5 posts from July 2007

A perfect date night!

Jul 28, 2007
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Friday night I was surprised by Harry Connick Jr. ( in the CD player) beautiful daisies, chocolate truffles and a bottle of wonderful red wine! WOW! I have such a wonderful husband. I think he knew what I was making for our special night in. Steaks with goat cheese and balsamic syrup. Our favorite meal!

This recipe was originally done by Giada on the Food Network. The woman is a GENIUS! This recipe is perfect for Filet, but last night we used Sirloin and it was still delicious!

Food! 006

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show:	Everyday Italian
Episode:	Gooey Good Food

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
6 (5 to 6-ounce) filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Cook the steaks to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet. Crumble the cheese over the steaks and broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.

Transfer the steaks to plates. Drizzle the balsamic sauce around the steaks and serve.

Clean out your fridge ...err I mean Vegetable Bean Soup

Jul 28, 2007
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Last weekend I noticed I had several odds and ends in my fridge. 1/2 pack of frozen green beans, 1/2 onion, frozen broccoli, you get the picture. I started watching my calorie intake this last week and I didn't want my lunch time to suffer. So I thought Why not make a big bowl of soup? The ingredients will not be exact-- use what you have!

It was great! Super easy and very healthy!

Vegetable bean soup 001

Ingrediants

1 quart of chicken stock

1 cup of water

3 cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans of cannellini beans

1 onion diced

4 carrots peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

4 cloves of garlic diced

1 cup of green beans, I used frozen

1 cup of broccoli, I used frozen

1/2 of a medium sized butternut squash peeled and diced

1/2 package of frozen spinach defrosted and drained

3 tablespoons of all purpose seasoning such as Mrs. Dash

1 1/2 tablespoons of salt

1 tablespoon of cracked pepper

1 teaspoon of lemon pepper

1 teaspoon of dried dill

crushed red pepper to taste

Directions

Start by browning the aromatics- ( onions, celery, carrots and garlic) with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the onions begin to become opaque. Add the diced butternut squash, cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add all of the liquid ingredients ( stock, tomatoes, water). Add seasoning and spinach at this point, also add your broccoli and green beans ( vegetables that don't take long to cook) Bring soup to a low boil and add the drained beans. Season to taste and let simmer for atleast 30 minutes covered.Perfect for a workday lunch or a low key dinner.

Grilled chicken wraps with spicy avocado sauce

Jul 24, 2007
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So I had some leftover grilled chicken from the weekend that was begging to be put into a wrap. Something quick and easy for nights when Kevin and I don't have a lot of time. This wrap couldn't be easier to make!

Grilled Chicken Avacado Wraps 002

Spicy Avocado sauce

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of sun dried tomatoes

2 tablespoon of chopped parsley ( loosely) I just grabbed a small bunch)

Juice of 3 limes

One avocado

2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

cracked pepper

olive oil

Put everything in a food processor and pulse to combine. Stream in olive oil until you reach a consistency thinner than guacamole but thicker than a salad dressing. Let set while you make your wraps.

Grilled Chicken Avacado Wraps 001

To assemble the wraps:

Whole wheat tortilla

Grilled sliced chicken

slice of mozzarella cheese or any cheese you would like

Romaine lettuce

sliced tomatoes

avocado sauce

Eat and Enjoy! ( save your leftover sauce for salads and it makes a wonderful dip!)

Cuban sandwiches and sweet potato fries!

Jul 17, 2007
2 comments

Pretty? No. Tasty? Yes. Two new things I haven't made before. Now mind you I was watching a toddler while I was making this meal, but it was really easy and so good! I used a recipe from the food network for my Cuban sandwiches. I had leftover shredded pork tenderloin from last week that I used as the pork in this recipe.

Original Cuban Sandwich

Recipe courtesy Cuban Sandwiches To Go, Orlando Florida
Show:	The Best Of
Episode:	Latino Spots

1 loaf Cuban bread
1-ounce regular mustard
4 dill pickles
5 slices boiled ham or Virginia ham
2 slices roast pork
1 slice imported Swiss cheese
1-ounce butter

Cut Cuban bread to desired size, common size is 7 inches. Next, slice open the bread down the middle. On the topside of the bread spread 1-ounce of mustard, evenly across. Then place 4 pickles on top of the mustard. You then place 1 slice of Swiss cheese on top of the pickles. Slice ham to desired thickness, recommended size is 1 1/2 ounces per slice, the thinner the better. Now fold each slice of ham in half and place evenly on bottom of bread. On top of the ham, place slices of roast pork, 1 1/2 ounces per slice. You then join both halves of the sandwich. You are now ready to grill your Cuban sandwich.

Use a sandwich grill if you have one, a waffle iron if not. Spread butter on top of the bread evenly. Close the grill, smashing the sandwich. Leave sandwich in the grill until top of bread turns to a golden brown, and top is crisp. Approximate time is 4 to 6 minutes. After the sandwich is crispy and the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich carefully and slice it diagonally, from corner to corner. DO NOT USE A MICROWAVE OVEN!

Cubans! 001

For my sweet potato fries....

2 sweet potatoes cut into strips ( skins on)

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of mrs. dash

2 tablespoons of olive oil.

I boiled the sweet potato strips for about 10 minutes to soften them. Tossed them in the olive oil and spice mixture and put them under the broiler for about 10 minutes on low. Next time I will do about 10 minutes on high. I like mine crispy!

Uptown chicken stroganoff....

Jul 6, 2007
1 comment

Ahhh the classic dinner debate. Kevin wanted a cheesy creamy sauce, I wanted a mushroom wine sauce. As my husband so famously says- " Why not have both?"

I found as I was making this dish, it loosely resembles stroganoff ( of which I am generally not a huge fan of). I made this dish with chicken. Next time, I plan on making this dish with leftover London broil I loved the chicken version but the dish was crying for beef! I served this with roasted butternut squash.

Uptown stroganoff 003

Ingrediants

2 chicken breasts

5 cloves of garlic diced

1 medium onion diced ( or 1/2 of a large one)

1 package of baby bella mushrooms sliced

1 1/4 cups of red wine

1/2 cups of chicken stock

1/2 block of cream cheese ( room temp)

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of sour cream

1 pinch of crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of cracked pepper

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese grated

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 box of farfalle pasta ( I used whole wheat)

Saute 2 chicken breasts with a small amount of olive oil until cooked on both sides and browned. ( approx 5 minutes on a med high heat depending on the thickness of the chicken). Remove from pan.

Meanwhile, start pasta in salted water.

In same pan saute garlic and onions until soft, then add mushrooms and saute for an additional 5 minutes ... add salt and pepper and garlic powder. Add wine and simmer on medium heat.

In a seperate pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add cream cheese ( I cube it to make it easier to melt) and parm cheese. Add chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Add crushed red pepper.

Dice chicken and add to mushroom wine sauce. Slowly add cheese sauce to mushroom wine sauce and simmer on low. Add sour cream and the other tablespoon of butter. Add drained pasta to pan with sauce and stir to coat. Cover and let sit for a few minutes.Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

A perfect date night!

Clean out your fridge ...err I mean Vegetable Bean Soup

Grilled chicken wraps with spicy avocado sauce

Cuban sandwiches and sweet potato fries!

Uptown chicken stroganoff....

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