This pasta is flavorful, hearty, not acidy, rustic and perfect for a guy. I served it last night and Mike loved it.
1 lb penne, rigatoni, bow ties or some other really hearty pasta boiled very well - past al dente
4 Sweet Italian Sausages (take casings off so it resembles ground meat & not sausage)
1 onion chopped coarsely
1 fennel chopped coarsely - if you don't like or can't find fennel use celery
1 lb mushrooms
1 can sliced black olives
3 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
5 TB Alfredo sauce (I buy the refrigerated kind)
10 TB tomato sauce
2 tsp sugar
Paramagiano Reggiano to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste (this dish needs some salt at the end)
Cook sausage, onion, mushrooms and fennel until veggies are soft and sausage is cooked through. Drain off as much grease as possible. Add olives, garlic, diced tomatoes and heat enough for some of the liquid to evaporate from the tomatoes. Add tomato, Alfredo, sugar and cheese. Toss with very well cooked penne, rigatoni, bow tie or some other hearty pasta. Season to taste and top with some more cheese.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Real Healthy - Real Easy - Real Cheap - Chicken Quesadillas
Obviously, my versions of this TexMex classic are going to be delicious because I'm so cool. In fact, I have several delicious versions. This one, created this very evening for dinner, is healthy and cheap also. I'm not a big poster girl for healthy recipes because I refuse to post any recipe that is not delicious also. I'm going to give ingredients and instructions exactly how I made these tonight and you can play around with whatever ingredients you have.
1 pkg Kirkland Signature (Costco) or Foster Farms or Tysons cooked and grilled chicken strips cut up into tiny pieces. (This invention is more expensive but makes cooking with a little bit of lean protein very very very easy. Bake or boil or grill your chicken breasts if you want)
1/2 onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can drained corn niblets
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 diced red bell pepper (if you love green use green, if you love orange use orange)
1 can black olives chopped up or a can of sliced olives or you can cut this out if you really want to make these super low fat. You get maybe an olive per quesadilla so just chill and use them.
Cooked brown or white rice (cooked in fat free chicken broth) 2 cups
Monterrey Jack/Cheddar Cheese lowfat blend shredded
olive oil
couple of shakes of Tabasco (i used 2 tiny shakes and it was fine for my kids)
cumin (about 2 tsp)
gray salt (use whatever you have)
garlic powder
Whole Wheat Tortillas
In a tiny bit of olive oil, saute onion, pepper and celery in a big skillet. Add can of corn and continue to cook until onion/celery is soft and corn starts to roast. Add tomatoes with juice, olives, beans, cumin, Tabasco, and garlic powder. Get it simmering and add cooked rice and the chicken. Now taste it. Now salt it, add some more cumin, garlic, Tabasco until you like the filling.
Now heat a grill pan or another skillet. Brush a tiny bit of olive oil on a tortilla. Place oil side down in skillet. Now, add the tiniest bit of shredded cheese, a couple of big spoons of filling and fold over to make a quesadilla. Grill on both sides until it is toasted and cheese is melted. Cut with kitchen scissors into strips. The kids loved these with strawberries and some carrot sticks on the side. They even asked for more. Mike said that they were awesome, not spicy but not bland either. The corn and black beans make it. Adding the rice binds it so you don't have to add too much cheese and gives extra whole grains. This is a low fat, high fiber, high protein meal with colorful veggies and good fats like olive oil. Don't give in and reach for the sour cream. There are enough textures and flavors you won't miss it. Serve with strawberries or a medley of berries topped with yogurt and you can even skip dessert.
1 pkg Kirkland Signature (Costco) or Foster Farms or Tysons cooked and grilled chicken strips cut up into tiny pieces. (This invention is more expensive but makes cooking with a little bit of lean protein very very very easy. Bake or boil or grill your chicken breasts if you want)
1/2 onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can drained corn niblets
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 diced red bell pepper (if you love green use green, if you love orange use orange)
1 can black olives chopped up or a can of sliced olives or you can cut this out if you really want to make these super low fat. You get maybe an olive per quesadilla so just chill and use them.
Cooked brown or white rice (cooked in fat free chicken broth) 2 cups
Monterrey Jack/Cheddar Cheese lowfat blend shredded
olive oil
couple of shakes of Tabasco (i used 2 tiny shakes and it was fine for my kids)
cumin (about 2 tsp)
gray salt (use whatever you have)
garlic powder
Whole Wheat Tortillas
In a tiny bit of olive oil, saute onion, pepper and celery in a big skillet. Add can of corn and continue to cook until onion/celery is soft and corn starts to roast. Add tomatoes with juice, olives, beans, cumin, Tabasco, and garlic powder. Get it simmering and add cooked rice and the chicken. Now taste it. Now salt it, add some more cumin, garlic, Tabasco until you like the filling.
Now heat a grill pan or another skillet. Brush a tiny bit of olive oil on a tortilla. Place oil side down in skillet. Now, add the tiniest bit of shredded cheese, a couple of big spoons of filling and fold over to make a quesadilla. Grill on both sides until it is toasted and cheese is melted. Cut with kitchen scissors into strips. The kids loved these with strawberries and some carrot sticks on the side. They even asked for more. Mike said that they were awesome, not spicy but not bland either. The corn and black beans make it. Adding the rice binds it so you don't have to add too much cheese and gives extra whole grains. This is a low fat, high fiber, high protein meal with colorful veggies and good fats like olive oil. Don't give in and reach for the sour cream. There are enough textures and flavors you won't miss it. Serve with strawberries or a medley of berries topped with yogurt and you can even skip dessert.
Yankee Pot Roast
This is a great Pot Roast that cooks well in the oven, left alone for several hours. It's one of those set it and forget it recipes that feeds a lot of people, looks great on a plate and that everyone likes.
1 4 to 5 lb Boneless Chuck Roast
2 Onions
8 carrots scrubbed and end chopped off
1 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup
Salt and Pepper To Taste
In a large dutch oven roasting pan that has a cover, place cut up onions on bottom, season roast with salt and pepper to taste and place on top of cut up onions. Pour both cans of soup on top and toss in sliced mushrooms. Bake covered at 300 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. (in last hour add carrots) Meat should be moist but fork tender. Take everything out of roasting pan with a slotted spoon. (Mushrooms and Onion pieces should be mostly out). Dump liquid in a gravy separator or a glass bowl if you don't have a separator. (you can keep roast, onion, mushrooms & carrots warm in the oven turned off covered tightly with foil while you make the gravy) Add some water, sherry or beef broth to bottom of roasting pan and turn on a burner. De glaze the pan with the liquid scraping all the bits off the bottom. Transfer liquid and bits to a medium sized pot. Add now separated mushroom/beef broth from roasting pan skimming off as much fat as possible. Bring to a boil. In a small cup or bowl, whisk cornstarch (maybe 1 TB) and water together and whisk into hot broth to thicken slightly. Thicken to your liking for gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes, fresh green beans and rolls. Serve onions and mushrooms with beef. I usually arrange carrots around the outside of the platter with the roast in the center with the mushrooms and onions piled on top. Gravy can be served in a gravy boat on the side.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Girls Favorite - Steamed Snow Crab Legs
In honor of the girls birthday, I am posted their favorite special meal. CRAB. If Mike and I go as fast as we can, we still can't crack crab fast enough for them. They will eat at least 3 to four clusters each with claws. They are crab lovers but are not often crabby.
1 lb Snow Crab Legs Per Person
Biggest Pot ya Got
Water
Butter
Put some water in the pot. Throw the rinsed crab leg clusters in. Steam with a cover on for about 5 minutes. Melt some butter in a bowl. Go to town crackin and dippin'. It don't get any better than that.
1 lb Snow Crab Legs Per Person
Biggest Pot ya Got
Water
Butter
Put some water in the pot. Throw the rinsed crab leg clusters in. Steam with a cover on for about 5 minutes. Melt some butter in a bowl. Go to town crackin and dippin'. It don't get any better than that.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
My Version Of Sunday Fried Chicken
Obviously there are a lot of opinions on fried chicken. My mom? Makes GREAT fried chicken. My mother in law? GREAT fried chicken. Bobby Flay my secret boyfriend from Food Network? Fabuloso Fried Chicken Paula Deen, Emeril, Rachael, the list goes on and on. Everyone has a different technique that they SWEAR makes theirs the best. So you know what, I took a little from here and a little from there and basically do a combo of all the great fried chickens in the world. And you know what...I make the best fried chicken. It's great hot, it makes great pan gravy, it's great cold with potato salad. I really think it's great. But I take no credit. I just did the "thing that makes it great" from everyone.
2 Packages Best of Chick Pieces (skin on or off your choice. I like off on the breasts and thighs and on for the wings and legs)
Buttermilk with small dash of hot sauce (Tabasco, Louisiana hot sauce whatever. It's red, use it carefully and you are good to go)
Eggs
6 cups white flour
2 TB corn meal
6 TB Emerils Essence Seasoning
2 TB Garlic Salt
1 TB Black Pepper
2 TB Poultry Seasoning
Corn Oil
1 stick of butter
Honey
A big cast iron skillet seasoned well. Or a large electric skillet. ( i like the electric skillet better because it holds the exact heat and is non stick and won't rust
Wash and dry chicken. Season with plain salt and pepper to taste. Soak in buttermilk for 8 hours. In the meantime combine flour, cornmeal, all the seasonings together. Put 3 cups of seasoned flour in a paper bag or in a wide square bowl or an 8x8 glass dish. Dredge chicken just out of the milk in the flour lightly. Then dip into beaten egg that has been lightly salted. Then put back into seasoned flour and REALLY coat it. Push the flour into the chicken and make a nice goopy coating. Immediately put it into a pan that is about 325 to 350 degrees of oil and one stick of butter. Cook on one side until light golden then flip. Then turn down to like 325ish and continue to fry until chicken is done and outside is a dark crispy brown. Drain on paper bags and paper towel. While still hot, drizzle a little bit of honey on each piece. Let cool enough so you can eat it. You won't be able to wait that long and you will burn your lips and mouth and have a burn on your top lip for like 4 days but it's all part of the experience of the chicken baby. You won't be able to cook all your chicken at once. Don't stress. If you have to add more oil and butter, make SURE it is to temperature before you put any chicken in it or you will have soggy greasy chicken. Drain off oil and use bits in bottom of pan and extra pepper, flour, butter and milk to make a white gravy. Serve with biscuits and GREAT blackberry jam, mashed potatoes and green beans. This might be your favorite meal ever. And you might keel over from a heart attack shortly thereafter. But you will die with the best taste in your moth.
2 Packages Best of Chick Pieces (skin on or off your choice. I like off on the breasts and thighs and on for the wings and legs)
Buttermilk with small dash of hot sauce (Tabasco, Louisiana hot sauce whatever. It's red, use it carefully and you are good to go)
Eggs
6 cups white flour
2 TB corn meal
6 TB Emerils Essence Seasoning
2 TB Garlic Salt
1 TB Black Pepper
2 TB Poultry Seasoning
Corn Oil
1 stick of butter
Honey
A big cast iron skillet seasoned well. Or a large electric skillet. ( i like the electric skillet better because it holds the exact heat and is non stick and won't rust
Wash and dry chicken. Season with plain salt and pepper to taste. Soak in buttermilk for 8 hours. In the meantime combine flour, cornmeal, all the seasonings together. Put 3 cups of seasoned flour in a paper bag or in a wide square bowl or an 8x8 glass dish. Dredge chicken just out of the milk in the flour lightly. Then dip into beaten egg that has been lightly salted. Then put back into seasoned flour and REALLY coat it. Push the flour into the chicken and make a nice goopy coating. Immediately put it into a pan that is about 325 to 350 degrees of oil and one stick of butter. Cook on one side until light golden then flip. Then turn down to like 325ish and continue to fry until chicken is done and outside is a dark crispy brown. Drain on paper bags and paper towel. While still hot, drizzle a little bit of honey on each piece. Let cool enough so you can eat it. You won't be able to wait that long and you will burn your lips and mouth and have a burn on your top lip for like 4 days but it's all part of the experience of the chicken baby. You won't be able to cook all your chicken at once. Don't stress. If you have to add more oil and butter, make SURE it is to temperature before you put any chicken in it or you will have soggy greasy chicken. Drain off oil and use bits in bottom of pan and extra pepper, flour, butter and milk to make a white gravy. Serve with biscuits and GREAT blackberry jam, mashed potatoes and green beans. This might be your favorite meal ever. And you might keel over from a heart attack shortly thereafter. But you will die with the best taste in your moth.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Please HELP - Need you to comment
Does ANYONE have an enchilada sauce that they use that isn't too spicy? I have bought El Paso, Ortega and some other brand in a yellow can all labeled MILD and my enchiladas come out so spicy we can't eat them. And we are NOT wusses. Mike likes his salsa and chips HOT, I like mine MEDIUM. We love the actual jalepeno peppers that come with nachos and we love Buffalo Wings that make us sweat. But for the life of us we can't figure out this enchilada thing. All I make my enchiladas with are: chicken, corn, black beans, cream cheese, sour cream, grated cheddar/jack cheese, green onions, olives, corn niblets, corn tortillas and this dang gum enchilada sauce. Please help...i am at a loss.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Asparagus With Mushrooms and Dijon Garlic Sauce
This is a GREAT recipe if you aren't so sure about asparagus. This is great with steak or grilled chicken or salmon.
2 bunches asparagus with the tough woody ends trimmed off
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
2 TB Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Put some water in a skillet and boil asparagus until done. Don't leave them crunchy or mushy. They should be cooked just like you want to eat them. Empty water out of the skillet. Add butter and saute mushrooms and garlic until done. Add mustard and cooked asparagus. Season to taste. This is a GREAT side dish.
2 bunches asparagus with the tough woody ends trimmed off
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
2 TB Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Put some water in a skillet and boil asparagus until done. Don't leave them crunchy or mushy. They should be cooked just like you want to eat them. Empty water out of the skillet. Add butter and saute mushrooms and garlic until done. Add mustard and cooked asparagus. Season to taste. This is a GREAT side dish.
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