Gnocchi with Asparagus and Ham in Cream Sauce

I was walking through World Market with Brett and his mom a few weeks back and decided to buy something that has tempted me many a time...fresh gnocchi. For those of you who don't know, gnocchi is basically a mashed potato noodle, much like a dumpling. I wasn't able to find many recipes online that include gnocchi and I think this sort of intimidated me a bit. Finally, I decided to do my own creation and give it a whirl (after getting a teeny bit of inspiration from other recipes.)

My first question was, tomato- or cream-based sauce? Always a fan of butter and milk, I chose cream-based. What sort of meats? Chicken is white, and the gnocchi is white, so that wasn't enough color for me. Pork and beef didn't seem right. Shrimp sounded great, but I didn't want to dish out the cash if only cooking for myself. So I chose cubed ham. What sort of veggies? Asparagus, heck yeah! Mushrooms, you bet. And I had an onion I needed to use, so I threw that in too. Other than that, a simple roux with some milk and white wine was all I needed to pull it together.

The verdict? Very good but...different. I am used to dumplings in soup, but not so much as a main dish. I would be interested in knowing Bobby Flay's opinion of this dish - I mean, it's not totally wild and I think the crunchy asparagus is a nice contrast to the soft gnocchi. But maybe I went overboard with the wine? Who knows. If nothing else, go buy yourself some gnocchi and have fun with it. Isn't cooking all about experimentation? I'm looking forward to leftovers tonight, so I consider that success!

Gnocchi with Asparagus and Ham in Cream Sauce

Small onion, diced
8-10 stalks of asparagus, cut in half
8 oz sliced mushrooms
20 oz fresh gnocchi
1 C cubed ham
3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 C milk
3 TBS olive oil
1 TBS butter
1 TBS flour
2 TBS white wine
salt, pepper, sage, lemon juice and parmesan to taste

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Saute onion, asparagus and mushrooms until onion is translucent.

2. Cook gnocchi as directed (it's done when they float to the top, 3-4 mins. Do not overcook!)

3. In the skillet, push the veggies to the side. Put butter and flour in the center and stir with a whisk until the flour has no clumps. Add white wine, and stir everything for 30 seconds while white wine evaporates.

4. Add chicken broth and milk. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and sage (roughly 1/2 tsp. dried sage and 1/4 tsp. lemon juice.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmering and let sauce thicken for several minutes. Add gnocchi and ham, heat through and serve immediately. Top with parmesan before serving.

Homemade Salsa

First, let me start with two apologies -
(1) I apologize for not posting in two weeks. Truth is, I haven't really cooked much the past couple of weeks. No reason, just staying later at work, etc.
(2) I apologize that this recipe doesn't have a picture. It's salsa, so I think it's pretty easy to imagine, but I promise that next time I make it (summer is coming and that means delicious tomatoes) I will take a pic and post it.

Last year, I made homemade salsa for the first time. I've made a few alterations and additions and I think I've almost perfected it. Some advice...roma or plum tomatoes hold up best; putting some tomatoes in the food processor and leaving others just diced makes for a much more interesting texture; it is simply not possible to use too much cilantro; and, never ever EVER touch your face after chopping jalepenos.

I like to make a big batch and - what else - snack on with tortilla chips. It also goes great alongside chicken enchiladas...which gives me an idea for a future post....

Homemade Salsa

1 can stewed tomatoes
Several small fresh tomatoes (plum or roma - these are naturally fairly small)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
juice of 1/2 lime
salt/pepper to taste
small jalepeno, minced (no seeds)...OR you can sub. 4oz can green chiles
chopped FRESH cilantro (start with a small handful)

1. Put stewed tomatoes in food processor and pulse until mostly pureed (2-3 pulses). Put into medium bowl and add remaining ingredients. Let sit for several hours so the flavors can meld.

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

This recipe is certainly not a new one for me. The first time I made it back in college, I was craving cookies and only had some butter, some jelly....typical college kid. I typed those ingredients into a recipe search and these came up - definitely one of the most delicious and pretty cookies ever! I brought them to Kellie's for July 4th of last year and was so proud when Ryan said, "do these have almond paste or something in them?" (it's actually almond extract but I was thrilled someone knew what that yummy flavor was!)

Have fun with these cookies - when Mom sends loads of homemade cherry preserves, I make them with cherry. When I want a certain color (i.e. red and blue for July 4th) I buy jams in that color. Last week I made them with orange marmalade and brought them into work - they lasted about half-hour! They are rather addicting...

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

1 C. butter, softened
2/3 C. white sugar
1/2 tsp. real almond extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. seedless raspberry jam (or jam of your choice)

1/2 C. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. real almond extract
several TBS milk

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add 1/2 tsp. almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1.5-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Using the back of a teaspoon, imprint holes into each dough ball. Carefully, put a bit of jam into each hole.
3. Put the unbaked cookies into the fridge for approx. 15 minutes.
4. Take the cookies out of the fridge and put into the oven to bake. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Watch the cookies carefully - though the dough may look white and uncooked, shortbread is naturally white and the edges may burn without you knowing it. Watch the edges closest to the pan and when they are light brown, the cookies are done.
5. Cool the cookies at least 30 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk until the icing is thin enough to drizzle over the cookies.

Chicken Tortilla Soup, version II

First off, I'm a big believer in giving credit where credit is due. This is my second chicken tortilla soup recipe - see my first blog entry for the recipe I made awhile ago. It was good but, as I said, it just didn't do it for me. A friend of a friend had this second recipe on her cooking blog. I think it's so fun to try different recipes for the same thing until one just jumps off the plate. I can't honestly say that I will go hunting down new chicken tortilla soup recipes in the future because it doesn't get much better than this. Be warned, it's pretty spicy. It's the kind of spice that hits in your throat rather than on your tongue..had I gone to chef school, I probably would know some sweet french word to describe what I mean.

I thought of "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" while making this soup. It's basically different cans (such as Rotel, refried beans) put into one big stockpot. Not counting the joy of shredding chicken, its super simple, lasts all week.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Medium onion
3 Tbsp Butter or olive oil
3-4 chicken breasts, shredded
1 can Refried Beans
3 cans Chicken Broth
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 can Rotel
1/2 block Velveeta

Crushed tortilla chips
Sour Cream
Chopped Avocado
Shredded Cheese

Saute onion and butter/oil. Add remaining ingredients except Velveeta. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add Velveeta and stir until melted. Add toppings as desired.

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts and New Potatoes with Caper Sauce

Well, I've officially done 4 new recipes for the month of January - that NY resolution is 1/12 complete!

I spent way too long trying to decide what to do for dinner last weekend when Brett was in town. I was aiming for something seafood, but The Seafood Shop wasn't answering the phone and I didn't want to make the drive without knowing they were open. I had also planned on Creme Brulee so I could use the porcelain dishes and torch that Brett's mom Ellen bought me for Christmas. But, I read that it takes 4+ hours to set, and by mid-afternoon we had not even gone grocery shopping. So, I am hoping that next month, I can work in some seared scallops and creme brulee!

The dish that I ended up doing was really inspirational. I definitely re-worked the recipe a bit to cut down some fat and incorporate more color and flavor (original recipe is here.) The reason I found it to be so inspiring is because I realized...I could butterfly, then fill, chicken or pork with ANYTHING. One of my first thoughts was asparagus, cream cheese, garlic and herbs. Maybe I could even hold a drawing - throw dozens of ingredients in a hat and pick four! Seriously, though, it's endless.

Brett gives the potatoes a 5, his highest (and rarest!) rating. Eat up!

Spinach, Feta and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 C. sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg white
4 slices bacon

1. In a medium bowl, mix sundried tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese, garlic and egg white until well blended. Set aside.
2. Carefully butterfly chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through. Spoon spinach mixture into chicken breasts. Season chicken breasts with a bit of salt and pepper. Cut each slice of bacon in half, and wrap each chicken breast with both halves, securing with toothpicks. Cover.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until chicken is no longer pink. Spoon some of the juices in the pan over the chicken before serving.

New Potatoes with Caper Sauce

12 small new potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 TBS dried)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the softened butter, capers, green onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley and vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If potatoes are large, cut into halves or quarters. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
3. Add the caper sauce to the pot of drained potatoes and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

Time's gotten away from me and this morning I realized it's been eleven days since I posted a recipe (and I think I promised one per week.) The truth is, I planned on baking something new this weekend - I still have two recipes left for January if I want to meet my NY Resolution - but I haven't decided what or when to make it, so here is something for now.

I found this on Allrecipes, oh, maybe a year and a half ago? I didn't pay it much attention until my mom called one day and said she had found an amazing apple pie - and it was the same pie I'd checked out - so I decided to give it a go. This is officially the first pie I ever made - and it turned out so beautifully and so delicious. I use the refrigerated roll-out Pillsbury crust (shame, I know) but someday when I have the time (excuses, excuses) I will attempt a crust from scratch.

As you'll read below, it's a bit tricky pouring the sugar/butter mixture over the lattice crust, but please give it your best shot. The best part about this pie is that the mixture which doesn't quite make it through the lattice carmelizes on the crust while baking, so you have a deliciously crispy, buttery crust.

Kinda like this:

Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

9-inch double pie crust (for top and bottom) - design lattice into the top crust
1/2 C. unsalted butter
3 TBS all-purpose flour
1/2 C. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. water
8 granny smith apples - peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil and reduce temperature, simmering for 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in a 9-inch pie dish. Fill with apples, mounding slightly. Drizzle 1/2 of the sugar/butter mixture over the apples. Cover with the lattice crust. Gently pour the remaining 1/2 of the sugar/butter mixture over the crust. Pour slowly so that the mixture seeps through the openings in the lattice and doesn't run off the side of the pan.
3. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Spicy Peanut Chicken Over Rice

Welcome to one of the most delicious meals you will ever make: Spicy Peanut Chicken. I pulled this recipe from Cooking Light, Nov. '08, and have made it twice...it's deliciousness is far more than beginner's luck! For those of you who enjoy perusing cookbooks as much as I do, you might know what I mean when I say that it was one of the recipes where you flip the page, take a quick look at the picture and ingredients, and say "yes!" Everything about it just works. Some recipes have bizarre ingredients ("Swiss Chard, huh?") and others, odd flavor combinations like salmon and rhubarb. I don't want to come off as ordinary or predictable, but I generally don't give those things a shot (my mom is retired and she's another story!) I like simple ingredients that you just know will go perfectly together. Everything needed for this Spicy Peanut Chicken is probably in your pantry right now, and I swear it will make your house smell exactly like the thai restaurant down the street (assuming it's a good thai restaurant...)

Promise me you will make this with jasmine rice and add more kick than calls for. Oh, and it goes lovely with a cold beer.

Spicy Peanut Chicken Over Rice

1 TBS. peanut or olive oil
1 C. chopped medium onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 C. crunchy peanut butter (I used 1/2 C., will do again)
1.5 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I dare you to add cayenne, too)
salt and pepper to taste
1 6-oz can. tomato paste
3 C. chopped plum or roma tomatoes (~6 tomatoes)
2 14-oz cans chicken broth
hot cooked rice
3/4 C. greek-style yogurt (I omitted)

1. Heat oil in dutch oven or large saucepan. Add onion and garlic, cooking until tender. Add chicken, cook until chicken is done and no longer pink. Stir in peanut butter, curry, red pepper, salt/pepper, and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute. Add tomato and broth. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Serve over rice and top with yogurt.

I served with steamed broccoli, and also cooked my rice in chicken broth. I would serve this for important guests, it is THAT delicious!

Happy eating! :-)

Carmelized Sweet Onion Dip

On New Years Eve, I had over my 8 best friends, plus a handful of others. It was a bit tight in my apartment but we managed!! It turned out to be a blast and of course I planned some appetizers a few days in advance - first, yummy tortilla wrap-ups, then this carmelized onion dip, and finally, Prince Edward Island mussels (oh, and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert.) The tortilla wrap-ups are technically my own recipe, but the different ingredients came from about 4-5 other recipes. The carmelized onion dip is from Cooking Light. The mussels were steamed in white wine, butter and garlic - they actually turned out really good, and were super easy to make.

I served this dip with all kinda of crackers - Melba toasts, triscuits, wheat thins, etc. I do think it's a bit too mayonnaise-y, and will reduce it next time. The onions are truly the most delicious part, so I think next time I will "up" the amount of onions, too. Oh, and believe it or not, Wal-Mart carries Peruvian sweet onions! If you can't find sweet onions, the recipe says to add 1 TBS of sugar. To save time, you can also carmelize your onions early in the day, and finish the dip that evening. If you end up using more than 3 C onion, don't forget to add more butter to sautee them in - otherwise, the pan will dry out and your garlic will burn.

Carmelized Sweet Onion Dip

1 TBS butter, divided
3 C. diced Rio or other sweet onion (about 2 large onions)
1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce (I used 1 tsp., I like the flavor it added)
cooking spray
1/3 C. panko or bread crumbs
1 TBS chopped fresh parsely (I omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Melt 1.5 tsp butter in large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt; cook 15 minutes or until tender and onions are light brown. Add garlic and cook several minutes, ensuring garlic doesn't burn. Onions should be very tender and golden. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.
2. Combine remaining salt, mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, pepper and worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth. Stir in onion mixture. Transfer to 1-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Melt remaining butter and combine with panko. Sprinkle evenly over onion mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsely.

Happy 2009 !!!! It is going to be a great year!

Creamy Tomato Soup

I really am starting to enjoy making a variety of soups. Mom sent this one yesterday and I got the email on my blackberry, while Brett and I were running errands. Perfect timing, since I had no idea what to make for dinner. She even started the email with, "...the best tomato soup I've ever had" so it certainly had expectations to live up to....

...and I'll tell you what, I have to agree with her!

Be forewarned, it's a tad bit messy - don't wear your favorite shirt. I used a soup ladle to slowly put the soup into the blender (to puree) and then slowly take it back out - if you try pouring, be prepared for some nice splatters all over your kitchen.

What better thing could I serve with this soup than a piping hot, buttery crust grilled cheese??? I've been thinking about leftovers all day!

Mom's Creamy Tomato Soup

1TBS. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 T italian seasoning
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. baking soda
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (or a bit more, to taste)

1. Drizzle olive oil in bottom of dutch oven or large saucepan. Add onion and cook until tender and translucent. Add tomatoes, baking soda, and italian seasoning. Stir for several minutes, then add chicken broth. Turn heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. (I worked in three batches - transferred soup to blender, pureed, then moved to large container. When all soup was pureed, I put back into saucepan.) When pureeing, pop out center of blender's lid so the soup can breath - be careful, it may splatter a bit. Return soup to pot, and stir in evaporated milk. Add pepper and nutmeg. Simmer several minutes before serving; stir occasionally if sitting in pot.

My Christmas Treat Saga

Christmas 2008 was a great time...plenty of family and friends, giving and receiving gifts, and way too many yummy calories! To kick it all off, I spent three nights in the kitchen (the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd) plus Christmas Eve morning. I was baking a variety of candies and cookies to give 9-10 people for Christmas. I didn't spend much time selecting the 5 recipes...and looking back, I wish I had more thought into it because I certainly encountered one too many problems!

Let's see...

....I never did get "stiff peaks" when making meringue for Peppermint Meringues (yes, I tried it twice.) After using my electric mixer for nearly half-hour each time, I gave up.

...I didn't have a candy thermometer and thus had to race over to my cookbooks to find out what in the world "soft ball" and "hard ball" mean in candy-making lingo - while my peanut brittle happily burned on the stove.

....(Into the trash went my first round of peanut brittle.)

.... and, even the walnuts burned while roasting in the oven, so I had to pick about 20 of 'em out. (Below, I reduced the oven temp for this reason - the orignial recipe says 350 degrees. If nothing else, just watch them closely.)

OKay, all of that said, it's not like I destroyed my five treats. The Chocolate-Cherry cookies and Peppermint Meringues definitely turned out delicious and got lots of good comments. (Yes, even though my meringue never made par!) The Peanut Brittle was most challenging - I'd say, use a candy thermometer on these and you'll have an easier time. And finally, the biscotti and walnuts fall somewhere in the middle.

Candied Walnuts
1 lb. whole, shelled walnuts
1 C white sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
6 TSB milk
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spread nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.

2. Stir together sugar, cinnamon, milk and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high for 8 minutes or until mixture reaches the soft-ball stage of 236 degrees F. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla immediately.

3. Add walnuts to the sugar syrup and stir to coat well. Spoon nuts onto waxed paper and immediately separate with a fork. Cool and store in an airtight container.



Anti-Microwave Peanut Brittle

Hints: my original recipe was Microwave peanut brittle. I failed miserably for two reasons. First, you must make it in a glass bowl in the microwave. Well, after 10 minutes, that bowl is freaking hot. How am I supposed to "quickly add butter and baking soda, stir vigorously, and pour onto cooking sheet" if I can't even pick up the bowl? "Oven pads," you might say. Well, I need two oven pads to hold the bowl, but then I don't have a hand to quickly spread the mixture out and around. One needs three hands. Ugh, I am frustrated just thinking about it! Second, cooking anything in the microwave eliminates one of my most important senses - SMELL! Such as the smell of my BURNING peanut brittle! Recipe #2, however, turned out better. It's done on the stove, so you have a lovely handle to grab with one hand, and a free hand to scoop out the mixture. AND you can stand over the pan and smell for burning! Brilliant!

1 C. white sugar
1/2 C. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. water
1 C. peanuts
2 Tbs. butter, softened
1 tsp. baking soda

1. Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside. In large saucepan with handle, over medium heat, boil sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Mix in peanuts. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 F or until a small amount of the mixture, dropped in cold water, breaks into brittle threads.
2. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in butter and baking soda. Pour at once onto a cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull into a large rectangle. Cool, and snap into pieces.



Peppermint Meringues

2 egg whites
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 C. white sugar
2 peppermint candies, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with foil.
2. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar until the meringue turns into hard, stiff peaks. Place mixture into bag and "pipe" small drops onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the meringues.
3. Bake for one and a half hours in the preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside; do not let meringues brown. Turn off oven, and open oven door until cool. Remove from foil and set in air-tight container. They will stay fresh up to 3 months.



Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
1/4 C. light olive oil
3/4 C. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C. dried cranberries
3/4 C. pistachios (shelled) - if salted, omit 1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 300. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, mix together oil and sugar. Mix in almond and vanilla extracts, the beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually beat dry mixture into sugar mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Working with wet hands (since dough will be sticky,) form 2 logs (12 inches long by 2 inches high) and set on parchment paper.
4. Bake in oven for 35 minutes or until logs are brown. Remove from oven, diagonally-cut into 3/4 inch slices, and reduce oven heat to 275. Put slices back into oven for 8-10 minutes, or until dry. Cool before eating.

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

5/8 C. butter, softened (1 stick + 2 TBS)
1 C. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
6 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1/2 C. chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease two cookie sheets.
2. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until blended well. Mix in vanilla and egg. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture, gradually. Mix in chopped cherries and walnuts by hand. Drop by round spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes in oven. Cool.

The final product...

Another Classic

Earlier this week, I threw together another old favorite, Cajun Chicken Pasta. The reason I love this recipe is because it's so simple, so flexible, and so fast. I use whole wheat penne, buy whatever peppers are on sale, experiment with different mushrooms and rotate between chicken, sausage and shrimp (sometimes, all three!) I think the most important things to know about this recipe are that (a) it's fattening - the sauce is half and half, and (b) the sauce won't get real thick, in fact, it's basically a creamy liquid. Nothing that some warm, crusty garlic bread can't take care of.

Without further ado:

Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 oz. penne pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
(and/or 1/2 lb. shrimp, a coupla cajun sausages)
3 tsp. Cajun seasoning
few drizzles of olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-1.5 C half and half
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
grated parmesan cheese

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne, cook until al dente; drain.
2. Drizzle olive oil in large skillet; add chicken and Cajun seasoning. Cook over med/high heat until no longer pink and juices are clear. Add peppers and mushrooms; cook 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in half and half. Season the sauce with basil, lemon juice, salt/pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne.
3. Add pasta to skillet. Toss well and let sit over low heat for several minutes. Sprinke with parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread.
(serves 2 with plenty of leftovers, probably 4 with no leftovers)

If anyone wants to experiment with this baby and attempt a thicker, healthier sauce, I'd love to hear about it!!
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Pictures are fun, right?

My treasured Cooking Light/Rachael Ray collection...I am anxiously waiting for issue #1 of Food Network to arrive and that will be added! I can't imagine what this stack will look like when I'm oh, eighty.

And what good do all those magazines do if I don't have some sort of record-keeping system to maintain all the best-looking recipes?

From left to right: Mom's cookbook she made me awhile back (it's full to the brim); Ellen's gift to me, one of RR's books; Better Homes and Gardens; Bartender = from Chase that I think actually belongs to Brett; New Basics = a gift from Kathy and my dad a coupla years back; Appetizers = from Chase and Morgan; then a random collection of brochures, etc.

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Next week: 5 holiday treats, ALL of which are brand-new attempts for me! I can't share yet what they are because some of you readers may be receiving them!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

This New Idea of Mine....

I have no idea why I didn't think of this earlier. Three years ago, I was by the pool with my best friend Aimee and she said she was making her new boyfriend something called Brown Sugar Meatloaf. Though my initial thought was "meatloaf, ewww," I logged onto Allrecipes.com , found the recipe with hundreds of excellent reviews, and decided to make the same recipe for MY new boyfriend Brett. He loved it. He raved over it. He told me I was amazing. He wanted more, different meals!

From that point on, I was hooked. (to cooking AND him!)

Three years later, I've had a few cooking classes (highly recommend Kansas City Culinary,) a few cooking successes and of course, plenty of cooking failures (corn casserole that was soup in the middle, delicious, eh?)

Sometimes I take pictures of what I make...but no one wants to see that on facebook. Sometimes I send out recipes of my favorites...but is a recipe any less worthy just because it's not my favorite? So, I've started this blog to share every new recipe I try and the story behind it. If I get lazy one week and revert to cereal and nachos, I may post past recipes. But, I am hoping that this blog will encourage me to try at least one or two new things each week.

Hang in there with me, and I hope you enjoy it!
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In honor of the aforementioned Brown Sugar Meatloaf, here you are. Anytime I ask Brett, "what is your favorite meal that I make?" he will absolutely, without a doubt, say Brown Sugar Meatloaf. How could I even begin to tell a story behind this recipe? I have made it over a dozen times! I generally serve this with baby red potatoes tossed in olive oil and garlic and herbs, and fresh green beans. Also, to be a bit more heart-healthy and calorie-conscious, I generally use all ground turkey or 50/50 with ground beef. It tastes the same, I promise.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. ketchup
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 C. milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 small onion, diced
1/4 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
3/4 C. finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs or panko

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
2. Press the brown sugar into the bottom of the pan and spread the ketchup over the brown sugar.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place in the pan on top of ketchup.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, ensuring juices run clear and the center is not pink.

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And, because I started this blog with the intention of sharing *new* recipes, here are the first and second victims of my recent soup-making kick. I credit AllRecipes for both. The first is Ham & Potato Soup and I'm happy to say that both my Mom and Kellie have already given this one a shot and good feedback! Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, this recipe makes a TON - kinda bad for me since I'm a lone soul right now and this soup didn't freeze well (watery when reheated.) I used strips of ham that I sliced b/c the store was out of cubed ham. I will make this recipe over and over and over....

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/3 C. onion, diced
3/4 C. cubed, cooked ham
3 1/4 C. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
salt and pepper to taste
5 TBS. butter
5 TBS. all purpose flour
2 C. milk

1. Combine potatoes, onion, ham and water in large stockpot. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 15 minues. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a seperate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour with a whisk, stirring constantly until thick for one minute. Slowly stir in milk so as not to form lumps. Continue stirring until thick, 4-5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and combine well. Cook soup until heated through.

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The next one is Chicken Tortilla Soup that I made this Monday night. I did make a classic mistake with this one....accidentally adding all of the broth at once (thus the soup cooled and took much longer to thicken) rather than slowly whisking the broth into the roux. My soup was probably a bit runnier than it should be as a result, but still delicious. This is an example of a great recipe that wasn't my favorite, but perhaps it will be yours. Don't forget to add crushed tortilla chips while eating - it's a must.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/4 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
3 C. chicken broth
1 C. milk
8 oz. velveeta cheese, cubed
10 oz. traditional Rotel tomatoes and chiles
2 C. shredded, cooked chicken
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne
salt & pepper to taste
crushed tortilla chips

1. In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour with a whisk and cook, stirring often for 3 minutes.
2. Slowly whisk in chicken broth in small amounts, then whisk in milk.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir in Velveeta cubes. Stir until melted.
4. Add Rotel, chicken and spices.
5. Heat through. Serve soup with crushed tortilla chips.

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That's enough to tide you over. If you'd like, please leave comments with recommendations or thoughts and of course, tell me if you make any of these!