Gourmet off the grill!!!

Please accept my apologies about my delay between posts.  Between work, college, college assignments and other personal issues I fell behind - oops! 
SOOOOOO who loves food?!  Raises hand!  I live in a state where the summers can be hot, and this is a time when the grill becomes essential to cooking!

One potato, two potato...

This month as an Allrecipes Allstar I teamed up with Ore-Ida, and was given the task to incorporate Ore-Ida products into my menu.  I am a fan of french fries, who isn't, but I decided to stick with my roots.

Spiked with Sazón

I am an enchilada lover, but on my busy days I don't want to make enchiladas the traditional way. I came up w/ a fast fix for my enchilada craving and not only does it taste great, but it's fast to make!

To start you'll need
• 10 corn tortillas, cut into bite-size strips
• 3 shredded cooked chicken breasts
• 1 10 oz can Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, do not drain
• 1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
• 1 8 oz can Goya® Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 tsp Goya® adobo seasoning
• 1 packet Goya® saźon (with Coriander and Annatto)
• 1 cup shredded Co-Jack cheese, divided
Optional toppings: sliced black olives, cilantro, sour cream

Directions: 
Fill a large saucepan w/ water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, add chicken. Cook 10 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F remove chicken from water and shred or roughly chop.

In a nonstick skillet add tortilla pieces and chicken; mix well. Add undrained tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and tomato sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle adobo seasoning and saźon over mixture. Mix well. Add in 1/2 cup cheese stir to combine. Cover skillet w/ lid; Cook an additional 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately.

An apple a day

Recently I had an anonymous comment from someone who emailed the following question:  "How do you slowly make your cooking habits to the more healthy way of cooking.. without sacrificing the recipes you love"

Chicken Kiev: updated culinary classic

Chicken kiev - I'll never forget the first time I made it, subsequently it was the last time I made it until I found a different way to make it.   Thanks to a recipe I found that made this classic extra easy to prepare!   Can you believe that I had everything pictured from oven to table in UNDER 45 minutes - including prep time?

Admittedly I strayed ever so slightly but I think my changes were on target w/ the goal of the recipe.  While the recipe initially called for some white bread to be pulsed in a food processor I figured there was no need to use white bread, and I substituted a mixture of panko bread crumbs and Italian seasoned bread crumbs using a 2:1 ratio. 

Most important part in this recipe - you'll need to use BUTTER!  Don't even think for a moment that you'll get the same results by using an oily spread!

Refreshingly good - sausage!

For the month of April one of the brand partners I've worked with has been Al Fresco. Their products are both natural, unique and taste amazing!  While not all products are readily available in my city, the products I've tried have been bursting with flavour!

One of the recipes I've tried is the Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage, Endive, & Blueberry Salad with Toasted Pecans I did make some deviations to the original recipe but it didn't detract from the mouth watering goodness!

One of the slight changes I made was to use Lyle's Golden Syrup in place of the honey.  I found that the Lyle's golden syrup gives a distinctive buttery taste that is simply incredible!   In place of pecans I used glazed walnuts. 

Many of those that I've had the occasion of discussing the Al Fresco sausage with have all mentioned the same thing...price point.  Depending on where you live, the sausage may run $6 for a package.  I easily remedied the pricing issue by purchasing the breakfast version of the sausage - which is the same product, but the sausage size is reflective of it being the breakfast version. 

Al Fresco currently has a coupon for $1 off their products so if you're lucky enough to locate their products give them a try - your mouth will thank you!

February finds...

February has been a busy month for me.  In addition to the normal days, it's packed w/ Groundhogs day, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, an extra day this month and Fiber One! 

As a voluntary brand Ambassador for Allrecipes I often have assignments to complete for a select brand partner and provide feedback. I'm not compensated for my time, work, or ingredients and only receive the product for testing and feedback purposes.

At the mention of Fiber One, I can already imagine the wrinkling noses and the thoughts of  "Ewwww gross" crossing the minds of some of my readers, and I don't blame you b/c I did the same thing. 

When I first opened the box of cereal and saw it, many descriptions ran through my mind.  At best this cereal looks like food for the canine world, and at worst looks like droppings from the rodent world.

One of the Fiber One assignments was to make the Fiber one haystacks which are a friendly treat for those who are managing their weight.  I personally couldn't get over the look of this cereal so I did the next best thing and I pulvarised it to where it looked like flour.  I read through the reviews and in this case it's either a "you love it" or "you hate it" recipe. The "hate it" reviews mainly had issues w/ the texture and taste of the fiber one cereal, and I don't blame them. The look of the cereal is NOT appealing and the taste isn't much better. I melted my chocolate using a double boiler, and mixed in the PB. After pulvarising the cereal I mixed it into my melted chocolate, I then poured the chocolate mixture into a mini muffin lined w/ paper cups for a pretty good PB cup.

Now that the first assignment was out of the way, I then was required to create a Fiber One recipe.  I knew that anything I made, I would make w/ pulvarised Fiber One.  The first thought was to make a Fiber One Hazelnut Blueberry Muffin

I'm a great cook, but these were just NASTY.  I tried to replace a portion of the flour I would normally use w/ the fiber one...it was a fail. Did I mention that I'm NOT reimbursed, even for my ingredients?

I really wanted to get the assignment finished and so I brain stormed and came up w/ a recipe that I called Arancini balls and meat sauce

My experience using Fiber One will NOT be a repeat. I still have plenty of the cereal left - I think I'll pulvarise the rest of it and make Christmas Ornaments b/c I'm not going to eat the rest of it.  The biggest problem many of my fellow brand ambassadors had, was that the cereal contains aspartame which from studies is not healthy.  My Fiber One assignments completed, I moved forward with other cooking endeavours.

I made Alaskan Cod and Shrimp with a fresh tomato sauce and tho it was quick to prepare it was lacking on flavour.  I'm thinking next time I make it I'll try making the sauce w/ a cabernet sauvignon, and then a bit of rosemary for added depth.

One of my most recent favourite finds was Easy Tuscan Chicken



This was incredibly delicious!!! I'm heavy into using my slow cooker, and given my chicken breasts were frozen, I had to slightly modify this recipe to make it work for me.  I seasoned the chicken breasts w/ a little bit of granulated garlic and Italian seasoning and I put them in my crockpot along w/ 1/4 cup water on high for about 3 hours and then turned it to low for another 2 hours. I made the sauce as instructed w/ the exception I added in the tomatoes along w/ the other ingredients.  This is me being a food snob, but make sure you use a good quality white wine -rule of thumb, if you wouldn't drink it don't cook w/ it!  I used Barefoot Pinot Grigio. This sauce in all it's simplicity amazingly delicious, packed w/ flavour and I plan on making it again!

I often look for "faceless" recipes that need pictures and reviews. I tried a new recipe for Penne a la vodka.

I didn't see the need for farfalle (bowtie) pasta, so I used penne instead.  I wasn't too crazy about this recipe, and I believe the problem at hand w/ this recipe can be attributed to the following issue.  This recipe is relying too much on the Italian Sausage for flavouring.  This is a decent recipe but not spectacular. I won't be repeating it again.

Once again back to crockpot cooking.  I decided to make meatloaf and figured that since my day was going to be busy that I would try meatloaf in the crockpot.  It turned out very good! I'm going to work on the flavouring b/c while it was moist, and not dry it didn't have that much flavour.



Dinner is Done!

I'm finally back to my "cooking roots" or so it seems.  I'm really not a fan of assigned recipes.  I much prefer following my own ideas, and if not my ideas tweaking a recipe to suit my tastes. 


Dining in at home:


This was a yummy recipe I tried...and oh mamma mia this was something that made my tastebuds dance w/ delight!!


Chicken w/ Proscuitto Spinach Cream Sauce

This was amazing and absolutely delicious! My changes to the recipe (linked above) were minimal. You do NOT need to use that much milk for the egg milk bath. So I dropped it to 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk. I elected to use grapeseed oil as it has a higher heat tolerance. I used a mix of Italian seasoned Panko and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, instead of all heavy cream (and to save calories) I used a mix of 1% milk & heavy whipping cream using a 3:1 ratio. I used a 6 cheese Italian blend and I left out the salt - the proscuitto is MORE than salty enough. Once the chicken was finished I kept it warm in the oven. Other than that there were no other changes. I used barefoot pinot grigio as it's a good quality white wine. Next time I'll toss in some fire roasted bell peppers. This is a "dining in" dinner and a keeper!


I'm a fan of Alfredo Sauce, and yes to some I know it's been called "heart attack on a plate" which I'm sure is sacriledge to those who are famous for it!


This is a delicious, quick and tasty Alfredo Sauce

It really needs no changes BUT for healthy eating I have used a fat free cream cheese and 1% milk. It makes a LOT of sauce as followed, so don't say I didn't warn you!




Crockpot Cooking:


One of the January assignments was for crockpot cooking - and the crockpot is certainly NOT a stranger in my kitchen!  I use my crock pot at least 10x's each month.  What's not to love about prepping your meal and then being able to walk away from the kitchen knowing that in a few hours dinner will be ready and you'll have gotten other things accomplished!


I tried a White Chili  recipe from Allrecipes.com and WOW!!! I was impressed!!!!

I'm a firm believer in good food w/ few ingredients, but admittedly I inwardly cringed and thought NO WAY will this even taste good b/c it had only FOUR ingredients!!!   I'll also say that I'm a self-avowed food snob and really didn't have much expectations for this recipe, but WOW it was creamy, hearty, and wholesome!  Naturally my addition of sour cream and some tortilla strips may have upped the calories a smidge, but this recipe is a keeper!






Dessert time!!!!  Always a good time right?  I got a jumpstart on Valentine's day...and made some Caramel Brownie Hearts

They're simple and semi-homemade, but if you're a busy working adult and don't have the time to do from scratch brownies, they'll work in a pinch!  These are definately "Gourmet at Home" - and if I had someone special in my life it's something I would have no hesitation making for a Valentine's day dessert or any other time I wanted a special dessert at home.  I could also see a dark chocolate brownie w/ a garnish of a raspberry coulis!




Ever go to the grocery store and see those "fluffy frosted sugar cookies" - and you think they taste SO good even if they have a funky chemical taste to them?  Well this is an amazing at home sugar cookie that if you try will have you thinking twice about buying any of those cookies again!

Fluffy frosted sugar cookies at home:

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Heat oven to 375°

Soften the butter at room temperature. Cream the butter w/ the sugar & add eggs one at a time.

Sift the flour to measure 3 1/2 cups - please note this is NOT the same as measuring then sifting.

Once you've sifted and measured the flour, add it to the creamed butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time, until thoroughly combined.  Next add the baking powder & extracts.

Using a small 1 Tbsp spring hinged ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and place it on parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for approximately 12 minutes.  Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp PURE vanilla extract (if you use imitation vanilla bump this to 1 TBSP)

1 Tbsp milk

Coloured sugar, sprinkles for topping

Combine confectioners' sugar butter, vanilla and milk, beating until creamy. Thin with a few more drops of milk (if necessary) to reach desired spreading consistency. Sprinkle w/ assorted decor topping. 

Bar Food:

You know those yummy potato wedges that often have cheese, bacon, sour cream, and other toppings?

Yeah the type that go straight from the lips to the hips if you're a woman?  Well these are a great at home rendition! 

To make you'll need the following:

2-3 large potatoes
2-3 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Chives
3 TBSP Olive oil
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp italian seasoning


Rinse off the potatoes, and slice into 1/4" thickness.  Add olive oil and seasonings to a gallon size ziploc bag, add in the sliced potatoes and toss to coat.


Line a rimmed cookie sheet w/ foil (non-stick foil works great!) Spread potato rounds on top of the foil.
Bake at 420°  for about 25 minutes, then drop the heat to 350° for another 15-20 minutes. Add the chopped bacon and cheddar during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Top w/ sour cream and chives if desired.

Gringo in the Kitchen!!!!
Haha - well I seem to have an affinity for food that's South of the border, but I'll admit I'm not Hispanic and thus any of my attempts to cook food from any of the Latin Countries will pale in comparison!  Having said that I made some Enchilada's.

I can see the cringing already.  Yes it's NOT an authentic recipe *hanging head in shame*  For a quick gringo made enchilada it wasn't bad tho!






Cocktail time:  I'm my own barista, bartender whatever you wanna call it.  My friends joke w/ me that I could open up a bar - but for all the liqueur, wine and alcohol I may have I seldom drink it as much as I cook w/ it!


This was a drink called a Paradise Cocktail

Pretty to look at and well I'll let you be the judge of the taste if you try it!

New year, new recipes!

As this year kicks off I once again find myself in the incredibly amazing spot of being a voluntary Allrecipes.com brand ambassador - I'm not paid for anything I'm just sharing my love of cooking.

Tonight I made what I call Fire roasted Italian Chicken - it's quick, it's simple, I think it's gourmet. 

I don't *gasp* have an actual recipe for it.  I cook to taste.  Having said that I'm trying to give as best of a recipe as possible.  This would be for 1 person

2 Tbsp grapeseed OR extra virgin olive oil
1 - 6oz boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 tsp granulated garlic  (please note this IS different than garlic powder or garlic salt)
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crushed
3 ounces Good quality Pinot Grigio Wine
1/3 cup cannelini beans - drained and rinse
1/4 cup fire roasted tomatoes - do NOT drain
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup long grain wild rice (pre-cooked Uncle Ben's 90 second rice)


Pour oil into large skillet.  Heat skillet over a medium high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken breast w/ the granulated garlic, italian seasoning, and rosemary.  Carefully place the chicken breast in the skillet.  Cook until each side is a golden brown - about 4 minutes per side.  Slide chicken breast to the side of the pan, pour in the wine, scrape up any of the "tasty bits' on the bottom of the skillet by using a wooden spoon to assist in deglazing the pan.  Add in the cannelini beans, tomatoes, carrots, and rice.  Allow to simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

This is a very hearty and rustic meal.  If you would like, feel free to tweak - I've added baby port mushrooms, I've also added in more tomatoes, and then topped the chicken w/ a slice of FRESH mozzarella cheese (not the brick stuff).  It's VERY wholesome and healthy as made above.  I do NOT really like using salt b/c I prefer the seasonings to bring out the flavour of the meal.  If you prefer feel free to add some salt.

~~~

The other night I made a rather interesting meal consisting of  Cilantro Lime Flounder, wild rice, and sauteed squash and zucchini.  Yes I'm quite aware it's for a cod recipe, but flounder can be substituted as well.

The taste is difficult for me to describe, if I could think of a way to describe it I would say it's Floribbean Cuisine.   It was very quick to make and I appreciated the healthy appeal of this recipe.  The changes I made were neglible in the sense I used butter...b/c butter makes everything better - oh wait that's bacon...or is it?

Because it's 1700 somewhere or as civilians say 5 o'clock somewhere (rabbit trail...anyone know why it's typed o'clock?)  and b/c I had a recipe that could be called Floribbean Cuisine  I decided to have a Blue Hawaiian

This was very potent so make sure you're sitting down when you drink this, and if you want feel free to dress up in some Islander wear for a truly authentic drink :-)

~~~

I am in love...w/ my slow cooker - yes that kitchen accessory that's likely sporting cobwebs underneath your kitchen cabinet.  It is such a fantastic accessory that can make so many amazing dishes...like BBQ Ribs!  "No way' you say!  'Way!" I say ;-)

What makes it amazing...it's just two simple ingredients!

1 package of country style pork ribs
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce

Okay, Okay I'm not trying to drop names or promote this specific brand, but my goodness the Hickory & Brown Sugar sauce is finger lickin delicious! 

SO...I spray the inside of my slow cooker w/ non stick spray, and then plop my ribs inside the slow cooker, and then use a basting brush, I brush the ribs liberally w/ the sauce. Simple huh?  At that point, I place the lid on my slow cooker, turn it to high and walk away.  About 5-6 hours later, my ribs are ready to be devoured!

Rounding out the meal...homemade mac and cheese - and NOPE it's not the boxed junk!

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 pound Cheddar cheese (mix of sharp & mild)

1 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder

Preheat oven to 350° Spray a 2 quart casserole dish w/ nonstick spray
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente;
Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking until combined.  Slowly pour in milk, whisking to combine, continue whisking until it thickens. Add in the cheese, and stir until well blended, add in the salt, black pepper, worchestershire sauce and dry mustard powder, stir to combine.
Once the pasta has finished boiling, drain.  Return the pasta to the pot, and pour the cheese sauce inside, stirring well to combine.  Pour mixture into casserole dish and top w/ more cheese if desired. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Rounding out the meal steamed green beans and beer bread.

I can see the male readers perking up at the word beer.  Their beloved drink has gone to...bread!
I've now made this same recipe about 8 times but each time using a different brand of beer.  I think I really need to start another blog dedicated to beer bread b/c I can't get enough of this stuff!  This time I used a Vanilla Porter beer.

If you've never tried your hand making beer bread give it a try...Three simple ingredients - self rising flour, sugar, and beer...simple quick -ohhhh and speaking of simple - Anyone know of that homebrand company that sells beer bread MIX (you have to buy the beer) that's like about $5 per mix?  This is SO much better and more economical to make!  Tell yourself that you'll try beer bread this week...oh and don't use a nasty beer...what you may like drinking may not taste so good in the beer bread, crazy but true.  I've used w/ success, Purple Haze Beer, Ybor Gold (a local beer to my city), Sam Adams Cherry Wheat (OMG Good!), Winter Abby Pale Ale, and a host of others....see I told you I need a beer bread blog!

And last but not least lets have another drink...this time we're going tropical and heading towards the Bahamas for a Bahama Breeze!

Now granted the recipe said it served 4 I'm thinking NOT!  This made ONE serving...and it was very tasty too!  If you can't find the Apricot liqueur, feel free to sub w/ some passionfruit rum, and it will still give you that tropical feeling!

~~~

I love meals in one - you get your meat/poultry, your veggies, and your starch...SO next up is Chicken pot pie. 

Was it to die for...ehhh not really, but it was good, it was country cooking, and I made it...using someone else's recipe that I'll tweak if I make again ;-)

~~~

I think in my food buffet that nothing would be complete w/o another new recipe  Penne a la Vodka

Mmmm pasta, vodka, umm vodka...haha no not really oh okay fine!  This was a pretty good recipe, but I would have to say my fav recipe by far is Penne w/ Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce  <-- That one OMG yum!

Oooohhh thirsty?  If so feel free to wash it down w/ a Purple Hooter

Granted I made this drink just to make it...would I make it again, ehhh probably not!  It was good for a faceless picture tho.

Last but not least...another pasta dish, a bit different, a bit unique, but VERY good!

Pumpkin Sausage Bisque w/ Ravioli  - now please note that I made some changes to this recipe.  As per my original review  I didn't have the pumpkin pie filling on hand, but DID have 100% pure pumpkin, so I knew I would need to add in some sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg. I read the submitters indication that they prefer things spicy so I kept that in mind and scaled back the cayenne. I also knew I wanted it to have some more depth than just chicken broth so I did a mixture of chicken broth (1 cup) and heavy cream (4 Tbsp). It was very tasty but I thought it needed a little something extra. I rummaged around in my fridge and found some ground sausage I had previously cooked...I added in about 1/2 cup and gave it another taste...OMG yum!!!!

Hopefully after you check out my blog your stomach won't be rumbling like mine is!

Cooking with Campbell's

I'm going to do another blog buffet b/c November was such a SUPER busy month for me.  For the month of November as a voluntary Allrecipes.com brand ambassador a lot of the assignments revolved around Thanksgiving, but also cooking with Campbell's and their subsidiary companies.

I started a part-time job which made my month even busier, so I was exceptionally pleased with MANY of the recipes that I tried from Campbell's. 

I won't say too much about the recipes in detail but will simply say if I'm posting a picture that means the recipe was good!  As always these recipes can be found on Allrecipes.com.  Please keep in mind that due to the simplistic nature of many of these recipes that they are made as a base recipe meaning that you're going to want to play around w/ your seasonings adjusting it to your taste.  Sound good (no pun intended)? Great let's check out the dishes!

This is the Baked Spaghetti, quick simple and fuss free!

This was a "fancy" dish from Campbell's - it was the Lemon Herb-Roasted Chicken w/ Pan Gravy something I WILL make again!

This is the Crispy Oven Fried Fish Fillet, and they were simply amazing!

This is the Campbell's weekday pot roast and vegetables - plan ahead it uses a slow cooker!

This is baked pork chops and gravy by Campbell's - please note that I chose to add in some baby port mushrooms for a finishing touch.

This is the Quick Chicken Parmesan - it was SO fast to prepare and just what I needed on a busy work night! 

The rest of these recipes are basic Allrecipes.com recipes and they were bonus recipes to review.

Cookies -what's not to love, portable little bites of sweetness!  These are called "Basic Chocolate Drop cookies" they are based off the concept of a premade cookie mix where you have a portion of a mix that you add other ingredients to.  I made them as noted - and then w/ some chocolate chips thrown in for extra pizzaz and I'll say I enjoyed quite a few of these sweet treats :)

Drinks...

Okay this is an Oatmeal Cookie of a different variety - all I can say is YUM!  Amazing how it's layered huh?  Handy tip that I can give is simply KNOW your liquid weights - heavier liquids go in first, when you start layering the liquids, pour slowly and let it hit the sides of the glass and it will layer w/o any problems!

New recipes

Right now I'm playing catch up w/ my blog so I'm doing a buffet style on my blog again!  I got back from Biloxi, MS on Monday 26 Sept 2011 thus dinner was the furthest thing from my mind after having driven for 7 straight hours!

Tuesday night I was back in the kitchen and all three of the items are new recipes that I tried - two were incredible while one was only so-so.

Most of those who know me, know I cook w/ wine, beer, alcohol, and liqueurs.  Tonights meal was a pop of flavour for the palette. There's one reason why I chose this recipe, and it's b/c a charming lady I met at the Chefs of the coast said she didn't like rosemary...well this pork chop recipe is for you doll ;-)  Trust me if you like Kahlua you'll love the pork chops (consider this a baby step recipe). Kahlua herbed pork chops, Ginger lime asparagus, and Pastetnik potatoes ... okay okay, so I changed the names of the first two b/c it just sounded better...it won't change the taste I promise! 

Thoughts on the pork chops:  Ignore the recipe instructions first off.  Trim the fat from the pork chops! No way!  As a famous TV chef says "Pork fat rules!"  So we're going to leave the fat ON the pork chops!  Next you're going to season the pork chops BEFORE cooking them - b/c you want the seasonings to infuse into the pork.  After that, you're going to make the pork chops pretty w/ slices of lemon and orange, then pour the kahlua and water around the pork chops - you don't want to disturb the pork chops too much.  To make things easier, once the pork chops have cooked, remove them to a plate, and THEN blend the remaining water & cornstarch together, and whisk into the pan. Watch this baby carefully, you don't want it to burn...that would be a waste of alcohol, and we don't do that!

Onto the asparagus.  I love asparagus, but you've got to know how to cook it right.  You don't want it soggy or limp, you want it cooked and to have a slight crispness to it.  The sauce is what really makes the asparagus shine through.  In many ways the sauce makes me think it could be morphed into a ginger lime pesto - if you add in some nuts like pistachios.

Problems w/ the potatoes.  First of all they are not seasoned properly.  Salt & Pepper may be used to accentuate some dishes but they shouldn't be relied on for flavour, b/c face it it's just not gonna happen.

All in all the pork chops were amazing, and the asparagus was very good.

Tonights dinner:

Gateway-to-the-West Stuffed Chicken Breast, wild rice, steamed veggies, and Parmesan pesto bread.

As is this recipe is pretty good. I don't know that I like the egg and shallot used in the shrimp filling. I say this for many reasons but namely b/c the egg is going to run out of the shrimp filling before the egg will cook. I chose to cook this in the oven by cranking my oven to 375° and cooking it for about 35 minutes. I chose to chop up the shrimp to make it easier to close the chicken up. I think I'll make this again, but will tweak it to suit my preferences. 

Catching up

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know I'm an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (non paid) and I love it!  Each month we have various assignments.   This month my cooking has spotlighted on some recipes featuring Hidden Valley Ranch dressing - both the bottled dressings (regular and light) and the dry packets.  While some recipes I've used are directly from Hidden Valley Ranch, other recipes are not. 

One of my most recent non HVR recipe was for Slow-cooked buffalo chicken sandwiches OMG can I say that you NEED to make these sandwiches for your next at home football fest!  These were super yummy.  I added some white american cheese to my sandwiches and also topped the buffalo chicken w/ a drizzling of light ranch dressing -served on a toasted hoagie bun this sandwich packed some major grindage and a slow burn.  To the side I've got some roasted purple potatoes.  I seriously couldn't believe the entire potato was purple - come to momma b/c I LOVE purple!  Usually when I roast potatoes, I don't ever use recipes.  I just cut the potatoes into quarters, and then drizzle w/ grapeseed oil, and whatever seasonings I feel like.  This time around I used Lawry's seasoning salt, oregano, basil, granulated garlic, and thyme.  I roasted them at 375° for roughly 30 minutes.  Rounding out the meal I used an HVR recipe for Out-of-this-World Pasta Salad granted I couldn't find the romanesco broccoli, which is aka roman cauliflower.  I did the next best thing and improvised w/ regular broccoli.  Would I make it again?  I might, but think I'll play around w/ the ingredients first.

Side note:  You may have leftover buffalo chicken.  Relax, leftovers are a good thing, and there are SO many different ways to use the remainder buffalo chicken - you can make buffalo chicken pizza, buffalo chicken quesadillas, yeah I'm sort of sounding like a spin off of Bubba from Forrest Gump

Another bonus activity was to find a steak recipe. Well naturally I push the edge w/ my cooking and I made  Tequila Steak

I can just see mouths watering, or eyes squinting w/ wrinkles creasing the forehead.  YES!  I said Tequila Steak.   Granted I changed the recipe up - and having made this recipe twice (first the original way, second my way) I'm going to be a food snob and say mine was better.
You don't have to make it my way, but I'll challenge you and say Do It! The original recipe called for

1/3 cup tequila

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic

8 ounces London broil steak

Okay now that was entirely TOO much cayenne pepper, SO here's the fix.  Reduce the cayenne pepper to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.  NEXT add 2 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning.  Lets talk garlic.  I appreciate that garlic cloves can add depth to many recipes, this is not one of them.  I say that for the factor that you can't regulate the flavour w/ fresh garlic like you can w/ granulated garlic, meaning that 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic will taste the same each time.  You can't control the size of a garlic clove, thus I suggest using 1 teaspoon granulated garlic instead of the 2 cloves of garlic.  At this point, you marinate the steak overnight in a ziploc bag and let it get nice and happy.  Once it's marinated - crank up the grill and cook that bad boy!

Recipe Creation

This post is a touch behind, but better later than never right?

Last Thursday night I created a recipe - I guess I'll call it Peach Sage Sausage stuffed pork chops, and then I also made some Honey Curry roasted red potatoes, and some pearl barley w/ sugar snap peas and carrots (I'm needing to find recipes for my food ring molds).

Okay so how to make the Pork chops:

1 1/4" thick cut pork chops - cut a pocket into the pork chops

Stuffing:
3 oz cooked mild italian sausage
2 oz rice pilaf (Uncle Bens 90 second rice)
2 oz chopped peaches (fresh)
3 sage leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp Riesling wine
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Brown sausage breaking up pieces. Once browned, drain the grease.  Add 2 ounces rice pilaf, cook until softened. Add the chopped peaches, the sage leaves, minced garlic and Riesling wine.  Allow to cool slightly and stuff pork chops.

On the outside of the pork chops rub each side w/ granulated garlic and italian seasoning. I used
1/2 tsp granulated garlic and 3/4 tsp italian seasoning to coat BOTH sides of two pork chops.  I cooked them at 375° for about 30 minutes.

For the Honey Curry roasted potatoes, I used about 2 Tbsp of grapeseed oil, 1/2 tsp curry powder, and 1 Tbsp of honey.  Chopped up one medium red potato and baked at 375° for 30 minutes.

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Washing it down...

I chanced making a spin off of a lemonade using a recipe for Mediterranean lemonade spritzers and doubt I'll make it again. It had way TOO much honey in it, and minus the menthol flavour, I thought I was drinking a liquid honey cough drop - blech!  I dunno, I guess if it's your thing go for it. 

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Dinner tonight: 

I'm gonna retitle a couple recipes b/c of some subtle tweaks - so don't mind the name, just follow my changes if you want it to be quality food.  Cajun panko crusted chicken,  Asparagus w/ Mandarin Cream Sauce, wild rice, and parmesan pesto foccacia bread

First up - don't use the flour the cajun chicken calls for. Use Panko breading.  Second, add an egg to the milk wash - these two changes make all the difference. 

Asparagus - follow the recipe, except swap the orange for a little cup of mandarin oranges.  Perfection :) 

A girl and a grill

Lately I've been having a love affair w/ my gas grill - today was no exception

I decided to try a new recipe for Grilled Chicken with Mango-Riesling Marinade and then I used my own recipe for Pesto Pasta Caprese Salad, and Steamed Broccoli.

First up, I tried this recipe b/c I had the ingredients on hand.  The marinade was a snap to make.  My issue...it didn't really pack the flavour I would have expected it to.  The chicken was definately moist, but just lacked the flavour.  Sometimes I'll play around w/ recipes, but this wasn't one of those times - it should have been. I found that it was similar to Edens nectar bourbon chicken but subtly different. Were I to pick either to repeat, it would be the latter mentioned.

Pesto Pasta Caprese Salad.  I can't say how I came up w/ this, other than I love tomato caprese salad, and I figured why not turn it into a pasta salad - works..right?!  It's a snap to put together also - that's a good thing!

1 1/2 cups uncooked quick cook rotini pasta *

3-4 Tbsp prepared pesto

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half 

1/2 cup pearl mozzarella *

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

2-3 leaves fresh basil

Boil pasta per the manufacturer directions. Once cooked, drain.
Add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and pesto to a medium bowl, stir to combine. Add drained pasta and toss to coat. Slice tomatoes lengthwise. Add the pearl mozzarella, and sliced tomatoes to the pasta. Toss to combine.
Take fresh basil, roll and chiffonade basil w/ a pair of kitchen shears, add to the pasta salad.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Do NOT use brick mozzarella. Pearl Mozzarella is a fresh mozzarella. If you can't find the pearl mozzarella, use the cieglini and cut it in half. Regular rotini pasta can be used but the cooking time will be different

Broccoli - what can be said about it -I simply steamed it and seasoned it w/ some granulated garlic and a little bit of butter & lemon pepper...sure not everyone is crazy about the stuff, but it's healthy.

Popping w/ flavour

Tonight I made Coriander Chicken w/ Mango Salsa, Creamy corn couscous, and Steamed french Green beans.   First up -a picture, granted the couscous didn't really keep it's form in this picture, but did in the second picture, it was being fussy I guess.

Sometimes it can take an ounce of courage to not wrinkle up the nose and go "blah" -but both recipes were rather amazing!  Now to elaborate...the good, the bad, the ugly. The good!  This entire meal can be completed in under 30 minutes, and it's relatively healthy!  The salsa was bursting w/ flavour!  If you like fruity salsa's this one is a great one.  Now I ran my salsa through my vitamix blender so it wasn't as chunky as a traditional salsa, but it still gave the flavour.

The bad...the chicken breasts need more seasoning. I never have understood people who rely SOLELY on salt & pepper as seasonings, granted the chicken also had coriander, but by itself the chicken was lacking in flavour.  I think that the submitter of the recipe needs to buy a spicerack and learn how to pair herbs together to give as much flavour as possible.

The ugly - ehhh not so ugly...I think that the instructions for cooking the couscous need to be changed.  The couscous also needed to be tweaked and I did just that by adding 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.  Given the right seasonings both recipes are restaurant quality.  I think the chicken could easily be grilled and would be phenomenal that way!

 

Oh Honey!

Tonight I used two new recipes from Allrecipes.  I'm all for flavour, and recipes that are fast and these two delivered.  Before I get into my notes, a picture is a must! 

I chose the Spicy Peach Chicken for a couple reasons.  I had all the ingredients on hand, and it was QUICK! I chose to use a boneless skinless chicken breast which I butterflied.  I find that when cooking via the broiler, a thinner breast will cook quicker.  It had a sweet, spicy kick to it, and really doesn't need any changes...although I'm thinking about modifying it for the grill

My second recipe that I tried was  Couscous w/ honeyed almonds & lemon I chose this recipe b/c I had never made couscous before (good reason huh?!) It was a refreshing change of pace and really had great flavour appeal. The only change I made was to add about one teaspoon of grapeseed oil, normally I don't like to massacre recipes w/o trying the original first, and I think my addition of grapeseed oil is spot on.