Saturday, November 12, 2011
Little Fluffs of Heaven: Homemade marshmallows
Oven Roasted Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Dry Rub:
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt
Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 hamburger buns
- 1 recipe Spicy Slaw, recipe follows
- Pickle spears
Directions
Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake for about 6 hours. Basically, roast the pork until it's falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F.
To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and "pull" the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and pulling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on the shredded pork and mix well to coat.
To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun, and top with the spicy slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.a
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Chicken Scallopini with Broccoli Rabe
From Cooking Light Magazine. This dish is quick and easy and tastes great!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 pound broccoli rabe (rapini), cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
- 4 lemon slices (optional)
Preparation
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Combine breadcrumbs and pepper in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in breadcrumb mixture. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
- Add wine, broth, juice, and butter to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in broccoli rabe; cover and cook 3 minutes or until broccoli rabe is tender. Stir in parsley and capers. Serve chicken over broccoli rabe mixture. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.
Roasted Pepper and Black Bean Burgers
1 16oz can Black Beans
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Low Calorie Pumpkin Pie Muffins
Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
Ingredients
- 13 gingersnaps
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin pie mix
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Invasion of the Freezer Friendly Soups!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, white parts only
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 6 cups peeled and roughly diced butternut squash
- 3 cups peeled and roughly diced apples
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows
- 6 1/2 cups chicken stock or 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 3 cups water
- Sea salt, preferably gray salt
- 1 cup chopped Spiced Candied Walnuts, recipe follows, optional
Directions
Add the squash and apples, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Toasted Spice Rub and cook briefly to toast it, about 1 minute.
Add the stock or broth-water mixture, bring to a simmer, and partially cover. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the squash and apples are tender, about 40 minutes.
Transfer in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, reheat to serving temperature, and season with salt.
Divide the soup among warmed bowls and garnish each portion with some of the walnuts, if using. Serve immediately.
Toasted Spice Rub:
- 1/4 cup fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup pure California chili powder (about 1-ounce)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Yield: about 1 cup
Spiced Candied Walnuts:
- Peanut or canola oil
- 4 cups walnut halves
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add walnuts and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer nuts to a medium bowl. While nuts are still hot and slightly wet, add confectioners' sugar and toss to coat nuts. Stir and toss until all the sugar has melted into the nuts; if bits of unmelted sugar remain on the nuts, they will not fry properly.
Stir the nuts again before frying. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer a few nuts to the hot oil, allowing the foam to subside before adding another spoonful. (Otherwise, the oil could foam over and burn you.) Fry in small batches until the nuts are medium brown, about 45 seconds per batch; be careful not to overcook. Scatter on an unlined baking sheet to cool slightly.
In a small bowl, stir together cayenne, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and the pepper.
While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a bowl and sprinkle evenly with about half of the spice mix. Toss well to distribute the spices and then taste a nut. Add more spice mix, to taste, and toss well after each addition. When cool, pack in an airtight jar. They will keep at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.
Yield: 4 cups
1. Cut tortillas into 1/2in strips and place on a cookie sheet.
1 small onion, chopped (1 1/4 cups)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 can solid-pack pumpkin puree (15 oz)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 jar roasted red peppers (7 oz), drained, 1 tablespoon chopped and reserved for garnish
1/3 cup smooth reduced-fat natural peanut butter
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp chopped roasted peanuts
2 Tbsp chopped scallion greens
1. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
2. Add turmeric, paprika, and chili flakes; stir. Add pumpkin puree, broth, peppers, and peanut butter; whisk to incorporate and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in sugar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
3. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with sour cream, peanuts, reserved chopped peppers, and scallion greens.
Makes 4 Servings.
Per serving: 270 cal, 18 g fat (4 g sat), 22 g carbs,
450 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 10 g protein
Back again
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Great Gelato
Beef Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
1/2 lb ground beef, chicken, or turkey
1/2 chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 (16oz) can refried beans
2 (10oz) cans red enchilada sauce
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 package flour tortillas
2 cups shressed Mexican Style cheese
- Saute meat, onion, and garlic until lightly browned. Add taco seasoning and finish browning meat.
- Add refried beans, and a little enchilada sauce to moisten.
- Put a little more sauce in the bottom of the baking dish you will be using. Grab a tortilla and fill the middle with the meat mixture and then roll. Place seam side down in the dish. Continue until you've used all the filling.
- Cover enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle cheese to the top of the dish.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and sides are turning brown.
Mexican Rice
Mexican Rice
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 cup each, chicken broth, water
- 1 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup peas
- Heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add rice and saute until lightly browned. Add onion and garlic and continue to saute until brown.
- Add tomatoe, carrots, broth, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer with lid for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, mix in peas and continue to simmer for another 10.
Vietnamese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
I believe these will continue to be a New Years Eve tradition. We made them last year as well and they are so tasty and pretty easy to make, minus the lettuce cups! Marie and I both elected to use less cayenne pepper because these bad boys can get pretty spicy! For those of you who like spice, use the amount suggested.
Vietnamese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 lb fresh ground chicken or turkey (we actually both used turkey)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped or grated
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup water chestnuts, finely chopped
5 mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cooked vermicielli or bean thread noodles
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
16 iceberg lettuce leaves
Spicy Sauce:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese hot sauce, or any hot sauce
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- In large skillet over medium-high heat, warm peanut oil. Add onion, ginger and garlic; sauté until onion begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add ground chicken and sauté until cooked throughout, about 5 minutes, breaking up chicken meat as it cooks.
- Add carrot, scallions, water chestnuts and mushrooms; cook for additional 3 minutes. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and cayenne pepper. Mix well and remove from heat. Stir in noodles, peanuts and chopped cilantro. Toss well to combine. Transfer to large serving bowl and keep warm.
- Combine all spicy sauce ingredients in small serving bowl; whisk well. Place lettuce leaves on serving platter. To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons chicken mixture over or on top of each lettuce leaf; drizzle with 1 teaspoon sauce.
New Years Party
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Ahhhh work
I have not died. I have simply been working all year with my second graders at my new job and have not found the time to post. I also got married two weeks ago! Alright!
I will begin posting again soon. One of the MANY ;) great joys of teaching is summer vacation. Which starts for me in 37 days. Bring it on.
See you then!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Shish Kabobs Baby!
Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
cut into 2 inch pieces
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
bacon for wrapping around chicken ( I did not do this but I saw many people with similar recipes who did and it sounds really good!)
skewers
Directions:
1. In a shallow glass dish, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Stir the chicken pieces and pineapple into the marinade until well coated. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken and pineapple alternately onto skewers. Grill 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until chicken juices run clear.
Steak Kabobs
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 ½ - 2 pounds of lean beef, preferably filet mignon, although any steak cut will do.
1 green pepper
1 Spanish onion
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Small potatoes, various colors.
2 cups olive oil
1 clove, minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp grill seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions:
3. Clean the peppers. Cut into square slices, about an inch or so wide, do the same with the onion. You want it to look uniform so all the pieces should be about the same size.
6, refrigerate this mixture for at least 6 hours, 24 recommended.
7. When you are ready to grill, light your grill and let it get hot.
8. Put everything on skewers.
9. When you're ready to grill, just place them across the bars to get some good grill marks, close to the heat. Turn each one every 3-4 minutes, allowing each side to brown evenly.
10. The beef should come out about medium, though you'll probably get a variety of temperatures.
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
INGREDIENTS:
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Greatest Gift I will Ever Bestow Upon You: Shrimp Tacos.
Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Sauce (Imaginative, I know.)
Serves 2-4 depending on how much shrimp you put in each taco)
18 medium shrimp, raw
2 Tbsp. tequila
1 lime, zested. (Save the lime. Cut in half.)
2 garlic cloves
1 avocado
1/4 c. onion
3 Tbsp. minced cilantro, divided
1/4 chopped tomato, seeded
1 tsp. lemon juice (or lime if you have extra)
olive oil
shredded cabbage (about 1/2 cup)
Wheat tortillas
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/4 tsp. cumin
salt
pepper
1) Shell and de-vein shrimp if necessary. Cut off tails. Place prepared shrimp in a small glass bowl. Sprinkle half the lime zest on shrimp. Add a few sprinkles salt. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice over shrimp. Add tequila and stir. Place in fridge to marinate. (note: don't do this too long or the shrimp will start to cook itself in the juice).
2) Slice avocado in half, remove flesh from the halves with a spoon and place in a small bowl. Add onion, 1 tablespoon cilantro, other half of lime juice, tomatoes, 1 minced garlic clove, salt, and pepper. Stir. Place in fridge.
3) In a third bowl, mix sour cream, lime zest, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and cumin. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4) Over medium heat, warm a small amount of olive oil. Add one minced garlic clove. Let cook a minute or two and then add shrimp, tequila and all. Turn dial to medium-high heat and cook shrimp. About 2 minutes per side. Most of liquid should evaporate.
5) Warm tortillas in the microwave. Spoon guacamole onto them and spread all around.
6) Sprinkle with cabbage. Layer shrimp. Drizzle sour cream mixture over the top and then fold in half.
(Note: I ran out of shrimp for my last two tacos so I sliced up some cucumber and used it in place of the shrimp. It was really tasty and I liked the crunch of the cucumber. I even added some thin slices to the shrimp tacos as an afterthought and they were really good.)
Shrimp Tacos! Wooo Hoo!
Chicken Bruschetta
This chicken was amazing. Please make it. I wish I had some right now, I'd be eating it.
It tasted so good! I think I'm going to make it again tomorrow. Note the fresh basil and tomatoes from my garden. Ahhhh... freshness!
I decided to put a light Parmesan crust on because I thought the crunchy would contrast nicely with the juicy tomatoes. I decided just to spread the crust just on the top though instead of trying to coat the entire breast because it always falls off when I dish it up.
Chicken Bruschetta
Serves 4 (unless you eat two because it's so darn good!)
1/2 cup flour
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon light butter
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cub chopped FRESH basil leaves
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
1) Put flour and beaten eggs in shallow bowls or deep plates. Season flour with salt and pepper. Season chicken with a little salt and pepper as well.
2) Dip chicken in flour then in egg and place on a 9x13 pan.
3) Combine cheese, breadcrumbs and butter with a fork and then spoon over chicken. Press with the back of a spoon to make sure the crumbs are stuck to chicken.
4) Cover pan with foil and bake chicken at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
5) Mix the remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl and salt and pepper to taste.
6) Uncover the chicken and bake 7 minutes longer until top is browned and slightly hard to the touch.
7) Spoon tomato mixture over chicken, return to oven for 5 minutes.
I plated these up and served them with a light cucumber salad. They were very filling! Next time I'll make extra bruschetta and save it for some crunchy bread.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Dinner Tonight
Any suggestions? Let me know.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Five Spice Burger with Warm Mu Shu Slaw
John and I love this recipe despite it's non-traditional burger flavor. It tastes great and the spices really make this burger unique. You will need no ketchup here, this little guy is great on his own!
Ps: My good friend Marie so kindly gave us this recipe. It is a family favorite at her house and we are so glad she shared it with us! I believe it comes from/is inspired by Rachel Ray.
Five Spice Burger with Warm Mu Shu Slaw
Serves 4-6
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp Grill seasoning
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
5 Scallions, 2 finely chopped, 3 cut into thirds lengthwise
3 tbsp Tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp Vegetable oi
12 Shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 pound Shredded cabbage (I use purple but any kind will do)
3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
4 rolls of your choosing. We usually use some sort of wheat.
Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the 1 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Cook the shiitakes for 2 minutes, add the cabbage, and stir-fry for 3 minutes more. Add the sliced scallions and hoisin sauce, toss to combine, and remove from the heat.
Serve the burgers on the buns piled high with mu shu slaw on top. Serve with chunks of fresh pineapple an exotic chips alongside the burgers.
1 patty: 270, 11.5g, 11g, 25g