2 For 1

Since I forgot to post last night tonight you get two posts for the price of one. You know you're excited.

Last night I made Rachael Ray's baked chimichangas, only this time I left the turkey out of mine (SP still got turkey but about half the amount). Instead, I made the corn and black bean salad and then added the cilantro, scallions, tomato sauce, chili powder and hot sauce to make the filling (along with plenty of pepper Jack cheese):


I can never get a good photo of these. That blob of sour cream looks huge and you can't really see the filling. But you get the idea.

Tonight I made a perennial favorite:


... pierogies and broccoli. Just as good as always, only this time I was able to exercise before dinner and still sit down to eat by 7 p.m. Fantastic!

A Veritable Smorgasbord

It's been a busy couple of days food-wise so I thought I'd put everything in one post for your viewing pleasure.

After running errands on Saturday we got home well after lunch but too early for dinner. SP had a roast beef sandwich but I was jonesing for a quesadilla:


... stuffed with a mixture of pepper Jack and cheddar cheeses, salsa, scallions and cilantro. A dollop of sour cream for dipping and I had a mighty tasty snack. While we were eating we noticed our friend, Fat Rabbit, had returned. He stayed in our backyard for a couple hours.


Since we had both eaten a large snack we weren't too hungry for dinner, but we had a small brick of mozzarella cheese in the fridge. Last time I made mozzarella sticks I forgot to double-dip them in the egg and bread crumbs and they disintegrated once they hit the oil. This time they turned out perfectly:


I served them with marinara sauce and a dusting of grated Pecorino cheese.


We had planned to make Philly cheesesteaks for dinner last night so we had them for lunch this morning along with some homemade fries:


The fries weren't crispy enough and the Cheese Wiz we bought was a little overpowering, but overall the sandwiches were quite good. I also cooked some onion to go along with the thinly sliced beef. When the weather is dreary out (like it is today with the Nor'easter we're having) I like to bake. I don't know where I got this recipe for Chocolate Chip Coffee Streusel Cake (if you read my blog and it was you, let me know), but I decided to make it this afternoon.


I had a piece for a snack after it came out of the oven and it was really good. I don't have much experience with coffee cake and SP said he wished it had more cinnamon flavor, but I really liked it.


After the heavy lunch we had I didn't feel like making a heavy dinner, which meant my original plan for Smokin' Dave's Cafe's Fiery Cajun Shrimp Alfredo went out the window in favor of good ol' shrimp scampi:


I marinated the shrimp a la The Food Pornographer in about 10 cloves of minced garlic, oil to cover and some red pepper flakes. Then I cooked the lot in a hot skillet until the shrimp just turned pink and then I took them out so they wouldn't overcook. To the oil and garlic I added a 1/2 cup of white wine and the juice of one lemon. That simmered while the pasta cooked and then once the pasta was done I added it to the sauce and let it all cook together. Some chopped parsley was thrown in at the last minute and then the shrimp went back in to reheat quickly before serving. It was spicy, lemony and very, very garlicky. Yum!

Pizza Friday

The end of the week brought a lot of plans that changed at the last minute, which meant I didn't really have anything in mind for dinner tonight. I resisted the urge to stop at Wendy's for their new 4-Alarm Spicy Chicken Sandwich, or attempt to find a good Chinese restaurant near the new house for some roast pork egg foo yung, in favor of an improvised Pizza Friday.


We're running seriously low on staples and now that I work on Fridays I didn't have time to make a long-cooked sauce. Still, I forged ahead, rooting through the fridge to find half an onion, half a green pepper and some mozzarella and pecorino cheeses. Even though we didn't have any sauce I wanted some tomato on my pizza, so I opened a can of Red Pack and rough chopped about 5 or 6 tomatoes then mixed them with a few shakes of dried oregano, salt and pepper. I sliced the pepper and onion and cooked them in olive oil with some chopped garlic and instead of shredding the mozzarella I cut it into thick slices. The result was much better then I thought it would be. I really liked the thick chunks of tomato. I can't wait for summer when we can get amazing Jersey tomatoes. I'm already envisioning some amazing pizzas (and sandwiches and salads and....)

Cheesey Chicken and Spinach

I'm not sure where I found this recipe for Cheesey Chicken and Spinach:


... but it was mighty tasty. I figured one chicken breast per person but because I pounded the chicken this one breast turned out to be a huge portion. I only ate half of what's in the photo.

The recipe is actually really easy - coat chicken in egg and seasoned flour (salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder) and then brown it in a pan. Once it's brown you put the chicken in a casserole dish, top it with frozen chopped spinach that you defrosted and dried and a little melted butter (melted with a cracked clove of garlic for added flavor). Make a sauce using white wine, chicken stock and lemon juice in the pan you cooked the chicken in, pour that over the chicken and spinach, top with slices of mozzarella cheese and a little Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven to finish cooking the chicken and to melt the cheeses. I served it with mashed potatoes made with a few cloves of garlic.

Carbonara Comfort

At the last minute I found myself on my own for dinner last night with nothing planned, so I made my old standby:


Spaghetti carbonara is always tasty, but last night's was exceptionally good (and I'm really proud of the photo, too).

Chicken with Chile-Cheese Rice

I really liked this recipe for Chicken with Chile-Cheese Rice but the last time I made it there wasn't enough flavor or spiciness.


This time, however, I think it was almost perfect. It still wasn't very spicy, but SP said he didn't think it should have too much of a kick. And besides, jalapenos just aren't that spicy, especialy when you remove all the seeds. I used four of them and there was a slight kick, but nothing earth-shattering. I liked the color and crunch they provided, though. The flavor was also helped by the cilantro, which I wasn't able to use last time because it wasn't available in the supermarket. I love the taste of cilantro and it really added a nice flavor to the dish.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

I've never been a huge fan of chili but after seeing this recipe online and in Rachael Ray's magazine I thought it sounded promising.


SP said this was, hands down, the best chili he's ever eaten. He especially loved the blue cheese tortilla chips. I thought it was a little too watery (despite my secret cornstarch addition) so next time I'll add a lot less chicken stock. This isn't a long-simmering chili so it didn't have time to thicken on its own. But the flavor was excellent, with just the right amount of heat.

Easter Sunday and Dad Comes to Visit

I am still kicking myself. I forgot to bring my camera to Easter dinner at my mom's. (hangs head in shame) And since the rest of my family hasn't advanced into the digital age I couldn't even borrow someone else's camera. The worst part is that all the food was so beautiful (bright green asparagus, pink poached salmon, deviled eggs with their sprinkling of red paprika) that it was probably the most photogenic meal I've eaten lately. Without the photos all I can do is tell you that we had quite the spread - the aforementioned roasted asparagus, poached salmon with dill sauce, deviled eggs, potato salad, rye bread, ham and kielbasa. For dessert my mom made cheesecake with raspberries and raspberry sauce that was quite decadent and delicious. All in all a fabulous meal.

Later this afternoon my father stopped by for a visit. This is the first time he's seen the new house. After an early dinner at my mom's we weren't very hungry, but dad still needed something for dinner.


SP has become quite the grill master so he grilled up some moist and flavorful pork chops. Dad isn't afraid of a little fat so I made him my loaded mashed potatoes (scallions, bacon, cheddar cheese and sour cream mixed into the mashed potatoes) and creamed spinach.

Lazy Saturday

After waking up early for my haircut appointment (I did something totally different and I love it!) and running some errands, I spent the better part of the afternoon watching cooking on TV and dosing on the couch with my cat. At some point I looked out into the backyard and saw this guy:


... just hanging out chewing on some grass. I don't know how long he was out there but he didn't move until SP went out to set up the grill. Am I crazy or is this an exceptionally fat rabbit? This is probably a weed:


... but it's the only sign of spring that's managed to survive the recent burst of cold weather we've been having. I was so excited when temperatures were in the 70s earlier this week and now we're back to the 40s and winter coats.

For dinner we decided to grill despite the cold. We marinated chicken breasts in garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and then grilled them.


Once the chicken came off the grill I topped each piece with some bacon and two slices of provolone cheese and ran them under the broiler. I also made a garlic and lemon mayo for the sandwiches. In an effort to be healthy, I made some of that garlic broccoli we had the other day with the pork chops. Spicy and garlicky and still slightly crisp, it was the perfect side dish.

My First Tag

Kate over at A Byootaful Life tagged me for 5 Reasons Why I Blog. Seeing as this is my first ever tag, I'm feeling pretty honored. Thanks, Kate!

1) I love looking at pictures of food. When I buy a new cookbook the first thing I do is look at all the pictures. When I discovered food blogs I would sit in front of the computer and literally drool over the photos. So, it seemed only fitting for me to take pictures of my own food. I just wish I had started doing it sooner.

2) I like having a record of all the food I've made. I have tons of cookbooks and piles and piles of recipes I've printed off the Internet, but nothing is better then an online compilation of all the recipes I've made. I can refer back to it whenever I need inspiration and sometimes it's just fun to look back at all the good food I've made in the past.

3) All the people I've "met" since I started blogging. I never knew there was such a large group of people out there as obsessed with food as I am. It has been so great to get new readers and then check out their blogs to see what they're cooking. I've been inspired by some of the dishes I've seen on other blogs and I've formed online friendships with a few other bloggers. It's nice to know there are people other then my family and friends who like to read about what I'm doing in the kitchen.

4) I'm hoping to someday parlay this blog into a business. My friends and family are always telling me I should be a caterer and while that is not a dream that will be realized anytime soon, this blog is a good way to show potential clients the kind of food I can make. I've already had a few offers to cater (albeit from friends) based on what they've seen in my blog.

5) Because it's fun! I love taking pictures of the food I make, I love writing about it, I love looking back at all the old posts, I love the people I've met doing this and I love hearing from fellow food bloggers that I would never have met if I hadn't started blogging. It is just a fun hobby.

I know I'm supposed to tag other people now, but I have no idea who to tag who hasn't already been tagged. If you read this and you have a blog and feel like doing this, let me know!

Pantry Cooking

Sometimes the best meals can come from pantry cooking. After eating out a lot the past few days we craved a homecooked meal, but we didn't want to make a trip to the grocery store. I raided the fridge and found some mushrooms, half a red onion, some Italian bread and ricotta cheese. We always have canned tomatoes and dried pasta on hand so I made a simple tomato sauce using the mushrooms, red onion and garlic and served it over angel hair with grated cheese and a dollop of ricotta.


I also made garlic bread using parsley (that stuff keeps for ages in the fridge if wrapped in a dry paper towel and stored in a plastic bag), garlic and butter:

Nachos

I was home for lunch today and since we've been away we were running low on food. Even so I managed to whip up a tasty lunch.


I topped the tortilla chips with scallions, red onion and pickled jalapenos, along with a mix of cheddar and jack cheeses and a little salsa.

Polish Chicken

When I was growing up my grandmother had a few recipes that she made over and over again for the family. One of those was Polish chicken. I'm not sure what makes it Polish, but that's what we called it. On this trip I made sure to watch her make this so I could replicate it at home.


The chicken is coated with flour, garlic and onion powder and then fried in a little canola oil until golden brown. Then chicken bouillion is added, along with some water and minced onion, to make a thick gravy as the chicken finishes cooking.


We always had Polish chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. For the potatoes I used red bliss and kept the skins on for more color and flavor.


The green beans I steamed and then tossed with some butter, salt and pepper. Everything got a liberal coating of gravy because, as we all know, I am a sauce fiend.

Breakfast at Grandma's

I had a little time off so the hubby and I took the opportunity to head down to West Virginia to visit my grandmother. No visit to her house would be complete without a hearty breakfast:


She makes the potatoes using diced red bliss potatoes cooked with minced vidalia onion over slow heat until the onions are caramelized and the potatoes are soft.


I'm always in charge of scrambling the eggs:


And what breakfast would be complete without nice, fat sausages:

New Posts Coming Soon!

We've been out of town visiting family for the past few days. I was all set to post some new photos today but when I went to upload them to the computer I noticed all the cables were missing. Turns out my darling husband took the cables to work so no new photos until later tonight. But they are on their way, I promise.

Grilled Chicken Salad

When we grilled the pork chops last night we also grilled some chicken for tonight's dinner - grilled chicken salad.


In addition to the chicken the salad had romaine, green pepper, celery, carrot, mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions, red onion and cucumber. I had planned to make a red wine vinaigrette but both of us were in the mood for something creamy. Luckily I had a bottle of Ken's Creamy Caesar in the pantry.

Grilled Pork Chops

Spring has officially started and we kicked off the season with grilled pork chops. Now that we have a backyard we plan to spend most of the spring and summer grilling.

SP seasoned the chops simply with salt and pepper. The smoke from the hard wood that we use gives the chops great color and flavor.


I cooked the broccoli in a pan with olive oil, rough chopped garlic and a little red pepper flake.


The spears retained their beautiful green color with just a hint of char around the edges. The flavor of the garlic and chili flakes made this broccoli addictive. SP said I should cook broccoli like this from now on.

Since SP gets home well before I do, he was able to actually bake the baked potatoes in the oven.


He rubs the outside with butter and salt then wraps them in tinfoil to bake. I topped mine with salt, pepper, a little butter and some sour cream.

Salisbury Steak

SP was such a fan of the Rachael Ray Salisbury steak TV dinner I made last week that he requested it again this week. I doubled the recipe so we had enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorow.


I also made the gravy thinner and added more cream to the spinach. It was even better than last week.

Vegetable Sauce

The vegetable sauce I used for Pizza Friday made a repeat appearance tonight, this time served over ziti with a showering of grated cheese.

Pizza Friday

We kept Pizza Friday simple this week with plain pizza made special by the sauce, a tangy vegetable concoction I'd made and frozen a few weeks ago.


The sauce had chunks of zucchini, onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms which went well with the creamy mozzarella cheese. I added a sprinkling of grated Pecorino for an added kick.