It's going to be a long, hot summer!

Since we are not fans of summer so much we are keeping it lite again this week. Jack requested Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Peas so we made that. I wanted to try an easy Chicken Marsala and then we found two wrap sandwiches that looked yummy.

Nothing special about the meatloaf, just that the kids like it and actually ask for peas! The chicken marsala is not authentic by any means but tastes great. Chicken breast and thighs baked in the oven then covered with a mixture of sauteed mushrooms, marsala wine and cream of chicken soup.

The two wraps can be found on food network's site and kraft foods site...check them out, they were both really good!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/mexican-grilled-chicken-wrap-116606.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20100615-_-1006

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/hummus-and-grilled-vegetable-wrap-recipe/index.html

No fancy photos this week, I mean meatloaf is only so pretty and by the time we thought about it we had already eaten most of the mushrooms out of the marsala!
Do try out the wraps if you are looking for lite summer suppers though...they were both great.

Keeping it Lite for Summer

So last week we were so full and tired that we never even gave baking directions for the Puff Pastry Braid...after it was braided we brushed it with an egg wash and baked it in a 400 degree oven until it was golden brown and puffy. The braid is something I used to make years ago and can't remember where I got the recipe so it was all from memory. Last night we made homemade pizza, pepperoni for the kids and tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella for me and John & Erin. It was so easy and good we ate every bite!

This week we made some salads, a sandwich and stuffed chicken breasts, only had to turn the oven on for the angel food cake. Here is what we came up with this week:

Chicken Stuffed With Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomatoes

* 4 sundried tomato halves (not packed in oil)
* 1 cup hot water
* 2 ounces goat cheese (soft type)
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 2 (5-ounce) chicken breasts
* Salt
* Cooking oil spray

1. Place sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl, and cover with hot water. Soak 10 minutes, drain, and chop. Add goat cheese, basil, and pepper to tomatoes and stir to combine.
2. Place chicken on a cutting board and use a paring knife to slice a pocket into the side of each chicken breast to hold the filling. Enlarge the pocket carefully without cutting all the way through. Divide cheese mixture between pieces of chicken, gently stuffing it into the pocket. Secure with toothpicks if desired.
3. Season the outside of the chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium flame. When hot, add chicken and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown underneath. Reduce heat to low, turn chicken breasts over, and cover. Cook 10 minutes or until no pink color remains when cut through the thickest part.

So yeah this makes 2 servings, as if that is enough for anyone, we quadrupled it and made 8 servings.


Spicy Pinto Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini, Tomatoes, and Parsley

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T peperoncini juice (brine from the bottle of peppers)
1/2 tsp. green Tobasco sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but recommended)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 large peperoncini peppers, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chopped tomato, drained if the tomatoes are very juicy (I used cherry tomatoes cut in fourths)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 can (5-7 oz) Italian Tuna packed in olive oil

Dump beans into a colander placed into the sink, then rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears. Let beans drain while you mix dressing ingredients.

Mix together the lemon juice, peperoncini juice, green Tobasco sauce, and Spike seasoning. Whisk in the olive oil, then season dressing to taste with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper. (I used just a pinch of salt and about 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper.)

In a bowl large enough to contain all the salad ingredients, mix the drained beans with 2 T of the dressing mixture and let beans marinate while you prep other ingredients.

Cut stem end off peperoncini, remove seeds, then finely chop peperoncini and slice green onions. Chop tomatoes to make 1 cup diced tomatoes, then drain in a small colander if the tomatoes seem juicy. Wash parsley, spin dry or dry with paper towels, then chop enough parsley to make 1/2 cup. Drain oil from the tuna (I just do this by removing lid and using it to press out the oil) then use a fork to break up the tuna slightly in the can.

Add chopped peperoncini, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, and chopped parsley to the bowl with the marinating beans, mix together, then toss with the remaining the dressing. (If you like your salads on the dry side, you may not need all the dressing, but I used it all.) Add the tuna and gently combine with other ingredients, season with more salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and serve.


The sandwich we made has artichoke, sundried tomato, pesto, and fresh mozarella. We put it on an Olive Oil bread from Giant Eagle. This has no actual recipe, just found the description on another blog about food. Super delicious!!


We also made Chicken Salad using a roasted chicken (from Giant Eagle - couldn't buy a chicken for that price and its already cooked!!), just a touch of lite mayo, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish. Of course salt and pepper to taste. Simple, easy and good.


Also made a homemade Angel Food Cake, these are cheaper and better to make at home rather than using the store bought. The store bought ones are sticky and expensive ~ the mix is $2 and takes little time of effort and the taste and texture is soooo much better!! Fresh strawberries and whip cream make for an almost healthy dessert :)



So that was this weeks fun. We probably should have grilled something but its too humid and we will be grilling ribs again on Father's Day. Until then happy cooking.

A buffet of Love

We are happy that today was a bit cooler and we could actually cook. Lets start out with finally taking a look at the most fabulous delicious ribs we had on Memorial Day.
We cooked them in the oven slow and low all day long and then placed them on the hot grill and slathered them in BBQ Sauce. They were falling off the bone, literally!

As I sit here I am having a hard time typing this because I ate so much today while cooking ~ of course we have to sample everything we make ;)

Today we made 5 dishes and chocolate chip cookies.


Happy Lemon Risotto

1. Bring your stock to a simmer (you’ll need ~2.5 cups for every cup of uncooked arborio rice). [Since I had some asparagus I wanted to use up, I just trimmed it and blanched it right in the stock for 2-3 minutes until tender crisp, then set it aside.]
2. Saute some finely diced onion and celery in olive oil until softened. Add the uncooked arborio rice to the pan and saute for several minutes until it starts looking less chalky and more translucent.
3. If you have some available, add a splash of white wine (1/2 cup or so) and let it completely absorb before starting to add the stock (if you don’t have any, you can skip it without sacrificing too much). Then, start adding the warm stock one ladle at a time, stirring until the liquid is completely absorbed between each addition. My Italian cooking guru Marcella Hazan says to start checking the rice for done-ness after about 20 minutes.
4. When you’re getting close to your preferred done-ness, add your goodies [in this case the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1.5 lemons, a handful of frozen peas which I didn't bother defrosting].
5. Off heat stir in a generous amount of grated parmeggiano and a little pat of butter if it strikes your fancy. Taste taste taste and correct your seasonings. [I scattered my blanched asparagus on top. For a little zip, I also garnished with some finely chopped chives, crispy fried sage leaves (nice for texture and takes the intensity way down), a little squeeze of lemon and drizzle of good olive oil.]

Chorizo and Beans
serves 8

Ingredients
2 tblsp olive oil
2 red onions, sliced
2 chorizo, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp dried oregano leaves (or 4 sprigs fresh oregano)
1 tblsp brown sugar
3 x 400g cans white cannellini beans
1 tblsp red wine vinegar

Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, chorizo and garlic, and cook for 8 minutes until the chorizo is brown and the onions are soft.
4. Add the tomatoes, paprika, chilli flakes, oregano and brown sugar. Stir to combine, then lower the heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
5. Add the cannellini beans and heat through for 3 minutes.
6. Serve the chorizo and beans in a bowl, with crusty bread.



Orecchiette with Rapini and Goat Cheese

Kosher salt, to taste
1 bunch rapini (about 1 lb.),

 roughly chopped
1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3⁄4 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
12 oz. orecchiette
2 tbsp. lemon zest
4 oz. goat cheese, softened

1. Bring an 8-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add rapini and boil until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rapini to a large bowl of ice water; chill. Drain rapini, pat dry, and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add chile flakes and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds. Add rapini, toss, and remove pan from heat; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer pasta and lemon zest to reserved skillet over high heat. Toss to combine and season with salt. Divide pasta between bowls and add a dollop of goat cheese to each.

SERVES 2 – 4

Thai Beef Noodle Salad


Ingredients

* 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
* 3 tablespoons orange juice
* 3 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon peanut butter
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
* 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
* 1 cup fresh or frozen snow peas, thawed
* 1 cup julienned sweet red pepper
* 1 cup julienned zucchini
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
* 1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cooked and cut into thin strips
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. For dressing, combine the first 10 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until blended. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and place in a large bowl. Add the broccoli, peas, red pepper, zucchini, celery and cooked beef. Add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Puff Pastry Braid

1 sheet puff pastry
8oz. cream cheese
touch of mustard
1 cup chopped up ham
1/2 cup peas

Melt cream cheese in sauce pan add in ham and peas


once melted place in middle of puff pastry and braid ( see photos)


We will go to bed with full bellies tonight and about 5 extra pounds.

Please do not mind the placement of our pics ~ we can not control how this happens :(

Memorial Day and more!

Happy Memorial Day to all! This week is different than most because of the holiday, so we did our cooking yesterday and are cooking out today. We hope you enjoy your holiday and time spent with family and friends.

We wanted to make something fun for the kids so we thought we would make Ice Cream Sandwiches...we tried to keep them healthy with fat free ice cream but OMG what a mistake that was....TOTALLY GROSS! We used flat chocolate wafer cookies and Neapolitan (fat free) ice cream and ended up using only the strawberry and vanilla ice cream because the chocolate tasted like dirt.


Last week we made the Tuna Salad and it was so light and refreshing that we wanted to keep with that flavor. We made Smoked Salmon Quiche and Quinoa Salad. We have chicken marinading for our Teriyaki Chicken Skewers and will have Lemon Pea Risotto as a side dish later in the week. We will post photos of the chicken and risotto when we make them.


Smoked Salmon Quiche

Ingredients:

1 pie crust

1 1/2 cups smoked salmon, flaked into bite size pieces

3 eggs

3/4 cup half and half

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Cooking Directions:

Partially bake pie crust in a 400 degree oven for about 7 minutes, covered in foil plus an additional 10 minutes uncovered. While crust is baking, in a large bowl beat eggs, add milk, half and half, parsley and salmon. In as small bowl combine cheese, flour, salt and pepper. Stir into egg mixture and pour into baked pie crust. Reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake quiche 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Quinoa Salad with Shrimp, Asparagus, Fresh Corn and Herb Lime Vinaigrette

http://www.formerchef.com/2010/05/27/quinoa-salad-with-shrimp-asparagus-fresh-corn-and-herb-lime-vinaigrette/

2 cups water
1 cup red quinoa

1/2 lb asparagus
1 ear fresh corn
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber (about 5 oz)

12 oz U31-40 shrimp, cooked and peeled (about 25 pcs.)

Herb Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

2 oz fresh lime juice (about 2 fresh limes)
1 shallot, minced
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse and drain the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Combine the 2 cups of water and the quinoa in a 2 qt. sauce pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. The grain should be soft and the germ should be visible. Spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
2. To cook the asparagus and corn, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus (cut about 2 ” off the bottom of the spear). Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Cook the asparagus spears in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and plunge them into the ice water to stop them from cooking. You want the asparagus to be tender-crisp. In the same boiling water cook the ear of corn for 5 minutes and then put it in the ice water too.

3. Cut the asparagus on the bias into 2″ pieces. Cut the corn off the cob and separate the kernels. Cut the red bell pepper into julienned strips, about 1/4″x2″. Peel the cucumber, cut into 2″ sections and then into 1/4″ strips.

4. Juice the limes, mince the shallot, and chop the herbs. Whisk together the lime juice, shallots and olive oil. Add the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper.

5. Put the quinoa, vegetables, and shrimp into a large bowl. Add all of the dressing and combine. Taste, check for seasoning and adjust as needed.


Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Skewers

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/teriyaki-sesame-chicken-skewers-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

* 30 (8-inch) bamboo skewers

Marinade:

* 15 ounces teriyaki sauce (no more than 2 grams sugar per serving)
* 6 tablespoons sesame oil
* 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1 tablespoon sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
* 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
* 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
* 1 cantaloupe half filled with melon balls, optional

Directions

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to keep from burning later.

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a non-reactive container large enough to hold all of the chicken. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch strips and submerge them in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thread 1 chicken strip on each skewer towards end of the stick, and line up on a sheet pan. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Serve by sticking skewers straight out of the side of a cantaloupe half filled with melon balls, if desired.


So since today is a Holiday we are going to make Ribs, Corn on the Cob and my mom is bringing pasta salad and dessert. We will post pictures of our fabulous cook out later today or tomorrow. We will also post our recipes for the Teriyaki Chicken and Risotto later in the week when we cook them and have some pretty pictures for you.

We hope you all have a great holiday ~ HAPPY SUMMER!

Too HOTT to cook!

This blog is for our friends and family who are always looking for ideas for dinner. We hope we can give you some good ideas that you will love. Believe me if we can do this , so can you! Cooking is fun ~ if you can read you can cook!


Today we took it easy cooking because of the heat, it is 86* here in Cleveland today. We made a fantastic Pasta Salad , a delicious Tuna Salad , Spinach and Feta Burgers and we are marinating a London Broil for later in the week. Keep in mind that we tend to cook large quantities of food so we can share with our families. Please adjust where need be.

PASTA SALAD ~

~ 2 boxes of Cavatappi Pasta (make with any noodle you want, this is what we like)
~ 2 Bottles of Italian Dressing
~ Chunk of Salami cubed
~ Chunk of Cheddar Cheese cubed
~ Can of Black olives sliced
~ All vegetables left in my fridge (carrots,celery,green onion, red pepper, grape tomatoes etc.)
** We did not follow a recipe for this , we just made it up as we went.

Mix together and enjoy! Always better the next day (if it lasts)

SPINACH & FETA BURGERS ~

~ 5 lbs. of ground meat 80/20 preferably
~ 3 8oz containers of Feta Cheese
~ 1/2 a bag of fresh spinach wilted in microwave
~ Salt and Pepper to taste
~ Worcestershire Sauce to taste

Mix together and make patties, This made about 17 burger patties for us.

** We did not follow a recipe for this , we just made it up.


TUNA & WHITE BEAN SALAD ~

~adapted from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy
Ingredients:

2 6oz cans of tuna, drained (oil-packed recommended)
1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons capers
zest 1 lemon, grated
1 tomato, roughly chopped (optional)
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
toasted bread, for serving
Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the tuna, beans, red peppers, capers, lemon zest, and tomato (if using). In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, and black pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and toss. Serve with the bread.

**For a variation, try adding olives, red onion, or jarred artichokes.**

MARINADE FOR LONDON BROIL ~

~ Worcestershire Sauce
~ Soy Sauce
~ Balsamic Vinegar
~ Olive Oil
~ Salt & Pepper
~ Garlic
~ Rosemary

* We tend to measure using our eyes


This was interesting trying to start a blog and cook today. Now we are going to enjoy our burgers and pasta salad for dinner.