And the Oscar goes to...

Last night we watched the Oscars and enjoyed homemade pizza, garden salad with shrimp, and mounds of freshly washed laundry.  It was a good time.

I have to admit there is something comforting about being in your coziest sweats, fire in the fireplace, the house smelling like pizza, and watching those poor famous people all gussied up in their stiff jackets and gowns with painfully high heels having to sit in a theater for three plus hours watching what I felt was a pretty mediocre broadcast. I love being able to walk in and out of the room, grab a slice, get online for a bit, and put away some laundry, all in my slippers no less.  I’m so thankful I’m not rich or famous.

I didn’t snap any photos last night – I was really trying to avoid the paparazzi – but I did want to share this pizza dough recipe. I have experimented with many recipes, and this one has to be my favorite so far.  This would definitely get the Oscar for “Best Performance by a Quick Rising Yeast.” Delish!

Oscar Winning Pizza Dough

Parade Magazine April 25, 2010

Yields enough dough for two 14-inch pizza

3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour, plus more if needed ***

1 teaspoon sugar

1 envelope instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Combine 3 ½ cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. While processing, add the water and 2 tablespoons of oil until the dough forms a ball.  If the dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and continue processing until it comes together into a solid ball.
3. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until smooth. Form into a smooth ball.
4. Grease a large bowl with the remaining olive oil, add dough, cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm area, and let rise until double in size – about 1 hour.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

***Note: bread flour will give you a crispier crust. If you use all-purpose flour (which I did) it will give you a chewier crust.

Week 9 Dinner Menu

Good afternoon. I'm actually early today. Already made my menu for the week, and even got my grocery shopping done this morning. I am on a roll. I'm going to keep this post brief and to the point because I am making lunch as I type. Here is my menu for this week:

Sunday: Homemade Pizza and Salad. It's Oscar night, and I am going to be glued to my TV for a good three hours. I figured what better way to celebrate than by making pizza. I also have a date with my laundry. Another wild and crazy night at our house.

Monday: Smoked Salmon Hash and Salad. Yes, salad two nights in a row. I'm craving crisp green salads right now. Maybe it's been this hit of cold weather we have had. I'm longing for warm days and refreshing vegetables. The smoked salmon hash is one of the huz's favs, so I am not counting on leftovers.

Tuesday: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup and Quesadillas. I have never seen a vegetarian tortilla soup recipe before - always chicken - so I'm souper excited to try this. I love me some soup, and the huz loves him some melted cheese, so I'm hoping this combo will please us both.

Wednesday: Brown Rice Salad with Chicken Sausage. This is actually a main dish salad recipe I found through a local health food store. In theory it can stand on it's own. I think the huz would beg to differ, hence the side of sausage. I'm also preparing some collard greens as a side for both of us (there was no kale at the grocery store today!).

Thursday/Friday: No cooking. You heard correct. Friday is my better half's birthday, and we are heading out of town. I have agreed to go out two nights in a row, (1) because we won't be leaving until after work on Thursday, and (2) because Friday is his actual "special day." You have no idea how much it pains me knowing that we are eating out two nights in a row. I'm sure that sounds crazy to some of you, but I think eating out is such a waste of money. But, it's not about me, it's about the huz, and I want him to enjoy his birthday. We are going to a couple of his favorite haunts, and it's totally worth seeing him happy.

Saturday: Lemon Pasta. This is a fav of the huz as well, and since it is his birthday weekend I want to make him something I know he loves. I will pick up some yummy fish or seafood, and maybe a fabulous artisan bread as well.

Have a great Sunday!

Camarones Enchilados

I have a terrible addiction. Part of my starting this blog was to help me with this problem. It was beginning to take over and I needed to get it under control.  My name is Shawn, and I hoard recipes.  Nothing brings me greeter joy than thumbing through a magazine, or newspaper, and finding a great recipe to try.  I play the recipe through my head. I plan little scenarios for them. This would be great on a warm evening, out on the patio.  This would be great when we have people over to watch a football game.  This would be perfect with some steamed kale, or collard greens. Oh the possibilities of a new recipe! 

I really thought I had it under control because I was “organized” about it. And really, who doesn’t need a new recipe from time-to-time? Cooking is a daily chore, and recipes keep it interesting.

The ritual would go like this.   First I would sit down with a magazine, casually flip through the issue, and dog tag any pages that seemed promising. The second time I would go through the magazine I would spend time reviewing my dog tagged pages to see if they were really  worth keeping (could I come up with a feasible enough scenario).  If they were, then I would carefully remove the page and place it in a binder. Yes, a nice three-ring binder.  I have page protectors and everything.

As I began to fill my binder I realized I really needed to classify these recipes in some way.  I mean what’s the use in saving something if you can’t find it when you need it? So I created tabs –Soup, Salads, Vegetarian Entrees, Asian, Mexican – you get the gist.  Here in lies the problem. I began saving so many recipes that one of two things began to happen:  (1) I would throw the recipe into the front of the binder - no page protector, no classification, no nothing, or (2) I began finding magazine pages randomly placed throughout my house, more often than not dispersed amongst my piles of magazines or in my “things I’ll get to someday” pile. The problem was I wasn’t getting to them, nor did I even know that I had them.

This is not what organization should look like

Now I have heard of people who have a rule that if they have not worn something in a year, they need to get rid of it. I began to think this was the approach I needed to take with my recipes. If I haven’t used it, it’s out of there. Or better yet, if I find a new recipe I really want to keep (and plan to cook in the next year), then one of the old recipes has to go (this rule I actually do follow when I buy something new – out with the old, in with the new).

Which brings us to Wednesday night: Camarones Enchilados. I have had this recipe since May 2010 and have never made it. Man am I glad that I finally got around to it. It is so darn good.  This is not your typical enchilada recipe, hence the "enchilado" name.  I would call it a deconstructed enchilada.  You create this beautiful, flavorful red sauce (crushed tomatoes, capers, red wine, garlic), then add fat, juicy shrimp, with a hit of fresh lime at the end.   Wrapped in warm flour tortillas with cilantro and queso fresco – they are like a messy soft taco.  And don't even get me started on queso fresco. I will be using this cheese in place of feta any old day. You will so thank me for this recipe, or actually Real Simple magazine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

One last note, the huz wanted me to let you know that the clean up for this dinner was a snap. He said it was the easiest clean up he has had all weeek.  I love this guy.

Camarones Enchilados

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 25m | Total Time: 55m

Real Simple Magazine May 2010 - By Alejandra Ramos

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons paprika, preferably smoked
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• kosher salt
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
• 1 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/4 pounds peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
• 8 small whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
• Sliced avocado, chipotle-flavored hot sauce, and crumbled queso fresco (fresh white Mexican cheese, available in many supermarkets) or Feta, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add the cilantro, wine, capers, and tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.



Messy is good!

3. Add the shrimp and lime juice to the tomato mixture and cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the tortillas, avocado, hot sauce, queso fresco, cilantro, and lime wedges, if desired.

Easy "Sausage" Bake

One way to soothe the carnivore beast

Tuesday night I made Easy “Sausage” Bake, a recipe I have had since 1998. Yes, I’m pretty old.

Don’t let the name fool you though. It is a vegetarian recipe (notice the “sausage” in typed air quotes?). I love this recipe because it is super easy to make (hence the name) – and it is hearty and yummy, especially on a chilly evening.  I promise this dish will please even the most bacon-cheesy-burger loving carnivore you know.  I know mine loves it.

The key to the simplicity of this recipe is using a lidded saute pan. Mine is a 3 qt. beauty that I picked up from Target a few years ago. It wears like iron, can go from stovetop to oven, and cleans like a dream.  If you do not have a pan like this, put it on your 2011 Christmas Wish List. You will get so much mileage from it.

I put the "ease" in easy

Easy “Sausage” Bake

Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion chopped (red, yellow, or what the heck even a white onion will do)

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

4 Tofurky Italian Sausages, cut into 1/2” slices

1 ½ cups Arborio rice (risotto)

2 cups vegetable broth, boiling

1 cup spaghetti sauce

½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese or Three Cheese Blend

1.       Preheat oven to 350

2.       Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add sausage and saute three minutes.

3.       Add onions and peppers, and saute an additional 5 minutes until vegetables are tender and sausage is browned.

4.       Add rice, broth, spaghetti sauce, and stir to combine. Add half the cheese, stir, and place the lid on saute pan.

5.       Bake in the 350 oven 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Uncover, stir, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Done. Easy.

     Served with a side of steamed broccoli and collard greens (the other half of the bunch from Monday night’s dinner) and you have a great dinner on your hands, or plate J

Baked Rigatoni

Last night I made Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Collard Greens - aka "a very grown up version of macaroni and cheese." For the most part the recipe went very well, but I feel it is my responsibility to prevent you from making the same mistakes I made.

Now mind you "mistake" may be a strong word, it was more like minor "culinary challenges." Case in point, the original recipe had more red pepper flakes than this revised version - so your palette will thank me for that (if you like the heat though, feel free to double up on the red pepper flake). Also, with this recipe you basically are making a cream sauce, between the flour and milk. Because I had sauteed my onions on heat that was a little too high, my sauce turned out more brown than white (because of the extra "carmelization"). This did not affect the flavor in anyway - just the color.

On a side note, this is probably the second time I have cooked collard greens (dark leafy greens which are exceptionally good for you, are in season right now). The key to cooking greens is a nice slow simmer. I think I could like collard greens as much as I like kale. They are so good.

All in all this was a wonderful dinner with huz. What more can you ask for?

Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Collard Greens

Inspired by a recipe from Cottage Living magazine (which no longer exists)

Makes 4 generous servings

1/2 lb. rigatoni

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 bunch collard greens, washed, drained, and chopped
2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded mozarella

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions - drain and set aside.

2.  Preheat oven to 350, and lightly grease a 2 qt. baking dish.

3.  Heat butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion 5 minutes or

     until lightly browned.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute. 

Reduce heat to medium-low, and add greens. Cover and cook 15 minutes until the greens are tender, stirring occassionally. (Note: my heat was a little too high, which resulted in more browning than I had expected. If you cook this at medium-low your sauce should stay fairly light in color.

flour & milk making magic

4.  Sprinkle the greens with flour. Cook

     uncovered, stirring constantly, 1 minute. 

     Gradually add milk, stirring well. Cook 5

     minutes, stirring often until thickened and

     smooth. 

5.  Remove from heat and stir in pasta,

     mozarella, ricotta, sugar, salt, pepper, and

     red pepper flakes. Place in

     prepared dish, and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

6.  Bake 15 - 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Week 8 Dinner Menu

When planning my weekly menu I try to take certain variables into consideration. Weather is a good one, because if it is going to be hot outside I don't want to be using my oven, or if the forecast is for say snow or freezing temperatures, I may want to go heavy on casseroles, to heat up the house and our bellies. Another important factor is our work/play schedules, because there can be a night or two that one or both of us may not be home for dinner. This week I have both to take into consideration (cold temps and long work days), so I planned my menu accordingly. I have to admit, I feel like I'm getting off kind of easy this week.

Week 8 Dinner Menu

Monday - Baked Rigatoni with Grilled Chicken and salad

Tuesday - Easy "Sausage" Bake with steamed broccoli

Wednesday - Camarones Enchiladas.  This is a new recipe for me, although I have had the recipe since May 2010. I've just never made it. The huz suggested enchiladas this week, so I figured it was a good time to test a new recipe.

Thursday - Leftovers. The huz has a late work night, and I know there will be quite a smorgasbord of various leftover dishes in the fridge by Thursday. 

Friday - Roasted Cod with Gnocchi, and steamed veggies.  We will see what is in the crisper drawer by the end of the week.

Saturday - Wild Card. I'm calling Saturday a "wild card" because I have a feeling we may be eating out. I am actually going to work with the huz on Saturday, to paint his office, and I have a feeling I probably won't want to cook by the end of the day. If I had my way though, I could pre-plan our dinner, or even take something out of the freezer. The only problem is the huz informed me, last night, that I am cooking WAY too much, because of this blog. He feels quite strongly that it is okay for us to go out to eat once in awhile. He's pretty cute sometimes. I think I may give in on this one - but I know in my heart I could make dinner. We'll see what happens.

It's Sunday night, and I should really be giving you the recipe for the minestrone I made last night, or writing about the menu for this week.  Spoiler alert: I'm not doing either.

I'm not feeling particularly inspired about the minestrone I made last night. It was good - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure that it's worth writing home about (ha!). It was a slow cooker recipe that I have made before, but really, who doesn't have a decent minestrone recipe? I mean, all it is is beans, pasta, diced tomatoes, spinach, onions, celery, carrots, done. Truth be told I have much better recipes, and it's not worth wasting my time or yours passing on a so-so recipe. She photographs well though :-)

Sometimes soup is okay food.

On the other hand, I do have a little shout out I would like to pass on, regarding a fine wine that I found at "The GO"  (aka The Grocery Outlet). I picked up a couple bottles of this wine for a Christmas party we had, but everyone gobbled up red wine that day, and the poor sad white just sat in an ice bath being ignored. So here it is February, and I had completely forgotten about this wine (because I favor the reds myself) but out of sheer desperation (after a particularly trying day) I needed "something" and she called out to me from the wine rack. Man oh man, am I glad she called! I think I have a new friend.

If you have never purchased wine from The GO you really should. Their bottles range from $2.99 (no joke) to $14.99, with the average price being somewhere around $6 a bottle. Considering how much you would pay for a glass of wine in a restaurant, I consider that a steal, even if you end up not really liking the wine - I think you still come out ahead. To my delight sometimes you may even find a little treasure.

Yes, this is an empty bottle. Must buy more!

Case in point my Capay Valley 2008 Viognier. What a tasty little wine. I actually prefer it not too cold, so if you pour yourself a glass, straight from the fridge, let her sit for a minute or two before you take a sip. I am no wine connoisseur by any means, but this is a nice, light, crisp wine, for a low price. I'm sure I probably paid maybe $6 a bottle (yes, I only buy the best for my house guests). Again, I really am a red wine drinker, but this may get me back on the white wagon.

Now I have not been back to The GO to see if they still carry it, but I'm really hoping they do, because I will definitely buy more. I will keep you posted.

Kung POW!!!

Saturday afternoon the huz and I went out to lunch to celebrate the fact that we had been eating in all week (I think that's called irony).  Truth be told we have noticed a significant change in our dining habits since I started this blog - not that we ate out a lot - but it certainly has become more of an event when we do go to an actual restaurant.

We went to Marco Polo, here in Salem, and I have to admit it is one of the few restaurants that never disappoints me. They have so many vegetarian options, and all of their dishes are so good. They have these vegetarian pot stickers that I could probably just eat plate after plate of, and don't even get started on the dipping sauce.

The huz had Kung Pao beef, which unfortunately for him had quite a few mushrooms, but turned out to be a win for me. I love mushrooms. So periodically my chopsticks would meander to his plate, and stealthily retrieve a mushroom.  Normally I would not eat a dish like Kung Pao because it is spicy. There was just something about his Kung Pao that was irresistible. The sauce did not have an artificial color to it (I think Kung Pao usually looks bright orange). This had tons of crispy vegetables, perfectly glazed in this beautiful soy, chili sauce. I was transfixed.

While we were dining I was picking the huz's brain on what we should have for dinner the coming week (notice I still talk about food and plan future meals when I'm in the middle of a really good meal).  His immediate response was lemon pasta (his new favorite) with scallops. I suggested, in a mildly persuasive way, that I try to find a Kung Pao recipe instead, as I had become completely enamored with his lunch.  Surely he would enjoy a Kung Pao scallop dinner? The huz agreed.

On Thursday I picked up some fresh sea scallops (12 to be exact) and a spicy tuna roll for our appetizer (you should really never go to the grocery store when you are hungry).  I had found a Kung Pao recipe online, but so heavily modified it, I'm making this recipe my own. I will definitely be making this again, and will probably modify it - using less heat - the next time. Let the cooking begin!

WARNING: Kung Pao is spicy. If you do not want any spice whatsoever, omit the chili garlic sauce. I think the sauce would be just as tasty without it - just no heat. I personally tend to lean toward mild/sometimes medium. This was definitely hot. Even the huz said it was hot, and he likes heat. He thought it was GREAT. I think it was great too.

Kung Pao 
Serves 4 - 6

1/2 pound fettuccine noodles
1 celery stalked, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish (optional)
1 pound protein of your choice (meat, seafood, tofu, etc.) cut into bite size pieces

Kung Pao Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup white wine (broth could be substituted)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste (the next time I make this I will use 1/2 tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain, and set pasta aside.

2. Saute all of the vegetables in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, until crisp tender.  Combine with cooked pasta.

3. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan. Simmer over medium heat. As the sauce warms and thickens, add the reserved pasta water until the sauce is to your desired consistency (if you like a thinner sauce add more water, if you like a thicker sauce add less water, heck, you may not even need to add water).
4. Add Kung Pao sauce to the cooked pasta and vegetables. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with peanuts.
5. Pan sear the protein of your choice (chicken, beef, tofu, shrimp, or in our case scallops), and serve noodles. Sprinkle



You've been Kung Powed!



  

Chili Pasta Bake

Tuesday night I needed a simple dinner because I knew ahead of time it was going to be a long day for me. Typically on a day like this I have been trying to use my slow cooker. Well, on Sunday I got a wild hair, and started cleaning out my pantry (I think I have a bit of a Spring cleaning bug right now), and I came across a recipe on the back of a can of diced tomatoes. Considering I already had everything on the ingredients list (with some tweaking), I figured it was a no brainer.

To save myself some time, I actually made this dish Monday night and refrigerated it. Then on Tuesday, when I got home, I whipped together a simple green salad, and toasted up some Italian bread we had left over from Sunday.  I can't quite rave about this dish. I'm not sure why. It was fine. It definitely cooked up really well. I split it into two containers (one went into my freezer), which is nice and knowing I have a home cooked meal in the freezer is always a plus.

I have to say I enjoyed the leftovers more than I did the original dish. It's probably because I topped the leftovers with sliced avocado (what doesn't taste better with avocado?) and sour cream (I can bathe in this stuff). I think because the dish is warm, and is really made from pantry staples, the hit of something fresh, like avocado and sour cream, really helps, and takes this recipe to the next level.  As is, I'd give the recipe a B. With the avocado and sour cream a B+.

Chili Pasta Bake
Yields 6 servings
Original recipe c/o S&W with some adjustments by me

10 oz. penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 lb. ground beef (I used Morningstar Farms Crumbles)
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chili powder (I only used 1 tablespoon)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup salsa
1 can (7 oz.) diced green chiles, drained
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (I used white cheddar)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. Cook "meat" and onion in a large skillet; if using ground beef, drain.

Melty cheesy perfection

3. Add chili powder, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, and chiles.  Cook 5 minutes.

4. Toss pasta and sauce. Spoon into 13 x 9 baking dish***.  Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

***Note: I split this dish between two 2-qt casserole dishes (baked one and froze the other).

Optional: Top with sour cream, diced green onions, avocado - really anything that you like on chili I think you could throw on top of this, to make it your own. Seriously, sour cream. It's the best.

Dinner is served

Roasted Pepper Soup

I love soup. It’s my favorite. Lentil. Broccoli Cheddar. Tomato Bisque. Hungarian Mushroom. Clam Chowder. Even  Ramen. I could eat soup every day. 

I realize not everyone is as passionate about soup as I am, but I do believe we all have fond memories of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Or chicken noodle soup with saltine crackers when we weren’t feeling 100%. It comforted us. Made us feel safe and secure, like everything would be alright. I still feel that way when I sit down with a nice bowl of soup.   

Now I cannot sustain myself on soup alone – nor would the huz find that a particularly satisfying meal (a nice starter perhaps, but not a veritable feast), so I paired it with Panini sandwiches (grilled steak and mozzarella for the huz and cheese for me), and it was the perfect dinner on a really windy, rainy night.

I’ve never made Roasted Pepper Soup from scratch before. I have purchased it in the carton form, though, so I was anxious to try this recipe.  It was so easy.

Roasted Pepper Soup

Serves 6- 8

4 to 5 red bell peppers (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves

½ red chili

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and pepper

1 cup Greek yogurt, as garnish

1.       Preheat oven to 350F

2.       Quarter peppers and deseed them. Halve the tomatoes and roughly chop the onion, garlic, and chili. Pull all the vegetables on a baking sheet. 

3.       Mix the vinegar and oil, and pour over the vegetables, making sure everything is well coated.

4.       Roasted the vegetables, for 45 minutes, turning them at least once during their cooking time.

5.       All vegetables to cool. Either process the vegetables through a food mill to remove the skins, or pulse the vegetables in a food processor.



Pureed to perfection!



6.       Place the pureed vegetables in a saucepan and thin with stock to the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Warm the soup and enjoy.  Garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt if you like.

Week 7 Dinner Menu

Even though it is Valentine's Day, I'm not going to shower you with roses and chocolates.  I'm really tired, and trying my best to not fall asleep on the sofa. It doesn't mean I you don't mean the world to me, because you do. You really do. Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday – Steak (Mmmmm steak ;-), baked potatoes (now you’re talking) and roasted veggies.  Since it is Monday I can tell you we had this for dinner last night and I think the huz liked steak and potato night.  I love baked potatoes, but never have them because the huz doesn’t really consider a potato a meal.  So, what is the universal secret women possess to get unwilling men and reluctant children to eat something they don’t like? Cover it in cheese. And butter. And a special sour cream mixed with chipotle sauce.  And diced green onions. He ate the whole thing!

the perfect dinner

Monday – Roasted Red Pepper Soup and Panini Sandwiches.  I love roasted red pepper soup. It is one of the few “processed” foods I will buy.  There is a great one out there, the name escapes me, but it’s delish. Well in going through my notebook of recipes I found a recipe for Roasted Red Pepper soup. I made it tonight (I will blog more about this tomorrow), and all I can say is I don’t think I will ever have to buy the carton of soup again. Amen.

Tuesday – Chili Pasta Bake with green salad.  That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Wednesday – Salmon with Bistro Rice Blend and Kale (even the huz is really digging kale these days)

Thursday – Kung Pao Scallops. Saturday the huz took me to Marco Polo for lunch, since we ate in everyday last week. The huz enjoyed some Kung Pao Beef, while I had some delicious stir fried noodles with veggies and fake chicken. Note: If you are vegetarian and anywhere near Salem, Oregon, I highly recommend Marco Polo. They have an entire vegetarian menu. Anyways, we were so inspired by our lunches that I decided I wanted to try and make Kung Pao sauce. I’m on the hunt. I’ve never made Kung Pao before. The huz requested scallops. We’ll see how it goes.

Friday – Burritos.  Sounds really boring doesn’t it? Look, in my defense this is going to be a long work week for me. Plus I’m coming down with a cold. And it’s raining.  And I’m tired. Um, I think that’s enough excuses, right? Actually, I’m going to kick it up a notch by using buffalo chicken meatballs (yes, I’m still pulling these out of the freezer) to create something shall we say “unconventional” for the huz.

Saturday – Minestrone Soup with some wicked bread. I think we are heading to the beach to dine on some good old fashioned fried fish and chips for my dad’s birthday lunch and I want to cook something that will counteract all of that greasy deliciousness, when we come home.  Beautiful veggies simmering in a clear broth outta do it.  I can feel the minestrone clearing my arteries now.

Two are better than one

Thursday night I cracked open a recipe that I know I have not touched in five years.  The reason I know this, is because we have been in our current home almost five years, and I have never cooked this dish, in this house.  It is a little sad that I actually know that for a fact.   I swear I’m not autistic.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure how old this recipe is because although it comes from Real Simple magazine,  it was before they started putting the month/year of the issue on each page. It was probably in their early years. 

Despite the fact that I have not made this in years, it does not mean it is a recipe I do not like. On the contrary, it is one of the few recipes where a major ingredient is eggplant, and the huz devours it. Truth be told I think this recipe was one of the first steps to breaking his addiction to the “I don’t eat that” cycle. I swear, once after being exposed to this recipe, the huz told me a dish we were eating was missing something.  He sat their earnestly going through his foodie memory bank, struggling to figure out what the missing element was. His eureka?  EGGPLANT!  I was  speechless. Did the spirit of Bobby Flay briefly inhabit the huz?  All I knew was there was hope for him after all (although I still can’t get him to eat a mushroom to save his life).

This recipe is two recipes in one. Don't stop reading. It's worth it, I swear. First there is the Ratatouille recipe, which is delicious on its own. You can serve it with pasta, or rice, any meat/protein you like, and call it good. Now that I think about it, it would be lovely served on toasted ciabata or foccacia, topped with some sliced mozzarella, and a quick hit in the broiler (Note to self: do this with the leftovers!!!)  I’m salivating now.

The second recipe is what I actually made for dinner on Thursday – Vegetarian Ziti Gratin. You basically take the Ratatouille, and toss it with a handful of other ingredients and create a whole new meal.   Believe it or not there are two other recipes that can be made using the Ratatouille as the base, but for now I am sticking with the gratin.  I would call this gratin a loose interpretation of lasagna. Maybe rustic lasagna. Or even lasagna’s cousin “ratsagna.”  Okay now I’m just making up words and spellcheck is going to either kill me, or correct me.

RATATOUILLE (you have to make this first)

(Makes 4 servings)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves peeled and sliced

1 small bay leaf

1 small eggplant cut into ½ inch pieces (about 3 cups)

1 small zucchini halved lengthwise then thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper cut into slivers

4 plum tomatoes coarsely chopped (I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup shredded fresh basil leaves (I completely forgot to do this)

Fresh ground black pepper

1.       Over medium-low heat add oil to a large skillet with onion, garlic, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened.

2.       Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the eggplant is softened.

3.       Stir in the zuchinni, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and salt, and cook over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

4.       Stir in the basil and a few grinds of pepper.

Mmmmm Ratatouille

VEGETARIAN ZITI GRATIN

(Makes 4 servings)

1.  Prepare Ratatouille recipe.
2. Cook 1 pound ziti according to package directions.
3. Drain and toss with one 15-ounce container ricotta cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup grated Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon salt. 



Creamy, cheesey noodles

4. Spoon half of the ziti into a lightly greased 4-quart casserole.  Top with Ratatouille, and then the remaining ziti.
5. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded Cheddar.  Cover and bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes.  Uncover and cook 10 minutes more.  Enjoy.

A couple points I need to make.  When I made the Ratatouille I actually froze half of it.   As a result I cut all of the ingredients for the gratin in half, and baked it in a 2-quart casserole.  This yielded 4 generous servings – two hefty dinners, plus lunch leftovers. I think if you stay true to the recipe it can easily feed a family of 6 – 8. I’m just saying...it makes a lot.

I hope you will try this - even if you just do the Ratatouille. It is really good, and a great way to sneak in some vegetables that taste fantastic. You may become an eggplant lover yet.

Soup is Good Food

Wednesday I had to travel to the Couve for work, and on days like this I have been trying use my slow cooker.  It has been a lot of trial and error, and this week was no different.

This weeks challenge:  Packaged Soup Mix. 

Now I don't normally buy anything packaged or processed, but considering I would be the "process" (cooking the soup), and the only "packaging" was the bag containing the beans, seasoning, and pasta - it couldn't be THAT bad for you.  Right?  Note: If you eat a lot of packaged foods please accept my sincerest apology if I offended you in anyway.

I think this soup mix had me at "hello" because (1) it was soup - I love soup, (2) it was on sale - I love a good sale, (3) I had a World Market coupon - I love saving money on top of a good sale, and (4) if gave me yet another excuse to bust out the slow cooker - I love using all of my kitchen appliances.

Hello Gorgeous.

The mix itself comes with stove top directions, which lead me to believe it could easily translate to the slow cooker. Of course, as with most of my cooking it truly was an experiment.

The mix consists of three components: beans, seasoning, and pasta (all perfectly portioned and segregated I might add). The responsibility of the cook (yours truly) is to add onions, carrots, celery, water, broth, and canned tomatoes. If you follow the package directions the soup essentially simmers for 2 1/2 to 3 hours on the stove, and you add the pasta the last 15 minutes of cooking. Not bad - if you have the time to sit with soup simmering on your stove top. With a slow cooker, however, the possibilities are endless.

In preparation (and because I'm super anal - can you say anal on a cooking blog???)  I chopped and diced my onion, carrot and celery Tuesday night. Wednesday morning (between make up application and breakfast consumption), I sauteed the veggies, just as you would if you were following the stove top cooking directions.


There is NOTHING better than the smell of onions, celery, and carrots cooking on the stove.

Once softened I placed the veggies in my slow cooker, along with the soup mix, seasoning packet, canned tomatoes, water and  vegetable broth.

Now I have to be honest and tell you that I have a really basic slow cooker. It has three settings: Off, Low, and High. No clock/timer. No nothin'. I have a Christmas tree timer hooked up to my slow cooker, which allows me to "program" it to turn on while I'm at work, and to cook for the allotted time needed. We are so high tech in our house, Bill Gates would be jealous.

I set the timer to start at 1 p.m. knowing I would be able to check on the progress around 4:30 p.m.  I set the temperature to  LOW. 

When I came home at 4:30 p.m., I could actually smell the soup in my garage. I walked in, and instantly felt the warmth of pasta fagioli wafting through my house.  I could see the slow cooker simmering away, and could not wait to taste it's bubbly deliciousness. It had to taste as good as it smelled.  Unfortunately, instead of tasting the smooth creamy texture of the beans, all I got was a mouthful of partially cooked starchy rocks. Bleck.

Knowing I still had a good two hours before dinner time,  I cranked up the heat to HIGH, and headed to the gym.  I left a note for the huz to add the bag of pasta to the soup at 6:15 p.m. hoping that by the time I got home the pasta and beans would be cooked.  I had tremendous faith in the slow cooker, and the huz.

When I returned at 6:40 I was pleasantly surprised to find that the soup was not only cooked to perfection, but the huz had cooked his buffalo chicken wings as well.  I'm in love (slow cooker or the huz, you decide).

The huz plate - WAY more interesting with those chicken wings.

I actually had pasta fagioli for lunch Thursday and today, and put two servings in my freezer as well.



This will be great when I need something quick for lunch.

 I believe World Market has other soup mix varieties and I'm anxious to see if they have any more vegetarian friendly options. I love soup!

Tour of Italy???

Since it is now Wednesday, and I’ve had a few days to digest my Week 6 menu, I began to realize that my menu looks particularly pasta heavy (pun intended) this week – scallops with pasta, pasta fagioli soup, vegetarian ziti gratin. With this realization, I feel compelled to steal a line from the good old Olive Garden and refer to this week as “The Tour of Italy.”

First stop – Seared Scallops with Pasta and Marina.

I think we all know how to cook pasta (I chose spaghetti for mine), and how to cook marinara (if you don’t have any in your freezer, I personally love Barilla).  The tricky part of this simple meal is searing the scallops, especially if you use previously frozen scallops. 

The key with searing, whether it be shellfish or any other kind of meat for that matter, is dry meat. Bone dry.  When you think it can’t possibly be any drier dry.

After I have thawed the scallops, they get a good rinse and I place them on a plate lined with paper towels.  I place paper towels on top of the scallops and press all of the water out of them. You may have to do this a couple times.  Trust me. It’s worth it.

Once the scallops are dry, I season both sides with salt and pepper.




dry and seasoned - and ready to go!

 I sear them in a pan on medium-high heat, with enough olive oil to coat the pan. Now, this is no time to walk away from the stove to check your e-mail (or favorite blog).Scallops cook fast. Really fast.  Maybe two minutes per side, tops. You have to watch them. HAVE TO.  I actually prefer to take the scallops off the heat when they are a little under cooked (I’m the same way with prawns), because they will continue to “cook” once they are removed from the pan.

If you follow these simple steps, I guarantee you will have beautiful, sweet juicy scallops, with great carmelization. 



Dinner is served.