is her favorite dessert.

Ingredients:
6 chocolate croissants (or plain croissants)
1/3 c chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/3 c sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c heavy cream
pinch of salt
Very hot water for water bath

The method:
Pre Heat oven to 375
Cut croissants into 1 inch pieces, place in small casserole dish, sprinkle chocolate chips over croissants.  Melt butter in medium bowl in microwave.  Add sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Add eggs and whisk to combine with sugar, egg mixture.  Whisk in heavy cream.  Pour mixture over croissants and press down to make sure croissants soak up cream mixture.  Heat enough water to a fast simmer to cover casserole dish about 1 inch for a water bath.  Place a baking pan large enough for the casserole dish to fit into, in the oven, place casserole dish into the center of the baking pan and add hot water carefully to cover 1" of casserole dish.  Carefully, push oven shelf back in.  Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, until bread pudding is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Fried Pork Chops, Apple Chutney and Mashed Root Vegetables

OK. Probably not the healthiest meal but it was delicious and I give it a comfort food rating of 5 stars.  I called it mashed root vegetables up above to trick those that think they don't like turnips and rutabegas.  Try them you'll love it with this dinner.

Pork Chop Ingredients:
4-6 thin pork chops, bone-in
1 c flour
1/2 c cornstarch
2 eggs
Lawry's Season Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil, for frying

The Method:
Place flour & cornstarch into shallow bowl, season with Lawry's and pepper.  Place eggs in shallow bowl, season with Lawry's and pepper, whisk together.  Coat bottom of heavy bottom pan with 1/4 inch or so of vegetable oil.  Heat over medium heat while dredging the pork chops.  Dip each pork chop in egg wash, then into flour mixture.  Tap off excess flour.  Repeat with remaining chops.  Fry in batches (do not crowd the pan) approximately 8 minutes per side.

Apple Chutney Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
3/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp all spice
1 tsp cinnamon

The Method:
Melt butter in saucepan, add the apples and stir to coat.  Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, allspice and cinnamon, stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the vinegar and sugar.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until flavors are combined and apples are soft but not mushy.  Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Squash Ribbon Salad

 

We don't eat much raw squash or zucchini, except for the occasional crudite' tray that might have some to dip.  Why is that?  Try this salad and you'll be a convert.  I know, I was.

Ingredients:

3 yellow squash

3 zucchini's

2 lemons

1 shallot

olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

The Method:

Slice squash, zucchini and shallots using a mandoline into thin slices lenghwise.  If you don't have a mandoline you can cut thinly with a knife.  No more than a 1/4" thick.  Put down a layer, alternating squash and zucchini, side by side until platter is covered with first layer.  Sprinke shallots over the layer. Squeeze lemon juice over layer, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Repeat until all squash and zucchini are gone.  Let marinate on the counter at least 1 hour.  Enjoy!

Flank Steak with Chimichurri and Plantains with Attitude

Had help last night with presentation from Andrew, who is 12 years old.  Andrew and I are both foodies.  We've been doing Iron Chef competitions for 3 years now so he's not new to presentation skills!  If he doesn't play professional football, baseball or work for the CIA then he is definately going to the CIA.  No, the other CIA...Culinary Institute of America.  This is the first time I've ever cooked flank steak or made chimichurri.  Really.  Andrew said it is his new "birthday" meal.  I must have done something right because that is a big deal!

Ingredients:
2 lb flank steak
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 c soy salt
1 bunch Italian parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
juice of 1 lemon
1/4c (or more) red wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

The method:
Prepare chimichurri sauce:  Place parsley, cilatro, garlic, lemon juice, and vinegar in blender.  Blend on high, adding a bit of water to get it going.  Add salt and chili flakes and olive oil; blend to combine.  Taste for seasoning.  Adjust as necessary.  This recipe is very forgiving so feel free to add more of any of the ingredients to your tastes. 
Place flank steak, soy sauce and 1/4 cup of chimichurri in zippered plastic bag.  Distribute marinade over the steak.  Marinade for at least one hour but up to 12 hours is fine.  Take out of Fridge 30 minutes prior to grilling to allow meat to come to room temperature.
Grill over med high until medium rare when tested with meat thermometer.  Cover with foil and allow to rest at least 15 minutes.  Cut thinly against the grain and serve with chimichurri sauce.

Plantains with Attitude (Sauce)

Ingredients:
3-4 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
vegetable oil for frying
1/4 c garlic chile sauce
1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey

The method:
Add enough vegetable oil to skillet to cover about 1/4 inch.  Heat oil over medium high.  Add plantains (in batches if necessary) and cook each side just until golden.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Place each plantain on cutting board or plate and squash it with ramekin or glass to flatten.  Once all are flattened sprinke with sea salt and press to adhere.  Re-Fry the plantains until golden brown and crispy.  Serve with attitude (sauce).

Chile Verde (Bubble)

It's been a few days since I've posted anything because I took Mark on a surprise 50th birthday weekend to San Francisco.  We stayed in a suite at the Fairmont Hotel, had dinner at Jardinierre and saw Wicked!  The chef at Jardinierre is Tracy Des Jardin, who happened to beat Mario Batali on Iron Chef America.  The dinner was fabualous and we can't wait to go back.  We loved Wicked and if you've seen it let me know what you thought!  The weather here in Northern California has been a bit rainy and overcast so feels like Fall is coming.  A perfect time to make Chile Verde.  Benjamin and Illiana came over last night to eat so lucky this recipe makes a lot.

Ingredients:
3 lbs Country Style Pork Ribs (boneless), cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
10 tomatillos, peeled, washed and cut into quarters
1 can tomatillos
1 small (8oz.) can green chile salsa (found in International Foods aisle)
1 carton chicken stock
Lawry's Season Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Method:
Place a large skillet over medium high heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with oil.  Brown the pork in batches. As they brown, remove to a platter.  add more oil if necessary. Add onions to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add fresh tomatillos and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the canned tomatillos and the green salsa.  Stir to combine.  Add the pork back to the pan.  Add 1-2 cups of chicken stock, enough to almost cover the pork.  Bring to a boil; then reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook about 1 hour.  Stir occasionally and use the back of the spoon to break up the tomatillos. Add a bit more stock if too thick.  Cook until pork is fork tender, about 45 minutes longer.  Serve with hot tortillas and Green (Cilantro) Rice (recipe to follow).

Fish N' Chips N' Chips

Andrew, my 12-year old, inspired this recipe when he pulled a full size bag of Salt And Vinegar potato chips from his backpack the other day. The bag was in there for a few days, along with books, a binder and a P.E Uniform.  Needless to say, the chips were crushed.  What can you do with crushed Salt And Vinegar chips?  Use it for a crispy coating for fish!  I baked the fish and fries in the oven to make this a bit healthier but still the outside was crunchy and the fish was moist and flaky. The oven fries were slightly spicy so made a great side dish!  Give this one a try it is amazing!

Ingredients:
6 cod filets
1/2 bag of Salt And Vinegar Potato Chips, finely crushed
1 egg
1tbs milk
2 tbs butter, melted
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 Idaho potatoes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp Lawry's Season Salt
Cooking Spray

The method:
Preheat oven to 450
Cover 2 baking sheets with non stick foil and spray with cooking spray.
Cut the potatoes into wedges.  Toss potatoes with olive oil, cayenne pepper and season salt in a bowl.  Place cut side down on the cookie sheet.  Bake for approximatley 15-20 minutes, turn fries to other side and continue baking until golden and tender.
In the meantime, beat the egg and milk in a shallow bowl, season with salt and pepper.  Place crushed chips in a shallow bowl.  Season fish with salt and pepper.  Dip each filet into egg mixture, shaking off excess and then put into crushed chips.  Press firmly so chips adhere to both sides of the fish.  Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes based on the size of the fillets. Serve with extra vinegar on the side.

Beef Strogonoff (Squeak)

Most people who like to cook, will define themselves as either a cook or a baker.  Me?  I am a cook. What's the difference?  When you bake, you have to measure each ingredient. Baking is precise.  Cooking is not. You can always add a little of this or a little of that.  All the while tasting and adjusting.  The longer you've been cooking the easier it gets to adapt a recipe based on what you have on hand.  You know what goes with what.  I don't even have a recipe for beef strogonoff.. It's more of a method that I use whenever I have leftover beef.  I've used tri-tip, pot roast or even leftover rib-eyes.  This was always a big hit in a houseful of boys!

Ingredients:
Leftover Tri-Tip(about 2 cups), cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
1 package of sliced crimini or button mushrooms
1/2 package baby carrots, cut in half
1 can cream of mushroom with garlic or golden mushroom
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 to 3/4 cup beef stock
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Lawry's Season Salt
2tbs paprika
2 tbs flour
1-2 tbs butter
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream
Egg Noodles

The method:
Add 1 tbs butter and olive oil to large saute pan.  Add onion slices and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook over medium high until mushrooms are golden.  Add beef and carrots; cook for 5 minutes. Add paprika, season salt and pepper.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes.  Add remaining butter and oil once melted sprinkle flour over beef mixture and cook for another minute or two.  Add both chicken and beef stock and cook until thickened.  Add the can of soup.  If too thick, add more stock.  Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.  In the meantime, prepare egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain when al dente or firm to the bite.  Add a ladleful of pasta water to strogonoff if too thick. Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Add the sour cream, stir to combine.  Add the egg noodles and stir to combine. 

Tri-Tip (Bubble)

Tri-Tip has been a family favorite for years.  When I met my husband, who is from Missouri he had never heard of this cut of beef.  We were going on trip back to visit his family and I was going to do Tri-Tip for dinner one night.  Sure enough, Google and Wiki, informed me this cut of beef is a Western United States cut and originated in California.  I've taken Tri-Tip with me to family BBQs, packed in a cooler and checked onto the plane to Missouri and Colorado.  It's a big hit everytime!  I season the meat with Pappy's Choice Seasoning, which is also from California and getting hard to find so now I order it from here.

Ingredients:
2 Tri-Tips
Pappy's Choice Seasoning (or Grill Steak Seasoning)
Freshly ground pepper

The method:
Take meat out of fridge about 30 minutes before grilling.
Prepare BBQ or Grill with one side hot and one side cool
Season meat generously with Pappy's and Pepper.  Rub seasonings into the meat.
Place meat over the hot side of the grill, cover and cook until well browned, about 10-15 minutes. Repeat with other side.
When both sides are browned move the meat over to the cool side of the grill and cover. Cook for 20-30 minutes and when meat thermometer registers medium rare move the meat to a platter. Tent with foil and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
Slice thinly against the grain.

Orange Sherbet (to die for)

Put together a bag of the best oranges I've ever tasted and a recipe from Alton Brown, which I got from here, and you have the best orange sherbet ever!  Tastes nothing like the orange food colored sherbet from the grocery store.  I've only had my ice cream maker for a few months so not as savvy with recipe creation as I should be, hence the help from Alton Brown.  I still have lots of oranges left so if you have a good recipe to share send it my way!

Ingredients:
7 oz. of sugar ( I used 6oz because the oranges were very sweet)
1 1/2 tbs orange zest
2 cups fresh orange juice
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c whole milk

The method:
Combine the sugar and zest in a blender.  Blend for 15 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients, except for the milk.  Blend for 1 minute.  Add the milk and stir to combine.  Place mixture in a pitcher and chill until very cold.  Follow your ice cream instructions.  For soft serve, eat immediately or store in food container and freeze until firm.

Teriyaki Mahi Mahi with Mango/Kiwi Salsa and Ginger Cream Sauce

This is a great go to meal for special occasions. It looks great, tastes great and is very easy! I had this dish in a restaurant and loved it so much I recreated it at home the next day. There are never enough leftovers to do a bubble and squeak recipe but a girl can dream.

Mahi Mahi
6 filets
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I like Very Very Teriyaki or Island Teriyaki)

The method:
Place fish in large zipppered bag with teriyaki sauce. Marinade for approximately 1 hour in the fridge.

When mango salsa and ginger cream sauce is ready prepare the BBQ or grill. Cook fish over med-high heat for about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
2 mangos, peeled and diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1-2 kiwis, diced (or you can use pineapple)
1 jalapeno, diced (or more if you like it hot)
3 tbs cilantro, chopped
1 tbs lime juice

The method:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt to taste.

Ginger Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 pint of heavy cream
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

The method:

Combine cream, ginger and garlic in heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat just to a boil and reduce by half. Keep an eye on it and adjust heat as necessary. You are looking for a consistency of gravy or a thick cream sauce. Season with the salt & pepper. Keep warm.

To serve: Place 3-5 tbs cream sauce on each plate, top with a Mahi Mahi filet. Spoon 2-3 tbs Mango/Kiwi salsa over fish and serve. I serve this with rice pilaf.

Lemon Glazed Shrimp

Prepare BBQ or Grill
Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.

Ingredients:
20 large shrimp
1tbs olive oil
5 tbs lemon curd (you can find this by jams & jelly)
2 tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp (or more to taste) finely diced jalapeno
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

The method:
Mix lemon curd, dijon, jalapeno, zest, lemon juice and salt in small bowl.
Place 4 shrimp on each skewer.
Brush with olive oil and BBQ for approximately 1 minute on each side.
Brush with glaze and cook for 1-2 minutes. Turn over and brush with glaze and cook for 1 minute.

Garden Tart with Lemon Glazed Shrimp

Summertime and the garden over floweth! People are giving away tomatoes and zucchini to anyone who will take them. My son brought me zucchini that came from his girlfriend's Uncle. He must be overrun with them! My own tiny garden is producing tomatoes so pretty soon I'll be giving them away or leaving them on desks at work. This Garden tart is a good way to use up those vegetables!

Garden Tart

Ingredients:

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 large or 2 small zucchini, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tomatoes, sliced & drained on paper towels

2 tbs fresh basil, chopped

1/2 to 1 cup of shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I use a microplane)

1 pkg puff pastry shells

The method:

Preheat oven according to puff pastry package.

Pre-bake puff pastry tarts until lightly golden. Remove tops.

Place 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet, add onions and cook over medium until carmel in color. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate.

Place remaining tbs of olive oil in skillet and heat over med-high heat. Add zucchini and quickly brown on both sides. Season with salt & pepper and add to the plate with the onions.

To assemble the tarts: Divide onions, zucchini and tomatoes into 6 same-size portions. Place onions, then zucchini, then tomatoes into each tart shell. Sprinkle each with basil, mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until tart shell is golden and cheese is melted.

Kind of Caprese Panini (Squeak)

I call this Kind of Caprese Panini because when I told my husband about this recipe he informed me that he thinks fresh mozzarella is funky. He actually compared mozzarella to another food he despises, raisins! Can you imagine not liking fresh mozzarella? I can't. So rather than thinking up something else to do with the leftover Crunchy Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce from my post on Tuesday, August 18th I swapped out the mozzarella with provolone. Sometimes you have to compromise in a marriage! By the way, the provolone was fantastic! Don't tell my husband!

Ingredients:

Loaf of french bread, sliced

1/4 c mayonnaise

3 tbs chopped basil

2 tomatoes (I used red & yellow heirlooms), sliced

provolone cheese

leftover crunchy chicken

The method:

Preheat grill pan or skillet.

Mix mayo & basil.

Spread basil mayo on both slices of bread for each sandwich.

Layer chicken, tomatoes and provolone on each sandwich.

Place onto grill pan and cover with a foil wrapped brick, cast iron pan or a regular skillet with cans to add weight.

Cook until golden on first side, Flip over and cook until golden on the other side.

Summertime Bread Salad (Squeak)

Even leftover roasted vegetables can be used to create a new side dish for dinner! First time I've ever eaten or made bread salad. For some reason, mushy bread didn't sound appealing...but boy was I wrong! First of all, the bread isn't mushy and when it soaks up the vinaigrette, it's like heaven in your mouth. So give this one a try!

Ingredients:
1/2 c olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3/4 loaf of french bread
Leftover asparagus & cherry tomatoes (bubble)
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 an English Cucumber, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 tbs chopped italian parsely

Lemony Vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

The Method:

Preheat oven to 425

Place the olive oil and garlic in a small skillet and cook on low heat until garlic is golden. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon.

Cut the bread into 1 inch pieces, place on foil-lined baking sheet and toss with 2-3 tbs of the garlic oil. Season with salt & pepper and place in oven. Toss once during baking. Remove when bread is golden brown.

Toss all the vegetables in a large bowl, mix in approximately 1/4 cup of the lemon vinaigrette.

30 minutes before serving add the bread cubes and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette if needed.

Lemony Vinaigrette:

¼ c lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbs + 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey (or more to taste)
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves (3-4 sprigs)
½ c olive oil

Add first 7 ingredients, whisk well until combined. Add olive oil slowly while whisking until an emulsion forms. Store leftover vinaigrette in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and use on salads, roasted veggies etc.

Simple side dish. Roasting vegetables is so easy and if you line the baking sheet with foil --- no clean up!

Ingredients:

Asparagus, ends trimmed

Cherry tomatoes

olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400

Toss the asparagus and tomatoes with olive oil, about 2-3 tbsp. Season with salt and pepper. Roast about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Yum, Yum! That is what we had for dinner last night and, according to my husband, it is his favorite chicken now! I should name the chicken after him and call it Markilicious Chicken because it really was delicious and obviously, my husband's name is Mark. Try this for dinner tonight and let me know if you loved it as much as we did. Share your ideas to use this chicken as a second dinner (Squeak). I'd love to hear from you.

Crunchy Chicken with a Lemon-Caper Sauce (Bubble)

Ingredients:
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c of Panko
1/2 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese (not from the green container)
1 tsp Lawry's
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c white wine
1/2 c chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbs capers
1-2 tbs honey
3 tbs unsalted butter, divided
3 tbs olive oil

The method:
Preheat oven to 400
Place 1 chicken breast at a time in a zippered freezer bag. Pound to about 1/4 inch with a small skillet, meat mallet or rolling pin. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Season chicken with salt & pepper.
Place panko, parmesan, season salt & pepper in shallow container. Dredge each chicken breast in panko. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil in skillet. Saute 1-2 breasts for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Turn over and lightly brown other side. Transfer to foil lined baking sheet and repeat browning for each breast. Transfer chicken to oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Prepare sauce: lightly wipe out skillet to remove panko. Add white wine and reduce by half. Add lemon juice and chicken broth, reduce by half. Add honey, capers and parsley. Off heat add 1 tbs butter and swhirl to combine. Serve sauce with the chicken.

Weekend Blog...Sunday night...Work tomorrow, Yuck! These apples are something I always serve with pork chops. Remember, Peter Brady of The Brady Bunch? Pork Chops and Apple Sauce, said with a lisp? You know how old you are if you remember that episode! Applesauce always goes really well with pork but I like to make the apples more of a side dish. This would go really well with the Glazed Apricot Pork or any pork chop dish. Save your leftover apples for the amazing Apple Butter Pizza pictured above!

Sauteed Apples (Bubble)

Ingredients:

4-5 Granny Smith Apples; peeled, quartered and sliced (about quarter inch)

1 tbs butter melted in pan

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs brown sugar

pinch of sea salt

Heat butter in pan over medium heat add sliced apples. Saute apples over medium high heat about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 2-3 minutes longer until apples are crisp tender and slightly browned.

Apple Butter Pizza with Crisp Topping (Squeak)

Ingredients:

Pre-made pizza crust (individual size)

3/4 cup leftover apples

2 tbs apple butter

1 individual packet brown sugar oatmeal (or 1/4 cup of instant oatmeal)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs melted butter

Preheat oven to 425

Spread apple butter over pizza crust

Place apples over the apple butter

Mix oatmeal packet, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter together

Sprinkle oatmeal mixture evenly over the apples

Bake for 11-13 minutes until crust and apples are slightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream (optional).

Now that I've created this blog all I can think about is cooking. We are going to have a lot of food at our house (in case anyone wants to come over to eat)! Last night we experimented with food photography. Took many pictures of the recipes but getting an appetizing picture of food is harder than it looks. Hopefully, my darling husband will figure out how to make my yummy food look good by the end of this weekend. That is his blog job. My sister is making this recipe tonight. No cooking for me since it is my son's birthday and we'll be going out to dinner. Happy 20th Birthday, Benj!

Lemon Roast Chicken with pan gravy, potatoes, carrots & onions (Bubble)
Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients:
2 chickens
2 lemons
4 onions, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and chopped or bag of baby carrots
8 Yukon gold potatoes washed and quartered
4 tbs olive oil
3 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
2 cups chicken stock
Lawry's Season Salt or Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Prep Chickens; remove innards from inside cavity & neck. Save for stock or toss.
Squeeze juice of 1 lemon on each chicken
Stuff each chicken cavity with the squeezed lemon & 1 onion cut into quarters.
Rub 1 tbs of olive oil on each chicken and season with Lawry's Season Salt & pepper (or lemon pepper if you have it)
Place the potatoes, carrots and remaining quartered onions in bottom of roast pan; toss with 2 tbs of olive oil & season with salt & pepper.
Place chickens on top of vegetables.
Roast for about 45 minutes. Stir vegetables occasionally.
Check chicken temperature with a meat thermometer until 165 degrees. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of the thigh, making sure not to touch the bone.
Transfer chicken & vegetables to serving platter and tent with foil for 15 minutes.

Pan Gravy
Add 2 tbs butter to drippings in the pan
Melt butter.
Add 2 tbs flour to pan and use a whisk to scrape up browned bits (fond). Cook flour for 1-2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth and whisk, whisk, whisk.
Cook for approximately 10 minutes. Add more chicken stock if too thick.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.

My inspiration

My first post ever! My inspiration to start this blog came from my Mom using the bubble and squeak (B&S) phrase while I was growing up but it hit home this week when my sister called asking how to cook for her family of seven and save money at the same time. I put together a grocery list and recipes for a weeks worth of dinners using the B&S method I've used for years. Here are the first 2 recipes:

Dinner 1 - Apricot Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots (Bubble)
Ingredients:
6-8 thick cut boneless pork chops
4-6 yukon potatoes
bag of baby carrots
Apricot Jam
Dijon Mustard
Soy Sauce
olive oil
Lawry's Season Salt
Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375
Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces and place on a foil lined cookie sheet(for easy clean up). Drizzle w/ olive oil, lawry's and pepper. Mix with hands to make sure all potatoes are covered with olive oil. Put in oven. Stir every 10 minutes or so to make sure they don't stick. Bake for approx 35-45 minutes.

Prep carrots the same way as potatoes. Bake for approximately 15 minutes after the pork chops come out.

If using thick cut pork chops, first cut pork chops in half horizontally. Make 1 pork chop per person plus 6 for leftovers for next dinner (Squeak).

Make sauce for glazing: Mix 1/2 cup of apricot jelly with 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustared and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

Season pork chops with Lawry's and pepper

Brown chops in skillet in batches for 2-3 minutes per side. Put all chops on baking sheet, brush with glaze and roast for about 10 minutes; turn over and glaze again. Check for doneness. Once done tent with foil for about 15 minutes.

Dinner 2 - Pork Fried Rice and Stir Fried Grean Beens (Squeak)
Ingredients:
Leftover pork chops
Long Grain white rice
1/2 lb green beans
carrots (about 1/2 cup when diced)
celery (about 1/2 cup when diced)
red onion (about 1/2 cup when diced)
2-3 tbls soy sauce
2 garlic cloves
5 tbls peanut or vegetable oil
3 eggs


Make a large batch of white rice, follow package directions
Prep while rice is cooking: Dice leftover pork chops into small cubes, dice red onion, celery & carrot.
Mince garlic.
Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble lightly
Prep green beans; remove ends and cut in half

Once prep is complete and rice is cooling...

Put 1-2 tbls of oil in large pan. Stir fry the onions, celery, carrots for 2-3 minutes; remove from pan when crisp tender.
Stir fry pork until crispy.
Add garlic to pork and stir fry 1-2 minutes
Add onions, carrots, celery back in with pork & garlic.
Move the pork & vegetables to the side of the pan. Add 1 tsp oil if pan is dry & scramble eggs in the pan.
Add rice and stir fry until everything is mixed in for about 2-3 minutes.
Add soy sauce to taste. Stir to combine.
Turn heat to low.

To stir fry the green beans:
Add 1 tbls oil to pan.
Heat the oil over medium high heat.
Add green beans and stir fry 5 minutes.
Add pepper and 2 tbls soy sauce to pan & cover.
Cook until green beans are crisp tender...about 5 more minutes.