Menu Tuesday

Oops. I had no intention of taking an almost month-long blog hiatus, but as it sometimes does, life just got in the way. I had a major project at work due on January 16, cohosted a baby shower the next day, and then woke up last Tuesday with the flu. I haven't had the flu in probably 10 years and I forgot how it just sucks the life out of you. Yuck.

But here I am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to get back into my routine. First things first: catching you up on all the recipes I've made in the past month. Brace yourselves, because this post is a doozy.

 Flounder Piccata with Spinach (Cooking Light March 2008)

This one is an old standby. I'm not sure I've ever made it with flounder; I usually use tilapia since I always have frozen tilapia filets on hand. I served this with a box of Near East pine nut couscous.

  Black Bean and Cheese Tacos (Everyday Food, June 2011)

I have several binders at home in which I've filed all the recipes I've torn out of magazines over the years. Every time we have a meal from Everyday Food I go through a mini-period of mourning for the magazine's untimely demise. It was the BEST. Martha Stewart, I am still a little pissed at you for pulling the plug on it. Please bring it back. Please?

Anyhoodle, M actually made this recipe and declared it to be very easy. It was quick and really filling, although I thought it could've used just a little bit more salt.

 Pepperoni Bread (I have no idea...I need your help!)

Our next-door neighbor and his girlfriend gave us the BEST Christmas gift in the form of the pepperoni bread. It was readymade with instructions for baking. I put it in the freezer and as soon as we had a night when I just didn't feel like cooking, I fired up the oven. I know I'm going to enjoy anything that comes with the instructions "baste with butter." In the interest of trying to be health-conscious, I basted with olive oil instead.

OMG IT WAS SO GOOD. Does anyone have a recipe for pepperoni bread? Our neighbor travels all the time and his girlfriend lives out of state, so I haven't been able to track down her recipe yet. This would be such a great Super Bowl food. Help a girl out!

 

Burrata Pizza Pie (What's Gaby Cooking)

I'm not sure I even need to tell you how good this was. My favorite homemade crust + burrata + prosciutto + basil. Yeah. That speaks for itself.

 

 Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo (Summer is a Verb)

Another old standby around here. Also this is shockingly popular on my Pinterest. It gets repinned all the time!

I happened to have everything on hand to make this and it always tastes like a little plate of summer to me. This time I took the seeds out of the jalapeno and that was a mistake. We both like it better with the spicy kick.

 

Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon (Skinnytaste)

I used thyme instead of rosemary because I had some leftover fresh sprigs on hand. I'm always surprised by how good (and easy!) a simple roast chicken is and this one didn't disappoint. M was SO EXCITED to have roast chicken on a weeknight, which was cute and hilarious. The leftovers make excellent chicken salad.

 

Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup (Skinnytaste)

This recipe is in my top-5 favorites from Skinnytaste. I've been making it for us since before we were married. It's so yummy and comforting. It was made even better with the leftover brown molasses rolls I had stashed in the freezer.

 Oven "Fried" Breaded Pork Chops (Skinnytaste) and Braised Red Cabbage with Vinegar (Bon Appetit October 2010)

The pork chops were great, but holy goodness, the cabbage! Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I have always loved cabbage. Such an underrated little vegetable. There are so many recipes for braised red cabbage out there, but I wanted one that was simple and not too heavy on the caraway. This recipe from the inimitable Lidia Bastianich was perfect.

 

Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo (The Comfort of Cooking)

Another repeat for us. Now that I feel like I have finally mastered cooking spaghetti squash, I really need to branch out, but this preparation is just so freaking good! It's so filling and easy and tastes much more decadent than it actually is. I knew it was a good sign when I pulled these out of the oven and M said, "Oh yeah, you've made these before!" If he remembers a meal, it's only because it was worth remembering.

 

Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli (Budget Bytes)

Yet another home run from Budget Bytes. For those of you with kids, I would imagine this would be a hit. It's almost got a ranch type of flavor profile going on. It's a one pot meal and it's so darn simple.

 

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (Budget Bytes)

I love white chilis. They're my favorite. And while this recipe isn't quite as good as my favorite (Texas White Lightening recipe from Southern Living a million years ago...this says February 2003, but my recipe is from a cookbook published in 1994), it was still pretty delicious. And spicy (which we like)!

 

Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls (Skinnytaste)

These are great, although I have a bone to pick with lasagna rolls. These type recipes are always advertised as SO MUCH EASIER than regular lasagna and I'm calling bullshit. Regular lasagna is way easier. You just layer. What is easier than that?  When you have to roll, I inevitable end up with a few noodles that fall apart (see the middle roll on the bottom) and filling starts seeping out the sides and it's a mess. I love this recipe, but honestly, I think it would just made it as a normal lasagna in the future. Anyone else feel this way?

  

Salsa Poached Eggs and Grits (Budget Bytes)

M was trying to so hard to be helpful when I was sick and he offered to make dinner one night. This was one of the recipes that I had planned and I thought it would be pretty easy for him to execute. That was not the case. (I love you, honey! You are really awesome at making breakfast!) The eggs ended up being overcooked and I was so exhausted from helping in the kitchen that I only ate a little bit of it.

I wasn't super impressed with the meal, but I'm not sure if that was the recipe's fault or just extenuating circumstances. It gets a second chance.

 

 Bagel Bites

After the previous night's disaster, I just really wanted Bagel Bites for dinner. WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD?

 

NOT PICTURED:

We hosted a few friends for New Year's Eve and I made a batch of Ina's Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya. A few thoughts:

1. The fact that Ina's estimated serving size is 6-8 helps me understand why she is such a large woman. Seriously. One recipe of this filled two Dutch ovens, fed 5 adults for dinner, and we still had enough leftover for 2 dinners and 2 lunches. And we are not a group of dainty eaters. Ina, I'm impressed. And horrified.

2. I used a can of diced tomatoes in placed of the cup of seeded, diced fresh tomato. This was a mistake. The extra liquid made the rice a little overcooked, gummy, and wet. It bothered me. Next time I would either reduce the amount of other liquids, or just use the diced fresh tomato.

3. I am the only person who was bothered by this. Everyone else loved it. Especially topped with the bacon hot sauce my MIL put in M's stocking.

 

Last Friday we had tickets to a hockey game, so we scarfed down Budget Bytes' BBQ Beef Stuffed Baked Potatoes in a hurry and I forgot to take a picture. Lucky for you, I've written about these before, so you can see a picture and read my review there.

 

If you've made it this far, congratulations on suffering through an epic amount of terrible food photography!

Five on Friday

1. I know I already shared this on Instagram, but it's too great not to share here too. My mom works for Orvis and a few weeks ago they received the following email:

 

We are being visited this week by a friendly mallard duck, who has been greeting associates at the entrance all morning.

 

A wild bird expert I contacted told me he is fine, has recently molted (lost his flying feathers) and is probably seeking a quiet place to hang out away  from the pond while his feathers grow back.  He is harmless and will probably waddle away when he gets hungry or thirsty.

 

The bird expert I spoke with said we should not feed the duck.  Not only are the foods we have here not particularly good for the duck…if we feed him, he might get confused and decide this is a good place for him to stay. 

 

That said, please don’t feed the duck, watch your step around the entrance to the building, and be extra careful driving in the HR parking lot.  We don’t want to hurt or confuse our duck friend as he resolves his own unique and personal issues!

 

On Wednesday, I received the following text from my mother:

Apparently he also now quacks when greeted. I know they are still working with the wildlife expert to make sure their little friend is A-OK, but I can't help but anthropomorphize here and think the little guy looks like he would like to come inside and join the folks in Finance. I'm quite jealous; I really wish we had an office duck at my workplace!

 

 

2. Forget everything I said about not being into dressing up for Halloween. Next year I'm going as Ina. Now I just need to convince M to go as a bottle of "good" vanilla or olive oil or Jeffrey. (Thanks to Food & Femininity for the inspiration!)

 

3. I love, love, LOVE the idea of giving this necklace to a new mama or a recently married friend. I happen to have some engaged friends and some pregnant friends, so ladies, please act surprised when you receive this from me :) M, this would make a wonderful gift for your wife (hint, hint, wink, wink).

 

4. I'm an aunt! My sister-in-law gave birth to the most beautiful twins early yesterday morning. I am counting down the days until I get to meet my adorable niece and nephew!!!!!

 

5. Truth. 

 

 

 

 

 

Menu Monday

Pasta Ponza (Giada At Home)

For all my talk of how much I dislike Giada, I seem to be making a lot of her recipes lately. I have found her pasta recipes involving breadcrumbs to be a bit disappointing, so I was nervous about making this, but it was lovely. I used some of the last local cherry tomatoes I could find, so it kind of felt like a summer's last hurrah meal. I used Grana Padana in place of Pecorino Romano, although I bet the Pecorino would be better. The only change I would make is to use more capers. I loooooove capers and they were only noticeable every couple of bites. Otherwise, this was a great, quick, and easy Meatless Monday.

Taco Salad (family recipe)

Or as I like to call it, White Trash Taco Salad. This was a childhood favorite of mine and last week I just had the urge to make it, so I asked my mom for the recipe. Here is the recipe straight from her:

 

Combine:

1 1b browned beef or turkey

1 packet of taco seasoning
 1 can kidney bean (drained and rinsed)
1 sm onion, chopped
4 diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheese
1 head lettuce (original recipe calls for iceberg which I think works best)
1 bag doritos, crushed

toss with catalina dressing

 

My changes: I use ground turkey. Instead of raw onion, sauté the onion with the ground turkey, along with the taco seasoning. (I always use Budget Bytes' recipe for taco seasoning instead of buying packets; this time I left out the cornstarch and added a 1/2 tsp. each of garlic powder and onion powder.) We used Nacho Cheese Doritos (hence the white trash name). I made Kitchen Simplicity's homemade catalina dressing. And I only put dressing on what I knew we would eat that night. This makes a ton and if you toss it all with dressing, the leftovers are soggy and gross.

 

And shout out to M, because he actually made this while I was at a volunteer meeting.

Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin with Cheddar Grits (Jenny Steffens Hobick)

I should start by saying this tasted a lot better than it looked. I followed Jenny's advice to only use one pork tenderloin for our little family. Also I used my own recipe for grits; I will not use a Midwesterner's recipe for a Southern food. This was really, really yummy but I would make a few changes the next time around. I found that the pork was a bit overcooked in the cooking time allotted, but that apple/onion mixture actually needed more time. Not exactly sure how I would go about remedying this...maybe start the apple/onion mixture on the stove separately from the pork, add it to the pork, and then reduce the cooking time in the oven by about 10 minutes? It's worth playing around with. This would be a great meal for company if you made the full amount of tenderloin.

 

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Brussels Sprouts Lardon (Barefoot in Paris)

I forgot to take a picture at dinner time, so here is what remained the next day.

We had a few of M's players over for dinner on Thursday, so I made a lot of food. In the interest of full disclosure, the mashed potatoes were made by the Bob Evans refrigerated section of our grocery store. Those things are friggin' delicious. The only change I made to the meatloaf was to use half ground chuck and half ground sirloin. Judging from the amount of fat that was on the pan after baking and the fact that the meatloaf was still moist, that was a fine substitution.

Also, MEATLOAF SANDWICHES. So, so good.  

 

Last week's meals were on the heavy side, so hoping to get back to more figure-friendly dining this week :)

 



Five on Friday

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1. I had big plans last Sunday for doing some fall decorating at our place, but ended up spending the day watching a 7 hour marathon of 'The Killing' and nursing a painful hangover. That little project has been moved to this weekend and I'm kind of leaning towards a white vibe. White mums (although I am majorly digging the dahlias here) in the window box planter and white pumpkins flanking the door. I will probably chicken out at the last minute and stick with the more traditional autumnal palette. Martha makes this look tres chic, but I'm afraid it will just look tres boring and uninspired.



2.  We are just few hours away from Quebec City and I am DYING to stay at the Hôtel de Glace. There's something very James Bond-meets-Dr. Zhivago chic about ice hotels. They just seem so cool (har dee har har).

3.  I once read an interview with Ina Garten where she mentioned her favorite cookbooks and immediately added them to my never-ending Amazon wishlist. I am a bit of a cookbook collector (my husband would probably use the term 'hoarder') so I'm always curious to see what is on other people's shelves. My sister-in-law gave me this particular tome for my birthday this year and it is delightful. As the weather has started to get cooler here, I've been cozying up with it on the couch the past few evenings. I have yet to cook anything from it, but Sarah Chase's tone is kind of hilarious. She's endearing and quirky, but also a bit of a snob. Somehow it just works, like she's one of those friends who is a bit ridiculous and you roll your eyes at, but love anyways because they're just so genuine and darn likeable. Also, I can see why Ina is a fan. Girlfriend is not afraid of butter and cream.

4. I bought all of the materials necessary to try my hand (again with the puns) at galaxy nails this weekend. I am thinking this is going to be a disaster of epic proportions.

5. Totally reasonable to spend $800 on this guy, right? I mean, he is just so charming and fun, I'm sure Sallie Mae won't mind if we skip a month of payments to buy an impractical, yet adorable home accessory.

Menu Monday

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup {adapted from Tasty Kitchen}

I found it. The perfect potato soup recipe.  It's a bit indulgent, but  not so much so that I feel guilt with every bite.  I'm hoping to make this one more time before Soup Sundays come to an end with the arrival of spring. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 ½ lbs redskin potatoes

3 slices bacon, diced

2 Tblsp butter

¼ whole onion, chopped

¼ tsp garlic powder

2 Tblsp + 2 tsp all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup 2% milk

½-1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 scallions, sliced

½ cup low-fat sour cream

Preparation Instructions

Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Allow potatoes to cool, then dice into 1-inch chunks with skin on.

In a large stock pot brown the diced bacon over medium heat. Once it’s crispy, remove bacon from the pan and drain off most of the grease.

Add the butter to the brown bits at the bottom of the stock pot. Add onion, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until onion is caramelized. Add garlic powder and flour. Stir flour until absorbed by the butter and cooked, about 1-2 minutes.

While stirring, slowly add chicken stock to the flour mixture to prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer then turn heat to low. Add the diced potatoes and milk. Add remaining salt and pepper. Cover pot and continue to cook over low heat.

Add 1/2 of the crumbled bacon, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 1 of the scallions and sour cream into the pot of soup. Stir well and continue to cook over low heat until heated through and cheese is melted.

Serve soup topped with remaining bacon, cheedar cheese, and scallions.

Leftover Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I used leftovers from the Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Tacos recipe {hence the random corn kernels} to make these.  I just heated the pork up with some apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, paprika, and smokehouse rub, then put it on sandwich buns with some bottled BBQ sauce and store-bought coleslaw.  It took maybe 10 minutes to make and dirtied all of one dish. Weeknight dining at its finest!

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom White Pizza {Budget Bytes}

My first attempt at homemade pizza dough turned out pretty well.  I'm glad I picked a low-maintenance, hands-off recipe for my first try.  My only complaint is that she claims you can get 3 pizzas out of a batch, where I found it to be more like 2.  I loved this pizza, but it's just not functional for a work night. Caramelized onions are delicious, but I don't have that kind of time.  We didn't eat until almost 9!  Would be a great weekend meal though.

 Belated Valentine's Dinner: Crab Mac and Cheese and Herb-Crusted Rib-Eye {Ina Garten and Giada deLaurentiis}

We celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday night with a decadent homemade meal.  Overall everything was delicious, but a few notes: I used crab instead of lobster for our mac-and-cheese.  I'm not a fan of Gruyere in mac-and-cheese, so I substituted another melty Swiss cheese, Jarlsberg.  Great texture, but it added zero flavor.  Next time I would use all extra-sharp cheddar.  The crab is so flavorful that it needs a bold cheese to stand along side it.  Also, I halved the mac-and-cheese recipe and we still had 2 full servings leftover.  I didn't make the vinaigrette to go with the steak.  I found it was just a smidge too salty.  I cooked it for 4 minutes on one side and 3 on the other, and found that it was a bit overcooked for my rare - medium-rare tastes.  I would've been better off cooking for 3 minutes on each side.  

Homemade Marshmallows {Martha Stewart and Alton Brown}

We had s'mores for dessert with the homemade marshmallows I made.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe, but referenced Alton Brown's more specific instructions {thanks to McV for the advice!}.  These were SO easy to make and really delicious!  It made a ton and I don't really have a sweet tooth, so I sent the majority of these to work with M to give to his assistants and players. I've been assured they were a big hit.  One more thing to check off my 101 in 1,001!

Bon appétit! 

Happy Birthday!

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Wishing my wonderful, cheesecake-loving husband a very happy birthday today!  I can't wait to celebrate with a decadent homemade dinner and a weekend spent at home together.  M, I am so lucky to have you as my husband and my best friend.  Thanks for being you.

Friday Favorites

The Super Bowl is upon us! Since my husband's beloved Ravens are playing, today's Friday Favorites is all things Maryland.  Crabcakes and football, y'all!

A different take on the more traditional crab dip that is served at every party in Maryland.  I ADORE traditional crap dip, but this crab rangoon dip would definitely bring a welcome twist to the dip line-up. 

Who doesn't love party printables, especially when they're free?! Simply Create Designs has a fabulous collection up for grabs.

Old Bay hummus {or hoo-mus, as Ina says}.  I mean, hello?!?! How did I not think of this? We already put Old Bay on EVERYTHING else.  I could probs polish off an entire recipe of this. 

For those of us {cough, me, cough cough} who don't feel the need to wear ridiculously overpriced NFL-logoed gear, a purple cashmere sweater will do juuuuuuuust fine. Bonus: it's on sale for $47.99 with code MOREPLEASE!

No Maryland gathering is complete without Berger cookies, a.k.a. my one true love. If you're like most of America and you can't buy them locally, you can go it your own with Blue-Eyed Baker's homemade version.  Or you can order as many as your heart desires from the Bergers website. THESE ARE THE BEST COOKIES EVER MADE.  Don't say I didn't warn you...

Here we go, Ravens!

Menu Monday

Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee because I have lots o' recipes for you today.  I haven't done a proper Menu Monday in awhile, so this is a dump of different meals we've had over the past month.  Enjoy!

Veggie Soup {Moi}

I came up with this one in an attempt to clean out the freezer and to eat something healthy.  I didn't measure anything.  It just threw a bunch of veggies in the pot {frozen lima beans, frozen corn, frozen peas, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and green beans cut in half} along with a can of whole tomatoes in puree, vegetable stock, and a little water, salt, and pepper.  I let it simmer away on the stove and used a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes and there you have it.  We ate this with some homemade bread.  It's not anything spectacular, but it hit the spot.  

Pork Chops with Kale {Dinner: A Love Story}

M doesn't like kale and he inhaled this.  That should give you a good idea of the tasty factor.  I kind of spaced out and undercooked the wild rice I served this over, so once you got past the weird chewiness, it was amazing.  Love that it's a one-pan dish! 

Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto {Everyday Food March 2007}

Roasted Grape Tomatoes {Ina Garten}

So, so, SO good.  I will most definitely be making this again.  Very easy, very fast, very tasty.  The roasted grape tomatoes are a favorite of ours; I only roast 1 pint, as opposed to the recipe's 4.  For the pesto, please do not skimp on the salt.  I put a teensy amount in, thinking that with the pasta water being salted and the saltiness of the parmesan cheese, the pesto probably didn't need much.  I was wrong.  It needs quite a bit.  Also, next time I may use walnuts instead of pine nuts.  I love pine nuts, but I prefer walnuts in a spinach pesto.  And they're a Gwyneth Paltrow-approved superfood, so there's that too.

 Spicy Lemon Trout {Cooking Light June 2008}

We've had this twice in the past 3 weeks. It's that good.  I don't get dressed trout filets; I just get rainbow trout filets from the seafood counter {Farmed in the U.S.A. trout is a sustainable fish population, so you get the bonus of knowing you're doing right by the environment!}  It takes maybe 15-20 minutes total to prepare, and while it cooks I just fix a side dish or two and we're good to go.  In the above picture, I served it with braised Brussels sprouts and frozen TJ's latkes.  Last time we had it I served it with frozen green beans and couscous mixed with feta, sundried tomatoes, and a little fresh parsley. All great combos.

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken and Avocado {Williams-Sonoma}

I had such high hopes for this soup since it includes lots of things that I love, but it was SO boring.  I used the breasts from a rotisserie chicken instead of making my own.  I used feta instead of queso fresco because you can't find queso fresco in our middle-of-nowhere grocery store.  I even followed the user suggestion to double the amount of jalapeño, use 1 cup more chicken stock and 1 cup less water, and add diced white corn tortillas.  Nothing helped. It was just watery and bland and all together quite disappointing.  

 Coconut Shrimp Salad {Dinner: A Love Story}

Skinny Coconut Shrimp {Skinnytaste}

One of our detox dinners.  I used Gina's coconut shrimp recipe instead of the one listed in the salad recipe.  Baking them gave me hands-off time to prep the rest of the salad instead of constantly having to dote over shrimp in the pan.  I loved the curry dressing; M did not, but he loves coconut shrimp so he ate the salad anyways.  This would definitely be a great summer meal; it's very refreshing!

Portobello "Philly Cheese Steak" Sandwich {Eating Well December 2005/January 2006}

I've made these once before, way back before I started meal planning.  They're about the same as I remember: good, but nothing to write home about.  They're a good recipe if you do Meatless Mondays, but have eaters who are mainly meat-and-potatoes types.  

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce {Skinnytaste}

These were so good and surprisingly easy to make.  I served with a side of pan-sauteed snap peas and broccoli, but next time I would also make some brown rice to sop up all of the yummy sauce.  After the kung pao chicken taco disaster, this may be the recipe I stick to when I want an Asian-inspired meal at home.

Roasted Salmon with Lentils {Barefoot in Paris Ina Garten}

This recipe comes from one of my favorite episodes of Barefoot Contessa {yes, I have favorite Food Network episodes} and one of my favorite cookbooks.  It's something I've always wanted to make, but just never got around to. I'm not sure why last week was any different, but I'm so glad it was.  I had some sort of a mental block against this recipe, thinking it was going to be complicated and time-consuming. Wrong. It was absurdly easy and was on the table from start to finish in well under an hour.    Great detox meal that didn't feel like a detox meal.

Whew! Now I'm finally caught up on Menu Monday.  Let me know if you make any of these; I'd love to hear your thoughts and tweaks.

Bon appétit!