Thursday, July 22, 2010

This blog has MOVED!

Yes, you read that right - this blog has moved! Please check me out at:


ALL 93 blog posts have carried over to the new blog - so have no fear! The reason I switched providers is because, simply put, .wordpress is way better. I think you'll like what you see. Please (pretty please?) leave me comments and thoughts at the new site. And spread the word! Pass my link to anyone and everyone who loves to cook, likes to cook, wants to know how to cook, doesn't know how to cook, and so on.... :-)

-Sarah Walbridge 7.22.10

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Shrimp with Tomato Sauce and Crusty Bread

If you're a shrimp-lover, you're gonna like this.

This recipe is somewhat unique. It's not a soup, its not a stew, and its not pasta. I don't know what to call it, except what it is: shrimp with tomato sauce. Its key to serve this with lots of toasted, crusty bread - otherwise the dish won't have much body or appeal. As an alternative, this would be wonderful served on top of rotini pasta or even with rice.

I pulled this recipe from an old Rachael Ray magazine, as I'm currently going through a recipe "re-vamp" project in order to get rid of all of my magazines before we move this Fall. I'm having a ton of fun with this project because its bringing many new recipes back to my attention that I had previously stored away and forgotten. I'm excited to share some of these new recipes with you in coming months!

Shrimp with Tomato Sauce and Crusty Bread

2 TBS olive oil
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced (a 1/4 C onion would work, too)
4-5 white mushrooms, sliced
1.5 lb cooked frozen shrimp, thawed and tails removed
1/2 C white wine (I used sherry cooking wine)
15 oz can tomato sauce
salt, pepper, oregano
1 loaf crusty bread
garlic cloves

1. In a medium pot, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add carrots, celery, shallots and mushrooms. Cook until tender, 6-7 minutes. Add the wine and cook for several minutes until wine has reduced by half. Add tomato sauce and turn heat to med-low. Add a sprinkle of salt, pepper and oregano. Add shrimp. Heat through for several minutes.

2. Turn oven to broil. Slice bread into slices and drizzle with olive oil. Crush several garlic cloves and rub onto bread slices. Broil bread slices 2-4 minutes, until toasted. Serve the shrimp and sauce in shallow bowls alongside the bread for mopping.


Monday, July 12, 2010

Cheesy Potatoes

July 4th never fails to show me a good time. In fact, I cannot think of the last time that I had a bad, or even mediocre, July 4th. Most years, Brett and I head to my brother or sister's house in the country for endless hours of fireworks, grilling, laughs and beer. This year, because July 4th fell on the day after we returned from our honeymoon, we chose to stay closer to home and kicked back with some friends. I can promise you that we still had our fill of fireworks, grilling, laughs and beer!

Chase and Morgan asked each person to bring a dish, and they would provide hamburgers and hot dogs. Brett and I had zero groceries, so we brought baked beans. Aimee and Jeff brought an amazing cinnamon cake with strawberries and blueberries, and Heather brought a yummy cocktail. But there's one more thing: Morgan's cheesy potatoes. I think as soon as I took one bite, I said: give me this recipe!!! And sure enough, I got it :-)

The original recipe calls for 1/2 C butter but for some reason, this turned out to be far too much for us. Looking at similar recipes online, many do call for this amount of butter, but some call for less. Next time I make this (there will be many "next times..."), I will only use 1/4 C butter (which is what I've stated below.)

Thanks for the awesome recipe, Morgan!

Cheesy Potatoes

2-lb bag frozen hashbrown potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
10 oz cheddar cheese
1/4 C butter, melted

Thaw potatoes on counter for a couple of hours. Combine all ingredients and pour into a baking dish. Bake at 350 uncovered for 1 hr 15 minutes.




Friday, July 9, 2010

Index - July 2010

There is something which this blog desperately needs. Whether for you, or for me, or for both of us - it doesn't matter.

Let's say that shrimp is on sale for $4 a bag. Or I'm craving red bell peppers, or work asks everyone to bring a dessert, or Brett requests an old favorite. Right now, my solution to this problem is nil. Right now, my solution is to spend precious time expanding the menus on the far left of this webpage until I find something that strikes my fancy.

Nope, I've had enough of that! Today, this blog gets an index.

Until I fork out the cash to purchase a real URL and design a more formal blog (which I hope to do within the year,) I plan to occasionally post what you'll find below - an index, by category. Now, some recipes overlap categories (e.g. Slow-Cooker Jambalaya overlaps Chicken, Shrimp and Pasta,) but I chose to list recipes by their dominant ingredient.

I think you'll find this listing extremely useful until I find the time and energy and re-create this blog into something much more than what it currently is.

With that, here you are. Index as of July 2010.

Appetizer Recipes



Bread Recipes



Soup/Stew Recipes



Pasta Recipes



Beef Recipes



Chicken Recipes



Pork Recipes



Seafood Recipes



Other Main Dish Recipes



Salad Recipes



Vegetable/Side Dish Recipes



Dessert Recipes



Thursday, July 8, 2010

Bifteck Saute Marchand de Vins (Pan-Broiled Steak with Red Wine Sauce)

This blog post represents so many things for me.

This is my first "real" recipe since the wedding. Our first "real" meal as husband and wife at home, at the table, with a bottle of wine and a candle lit. My first recipe out of my newest cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This recipe is the start of so many new beginnings, but in many ways, the enhancement ("upgrade") of so many things that have been present in my life for years (namely, Brett and my love for cooking.)

As you may remember from my blog post several months ago, I was very inspired by the movie called Julie and Julia. After watching it, I just knew that I had to have Julia Child's most popular book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." You know, they do say that all true cooking stems from France (my personal belief is that it goes back to the butter. French cooking involves massive amounts of butter.) Now, I am well aware that many of the recipes in this book are not only above my skill set, but require ingredients and cooking tools that I don't yet have. So, in choosing my first recipe to try out of this book, I had to find something delicious yet do-able. I actually chose something very simple, and very similar to things I've made in the past. Once we have our house, and we've opened our many fancy kitchen items (currently sitting in boxes,) I can't wait to try bouillabaisse and roasted duck.

Now here I sit, less than 2 weeks beyond the most dramatic and beautiful turning point in my life. Presenting my first recipe as a married woman: Bifteck Saute Marchand de Vins!

Bifteck Saute Marchand de Vins (Pan-Broiled Steak with Red Wine Sauce)

2 TBS butter, divided
1 TBS olive oil
4 small or medium steaks (I used top sirloin)
2 large shallots, minced
1/2 C Cabernet Sauvignon
salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 TBS butter and olive oil over med-high heat until bubbly but not smoking. Use your most well-seasoned pan, as you want to catch the drippings. Add steaks. Depending on thickness, cook for several minutes, without moving steaks around. You want the edges to get nice and brown. Flip steaks and cook several more minutes until desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper. Remove steaks to a plate to rest and let juices redistribute.

2. Add shallots to pan and cook for one minute. Add red wine to pan, turning heat to medium. Let wine cook for 4-6 minutes until thick and reduced by half. Remove from heat and add 1 TBS butter. Serve steaks with sauced poured over.

(Note - these steaks went very well with a baked potato and super-ripe tomato slices with salt, pepper, balsamic and basil. And wine!)