Grilling

On one of many gorgeous days we had in April we decided to grill some steaks. My supermarket was having a deal on fresh mozzarella so I bought a few tomatoes, some basil and the mozzarella for caprese salad:


SP cooked the steaks perfectly, nice and charred on the outside and rare in the middle:


I don't eat a ton of red meat but there is something so satisfying about cutting into a well-cooked steak and eating that first juicy bite.

Bridal Shower

One of my dearest friends from college got married earlier this month, but way back in March I went down to Baltimore for her bridal shower/bachelorette party weekend. It was a ton of fun and I'm so happy for M & S.

M's bridesmaids really outdid themselves with the food. Here's the spread looking quite inviting:


It wouldn't be a party in Baltimore without crab dip:


A party favorite, spinach dip with pumpernickel bread:


A delicious pasta salad:


Yummy sandwiches and wraps:


Fresh fruit (I couldn't get enough of the pineapple):


Bean dip that was out of this world amazing, made by the mom of one of the bridesmaids:


Cookies in the shape of some of M's favorite Balitmore things:


The only food I managed to photograph from the bachelorette party was the crab pretzel at our first stop. This was so amazing I want to go back to Baltimore just to have another one all to myself. It's a huge soft pretzel topped with luscious, creamy crab dip and cheese, then broiled:


Wow, that it good!

Meatloaf Muffins

Meatloaf muffins are one of my favorite ways to cook meatloaf. Everything is already portioned out and it only takes 30 minutes to cook.


For these I added salsa and breadcrumbs to the meatloaf mix, then topped each muffin with ketchup. Mashed potatoes and corn rounded out the meal.

Return to Blogging

Man...where did the time go? My last post was April 2? I'm sorry about that. What can I say except work has been crazy, things with Baby Girl have been crazy and life just keeps getting in the way. I even (gasp) stopped taking photos of meals because I didn't know when I'd get around to blogging about them.

The good news is I have a ton of pictures and Blogger has this nifty feature where I can write all my posts at once and have one publish each day. So stay tuned...

Herb and Lemon-Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Au Gratin Potatoes and Green Beans

I love pork tenderloins. They're so easy to cook and stay juicy and flavorful. I used the same marinade I used last time and it was delicious.


I need to get my act together to actually marinate these overnight, although if I do I'll cut down on the lemon since SP said it overwhelmed the thyme after just three hours. I served the pork with au gratin potatoes (boxed), green beans and leftover biscuits.

Breakfast for Dinner

On a recent Saturday night we hadn't thought about dinner by the time we put Baby Girl to bed. I figured I could whip up a quick breakfast for dinner:


I scrambled eggs, cooked breakfast sausage and fried up some potatoes and onion. SP asked for biscuits so he quickly threw those together using Bisquick while the eggs finished cooking.

An Attempt at Sicilian Pizza

I had a feeling this was doomed from the beginning, but I thought I'd see if I could make Sicilian pizza at home. Unfortunately the answer is no, at least with the dough I buy.


The pizza was good, but it didn't have that spongey Sicilian texture. In fact it was more like a pan pizza. I'm sure I need to make a special kind of dough to get that perfect consistency, but I don't work with yeast so yeah...guess I'll be buying my Sicilian pizzas from my local pizza parlor.

Chicken in Coconut Milk

I'm sure this recipe for Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro would have been better with shrimp but we haven't been splurging on shrimp lately so I subbed in chicken:


I love the smell of coconut milk...mmmmm. This was a good recipe but it felt like it needed something. Maybe the shrimp would have been the right pairing, or maybe it needed some curry flavor (as was suggested by someone before I made it).

Chicken Spaghetti - Updated

The last time I made this recipe for Chicken Spaghetti SP wasn't a fan. I made a few modifications and I think we're almost there.


This recipe made a ton of food so I froze half of it for a night when we need a quick dinner. Here's the recipe below with the modifications I've made and what I'll do differently next time (mainly add a 1/2 cup of wine for some kick).

Chicken Spaghetti
Modified from Pioneer Woman

4 chicken breasts, poached and shredded
1 lb spaghetti
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
12 ounces mushrooms, cut into chunks
1/2 cup white wine
1 jar pimentos, drained and diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup additional grated cheddar cheese
4-5 pieces of white bread, torn
butter

Cook chicken breasts and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. While spaghetti cooks, saute green pepper, onion and mushrooms in a little butter or oil until soft. Deglaze pan with white wine, then add chicken to heat through. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Pulse torn bread and butter in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly and the breadcrumbs are toasted.

Buffalo Chicken Burger and Blue Cheese Potato Salad

We love the combination of buffalo wings and blue cheese so I'm always looking for ways to serve them. I thought this one was pretty much the best ever, although SP didn't agree (his favorite is still the buffalo chicken pizza).


I was going to make buffalo chicken sandwiches my usual way, but on the drive home I had a brainstorm and decided to grind the chicken instead and make burger patties. I mixed the chicken meat with breadcrumbs, Frank's hot sauce and finely chopped red onion and celery. I topped the patties with crispy iceburg lettuce and lots of Marie's blue cheese dressing:


What are buffalo wings without the blue cheese, in this meal in the form of potato salad:


SP thought the burgers were a little dry and he wished for more Frank's flavor, but I thought everything was perfect. Hopefully he'll let me try again.

Linguine with Sausage, Onions and Peas

I go through phases where sometimes I enjoy eating sausage and sometimes I don't. When I do, one of my favorite ways to have it is in this rich but delicious pasta dish:


The last time I made it I called it Fettuccine Alfredo with Sausage, Onions and Peas because of the heavy cream. This time I used a mix of half and half and chicken stock so the sauce was a little lighter.

Swedish Meatballs

I really enjoy making Swedish Meatballs because it's easy and always tasty.


I served the meatballs with egg noodles and mixed veggies for a quick weeknight dinner.

Breakfast Sandwich

We had some leftover baguette from a recent dinner and I had a hankering for a breakfast sandwich.


I cooked bacon and some fried eggs while toasting the baguette, which I'd cut in half both length and width-wise. After the eggs were cooked I topped them with shredded Mexican cheese blend and then layered them with the bacon on the toasted bread. This was one messy but delicious sandwich.

Roast Pork from DiNic's (and other Reading Terminal Market goodies)

My mom and I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show at the beginning of the month. While we enjoy the gorgeous flower arrangements as we celebrate the unofficial start of spring, our real reason for loving the flower show is going across the street to Reading Terminal Market for lunch. This year I decided I wanted a sandwich from DiNic's. I ordered the roast pork with provolone and greens (choice of spinach or broccoli rabe - I chose the rabe):


It was amazing. Simply amazing. The pork was incredibly flavorful, the rabe wasn't bitter and the juices that soaked into the bread made this addictive. My mom wasn't even hungry and she ate a few bites. After eating the sandwich we were in the mood for something sweet but we were both stuffed so we picked up some cupcakes from Flying Monkey to take home.


Top row: peanut butter plaid, bottom row: boozy butter pecan and pumpkin spice:


I tried half the peanut butter and half the butter pecan and while both were good, they weren't something I'd have again, not when there's utterly amazing bread pudding with whiskey sauce to be had at Beck's Cajun Cafe. They'll give you free samples of anything they make - score!

Beef Stroganoff and Warm Spinach Salad

I really love this recipe for Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing:


It has such gorgeous colors, is simple to make and always tastes amazing. I served the salad with a Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff:


... to which I added fresh mushrooms and diced onion.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Alton Brown

1 bag baby spinach
2 large eggs
8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Hard boil the eggs - place eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes then put eggs in a bowl filled with cold water and ice. Allow to cool, then peel and cut into 4 wedges.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Three-Cheese Meatball Sandwiches

SP made sauce on a recent Sunday, but we didn't feel like making homemade meatballs. Our storebrand frozen meatballs actually have ingredients you can pronounce, so I bought a few bags. We ate the leftover sauce and meatballs as sandwiches:


I toasted the hoagie rolls before laying down some shredded Mexican cheese (we had a little to use up), sauce and meatballs. On top of the meatballs I put provolone, American and mozzarella cheeses:


... before baking them to melt the cheese. These tasted exactly like the sandwich I order from our favorite pizza place.

Ham and Egg Sandwich

I've drooled over photos of breakfast sandwiches on The Food Pornographer's website for a long time, but I hadn't thought of making one at home since cooking bacon is usually too time-consuming for me. But then I realized I could use deli ham and my new favorite breakfast was created:


I toast two slices of white bread and then butter them. While the bread is toasting I fry two eggs overeasy and layer deli ham (I prefer Virginia ham for the sweetness) on the toasted, buttered bread. When the eggs are done they're placed on top of the ham, sprinkled with fresh ground pepper and the sandwich is assembled. The pressure of the first bite breaks the yolks and most of the gooey, yolk-y goodness dribbles onto the plate, but I just use the sandwich edges to sop it all up. I think TFP would be proud of this shot:


Messy but so, so good.

Pizza with "The Works"

Our favorite place for takeout pizza does a great version of pizza with "the works," but I've always wanted to try recreating it at home.


On a recent Friday I realized I had all the necessary ingredients on hand (half a green pepper, onions, pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms). SP was a little wary since he gets nervous when I put too many ingredients on a pizza, but it was delicious. Just like the takeout version, only better because I made it at home.

Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

There's something comforting about a cheesy quesadilla. I rarely make them, but every once in awhile I remember how good they are and put them on the menu. This version included lots of slow-cooked caramelized onions and shredded cheese.


I made guacamole and served the quesadillas with sour cream and salsa.

Creamy Tomato Chicken

I printed Mary Ellen's recipe for Creamy Tomato Chicken awhile ago, but finally got around to making it recently.


I made a few modifications (see recipe below) because I wanted to serve this as a sauce for spaghetti. It was absolutely delicious. I couldn't believe how flavorful it was based on the ingredient list. There's nothing in there that struck me as packing a powerful flavor punch, but everything came together perfectly. I can't wait to make this again.

Creamy Tomato Chicken
Modified from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

2 tablespoons butter
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic
2 oz cream cheese
1 cup light or heavy cream
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons capers
1 lb spaghetti, cooked according to package directions and drained

Melt butter in a pan; add chicken and cook until just done; move chicken to a plate (keep drippings in the pan). Add flour to the pan and stir until pasty. Add chicken broth, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic, simmer 1 minunte. Add cream cheese, cream, tomatoes with juice and oregano. Cook over medium-high heat until thick and bubbly, stirring almost constantly. Add the chicken back to the pan, then add the capers and parmesan cheese. Toss spaghetti with the pasta and more cheese, if desired.