Frittata

You can use any meat and veggie combo you like in your frittata... The recipe below is my own so I don't have exact measurements, just use whatever looks good to you! I served the frittata with buttermilk drop biscuits from America's Test Kitchen.

2 Italian Sausage, one spicy, one sweet, about 2/3lb. 

1 red pepper, chopped

3 medium red potatoes

fresh parsley

cheddar cheese

12 eggs

3 Tbs half and half

olive oil

S&P

Pre-heat the broiler but leave your oven rack in the middle position.  Cut potatoes into bite size cubes. Place in a glass bowl and microwave for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until starting to cook. 
 
Meanwhile, remove sausage from its casing, crumble into a large skillet and cook through. When done, drain the fat and set the sausage aside in another bowl. 
Add a little olive oil to the skillet and saute red pepper until soft, set aside with the sausage. 
Add a little more olive oil to the skillet and add the potatoes. Cover and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, stirring often. 

Beat together eggs, half and half, some chopped parsley, some shredded cheese, and S&P. Add the sausage and peppers back to skillet with the potatoes. 
Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the eggs just begin to cook and clump together, about 3 or so minutes. The eggs should still be soft and wet. 
Spread evenly over the bottom of the pan and let cook about 30-45 seconds until the bottom of the eggs begin to set. 

Put the skillet in the oven under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until it begins to brown and is completely set.
Remove from oven (make sure you use oven mitts to grab the skillet! I've made the mistake, ouch!)
Loosen sides of frittata with a rubber spatula and slide it out of the pan onto a plate. (again, make sure you don't grab the handle of the skillet without a mitt!)
Cut into slices. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe serves 4 but can easily be cut in half or doubled, depending on what you need. I usually serve with a simple steamed veggie and either rice or potatoes. Also, Swiss cheese is the usual cheese of choice for Chicken Cordon Bleu, but I almost always have Provolone in the house so I skip the Swiss and substitute with Provolone. My only advice to the recipe is to spray the wire rack with oil or cooking spray, otherwise you'll lose half of your breadcrumbs.   Lastly, I just got one of those Misto olive oil sprayers (love it!) and I skipped the oil in the breadcrumbs and lightly sprayed the chicken rolls just before putting them in the oven instead. They browned up very nicely!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 thin slices of deli ham

8 slices of Provolone cheese (or Swiss)

about 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, dried out/toasted in the oven (panko can be substituted)

2 tsp. fresh thyme 

2 eggs

2 tsp. water

2 tsp. olive oil

S&P

kitchen twine or toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350. Place flour in a shallow dish (or on a large piece of parchment paper) and season with S&P.  Place breadcrumbs in a second shallow dish and toss with thyme, olive oil, and S&P. In a third shallow dish, lightly beat eggs and water. Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thick. Layer 2 pieces of ham and 2 pieces of cheese on the back of each piece of chicken. Carefully roll up each chicken breast and squeeze to seal. Dredge the rolled chicken in flour, patting off excess, then dip in egg wash, then in breadcrumbs. Tie each chicken roll with twine or seal with toothpick. Place the chicken rolls on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 or so minutes, until cooked through.

Chicken Bryan and Parmesan Orzo

This is my own version of Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan. I originally found the recipe online but have since tweaked it and made it my own. It’s not the healthiest or quickest meal, but it’s great for special occasions. I made it for Jon’s birthday this year. We like to have steamed broccoli and parmesan orzo as sides. I’ll add the orzo recipe at the end as well. 

Chicken Bryan

4 boneless chicken breast

1-2 Tbs olive oil

8oz goat cheese

2 Tbs plus 10 Tbs cold unsalted butter cut into 1 Tbs size chunks

1 Tbs garlic, pressed

1 Tbs finely chopped onion

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely sliced

¼ cup basil

S&P

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion until tender and transparent. Add wine and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced by half. Reduce heat to low and add cold butter, once piece at a time, until each piece is melted. Add sun-dried tomatoes basil, salt and pepper. Set aside while you cook the chicken.

Brush chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through. During the last few minutes of cooking, place goat cheese on each piece of chicken to warm it through.

Spoon sauce over chicken and goat cheese.

Parmesan Orzo

Adapted from a Cooking Light Magazine recipe

1 Tbs butter

1 cup orzo

1 ¼ cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth (or double the water and use chicken bouillon cubes)

1 ¼ cup water

¼ cup parmesan

S&P

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add orzo, stirring to coat, and cook until slightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken or Pork Marsala

We made this last night, so delicious! We normally make the pork version, which is a great alternative for a pork tenderloin, which can be boring.   It's easy to make but does take time and constant attention. 

 

3 or 4 boneless chicken breast or 1 pork tenderloin cut into medallions

Flour

3 ½ tbs. butter, divided

1 ½ tbs. olive oil

10 oz baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

6-7 sage leaves, chopped

1 ¼ cup chicken (with chicken) or beef broth (with pork)

1 ¾ cup Marsala wine

1-2 tbs. lemon juice

1-2 tbs. heavy cream (half and half works too)

Dredge meat in flour and shake off excess

Cook meat in 1 ½ tbs. butter and 1 ½ tbs. olive oil until browned and at least half way cooked, remove from pan and set aside

Sauté mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and sage in oil/butter left in pan and cook until mushrooms give off their liquid and everything is browned (add more oil or butter if sticking)

Add marsala, bring to a boil and cook until reduced

Add meat back to pan and add broth. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickens

Remove meat from pan again and remove pan from heat

Add remaining 2 tbs. of butter and cream to desired sauce thickness

Add a couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to taste

Serve over pasta with Parmesan or with garlic mashed potatoes. 

Just have to give a big THANK YOU to my brother for his graphic design work on my blog! Of course, he will be "paid" with food, chicken and broccoli alfredo and chocolate chip cookies, his favorites! Thanks Philardo!

Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard

Make the dressing included with this recipe, it will beat out any store bought honey mustard dressing. I actually threw away my store bought bottle because it tasted so fake after making this one. And it's so simple, there's no excuse not to make it!  

Use fresh breadcrumbs if you can also. Anytime I have leftover rolls or bread that we aren't going to eat right away, I throw them in the food processor and store in the freezer (where you should store all breadcrumbs, fresh or store bought.) When ready to use, scoop out what you need,  spread on a cookie sheet, and put in the oven while it pre-heats. This will dry them out.

For the salad: 

mixed greens

goat cheese

salad veggies (cucs, carrots, red onions...)

craisins

For the chicken: 

1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast

1 cup coarse breadcrumbs

1 Tbs fresh parsley

zest of 1 lemon

3/4 cup pecans

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne

S&P

2 egg whites

juice of 1/2 lemon

olive oil for frying

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut chicken into strips. Put the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon, pecans, spices, and S&P in the food processor. Pulse until everything is crumbly. Whisk egg whites and lemon juice in a shallow dish. Place breadcrumb mixture in another shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture then the breadcrumb mixture. Press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken as much as you can. Save the rest of the breadcrumbs.

Heat some olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet. Add chicken to skillet and cook for a few minutes on each side, until breadcrumbs are browned. Put the skillet full of chicken in the oven and roast for about 8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 

Remove the chicken from the pan. Return the pan to the stove top and add a little bit of olive oil. Toast the remaining breadcrumbs for several minutes.  

For the dressing: 

1/4 cup honey

3 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs minced shallot

1 Tbs cider vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

S&P to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Cover tightly and shake until combined. Season with S&P to taste. 

To Assemble

Serve the chicken over a bed of mixed greens. Crumble some goat cheese over salad and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs. Drizzle dressing and enjoy!

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Talk about comfort food! This is the BEST dinner for a cold winter day. It's even better the second day, once all the flavors meld. We like to keep it a very thick consistency, but you can add water as the lentils soak up the broth if you like it a little "soupier". We use usually use 2 spicy sausage and 1 sweet for a little kick.  To chop the onion, celery, and carrot, I just use a hand chopper, don't be too picky, just chop it all into to small pieces.  Serve with a fresh, crusty bread.  

1 pound sausage, casings removed (I use 1/2lb spicy, ½lb sweet - from Arnold's Meats)

1 large onion, small dice

2 stalk celery, small dice

3 large carrots, small dice

2 small zucchini, large chopped

6 cups chicken broth

1 28oz can low sodium, diced tomatoes, un-drained

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and picked over

black pepper & dry herbs such as basil and oregano to taste

salt, if needed (probably won’t because of the sausage)

In a large dutch oven crumble and brown sausage. Add the onions, celery, and carrot and cook to soften a little. Add the rest of the ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover. Simmer for at least 1 1/2  hours. Add water if necessary. 

Weeknight BBQ Pulled Pork

This is one of Jon's new favorite weeknight meals. It's not nearly the same as real, slow cooked BBQ pulled pork but it's quick, easy, and delicious! I served these sandwiches with a garden salad. 

Makes 4 Sandwiches

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
S&P
1 Pork Tenderloin (1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
1 Tbs vegetable oil (or canola)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
3 Tbs cider vinegar

Combine chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Cut pork tenderloin into 1-inch-thick medallions. Pat dry. Sprinkle all over with spice mixture. 
Heat oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add pork and cook until well browned and almost cooked through, 6 or 7 minutes.
Transfer pork to a bowl and cover with foil. Let rest until cooked through. 
Meanwhile, add broth, bbq sauce, and vinegar to pan. Simmer, scraping up brown bits left from pork, until thickened, 3 or 4 minutes. 
Shred pork pieces into small chunks using 2 forks. 
Add pork back to bbq sauce in pan and stir to coat. 
Serve on your favorite bun.

Recipe from: Cook's Country Magazine, April/May 2009

Me? A Blogger?? No way...

As many of you know, Jon and I love to cook. I also love to bake.  But blog? Not so much. However,  I often share recipes with family and friends so I figured, why not share with everyone all at once? So here is my attempt...

We cook just about every night. Over the past year or so, I've really figured out how to cook nightly without the stress. On Sundays, I make a list of the meals I'm going to cook Monday through Friday and then go grocery shopping once, for everything I need for the week. Life can be hectic, and I can be lazy, so we don't always follow the list exactly, but we always eat all of the meals at some point over the next week or so. Weeknights are always simple and quick meals. Weekends, we make something a little more decedent (like tonight's menu of meatballs, pasta, and tomato basil sauce, all homemade of course...yum!)  I will share our favorites and hope you will share your favorite recipes with us as well!

So... If I cook, will you clean up?