Cookin' In Texas

Mango Salsa....

2009-07-26T12:11:00.004-05:00

OMG - I know what you are thinking. I have fallen off the face of the earth, and the truth is, I have. Its called, being a single mother, working full time with a 15 month old. Sigh with me... aaahhhh!

Anywho, went down to East Texas the other week and Aunt Debbie (even though she isn't my aunt, she is utterly adorable and she will be referred as Aunt Debbie from now on!) gave me this recipe for an AMAZING mango salsa. And when I say amazing, I am talking mouth water, savory, amazing (oh and did I mention WAY easy to make) AMAZING!

So here goes... courtesty of Aunt Debbie!

Mango Salsa!

1 Mango - cubed (PS here is a great YouTube on how to cut a Mango)

1 Avcacado

1 Small purlpe onion

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

I bunch of cilantro

Cut in the apropriate cubes, toss and serve.

Aunt Debbie served it over an amazing grilled Chilean Seabass over a bed of wild rice, however (working on a budget) I served it over plain white rice and with Grilled chicken. Either way it comes out divine!

A great summer dish and healthy!

Enjoy!

Pasta Fagioli!

2009-01-17T09:10:00.002-06:00

The executive chef (EC) of my food blog sent me this recipe yesterday. He is a more advanced chef than myself, as he has some years on me, but he is a great contribution to this blog ;-) He's my dad... hee hee! And he is a phenominal chef!

So here is a fantastic winter recipe... Enjoy!!

Pasta Fagioli

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 -3 pieces of Pancetta bacon cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic
2 cans cannelloni beans
1 qt chicken stock
1 lb ditilini pasta (small tubes)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon Rosemary

1 teaspoon Thyme

1 tablespoon Basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to medium high heat pan. Brown pancetta until crispy.

2. Add garlic and brown - be careful not to burn. If there is a bitter flavor you have burnt the garlic.

3. Rinse and drain beans. Add beans and herbs to pan. Coof for approximately 10 minutes or until beans are softened.

4. Remove 1 cup of beans and purree in a food processor.

5. Return bean purree to mix. Add tomoatoes and chicken stock and let boil.

6. When the soup has reached a boil, turn the burner to a low heat and let simmer for 30 mintues.

7. In a seperate pan, cook pasta per directions. Do not rinse!

8. Add cooked pasta to soup and stir.

9. Add fresh grated Parmesean cheese and Enjoy!

Mangia!!

Banana Walnut Bread!

2009-01-16T10:22:00.004-06:00

This morning I saw that my bananas had turned a little too brown to eat, so I thought I would make my dad's favorite...

Banana Walnut Bread!

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick)

2 large eggs

2 large bananas

1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoons vegitable oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups flour (there is a flour that is better for bread - I would recommend it for this)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour dissapears. Do Not over mix. If you do the batter will become very thick and stiff. Gently fold Walnuts into batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 1o minutes. Set aside to cool on rack for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with honey butter!

Low Carb, Low Fat Crab Cakes!

2009-01-14T07:37:00.004-06:00

Last night was my mom's birthday, and my dad made her these low fat crab cakes. They were phenominal!!! I would suggest you try them, even if you aren't on a diet!

1 pound blue crabmeat
1 tablespoon small diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon small diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Maryland-style crab seasoning (recommended: Old Bay can also use Creole Seasoning)

1/2 cup bread crumbs (from sliced bread - whole wheat works best)
2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, except oil until blended. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

With a tablespoon, carefully spoon poker-chip size mini-cakes into the pan. (The batter will be loose, but once the egg in the mix starts to cook they will hold together fine.)

Cook on 1 side until firm, about 2 minutes, and then flip and cook for about 1 more minute.

Cook in batches as necessary. Serve hot with mustard sauce.

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Mustard Sauce:

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken Creole!

2009-01-08T13:47:00.003-06:00

My bloggy friend Lacey made this recipe last night and it looked awesome!!! She is so creative, by using things from her pantry instead of buying new stuff. Anyway, I'll let her tell you ;-) Thanks again Lacey!

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I had leftover Creole Chicken for dinner. Dave and I have been trying to do this new thing for meals called, "hey-let's-use-stuff-that-we-already-have-in-the-pantry-so-we-can-stop-being-wasteful-and-stop-buying-things-that-we-didn't-need". It's a crazy thing to do, right? Well, to start it all off, we have about 10 cans of the tomato variety, from stewed, to diced, to pureed, etc. So what do you get when you plug "chicken" and "diced tomatoes" into allrecipes.com? Chicken Creole!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, minced

2 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breastsDirections

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (about 4 minutes). Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook this Creole sauce 3 minutes longer, stirring often.

3. Arrange the chicken breasts in an 8 x 11 inch baking dish. Pour the Creole sauce over the chicken.

4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender and white throughout.

The only ingredients that I needed to buy were the fresh veggies, and some garlic, so I would call this first venture into using things from our pantry pretty successful!I thought it was weird at first that you only cooked the chicken in the oven with the Creole "sauce", and didn't start cooking it beforehand, but after I tasted it, I didn't care how it was cooked. This chicken was so tender and juicy, and cooking in the tomato based Creole sauce gave it such a good flavor. Also, both of the cans of diced tomatoes that I used were pre-flavored, and I think that added a lot to it.

After Dave tasted it, he insisted that we had it to the "rotation" of stuff to make for dinner, even though we really don't have a rotation, per say. When I asked him just now how he liked the chicken, he said, and I quote verbatim,

"It was like having New Orleans klezmer band parading around on my palate."Oooooooook then. But yes, make this chicken. The pictures don't do it justice, but it was delicious, even a second time around.

Coffee coated Beef Tenderloin!

2008-12-29T08:17:00.002-06:00

I know what you're thinking... Coffee... HUH? Yeah... that is what I said when my dad suggested this concoction. I thought he had a little too much wine. But guess what? It was divine! I never would have thought coffee could add such amazing flavor to beef!

Try it out... it won't disappoint!

Coffee coated Beef Tenderloin

4 lb beef tenderloin - cooled to room temperature

1/4 cup olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon coffee - ground

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 heaping tablespoon of herbs de province (or Italian seasoning)

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika - and as my father says... "not all paprika is created equal, so try to get Hungarian"

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Place beef in roasting pan and poor olive oil over meat. Create a dry rub with the herbs and coffee and rub all over meat. Coating each side generously.

3. Turn skillet to very high heat, and pan sear, sealing each side. About 2 min for each side.

4. Place meat back in oven roasting pan and place in oven for 15 minutes for Medium Rare.

5. Let sit, covered in foil, for 10 minutes. Slice and Enjoy!

Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms

2008-12-26T15:17:00.002-06:00

My dad saw this recipe on the food network. We modified it a bit but you the regular recipe is below. We only used one type of mushroom and we used dried Thyme. It turned out absolutely amazing. I would recommend it to anyone!

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and then thinly sliced
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
4 springs fresh thyme
1/2 cup white wine
Flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven 425 degrees F

Place a large skillet on the cook top with the extra-virgin olive oil and the sliced garlic, spread out the garlic so it is in an even layer in the oil. Place the skillet over medium heat and slowly brown the garlic stirring every now and then until golden all over, 4 to 5 minutes.

Once you have the garlic going, place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst.

Once the garlic is brown remove it from the skillet and reserve. Turn the heat up under the skillet to high, once you see the oil ripple add the mushrooms and spread them out in an even layer. Let them cook for about 4 minutes without moving. Go ahead and give them a stir, add the dried thyme and season with some freshly ground black pepper, continue to cook for another 5 minutes stirring every now and then.

Add the white wine and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, add some salt and stir to combine.

Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter, add the roasted tomatoes and the parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the garlic chips and serve hot, warm, room temperature.

Frittata!!!

2008-12-25T15:44:00.004-06:00

Today, my parents came over early for my son's first Christmas. This is a guest post from my favorite chef... my dad!

---------------------------------

This Christmas I came over my daughter's house and we had a beautiful Frittata!

12 eggs

3 egg whites

1 tablespoon butter

turkey sausage

1/2 container of low fat ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons Italian seasonings

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Put the turkey sausage in a seperate skillet until done. Remove and drain on paper towel.

2. Whisk egg whites and ricotta cheese in sepereate bowl.

3. Melt butter in another (large) pan and cook until firm. Add sausage in handfulls and top off with ricotta cheese.

4. Bake in oven for 5 mintutes or until egg is firm. Flip to broil for 5 minutes or until brown.

Remove from oven, slice and serve!

Peanut Butter M&M's cookies!!

2008-12-19T09:23:00.003-06:00

Wow is all I can say. These cookies are truly divine! Remember when they made peanut butter M&M's? Ok... these are like those, but in a cookie! Bottom line...they rock!

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups (about 8 ounces) milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar, dark brown sugar, and butter in large bowl to blend.

Add peanut butter; beat until creamy. Gradually beat in vegetable oil and vanilla extract, then egg. Add dry ingredients; mix just until blended. Stir in milk chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by level teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies until puffed and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly, then transfer cookies to rack to cool completely.

Gingerbread!!

2008-12-13T08:33:00.007-06:00

This recipe is from my favorite chef. He is my cousin, Nick, and he is a graduate of the CIA - the Culinary Institute of Amerca. I am so happy to have re-connected with him and to be sharing recipes. Hope you all enjoy!

Gingerbread!

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 ounces butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

1. Bring water and molasses to a boil and remove from heat. Add baking soda. Use a bigger pot than needed because the baking soda will cause the water to froth. Set aside.

2. Combine all ingredients from salt down.

3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the egg and incorporate into butter mixture.

4. Alternate molasses mix and dry ingredients a little at a time until all is incorporated.

5. Butter and flour a large baking dish. Add the gingerbread batter and bake for approx. 30-35 mintues.

Serve with stewed apples and vanilla ice cream.

Yum Yum!!!

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-12-11T17:34:00.006-06:00

Weight Watchers Style!!

Hubs and I love this recipe, and the band members were equally thrilled. Basically, men love this recipe and woman love that it is low fat! Score one for both teams!!

1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced-fat, reduced sodium cream of chicken soup - I used cream of mushroom and it came out wonderfully!

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1 (1o oz) package frozen vegitables, thawed

1 (8 oz) baked potato, peeled and diced

1 (2 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 (15 oz) package refrigerated piecrusts

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Coat skillet with cooking spray; add chicken, and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add soup and buttermilk, stirring well. Bring to a boil and over medium-high heat; stir in mixed vegitable and potatoes. Make sure you watch it and stir frequently because the cream of soup and the chicken tend to stick. Also, after the potatoes became soft, the broth was a little thick for our liking, so we added a little chicken broth to make it creamier. Or, you could par boil the potatoes beforehand and then add.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in pimiento, salt and pepper, remove from heat.

Place piecrust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Gently slide baked piecrust over mnixture in skillet.

Enjoy!!

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti!!

2008-12-01T20:05:00.004-06:00

I found this on the amazing Lacey's blog! They look so amazing, delicious AND easy. Right up my ~~alley~~ blog.

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti!

- 3/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries

- 3/4 cup pecans

- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

- 2 teaspoon baking powder

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 1/3 cup butter

- 2 eggsBeat

Add butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add 2 eggs and beat on medium until well combined.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in contents of jar just until combined.

Divide into 2 loaves on cookie sheet, chilling if necessary to make dough easier to handle.

Each loaf should be about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Bake at 375°F for 25-30 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on sheet for 1 hour.

Cut each loaf diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices using a serrated (bread) knife. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325°F for 8 minutes, then turn over and bake for 8-10 minutes more or until dry and crisp.

Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Thanks again Lacey. This looks amazing!

Penne A La Vodka!

2008-11-13T21:16:00.004-06:00

The amazing D.A.R created this amazing recipe. I am so lovin' it!

Enjoy!!

Pasta, Booze, and Cheese...my favorites
Since there was much request for my penne alla vodka, I thought I'd finally share it. It is seriously too easy to make, but looks and tastes like you spent the day in the kitchen. Serve it with warm crusty bread and a salad. Oh, and the leftovers? Taste even better! This is a family recipe, coming from my godmother. She married into a very large Italian family and her mother in law demanded that she learn to cook "the proper way" before she got married. She is, hands down, the best cook I've ever met. I just try to do this recipe justice!

Ingredients:
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I just add a palmful, I like it spicy!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 tablespoons vodka
1 /2 cup heavy cream
Fresh basil (I chop up about a handful)
1 tablespoon butter (optional, but highly recommended)
1 box of penne (I use whole wheat)

Directions:
1. In a large pot, boil salted water and cook penne about 10-12 minutes.
2. In large, deep saute pan, heat olive oil on medium.
3. Saute garlic until soft, do NOT burn! If you burn it, throw it out, clean your pan and start over.
4. Add tomatoes and red pepper, cook down about 15 minutes.
5. Add parsley and vodka, cook alcohol out--about five minutes.
6. Add cream and basil, turn down heat.
7. Finish with a tablespoon of butter to make the sauce silky smooth. This step is optional, but well, I've never met a dish that wasn't better with butter.
8. Toss in pasta, top with parmesan and serve!

This makes a ton. Z and I can eat it for two dinners and usually a lunch. Keep in mind though, that he is 6'5. And, I am a carb addict. So, it may stretch a bit more with your family!

~D.A.R

Thanks D.A,R you rock!!!

Chili!!

2008-11-01T08:49:00.003-05:00

Last night was Halloween and we made a pot of chili for about 14 people.

I cut the recipe in half and because it turned out so amazing, I thought I would share this recipe with all of you!

Chili!!

2 lbs ground beef (85/15)

1 can of red kindey beans - preferrably the one in the chili spices

1 can of sweet corn

1 cup of favorite salsa - preferrably blended (to keep the consistency better)

4 cans of crushed tomatoes

2 tbs paprika

2 tbs cumin

2 tbs chili powder

2 tbs cayenne pepper

red pepper flakes - depending on how hot you like it

black pepper

salt

Season raw meat with spices, salt and pepper.

Brown meat half way and drain some grease out of pan. Add tomatoes and salsa and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Drain and rinse corn and kindey beans. Add to chili and let simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Serve hot with Fritos and cheese. Enjoy!

Parmesan Encrusted Pork Loin

2008-10-13T20:09:00.004-05:00

Hubs created this recipe and it is AWE-SOME!!

Parmesan Encrusted Pork Loin

2 1/2 to 3 lb pork loin

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of fresh rosemary - chopped

2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

Mix herbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper with olive oil to a wet rub.

For Rotisserie on grill: Place pork loin on pole and pat rub generously onto meat. Turn Grill to high. Let Rotisserie for aproximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until Pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Place cookie sheet under pork and let excess oil and herbs fall ilnto that. Every 20 minutes baste with excess oil and herbs. When pork is finished, cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

For Baking: Place pork loin into a roasting pan deep enough to catch drippings. Coat with run generously. Bake on 375 degrees for aproximately 45 minutes to an hour or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Basting every 20 minutes with excess oil and herbs. When pork is finished, cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Bread!

2008-10-05T19:23:00.003-05:00

This pumpkin bread is Divine! I can't say it is low in calories, but it is well worth the extra lbs for the taste. It is absolutely melt in your mouth good!

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (they make one that is specifically for bread)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup water
4 eggs

Grease and flour three 7 x 3 in pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices into large bowl and stir. Slowly, in a mixer, add pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and nuts. It is best to use a whisk until adding the walnuts, right before, switch to a dough hook. Poor into each baking tin and sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Bake approximately for 1 hour.

*You can also make this low fat, by using applesauce instead of oil (either use half applesauce and oil, or all applesauce), and you can use splenda and egg whites.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Basil Pesto

2008-09-30T18:17:00.008-05:00

First, I bought these awesome Organics mushroom and cheese ravioli. I followed the directions and simmered them for 5 minutes and they were cooked to perfection.

For Pesto:

Take 20 - 30 fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves of fresh garlic

2 tablespoons pinoli nuts (pine nuts) or almonds

First, wash basil leaves thoroughly and let dry on paper towel.

Then, chop garlic and add pine nutes/almonds to chopper. Once basil leaves are dry, add half with half the olive oil. At first the mixture will look chunky, like this:

Finally add the rest of the basil and the olive oil, the pest will be much creamier, such as this:

Then, taste (because it can be spicy) and add to pasta.

A fantastic dinner for one, or for a group. The pesto sits well, so feel free to make it in advance!!

Pork Stir Fry

2008-09-24T16:18:00.003-05:00

Pork Stir Fry!

I tried this recipe last night and it was quick and easy! It is great for a weeknight after work!

1/3 cup lite soy sauce

1/4 cup sesame oil

2 tablespoons Worcestershire
sauce

1/8 cup packed light brown
sugar

3 green onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons Asian chile
paste

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

4 Boneless pork chops - cubed

2 cups brown or white rice

1 package mixed vegatables - red peppers, green beans, broccoli, and carrots

RECIPE:

Heat Wok on high and add oil.

Create sauce with soy sauce, Worstechire, brown sugar, green onions, asian chile paste and pepper. Add cubed pork to sauce and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook rice in seperate pot.

Add pork to wok for 15 minutes, then add vegitables, stirring contstantly. Finally add rice and some sauce.

Golf Cake!

2008-09-01T16:58:00.003-05:00

Today my dad turned 55 and he is an avid golfer. I saw this on a girl's blog, but I can't remember where. Hers turned out a little better, because I think she was a baker, but I did what I could.

All I did was take yellow cake mix and made cupcakes.

Then, I iced the cupcakes in plain old white icing.

I took 7 cupcakes, put them in a circle, added green sprinkles to 6 of them and then wrote Titleist in the middle.

It is supposed to be a golf ball in a hold :)

Apple Stuffed Pork!

2008-07-24T19:25:00.005-05:00

Well folks, it has taken me a while to get back in the swing of things with a little one around, but I have! And damn, did I come out swingin'!

This recipe is FAN-TASTIC!

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

8 fresh sage leaves

2 cups thick-cut white bread cubes, crusts removed

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, plus more if needed

1 (3 pound) pork loin roast, butterflied

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, apples and sage. Saute until softened.

Remove from the heat and gently stir in the bread, egg, butter and salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth gradually until everything is moistened. Let the stuffing mixture cool completely before putting it in the pork loin.

Spoon the stuffing down the pork, horizontally, in a line. Roll the pork over the stuffing, jelly roll style, ending with the seam down and fat side up.

Lightly score the fat, in a diamond pattern, with a sharp knife. Tightly tie the pork roast up with butcher's twine, season it with more salt and pepper, and transfer to a roasting pan.

Roast the pork in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 90 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Garnish with apples and fresh herbs

Pasta Pronto!

2008-06-01T17:56:00.006-05:00

Yes folks, I know I have been gone for sometime, but I have an excuse... I had a baby boy! He is a wonderful addition to our lives but he has put a damper on the cooking. So tonight, my dear old dad cooked a delicious Pasta Pronto. A fast and easy summer pasta dish!

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 lb Shrimp

1/2 lb Sea Scallops

1/2 Orange Roughy or (for a more cost effective substitute) a firm white fish - cut into bite size pieces

8 Clams (in the shell)

8 Mussels (in the shell)

1 can San Marzano tomatoes

3 tbsp of half and half cream

1 cup fume blanc wine

Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

Oregano (from the garden) finely chopped

Basil (from the garden) finely chopped

1 lb angel hair

Heat olive oil in medium heat and add garlic. Be careful not to over cook garlic or burnn - if you do, you must start over. The garlic will become bitter and it will overpower the taste of the dish.

Add sea scallops and cook for 2 min on each side. Then, add shrimp, clams and mussels. Stir occasionally. The clams and mussels are done when they open. If they don't open, throw them out, they are not good. Add orange roughy.

Boil Pasta and cook as per package.

Strain tomatoes, retaining a little juice, and cut into chunks. Add tomatoes to fish and stir. Add half and half and wine. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add parsley and Oregano and give it one last stir.

Drain Pasta and mix together with sauce and fish.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins!

2008-04-11T09:37:00.005-05:00

Blueberry Lemon Muffins!!

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup superfine sugar

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tsp lemon juice

1 1/4 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and grease 12 muffin tins or use paper liners.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

3. In another smaller bowl, lightly wisk teh eggs until blended. Add the melted butter, milk, vannilla extract, lemon rind and juice, and stir well until thoroughly combined.

4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Using a large metal spoon, stir until the flour is just moistened and incorporated, but not unil the mixture is smooth.

5. Gently flold the blueberries into the mixture witha metal spoon until they are evenly distributed.

6. Spoon the mixture ino the tins, leaving room for the muffins to rise. Bake 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Enjoy! These are Delicious!!

Signature Apple Pie!

2008-03-23T08:23:00.005-05:00

After many attempts and many recipe's... I have finally come up with my signature Apple Pie!

*I bake my own crust, just becaue it makes it so much more homemade, but you are more than welcome to buy 2 pie pre-made pie crusts!

Signature Apple Pie

Flaky Pie Crust - Double recipe for 2 pie crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening, chilled (this is very important) *Also, I like to use butter flavored vegitable shortening

3 tablespoons ice water

1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten.

2. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

3. Roll out dough, and put in pie plate.

Apple Pie

2/4 cup white sugar

1/4 brown sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

6 cups thinly sliced apples. Cored and peeled. (I like Fiji the best - they stand up to the heat and stay a little crisp)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. Mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon peel

3. Line one crust in a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Layer 1/2 of apples into pie crust. Sprinkle with sugar mixture and repeat until done. Sprinkle lemon juice and dot with butter.

4. Place second pie crust on top of filling and flute the edges. Cut vents in top crust and brush with butter for a glazed appearences (if desired.)

5. Bake at 425 degrees F for 40 -50 minutes.

Amazing grilled fish!

2008-03-13T20:49:00.005-05:00

I saw this recipe on the biggest loser and after being pregnant for 34 weeks, I sympathize with those contestants!

I am always trying new ways to squeeze in healthy dinners to my potato chip cravings :)

Amazing grilled fish!

1 bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley

1 half large tomato

1 lemon

2 fillets of Tilapia or other white fish

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Lemon/Pepper to season fish

1. Heat grill or oven to 350 degrees.

2. Poor 1 tablespoon of olive oil over fish and season with lemon pepper. Set aside

3. Chop Italian parsley, and tomato. Cut lemon in half.

4. Place fish on grill (with tin foil so it doesn't fall through) or in oven for 2 min on each side.

4. Heat non-stick pan to medium-low, add tomato and cook for 1 min. Add parsley and juice lemon. Cook for 1 more minute stirring occasionally.

Place fish on rice and place the parsley mixture on top. Enjoy!

Spinach Dip!

2008-03-13T20:38:00.004-05:00

Yummm! Since being pregnant I have become a salt wench! All I want are salty foods! So, since I eat more potato chips than I care to admit, I thought I would share with you my mom's famous and awesomely easy Spinach Dip!

Spinach Dip!

1. package frozen spinach (de-thawed and drained well)

2. 1 package onion soup mix

3. 1 16 oz tub, fat free sour cream

In order to drain spinach, the easiest way is to take the de-thawed spinach, wrap in a cheese cloth or towel and twist over the sink. A green liquid will poor out and you will be left with very dry spinach.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and keep cool. Enjoy!!

It doesn't look all that appetizing but it is darn good!

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

2008-03-07T14:24:00.003-06:00

So, today I was in the mood for something sweet and warm. My dad bought me this awesome cookie book for Christmas, The COOKIE book, and I found this awesome recipe.

I only had whole wheat flour, and no brown sugar, so I had to use all white sugar, but it turned out amazing!! *Now... when using whole wheat flour you need to understand that is soaks up more liquid than the white flour.

1 cup plain (all purpose flour) or 3/4 cup whole wheat flour.

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter or margerine (at room temperature, diced)

1/2 cup refined sugar

1/2 cup soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain (semisweet) chocolate chips.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, F. Lightly grease two or three baking sheets.

2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder adn salt into mixing bowl and set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter or margarine, and the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffly.

4. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until thoroughly blended. Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips. The dough should be crumbly. Drop heaped teaspoonfuls on to the prepared baking sheets, spacing dough about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake for about 15 min until just firm around the edges, but still soft to touch in the center. Transfer cookies to wire rack and leave to cool.

Enjoy!!

Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes

2008-03-04T07:12:00.000-06:00

Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes!

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups milk Fresh peaches

In a mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients, except peaches, using a whisk. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Let rest for 2 hours.

Heat griddle. In the meantime, slice peaches thinly. Spoon pancake mixture onto the griddle. The sliced peaches should be added immediately. Flip once.

*I substituted blueberry's for peach (since it is March) and I used all whole wheat flour. They turned out really good!

3 Bean Salad

2008-01-31T10:46:00.001-06:00

3 Bean Salad:
1/2 pound fresh green beans, washed and cut into 1/3
2 rounded teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, eyeball the amount
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
1 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine mustard, sugar and vinegar. Whisk in oil. Add kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans and parsley to the bowl and toss to coat bean salad evenly with dressing. Season salad with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Since I am currently diabetic I have deleted the sugar and it taseted juts fine. It was a little tart, but overall very good!

A great snack....

2008-01-30T11:05:00.001-06:00

Well, if you like Garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas). Just for the record it is totally vegan and/or vegiterian.

Since I have random blood sugar, it decides to spike or drop at any moment, I always need to have snacks (packed with protein) so I don't collapse :)

This one I found in a cook book and I love it!

1 lemon (depending on juice and how much lemon flavor you love!)

4 sprigs fresh dill or rosemary

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can chickpeas

Mix lemon juice, dill (chopped or torn) and olive oil in small bowl. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Poor chickpeas in bowl and mix thoroughly. If you like more a bland flavor, add more olive oil. If you like the tartness of the juice, add more lemon. I

This serves as a great side dish with shrimp, or by itself as a protein filled snack!

You can also make double the batch and stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours. I would recommend you not leave it maranating for more than 3 hours, as the acidity of the lemon will turn the chickpeas hard.

Enjoy!

Amazing Salmon

2008-01-14T09:04:00.000-06:00

So... last night I was in dyer (sp?) need of protein. I have eaten like crappy ever since getting back from NY. I am talking Pizza, french fries and all around badness! So I looked up a grilled salmon recipe and it turned out amazing!

Take your salmon filet (with the skin on) and lay on a cutting board. Heat your grill (outside or in) to High and while the grill is heating mix marinade.

Marinade:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons good soy sauce

6 tablespoons good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon honey (I added this, because after we made it, both hubs and I wished it were a little sweeter) I would say add the honey and then taste the marinade. You can always add more if you like :)

Pour half the marinade on salmon and let sit for 10 min. After the 10 min and the grill is hot, place the salmon, skin side down on grill and cook for 4 - 5 min. Then flip to other side for another 4 -5 min. When salmon is removed from grill the middle will be slightly raw. That is ok! Add the left over marinade and cover with foil. Let stand 10 min.

Serve hot!

Butternut Squash Soup!

2008-01-12T11:47:00.001-06:00

So I found this great website off of 20 something bloggers and I thought I would just give you a link. I haven't actually tried this recipe but it looks really good. Especially on a cold day like today!

Check it out!

http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2008/01/butternut-squash-soup.html

Thanks again girls, at We are Not Martha!

Panettone!!

2007-12-19T09:07:00.000-06:00

As all of you know, I am a hard core Italian-American! And one of my Dad's favorite things to eat (only during Christmas) is Panettone. He normally buys it, and his wise words of advice are...

"Don't buy it from William's Sonoma because it cost a fortune and it taste the exact same as when you buy it from Costco or the grocery store. You know it all comes from the same place!"

So I thought, screw buying it, why not try and make it!!

P.S. If your not quite sure of what it is, it is like a sponge/angel food cake with fruit in it. Kind of like a really fluffy Italian fruit cake :)

This is Mario Batali's recipe from Food Network. It is pretty easy and it came out pretty good!

Panettone!! Oh yeah!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

3 egg yolks

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup currants, soaked in warm water for 1 hour and drained (you can sub Raisins here if you like. I am not a big fan of currants, so this is what I did!)

2 oranges, zested

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 8-inch round deep cake pan or panettone mold. In a mixer, cream the butter with the eggs and egg yolks until pale yellow, 3 to 4 minutes.
Replace the beater with the dough hook attachment, and with the mixer running, add half of the flour. Add half the milk and mix for 1 minute. Add the remaining flour followed by the remaining milk and all of the sugar and mix well. Continue mixing and kneading with the dough hook until the dough becomes dry enough to handle. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and sprinkle with the currants, orange zest, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the dough in the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. The top will be quite cracked. Remove from the oven, invert onto a rack and cool. Slice into wedges to serve.

Fettucini Alfredo

2007-12-01T05:30:00.000-06:00

It may not be the healthiest thing, but on a cold night, with a fire and a movie, it is absolutely one of the most loved and comforting foods.

I thought I would give you a quick and easy way to make it.

1 pint heavy cream

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 cup Parmigiano reggiano

Black pepper

Dash of Salt

1lb whole wheat or spinach fettucini

DIRECTIONS:

On low-medium setting heat cream. Add stick of butter and wisk constantly. (It may be easier to cut up the butter into pieces so they blend easily.) Add cheese and black pepper to taste. Let

that mixture heat for 5-8 minutes until it is a thick cream. Boil water and cook pasta per package.

For a great dinner option, add some mushrooms and grilled chicken. For a vegiterian dish, try using spinach pasta!

Roast Turkery

2007-11-25T06:54:00.000-06:00

This recipe is easy, simple AND delicious!! If you want to know how to cook a huge turkey (for example, our 21lber for Turkery Day) of if you just need a new recipe for dinner. They sell those amazing small turkeys that only have the breast!! Now, this recipe can conform to chicken, turkey, cornish hens, or even duck and really depends on the size of the bird! Feel free to play around with it!

The recipe below is for a Turkey. You will have to adjust with spices and olive oil for smaller birds.

Turkey
1/2 cup olive oil

4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

Lemon Dill or Dill

Parsley

Cheese Cloth

2 Lemons - Halved

DIRECTIONS

Remove all packages and neck from inside Turkey. Rinse with cold water and pat dry.

Remove fresh Rosemary from its sprigs and place in bowl. Mix olive oil and herbs together. This should form a runny paste. There is no set amount on each herb, so use whichever ones you like best.

Spoon olive oil herb mixture onto bird, making sure to reach all spots. Knead mixture into skin with hands. The fresh rosmary will be whole and the other herbs will have mixed in with olive oil.

Tuck wings underneath bird. Place lemon halves inside cavity of bird. Tie with cheesecloth and cook as per package. I would recommend 15 min a pound on a 325 degee oven. Basting every 15 min, after the first hour.

If your turkey becomes too brown on top, during the cooking process, make sure and put tinfoil on top. One hour before the turkey is done, take the tinfoil off again.

When you remove the turkey from the oven, flip it over (breast side down in the pan) and let sit for 45min to an hour. According to Gordon Ramsey, Turkey should never be piping hot, and should always sit for close to an hour. Once the turkey is done, it will be golden brown and juicy. Carve and eat!!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

2007-11-21T07:56:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Pie

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust or if you want to make your crust... trust me it is worth the time!! (Pie Crust recipe below)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, EAGLE BRAND®, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

*Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe

Deceptively Delicious Potato Soup

2007-11-15T08:24:00.002-06:00

So, it finally got cold last night and I was NOT in the mood for anything... really. I knew I would be hungry (being pregnant does that to ya) but I didn't know what I wanted. I searched in pantry, that pretty much had nothing, then I searched in our fridge, and came up with Buttermilk, garlic, and cheese? Potato Soup is all I came up with.

I got the recipe from Deceptively Delicious but to be honest I didn't really care for it. Now, I do

have to preface this by saying, I have never eaten potato soup so... I don't really know if it was good or not? My hubs liked it so I thought I would share it with you and if you try it out... let me know? I did add a couple things, but they can be removed if you are a vegitarian.

Potato Soup

Serves 8

4 Slices of bacon
1 small onion
1 clove garlic, cut in half
2 (14 ounce) cans reduce fat, low-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes, and kind, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups butternut squash or carrot puree
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (optional)
store bought croutons (optional)

Cook bacon in medium heat pan until very crispy. Remove bacon and remove grease, leaving 2 teaspoons of drippings. Add onion and garlic to drippings, and cook, stiffing occasionally, until onion is soft but not brown, 5-6 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

Add broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Carefully spoon mixture into a blender or food processor and add the vegetable purees, buttermilk and salt. Puree until smooth. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cheese, bacon, and croutons.

*Here is what I found out... after you blend everything it comes out very fluffy, like there is a lot of air in it. If you like that texture, serve. If not, I would put it back in the pan, I would turn it on low and stir to release some of that air.
*Also, be careful if you don't have low-sodium chicken broth. Do not add salt until you have tasted it.

Enjoy... or at least... tell me what you think!

Chicken Picatta

2007-11-12T10:14:00.000-06:00

This is my father and my hubs favorite recipe. It has a lot of lemon, so if you are not too fond of the lemon flavor, you can cut some out :) As my hubs says "if you don't pucker... it isn't Picatta!"

Serving Size 4

2 Large Chicken Breats

1/2 cup White Wine (remember if you wouldn't drink it... certainly don't cook with it!)

White Flour

2 Cloves Garlic

1 tblspn Olive Oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 lemons (rolled and cut in half)

1 lb angel hair pasta

Capers (optional)

1/2 stick butter

Italian Parsley (chopped finely)

Red Chilli Flakes (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Butterfly and pound chicken breasts. You want them as thin as possible, so they cook evenly and quickly. Dredge chicken in flour. In other words, simply put dry chicken in flour so they are covered with flour ever so slightly. Salt and Pepper to taste. Lay dredged chicken on seperate plate.

Poor olive oil in non non-stick pan and turn on medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan and cook on each side for 8 minutes or until side is brown. Flip chicken and repeat. If you have to remove some chicken to cook all of the chicken you can keep it heated in a glass dish, placed in the oven on 200 degrees. You should start seeing brown bits form on the bottom of pan. Don't worry about them. Cook all chicken and place in glass pan. Place in oven on 200 degrees F.

Start boiling water and cook pasta according to package.

Turn pan to high heat and add wine and garlic. Let simmer until brown bits on bottom of pan have soaked into the sauce (deglazing pan.) Turn heat to low and add chicken broth and lemons. After 5 min add chicken back to pan.

Drain Pasta, poor back in pot, add butter, sauce and chicken to pasta. If wanted add parsley and red chilli flakes. Serve hot and Enjoy!

Deceptively Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-11-08T15:59:00.001-06:00

So I bought this book a while back and I finally got around to making a recipe. I have been craving chocolate so I thought this was a great one to try. You see my hubs is like a child and only eats about 3 vegitables out of the 100, so I figured I would give it a go.

Recipe by Jessica Seinfeild - Decepetively Delicious

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup trans-fat free soft tub margarine spread
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (15 - ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed. *She does non suggest pureing these, but after making them I would!*
2 Cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3/4 cups raisins (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon or on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla, then the chickpeas and chocolate chips. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, walnuts and raisins (if wanted,) and mix on a low speed until a thing dough forms.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Press gently with a fork to flatten. Bake until the cookies are golden brown and just set, 11 to 13 mintues; do not overbake. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Homemade Chicken Soup

2007-11-07T06:40:00.000-06:00

Since it is getting cold here in Texas I thought a soup recipe would be fitting. This soup is great for kids, colds, or husbands that you just want to shut up ;-) My mom makes it for me everytime I get sick!

Momma's Chicken Soup
Serving Size 2

1 Bone In Chicken Breast
2 Boxes Organic Chicken Broth
2 tblspn Butter
2 cloves Garlic
1 Onion (chopped)
3 Carrots (chopped)
3 Celery Stalks (chopped)
2 Eggs
1 Package of Pastinas (small round pasta)
Pepper and Salt to taste

Salt and Pepper chicken and place in Dutch oven. Brown Chicken in dutch oven or large pan over medium-high heat. That should take abotu 10 minutes on each side. The inside will not be cooked. Remove chicken from pot.

Add Butter, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to pot. Let cook for 10 minutes being careful not to let the garlic or onions brown, make sure to stir every so often. Once the onions, carrots and celery have become tender add chicken broth and chicken. Let simmer on low for 30-45 minutes making sure to stir every so often.

After 30 min remove onions, carrots and celery (optional) and take chicken from broth. In a seperate pan cook the pastinas as per package. Once onion, carrots and celery have been removed, take chicken off the bone and into shredded pieces and place back in broth.

Once the pastina is cooked add it to the chicken and broth. Crack 2 eggs directly into the pot. It will give the effect of a Chinese Egg Drop soup. It will rise to the top and automatically scramble. Stir the soup and Serve Hot!

I am so sad!

2007-11-04T17:05:00.000-06:00

I have no inspiration for recipes lately. All I have been craving are these crappy things :(

I would love to hear your recipes, something that has been in your family or something that you've created. Just something to inspire me again!!

Apple Cinamon Oatmeal

2007-11-02T10:16:00.001-05:00

I am an avid Oprah watcher, and I know that most people have time to eat breakfast but don't. Oprah says breakfast kick starts your day and increases your metabolism, so you can start burning calories early in the day. Since I am pregnant, I am really trying to watch my weight, or at least what I eat.
I also love apples and cinnamon and there is just something about oatmeal on a cold day.
So this morning as I was cookin apples and I thought of this awesome dish.

1 cup oatmeal (preferrably the fast cook kind)
1 Fiji apple cubed (try and make them the same size so they all take the same time to cook)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Cook Oatmeal as per directions. Also, if it says to add milk, try using plain organic soy milk. It really makes a world of difference. It is better for you and has a great taste.

To cook the apples. Mix apples, cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl with hands. Add butter to a saucepan on medium-low heat. Stir until the brown sugar starts to form a syrup, about 10 mintues.

Remove apples from heat and stir in oatmeal or cream of wheat. This is a delicious breakfast that anyone can make to head out the door and start their day with a bang!!

Every Cookie Imaginable!!

2007-10-31T14:00:00.000-05:00

Artichokes in Meat Sauce

2007-10-29T16:45:00.001-05:00

Carciofi nella Salsa di Carne

I know you see those crazy things with the spikes on, but how in the world do you cook 'em?

Well, my entire life these have been staples in the Venezio household. Even my finicky, picky husband ate 'em up!

Here's how Nona makes them!

Serving Size: 2

2 Artichokes

1 lb Ground Beef (the leaner the better)

1 Can tomato sauce (my Nona would kill if she knew I said that - but come on, who has 4 hours too cook some gravy (what we call red sauce in the North East))

Basil, Oregano, and Italian Parsley (finely chopped)

First you have to cut off the tips of the artichokes. When you buy them you will see that each petal comes to a sharp point. You have to snip the tips, so they form the shape of a U with a flat top. It is pretty easy, it just takes a little patience.

Take the raw ground beef out of package and add Basil, Oregano and Italian Parsley. You can add as little or as much as you like, it really depends on your taste. Then take spoonfulls of raw meat and stuff them inside each petal. Not too much or it will fall out. A tip is to start on the bottom and work your way up. It will get harder and harder to stuff as the petals get tighter together.

Once that is complete, add sauce to a large pot. Turn on Medium- Low, add meat stuffed artichokes and put a lid on. Simmer for 45 minutes.

The artichokes should come out tender and the meat and sauce should be almost ready to fall out.

Poor sauce on top and serve hot!

Stuffed Peppers - Venezio Style!!

2007-10-28T16:07:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, my father is a phenominal chef! He's had no lessons, just an Italian mother who nailed good cooking into his brain :)

Most Sunday's Matt and I head over here for a delicious dinner. This evening we got one of my personal favorites, Peperoni Imbotiti Ai Risotto - Risotto stuffed peppers!

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large red and yellow bell peppers
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup risotto
1/2 cup green olives, pitted
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
4 tablespoons capers (optional) rinsed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup progresso bread crumbs

First chop off tops of peppers, saving top and scooping out seeds and veins.

Then cook Risotto. If your not familiar there is a recipe here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gourmet-Mushroom-Risotto/Detail.aspx. Delete the mushrooms. And remember... always stir!

Mix capers, and both types of olives in the risotto, constantly.

Let the rice, olive mixture cool. When cool, place in peppers.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, poor wine in bottom of dish and cook for 20 minutes.

This was our finished product :) Enjoy!

How to cook Fresh Pumpkin

2007-10-28T12:53:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered how that can of pumpkin goodness actually gets in the can??
I have the answer!

This is an easy how-to way to cook a pumpkin and have fresh pumpkin for scones, pies or bread!!

1. Wash the outside of the pumpkin in warm water.

2. Cut Pumpkin in halves

3. Scoop out seeds and stringy meat. Either place the seeds on a cookie sheet or throw them away.

Make sure all the stringy meat has been taken off. It will give a bitter taste if left on.

4. Cut into pieces - the larger the better, the easier to peel! (We made the mistake of cutting it in small pieces:) Then place in microwavable safe bowl with lid. Put 2 inches of water on the bottom and nuke!

5. Remove pumpkin from microwavable container - but be careful - steam leaves a nasty burn!
Take a spoon and spoon meet into food processor.

6. Food process and store what you don't need. It should be a lot fluffier and lighter in color than a can.

Enjoy!!

Veronica's Apple Pancakes

2007-10-26T09:43:00.000-05:00

I got this recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/
This is Veronica Martin's recipe.

It is so full of fat but divine! It is like desert for breakfast!!
I also posted a comment a woman left so you can make it low cal, I haven't tried the low cal version yet! I also made them with whole wheat flour, and it really gave it an amazing texture!

Veronica's Apple Pancakes

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded tart apple
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon white sugar

In a large bowl, combine butter, egg, milk and apple. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar. Stir flour mixture into apple mixture, just until combined.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Low Cal Version

I altered these to make them less caloric, and they still came out fabulous! My daughter loved them. I substituted 2 Tbsp. Splenda for the sugar, 1/8 c. applesauce for half of the butter, two egg whites for the one egg and used nonfat milk. I also doubled the cinnamon. I ate mine completely plain - was almost like dessert instead of breakfast!

Frech Onion Soup!

2007-10-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

This is Alton Brown's http://www.foodnetwork.com/ recipe

Ok... now this took a really long time to make, but it turned out absolutely amazing! I subsituted the wine with Chicken Broth and Doubled up on the Beef Broth. When I am not pregnant, I will try it with the wine!

French Onion Soup

5 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions (about 4 pounds)
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces chicken broth
10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
1 loaf country style bread
Kosher salt Ground black pepper
Splash of Cognac (optional)
1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated

Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes.
After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler. Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute. Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac.

Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

2007-10-26T09:10:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe online at http://www.pinchmysalt.com/

I altered it a little, because when I made it I didn't want to make the icing, and it wasn't as sweet as I would have liked.

Pumpkin Spice Scones:

1 C. all purpose flour
1 C. cake flour
1 C. white sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground ginger
6 T. unsalted butter
1/2 C. raisins (optional)
1/3 C. pumpkin puree
1/3 C. heavy cream
6 T. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get out a baking sheet and line with parchment paper (not required but makes cleanup easy!). Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refridgerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer (refrigerator is fine if you have no room in freezer).

2. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Put this bowl in freezer (or refrigerator) and take the other bowl back out. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you are using them.

3. Get the liquid mixture out of the freezer and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.

4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.