Fried Chicken

Someone once told me that if your're going to eat junk food then it's better to make it at home. Fried chicken is definitely not something we eat very often but man, it's so good! By the way, when I say "someone told me" I am usually referring to Oprah. 

Peter was all over this dinner. Either he was starving or he REALLY liked this chicken. I am going with the latter. This recipe was spot-on and I didn't have to make any adjustments. Perfection!


Fried Chicken

Serves 4

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups canola oil

6 to 8 pieces of chicken

In a baking dish whisk together the egg, buttermilk and hot sauce. In a second baking dish combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Heat the canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and shake off excess so they are lightly dusted. Dip them in the buttermilk and egg mixture coating both sides, then put back in flour mixture making sure to coat completely.

Fry the chicken in the hot oil until brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes per side.  Drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet.  Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Garlic and Lemon Chicken

Once again, I am trying to clean out the kitchen before our move next week. I had some extra chicken breasts and I wanted to try something new. This recipe is very similar to one I posted last month but it was a nice twist on an otherwise routine weeknight meal. Peter declared that he liked this one better than the lemon thyme chicken but I thought they were both great!



Garlic and Lemon Chicken

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and slightly smashed
1 lemon, halved
1 egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. romano or parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary
2 chicken breast halves, pounded to about 1/3 – 1/2″ thickness

 

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 7 minutes.  Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, and keep the oil in the pan.

Zest half the lemon into a dish or bowl, and to it add the breadcrumbs, cheese, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.

Crush the browned garlic cloves and whisk in a separate shallow bowl/dish along with the egg and juice from half the lemon.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, and then dredge into the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat the garlic oil over medium heat and once hot, add the chicken.  Cook until done, about 2.5  minutes per side.  Serve with slices or wedges of the remaining half lemon.

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Beef Stir-Fry

Lately I have been craving Asian food. Luckily, I happen to have quite a few leftover veggies from last week that work well in a stir-fry dish. I picked up some beef and a few sauces at the store and planned to throw everything together. You can use any vegetables you happen to have on hand, the more the merrier! 

It turned out so great that I think I will repeat this dish later in the week with chicken instead of beef. Yum!



Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry
1/2 pound top sirloin, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thickly sliced
1 handful snow peas
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium size head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons siracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Lightly season beef with salt and pepper. In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms. Stir constantly until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef and continue cooking an additional minute, until the beef is browned on the outside but still pink in the center. Add snow peas, carrots, broccoli and bell peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in hoisin, Siracha and Sesame oil; continue cooking 1-2 minutes, until vegetables are crunchy and beef is cooked through. Serve over rice.

Spinach Lasagna

Recently we realized that we eat out way too much, especially on the weekends. We have gotten into this bad habit of eating out Friday through Sunday. While it has been fun, it's not exactly figure friendly. In an effort to eat in more on the weekends, I have decided to make one freezer meal every other Monday so we can eat leftovers on Sundays. I have been wanting to try a spinach lasagna for a while. When I was single, I would often stop at Central Market to pick up dinner. They had an amazing spinach lasagna in the prepared foods case. It was amazing!

I found this recipe from a simple Google search and while not exactly like the Central Market version, it was pretty close! I think next time I will substitute a white sauce for the tomato sauce just to try something new!



Spinach Lasagna

20 lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups fresh spinach

3 cups ricotta cheese

2/3 cup grated Romano cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3 cups tomato pasta sauce

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.

Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 416 | Total Fat: 16.5g | Cholesterol: 63mg

Sun Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Balls and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

One of the side effects of cooking for the blog is that my kitchen in now full of random food. I have tried so many new things that I am left with the remnants of meals gone by. I decided that this week I would only cook from what I already have. It will be nice to make space again in the pantry plus it forces me to be creative!

I found half a bag of whole wheat penne pasta, some sun dried tomatoes and half a log of goat cheese. I still have some basil leftover from last week so I figured I could come up with something yummy! The roasted cherry tomatoes were an afterthought but I felt like the pasta needed something on it besides the goat cheese. Once again, I purchased nothing new for this meal! Peter really liked this dish and requested that I add it to the regular dinner rotation!

Sun Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Balls
1/2 log goat cheese
1 ounce sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
olive oil


Add the sun dried tomatoes, basil and red pepper flakes in a small food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a shallow bowl and mix with the breadcrumbs. In another bowl, beat the egg and add a tablespoon of water to form an egg wash.

Form the goat cheese into approximately 20 balls, about 1/4 inch in diameter. Dip each ball in the egg wash, then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Coat a non-stick pan in 1/2 inch of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the goat cheese balls for two minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel covered plate until ready to serve.



Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt
pepper

Wash the tomatoes and set aside. Coat a non-stick skillet in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for three to five minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, forming one layer over the bottom. Season with salt and pepper. After about five minutes the tomatoes will begin to pop so you may want to cover the skillet. After all of the tomatoes have popped, remove from the skillet and serve warm.

Shrimp Stephanie

This was the first dish that I created and claimed as my own, about three years ago. I got the idea from a cooking segment on Regis and Kelly but changed it up a bit for my own taste. It's super yummy and great on a cold night!





Shrimp Stephanie
1 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cup button mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
white table wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
nutmeg
salt
black pepper

In a medium stock pot over medium heat, melt the butter and garlic. Add the potatoes. Cook for about fifteen minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Add the garlic, peas and mushrooms. Saute for three to five minutes. Pour the wine, one turn around the pan. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the parsley and a few dashes of nutmeg. Cook for eight to ten minutes. Serve warm.

Lemon Thyme Chicken

I am always looking for easy chicken meals that I can prepare in no time. I came across this one a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try. It was super easy to make and very tasty! I liked the seasoning so much that I am thinking of trying it on fish. This is great for a weeknight meal I usually have all of these ingredients in my kitchen at all times.



Lemon Thyme Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 lemon, zested
6-8 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon water
canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken in the freezer for approximately ten minutes. Remove and cut into 1/4" strips.

In one bowl, combine the egg and water. Whisk to form an egg wash. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Dip each chicken strip into the egg wash then coat in the breadcrumb mixture.

Over medium heat, coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with canola oil. Cook the chicken for two to three minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top.

Penne a la Vodka

Last Friday Peter and I finally ate at Carmine's on Penn. He had been going on and on about this restaurant for so long that my expectations were very high. I did not leave disappointed! They serve family style portions so we definitely ate too much but it was so worth it. My favorite dish we ordered was the ravioli a la vodka. This reminded me of all those dinners with Susan at Grotto in Houston so I decided to try my own vodka sauce.

I did a little variation on this back in December so I only had to make a few adjustments for the vodka sauce. It turned out really well and Peter's only complaint was that it was a little runny. So, I made a few changes to the original recipe which will hopefully keep it from being too runny.

Maybe for my next pasta entry I will try to recreate the delicious ravioli di mare from Grotto...

Penne a la Vodka
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained, half the liquid reserved
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 large yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Boil the pasta according to the cooking directions, set aside.

Puree half the tomatoes until smooth. Dice remaining tomatoes and combine with the reserved liquid. Heat oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste and onion. Saute for about two minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for one minute. Stir in the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat, add vodka, return to heat and simmer for ten minutes. Slowly add the cream and basil, stirring continuously.

Combine with the pasta, top with fresh parmesan if desired and serve!

Mathilde's Spaghetti

My mother in law, Mathilde, is originally from Austria. She met Peter's father, who was from Germany, in Montreal. They married there and a few years later they moved to Boulder, Colorado. Peter and his brother were lucky enough to a) grow up in Boulder and b) eat all the delicious German and Austrian food their mother prepared. Mathilde is slowly teaching me all of her recipes so be on the lookout for goulash, wienerschnitzel and Austrian potato salad. She also makes some really yummy vegetable soup but I don't know how to spell it.

Funny enough, she also makes a mean spaghetti and it's Peter's favorite "mom" dish. I know it's not a German or Austrian dish but man, it's really good.

Make sure when you buy the sauce that you choose one that is just regular sauce, no added mushrooms or anything like that. It doesn't really matter what brand you buy, although I like this one.

This recipe is great for weeknights because it doesn't take much time to get it going, then you can leave it for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over the spaghetti of your choice, we eat whole wheat around here :)

Mathilde's Spaghetti
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey, I have used both)
1 jar marinara sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste (or about two tablespoons)
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add the olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Brown the meat. Add the garlic, the entire jar of sauce, the stewed tomatoes and the tomato paste. Combine and when the sauce starts to bubble, add the bay leaf and turn down to level 1 heat. Let simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Chili

I first made this chili recipe on Christmas Eve but I forgot to photograph the results. Oh well, I guess I would have to just make it again! It was zero degrees here in Denver last night so eating homemade chili sounded like a perfect idea. I also got to use the powerful chili powder that came in a set of Penzey's Spices. Thank you, Susan!

I browsed many recipes online and settled on this one. I did leave out the oregano but that is the only change I made. Peter LOVED it and I have a feeling he will be fighting me over the leftovers! I whipped up a quick batch of corn muffins to accompany the chili. This was a wonderful cold weather meal and now I wish I had made more. It's four degrees here today!

Chili
1 pound ground beef or turkey
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder*
1/2 teaspoon cumin*
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used this one)*
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

* Start with these amounts and then taste after simmering.

Crumble the ground turkey into a stock pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook stirring frequently until turkey is evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

Season with chili powder, cumin and hot sauce. Stir in the tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour – or longer if you have time. Stir occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom.

Spinach, Ricotta and Mushroom Ravioli with Homemade Marinara

Thanks to Mike and Cindy, I am the proud new owner of a new pasta maker! I decided to try it out but I had a hard time deciding which type of pasta to make. I have done the goat cheese thing and I hate marscapone, so I settled on ricotta. I searched for a yummy recipe but in the end I went with what I like. I kind of just made this up as I went along and it turned out great! I also had a new, smaller ravioli stamp. Now I don't always have to make the GIANT raviolis!

I know I have posted a pasta sauce recipe before, but I wanted to try something different. The other one is still very good but also very time consuming to make. This one only takes about thirty minutes from start to finish and is just as delicious! Peter said he still likes the other one better but he's not the one spending hours in front of the stove so sometimes he will have to deal with the easier version!

For the pasta dough recipe, please see this post.

Spinach, Ricotta and Mushroom Ravioli
1 1/2 cups chopped spinach, thawed, patted dry
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan reggiano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Just before it begins to smoke, add the mushrooms and saute for ten minutes. Add the chopped spinach and cook for three minutes.

Move the mushroom and spinach mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until course. In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms and spinach with the ricotta and parmesan reggiano. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix thouroughly.


Homemade Marinara Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper

In a medium stockpot, heat the olive oil, add the onions and simmer until translucent, five to ten minutes. Add garlic and simmer for one minute. Add wine on high heat and cook until the liquid evaporates. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, parsley and salt and pepper for three minutes. Simmer fifteen minutes.

On one half of the pasta dough, drop a teaspoon of the filling, 2 inches apart. Fold over the other half of the dough, like a blanket. Press air out of the pockets. Use knife, or ravioli stamp, to cut into squares. Crimp edges with fork, unless you have used a stamp. Brush ravioli with egg wash. Dust ravioli and sheet pan with cornmeal, lay out to dry.

Bring 3 quarts of salted and oiled water to boil in a large pasta pot. Add three or four ravioli at a time, as not to crowd them, and cook for two or three minutes. Remove, plate and cover in a foil tent until you have finished cooking all of the ravioli.

Filet of Beef and Corn Casserole

After Thanksgiving I decided that turkey, while very tasty, was not what I wanted to prepare for Christmas dinner. Peter wanted duck but I wasn't convinced so I settled on a filet of beef. I had to do some research because I wanted to make sure I didn't screw it up! I found this recipe on the Food Network site. It was a HUGE hit! I also made the gorgonzola sauce. Peter loved it but I wasn't very impressed. I may try another sauce next time.
I discovered this yummy casserole a few years ago on The Food Network. It was right around Thanksgiving so I took this side dish over to our family celebration in Alvin. Everyone said they loved it and I really hope they weren't lying to me!

I don't make this often, it's better suited for caloric blowout holidays, but it sure is tasty! You can skip the cheddar cheese if you're watching your figure.

Filet of Beef

1 whole filet of beef (4 to 5 pounds), trimmed and tied

2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the beef on a baking sheet and pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Spread the butter on with your hands. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare.

Remove the beef from the oven, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the strings and slice the filet thickly.

Corn Casserole
1 box corn muffin mix
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 package frozen broccoli
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces cottage cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
1/2 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the corn muffin mix, milk, garlic and cottage cheese.

In a large oven safe skillet, melt the butter ovr medium heat. Saute the onions and broccoli until tender. Pour the corn muffin mixture over the veggies, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Slice, serve warm.

Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

I decided that this week we would eat whatever is on hand Monday through Wednesday. Thursday my parents arrive and I will be cooking up a storm Friday and Saturday! I was looking through our freezer and found some leftover shrimp. I searched online for a yummy seafood sauce and a lemon garlic butter sauce caught my eye. It fit the bill, it looked easy and I could prepare it with ingredients I already had in my kitchen. I did have to adapt it a bit because I didn't have fresh herbs but I think it turned out great! I also halved the amount of butter because yikes, the original recipe called for a TON of butter!

I served the shrimp over brown rice. A little tip- use equal parts water and chicken stock. This makes for much tastier rice! Skip the butter option altogether.

Shrimp with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper

Heat olive oil over medium heat in non-stick pan. Dredge the shrimp in flour, shake off excess. Fry in olive oil until golden brown. Remove, let rest on paper towel.

Melt the butter in the pan. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the oregano, remove from heat. Carefully add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over shrimp.

Roasted Chicken and Brussel Sprouts

Recently I was reading Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw. He writes,

"Everyone should be able to roast a chicken. And they should be able to do it well."

I read that and immediately realized that I did not know how to roast a chicken. What would Anthony think???

My original idea was to roast a whole chicken but I chickened out (haha) and decided to start with roasting chicken breast. I found this easy looking recipe and went for it. OMG, best chicken ever! I cannot express just how much I love this roasted chicken. It is perfection.

A few years ago I wouldn't have touched a brussel sprout. No way, no how. All of that changed when I tried the brussel sprouts at Beaver's back in Houston. That was also the night I tried turnips for the first time but I will save those for another post. I prepared brussel sprouts that next week and they were a huge hit! Now they are firmly in the rotation and if we go too long without having them Peter will kindly let me know.

I like to buy the pre-trimmed brussel sprouts in a bag but you can certainly purchase them on the stem.

I will blog about the macaroni and cheese later...I need to tinker with the recipe.

Roasted Chicken
2 skin-on chicken breasts
1 head garlic, unpeeled
2 sprigs rosemary
2 slices crusty bread
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons water
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in an oven-proof skillet. Once again, I like cast iron but any oven-proof skillet will do. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, cook skin down for fives minutes or until browned. Flip chicken, top with the garlic and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Transfer to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until moist. Remove from oven and let chicken rest on a cutting board.

Add the white wine vinegar to skillet and scrape the brown bits. Add the water and simmer for 2 minutes.

Place the bread on a platter and top with the chicken. Pour the white wine sauce over the chicken and bread.

Brussel Sprouts
1 bag brussel sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

Bring three cups of water to a boil. Add the brussel sprouts and boil on high for 8 minutes. Remove and drain. After cooling, cut each brussel sprout in half.

In a large saute pan add the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. When you start to smell the garlic (before it browns, about 1 minute) add the halved brussel sprouts. Saute in pan until the brussel sprouts begin to brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Butternut Squash Soup

I tried butternut squash soup before but had never been very impressed. A few weeks after we moved to Denver, I was at Whole Foods and saw the biggest butternut squash I had ever seen. It was huge. I was inspired to make my own butternut squash soup from scratch. This is what you do when you have a lot of time on your hands! A little internet research led me to this recipe from the Food Network website. I made a few slight changes to my version but it's pretty much the same as the original.

I did have to invest in an emulsion blender but I have been able to use it when cooking a lot of other dishes so I don't feel like I wasted my money.

I like to top the soup with four slices of a french baguette topped with melted fontina cheese and chopped sage. It's heaven in a bowl and perfect on a cold night. Peter likes it so much that I make way more than we need, refrigerate it and serve it to him for lunch throughout the week. I have also kept in frozen for days and then made another dinner out of it later in the week. If you do this, make sure you add a touch of the chicken stock when heating the frozen soup in a pot. It will help it melt evenly and give it an even richer flavor.

Butternut Squash Soup
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (about 7-8 cups)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

In large stockpot, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, saute for five minutes. Stir in garlic, 30 seconds. Add squash and chicken stock, bring to boil. Add sage and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes and use emulsion blender to blend unitl smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Crostini

1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices

extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

6 thin slices fontina cheese 

salt

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Place the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

This is another oldie but goodie. I love goat cheese in just about everything so it's no surprise that we end up eating this a lot. The first time I made this I used sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil but I think it works better with the sun dried tomatoes in a bag. I would love to link the Whole Foods 365 Brand sun dried tomatoes but the web Gods won't let me. Boo.



Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 small log goat cheese, softened
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay chicken on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil on chicken. Smear 1/3 log of goat cheese and 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes. Roll chicken and secure using cooking twine at either end and in the middle.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees. Remove cooking twine and serve warm.

Goat Cheese, Arugula and Mushroom Ravioli with Homemade Pasta Sauce

For the longest time if you asked Peter what his favorite dinner was he would have chosen avocado quesadillas. About a month ago I tried making ravioli and pasta sauce from scratch and the rest was history. After one bite Peter declared that the avocado quesadillas (while still very yummy) were no longer his favorite dish. We had a new champion.

I won't fool you, this is a very time consuming dinner to prepare. You need a few hours to spare in the afternoon in order to get everything done. Once I have my new authentic Italian pasta press (thanks to Mike and Cindy) the process will be much faster. For now, I am still rolling the pasta dough by hand. It's not bad exercise for your arms! I'll be buff in no time!

A big plus about this dish, beside the fact that it's delicious, is that it is very budget friendly. I have most of the ingredients on hand at all times. So, you spend more time making dinner but spend less money. It's a trade-off, I guess.

I like to stuff my ravioli with goat cheese, arugula and mushrooms but you can certainly experiment and try something new. I cut rather large ravioli so this recipe makes 8 large raviolis, 4 per person.

Goat Cheese, Arugula and Mushroom Ravioli
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, plus 1 for wash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cornmeal, for dusting
1 log goat cheese, softened
1 cup arugula, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped

Combine flour and salt on work surface and shape into a mound. Make a well in the center and add eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Beat with fork. Gradually draw flour in circular motion and continue until ball forms. Cut ball in half, cover. Roll until paper thin, about 1/8 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into a rectangle. Brush egg wash (1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, beaten) over the entire pasta rectangle.

In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, arugula and mushrooms. Mix thouroughly.

On one half of the pasta dough, drop a teaspoon of the filling, 2 inches apart. Fold over the other half of the dough, like a blanket. Press air out of the pockets. Use knife, or large ravioli stamp, to cut into squares. Crimp edges with fork, unless you have used a stamp. Brush ravioli with egg wash. Dust ravioli and sheet pan with cornmeal, lay out to dry.

Add the ravioli to pot of boiling water. Cook until al dente, about 4 minutes, or until the pasta floats and is pale in color.

Top with pasta sauce and remaining filling. Serve warm.

Pasta Sauce

1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole plum tomatoes, San Marzano style, drained and chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons chicken broth

1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1 sprig thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

salt

black pepper

In a large pot (I use this one) over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and yellow onion until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and thyme. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and let simmer, 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomato paste. Boil, reduce 1/3 volume. Add cream and cook until thick. Add butter, remove thyme sprig and keep warm until ready to serve.

Shrimp Tacos and Spicy Corn

I came up with these during the early days of my relationship with Peter. I was off for the summer and he invited me over to his place for an afternoon by the pool and then an early dinner. I was trying to impress so I offered to make dinner. As soon as I got off the phone I panicked because I had not been to the grocery store and quite honestly, had no idea what to make anyway. These were the days when I thought heating black beans out of a can was cooking. I managed to find all of the ingredients, minus the shrimp so I made a quick trip to the store, and just kind of winged it. I love that I can prepare the spread overnight and then the next day I can make dinner in less than twenty minutes. Peter and I really enjoy these tacos and they have been in the rotation ever since that lovely summer afternoon.

We have always eaten the tacos with a side of black beans with cilantro and lime. Tonight I wanted to try something new. I had some leftover corn from Thanksgiving so I went searching online for a yummy corn sidedish. I found inspiration here and there. I made a few adjustments and I think it turned out really well!

I think I know my husband pretty well. I know what he likes, what he dislikes, what to NEVER say to him, etc... One thing I didn't know was that he hates corn. Whaaaaat??? I had no idea. He made a funny face when I put the corn on his plate but I knew he would be nice and at least try it. He ate the tacos first and then slowly reached for the fork and put the teeniest bit of corn in his mouth. I was waiting for a "sorry babe, I just don't like corn" but he took another bite, then a bigger one and then a whole forkful. That corn was gone in under a minute. I felt victorious! I asked him if there was anything else he thought he hated that I could possibly cook for him and hopefully change his mind. He "hates" eggplant so watch for an eggplant post in the near future. I welcome the challenge.

Shrimp Tacos
1 pound EZ peel shrimp, cleaned, deveined
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, cleaned and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 small lime
4 whole wheat tortillas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Combine the onion, cilantro, garlic, juice from one half of the lime and the extra virgin olive oil in a mini food processor. Pulse until a pesto like substance forms. Add more extra virgin olive oil if necessary. In a large storage container completely coat the shrimp in the spread. Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours. You can also let them sit overnight.

Divide the remaining tablespoon of butter into fourths. On medium heat drop one on the fourths of butter in the pan and coat both sides of the tortilla in butter. Then leave the tortilla in the pan until in begins to puff, turn over and repeat on the other side. Repeat for each tortilla. Keep warm in a basket or tortilla warmer.

In a large saute pan heat the remaining tablespoon of butter on medium heat. Add the shrimp and cilantro spread to the pan. Cook until the shrimp are pink. This should only take a few minutes. Stuff each tortilla with 4-6 shrimp, depending on size of the shrimp and top with any remaining spread. Serve warm.

Spicy Corn
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Peter's favorite)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients, except the oil. Add the oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Saute the corn mixture in the oil for 5-6 minutes. Serve warm.

Steak and Truffled Potatoes

About a year ago, P and I decided to start a new Friday date night tradition. No phones, no computers, just good wine, conversation and steak...plus the occasional Dateline episode. Our last few months in Houston we ate out a lot as we were trying to hit all of our favorite restaurants before we left town. Our first month in Denver we were trying new neighborhood restaurants. Now we are settled in and back to our fun at-home date nights.

A little over two years ago my dear friend Megan got married in Crested Butte. Her best friend (now sister-in-law and good friend of mine) Abby and I flew out early to relax and help with last-minute wedding preparations. One night in town, we discovered a super yummy french fry appetizer at a local sushi restaurant. It quickly became clear why they called them "Crack Fries." That was the night I fell in love with white truffle oil.

I recently decided to bite the bullet and purchase my very own bottle of white truffle oil. Good gracious! I had no idea how expensive it would be but it is worth every penny. I experimented with a few and there was a clear winner: Boscovivo White Truffle Oil. It is kind of hard to find (lucky for me the little grocery store downstairs carries it) but this one I picked up at Whole Foods is also very good.

I tried this excellent mashed potato recipe from So Tasty, So Yummy. I loved them so much I served them at our housewarming party and then again at Thanksgiving last week. Yummmmm...truffle oil.

The date night menu always consists of the following:

• A bottle (or two) of good wine, usually a Pinot Noir
• Some sort of appetizer, cheese, crackers, what have you
• Two big steaks
• Mashed potatoes or sweet potato fries
• Green veggie
• Good conversation, laughs

Perfection :)

Steak
2 steaks (I used rib eyes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large, oven safe pan melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat until very hot.

Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Sear in pan 3-4 minutes on either side, or until browned. Place pan in oven and cook until desired doneness. Use a meat thermometer to check temperature. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.


Truffled Potatoes
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cream
2-3 tablespoons white truffle oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Warm the butter and cream. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a bowl. With a hand mixer, whip the cream and butter into the potatoes. Stir in the truffle oil, salt and pepper to taste. Divide the potatoes between two oven safe ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes until the tops begin to get golden brown.

Parmesan Chicken and Spicy Vegetables

I adapted this easy chicken recipe from So Tasty, So Yummy a few weeks ago when I needed a quick dinner idea. This was a big hit and is now one of my go-to favorites. I changed it up a little bit because I didn't have any parsley and I was out of bread crumbs. The first time I toasted a small piece of rye bread and smashed it to make the crumbs. This time I used a piece of crusty sourdough from Whole Foods. P let me know that the crumbs were better this time so I guess I will be using sourdough from now on!

The spicy vegetables are super easy and one my favorite side dishes but I love anything with a little kick! I prefer buying frozen broccoli (I don't know why, it just feels right) but fresh will obviously work too.

Baked Parmesan Chicken
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chicken and milk in bowl to coat. Add remaining ingredients to a plastic bag, toss chicken with the breadcrumb mixture. In a lightly greased baking dish, lay out the two chicken breasts, pressing any additional breadcrumb mixture on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Spicy Vegetables
1 cup broccoli (frozen)
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup whole baby bella mushrooms
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the broccoli. Saute until no longer frozen then add the bell peppers and red pepper flakes. Add the sesame oil. Saute vegetables until fragrant but not limp.