Mango Salsa....

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!

Chicken Creole!

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!

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!

Chicken Pot Pie

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!!

Penne A La Vodka!

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!!

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

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!!

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Basil Pesto

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

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.

Apple Stuffed Pork!

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

Amazing grilled fish!

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!

Amazing Salmon

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!

Fettucini Alfredo

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

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!!

Chicken Picatta

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!

Artichokes in Meat Sauce

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!!

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!