Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

We decided to have a relatively light, vegetarian meal tonight so we could indulge a little, after the boy goes to bed. We really don't like to leave the house on New Year's Eve, given all the amateur drunks and crazy people out and about. Also, given the high concentration of weirdos in our area that think it's really fun to expel random gun fire on this particular occasion, I really like to keep my dogs in the house. So we stay home. We like to celebrate quietly with a little something special. Tonight that something special is Trader Joe's Brie Fondue, Wilson Creek Almond Champagne (my favorite), and a competitive game of chance between the husband and I( that means either cards or a board game). I know, I know...we're wild.

So, our light vegetarian meal comes from one of my new favorite cookbooks, Giada's Kitchen. I am tickled pink that I got my very own copy for Christmas, and I hope to be trying a lot more recipes from it. This dish looks really yummy, and I am interested to try a meatless stuffed pepper. Traditionally, I have always had stuffed peppers with ground beef, so a vegetarian version will be a first for me. I am sure it will be good, because I have total faith in Giada!

Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
2 zucchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.



The Result:
This was freakin' delicious! It was the perfect light dinner. Not too filling and really flavorful. Plus, it was fairly healthy...which I love, because of the booze and cheesefest coming up later this evening!

I did have to make one small deviation from the recipe. The peppers I had were really long and skinny, so I had to modify the shape. Instead of cutting off the top, stuffing it, and standing it up, I just cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Instead of 4 standing peppers, I had 8 stuffed halves. Everything still came out perfectly done.
Surprisingly, my son ate a whole, half of a pepper by himself. I guess this dish gets the toddler seal of approval, as well. I am excited that I have three halves leftover for lunch tomorrow. Hooray! Also, I have filling leftover that I have already frozen to make this dish again. I think next time I make it, I am going to put either prosciutto over the top or some browned Italian sausage into the mix. I think if this was a normal night, where we were not having cocktails and an appetizer, I would want these peppers to be a little more substantial. Although, the vegetarian version was great...it was not very filling as a main dish. That brings me to my next thought...for a side item, this would be really yummy, too. I totally recommend this recipe; Giada did not disappoint.

White Bean, Carrot, and Roasted Garlic Soup

Okay, so I did end up changing my whole blog template. I found a bunch of cute backgrounds, so I may be switching it up from time to time...now that I know there are adorable choices out there! Moving on...

This recipe has been marked to try for about 4 weeks now. I kept pushing it back, since I kept forgetting to soak my dried white beans. Well, I looked at the package last night and realized that the dried white beans expired on 12/04/08! Yikes!!! I need to use those beans! I don't think it will make much difference that they are a little past their expiration date, but I don't want to hang on to them for much longer either. Even though I wanted to use the beans today, I still forgot to soak them. It suddenly occurred to me at about 11:30pm last night. I actually got up from bed and put the beans on to soak. I checked them this morning and they are finally usable. Whew!
This is my first vegetarian offering for this week, and I am excited to try it out. Here is a tangent: I did a short calculation last night and realized that by supplementing three vegetarian meals per week, I am conservatively saving about $6 per week in food costs. I calculated the cost of protein items (i.e. meat) vs. the cost of vegetarian ingredients, and estimated it was about a $2 per meal savings. That means over a whole year I will save an extra $312 per year. I will be rich! Okay...not really...but I thought that that was an interesting way to save money.

This recipe is the from Pasta & Co. Encore cookbook. I really like that there are a bunch of healthy choices in this cookbook that still sound tasty. The only downside so far is that I can't find the recipe online, so I need to type the whole thing out. Ugh. I hate typing full recipes...cutting and pasting is much, much easier. I did adapt the recipe to suit my needs, but it is pretty much the same...just rewritten a little. Oh well, I will let you know how it turns out.

White Bean, Carrot, and Roasted Garlic Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of dried white beans
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
2 to 4 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves pressed or minced garlic
2 1/4 cups of peeled, chopped carrots
2 average-sized heads of roasted garlic
3 cups of vegetable stock or chicken stock (use more if needed)
1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce
water to cover carrots

Directions:
Soak and cook beans with rosemary according to package directions. Add salt when beans are almost tender (toward end of cooking; NOT during the beginning). Continue cooking until very tender. Drain beans and reserve. Roast garlic and set aside (See Jen's Notes).

Place olive oil and onions in a separate pot, over medium-low heat. Cover to sweat and become golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add 2 cloves of pressed/minced garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes (do not burn). Add carrots and just enough water to cover. Cover with lid and boil just until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. While carrots are cooking squeeze roasted garlic out and reserve separately.

Take the carrot mixture and their cooking liquid, half of the cooked beans, and the roasted garlic meat, and place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree Until smooth. Return to the pot.
ALTERNATE METHOD: Add half the beans and garlic meat to the the carrot pot and puree smooth by using an immersion blender.

Stir in stock,other half of beans, salt and pepper to taste, and Tabasco to taste. If the soup is too thick, add additional stock or water and adjust seasoning if needed.

Jen's Notes:
To roast garlic:
1) Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2) Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.
3) Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
4) Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.



The Result:
This was good...but it was missing something. I think acid, because it was almost too creamy in flavor. The texture of the soup itself was satisfying (i.e. not overly creamy), but the flavor was very one-note. I am not even sure how to accurately describe it. The flavor kinda coated the tongue with creaminess??? It just needs to be more savory. I guess that is a good analogy. I garnished it with Parmesan, but that really did not help much either. Then, I added a little champagne vinegar to see if that would do the trick. It helped some, but it wasn't exactly what was needed. Overall, this is a good, filling soup...I just need to play around with the flavors. Maybe cayenne pepper, instead of Tabasco and some white wine right before the carrots are added. I am not sure. I have some leftover, so I will play around with it tomorrow for lunch. If it does not improve tomorrow, I don't think I will make this soup again.

Green Beans with Bread Crumbs

Here is the green bean dish. I found this through a quick allrecipes.com search, as well. Nothing really too exciting, just a different take on green beans that I have not tried. I will let you know how it turns out!

Green Beans with Bread Crumbs

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Combine green beans and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot. Cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, and let beans cook for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
2. Place beans in a medium serving bowl, and mix in bread crumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil. Toss mixture until the beans are coated. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.



The Result:
I am just going to review both recipes here. Both the fish and green beans were really good and pretty easy. I left the fish in for a minute too long, therefore I got some black spots on the crust. It tasted fine, but it is not the most eye-appealing feature of this dish. Other than my mistake, the fish was perfectly cooked, and the crust was yummy. The husband really liked it, and he is fairly picky about fish recipes. Overall, I will make this dish again...it was really good.
The green beans were awesome! So easy and delicious. This is a definite keeper! It added a little extra zing to boring ol' green beans. I really, really liked this application.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Do you like my new background???? It's fancy, isn't it???? I was getting bored with the look of my old background, but I did not want to make a huge, drastic change. I still wanted it to look like my blog...just a little better. Anyway, I settled on a new background and kept the same template. I think it works nicely...kinda girly, but not too girly. If you can't tell, I am ridiculously pleased with myself.

Okay...on to dinner. I have some tilapia fillets to use, so I decided to do a new, but simple, twist on a a basic broiled fish. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and the reviews are really good. All that have tried it say that it is delicious, easy, and fast. My kind of dish, for sure!!! I think I will serve this with a baked potato and some green beans. I also found a new and easy green bean dish, so I think I will try that too. Both recipes look really yummy!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon
juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com

Jen's Spicy Turkey Chili

I think ground turkey gets a bum rap sometimes. I really think it is an under-utilized protein choice. It is healthy, it has a great texture and mouth-feel, and it is basically a blank canvas. Some people complain that it is bland, but I say pish-posh...that's the beauty of ground turkey! Sure, on it's own it is fairly benign in flavor; but it picks up other flavors and spices wonderfully. You can turn it into almost anything. I love to substitute ground turkey for ground beef... especially in soups, stews, and sauces. AND did I mention it is good for you???? Well, it is worth mentioning again. Another common complaint that I have heard is that it can be pricey. That is true. It is hard for me to fork out $8 for one pound of ground turkey. I usually only buy it on sale. Although, I noticed today at Safeway that their generic store-brand of ground turkey was a little less than half the price of the name-brand stuff in the green and white packaging. I really, really LOVE Safeway...but that is a story for another post.

Okay...so on to tonight's dinner. I have been fighting off the end of my cold for over two weeks now. Just when it seems like it is gone, I get another little run of stuffy head, cough, and scratchy throat. Honestly, this little sickness has been quite pesky. Ugh. Anyway, I always crave spicy food when I am sick. I love clearing out my sinus passages with hot and spicy flavors. It seems a little strange, I know...but hey, that is what I like when I am under the weather. Also, it makes me just a little light-headed and it feels kinda good. I enjoy a little light-headedness from time to time.
I had this meal slotted for last night, but we had the cat fiasco to deal with and it got pushed back. I am happy that we decided to make it tonight, because it totally hit the spot. Since we already ate and it is not a new dish for us, I am not going to do a formal review. I will just say that it turned out perfect. I made some corn bread for the side dish, and called it a done deal. Don't get excited...the corn bread was out of a box so it was nothing too special, but it paired well with the chili. It was exactly what I was in the mood to eat tonight. Yum! The ingredients list seems long, but really that is because this is one of those dishes that I just add in whatever I have in hand at the time. This dish is pretty flexible, so it can be easily changed to suit your tastes or whatever you have on hand. Think of the recipe like a basic blueprint. You can adjust it as you go. If I am missing an ingredient or two then I just leave them out. (Tonight I did not have any celery, white beans, or red wine...I just used white wine instead of red, omitted the celery, and doubled the amount of kidney beans.) It still turns out delicious!

Jen's Spicy Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
1 package of ground Turkey (approx. 1.25 lbs)
1 can of kidney beans (15 oz can), rinsed and drained
1 can of white or northern beans (15 oz can), rinsed and drained 1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz can)
1 can of tomato paste (1 small can or ½ of large can)
1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use 1 pepper for less spicy; 2-3 for more spicy)
1 package of chili seasoning mix (use mild for less spicy; hot for more spicy)
1 large yellow onion
3 celery stalks
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
½ cup of red wine
1-2 cups of low sodium beef broth (add more if needed)
1-2 cups of water (add more if needed)
Cooking Spray
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
OPTIONAL-1 cup of pureed vegetables (choose from carrots, sweet potato, cauliflower, butternut squash)

Shredded cheese to taste for topping
Low Fat Sour Cream or Plain Low Fat Yogurt to taste for topping

Directions:
1)Spray large sauté pan or enamel pot with cooking spray and add olive oil on high heat
2)Sauté onion, minced garlic, celery, and chipotle peppers in pan. Sauté until onions & celery are soft and onions are translucent (do not let garlic burn)
3)Add ground turkey to brown, and add salt and pepper to taste
4) Add all spices, package of chili seasoning, red wine, beef broth and let simmer for 3 minutes. Stir to combine.
5)Add can of diced tomato with juice, pureed vegetables (optional), and add both kidney and white/northern beans. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir to combine.
6)Add water and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
7)Let chili simmer on high for 45 minutes to 1 hour, let reduce to desired thickness.
8)Serve in bowls topped with sprinkle of shredded cheese and dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt

Jen’s Notes:
If additional flavor is needed add one or more of the following:

Coriander
Ground mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Red wine vinegar

Dinner Out

It seems I have been a little remiss with my posting lately. In my defense, I am still struggling with putting Christmas behind me, and we had a pet emergency to deal with yesterday. My poor cat had gotten a really bad infection,and had be hospitalized overnight. We have been traveling back and forth to our Veterinarian for the past two days, which is a pretty long journey (we kept our old Vet, located by my old house...45 minutes away). Luckily, the cat is at home now and on his way to recovery, but the whole ordeal threw quite the monkey-wrench in my weekend plans. Oh well...I am just glad my cat is going to be okay.

So, really there is nothing exciting to report, cooking-wise. We did take-out pizza last night, due to the cat situation. It is unusual for us to eat take-out thrice (is thrice really a word???...I mean three times, just in case it isn't) in one month, but we did in December. By the time we got home I was not in the mood for cooking at all. Ugh.

I need to get organized for the upcoming week, and do my meal plan, grocery list, and pay some bills (ew). It seems that everything goes on the back-burner during the week of Christmas (yes, I am still annoyed that my house is still a disaster), and it is difficult for me to dig my way out of it and get caught-up. Hopefully, I can get some basic things done today that will get me ahead of the game for next week. I am not sure what the dinner plan is for tonight yet, but I will figure it out and post it later.

Jen's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am still decompressing from all the Christmas craziness. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Christmas...but afterward, I feel like I have a huge holiday hangover. I think it is because the excitement and anticipation build for a whole month, starting up right after Thanksgiving and going all the way through to Christmas day. Then, I wake up on the morning of December 26th and...WHAM!...buzz kill.

Seriously, it feels like all I have been doing is cleaning up for the past two days. Ugh. I am amazed at how fast my house slides into total chaos after just one holiday. Why is that??? Is it the extra garbage that is generated???? Is it because of all the presents that we have to find space to fit???? It it the extra food, cooking, and dishes that need to be done constantly???? I have cards, boxes, and opened gifts scattered throughout the house. While I am glad to give and receive gifts, I hate the mess! I consider myself a somewhat clean and organized person, so the extra clutter is driving me nuts. Every room I go in, I find stuff that needs to be picked up, put away, or thrown away. While as fun as I consider the holidays to be, I am glad that this season is coming to an end. I am looking forward to getting my decorations down, getting the house back in order, and returning back to my normal routine.

As you can tell, I am in no mood for elaborate cooking. We had an easy, low-key dinner of my Chicken Tortilla Soup last night, and I think it will be more of the same for the rest of the week. I think I may choose my upcoming dinner menu based on the least amount of dishes it produces (i.e. one pot meals). Also, I shutter to think what my daily caloric intake has been lately. I am not going to go into all the gory details, but I will say that I think I am going to need an intervention to get off the Egg Nog, French-Vanilla Kahlua, & Milk drinks that I have been having EVERY night with the husband, after the boy goes to bed. Nothing says "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" like a new alcohol addiction!

Hmmm...maybe I can get some reading done once my family decides to ship me off to the Betty Ford Clinic...

Anyway, here is the recipe link for my soup.

Jen's Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a standard recipe in my repertoire, and it is always yummy and comforting.

Merry Christmas!

We still have enough food leftover to feed an army, so it is leftovers for us tonight! I love being able to relax and watch my over-stimulated, sleep-deprived, toy-crazed, toddler tear up his playroom. At least he is entertaining himself!

We had a really great day, and I am looking forward to a quiet evening with the husband. I hope everyone had a great holiday, as well.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

Panettone Bread Pudding

What is a holiday meal without a Barefoot Contessa recipe???? I don't think you can actually consider it a holiday! This is my one "new" recipe that I am experimenting with this evening. I saw it demonstrated on Ina's show, and then found a Panettone at Trader Joe's. How fortuitous! Panettone is not easy to find in Arizona; I only see them around Christmastime. Obviously, I was meant to try this dish!!!
Panettone is an Italian eggy, cake-like, sweet bread that is usually studded with dried, candied fruit...but it is not a fruit cake! I think the one I have has raisins and candied orange peel in it. I think it originated in Norther Italy, and is a very traditional treat this time of year. It is light and flavorful and it makes great French Toast, too. I am looking forward to trying this new application.

Panettone Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
1 Italian panettone, about 1.2 pounds
Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
3 extra-large whole eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim the dark brown outer crust from the panettone. Cut the rest of the loaf in 1-inch cubes and place on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast the panettone for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
Grease a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish with the butter. Place the panettone cubes in the baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, vanilla and almond extracts and sugar. Pour this custard mixture over the panettone. Set aside for 10 minutes so the bread soaks up the custard. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top of the pudding.
Place the baking dish into a larger pan and add very hot tap water to the larger pan until it's halfway up the side of the baking dish. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake the pudding for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes, until the custard is set and the top of the pudding is light golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Garlic and Tomato-Rubbed Grilled Bread

This is an easy and delicious twist on basic bread. It is more like a method than a recipe...not much "cooking" involved. I usually give this job to the hubby, since it needs to be done right before the meal is served for the best results. I can attend to other things, while he finishes the bread.

Garlic and Tomato Rubbed Grilled Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf of French Bread, sliced
1 fresh tomato, halved
1-2 cloves of whole garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
On an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan, toast bread slices until warm. Flip once and make sure to get grill marks on both sides. Pull hot bread off the grill and immediately drizzle olive oil over one side of the slices. Working quickly, rub a garlic clove evenly over the surface of each slice (garlic clove will actually melt into the warm bread as you go...you may need a second clove depending on how quickly it melts and how much bread you have). After each slice has been rubbed with the garlic, repeat rubbing bread with cut side of the tomato (again, you may need to use both halves). To finish, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

PW's Fresh Green Beans with Bacon and Roasted Red Peppers

Here is the green bean recipe. Can you tell I am getting tired of typing???

I do a variation on this Pioneer Woman dish, but I included my changes in "Jen's Notes" below. I heart green beans with bacon!!!

PW's Fresh Green Beans with Bacon and Roasted Red Peppers

Ingredients:
1 lb green beans
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons bacon grease (can substitute 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (can substitute regular table salt; use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
Ground black pepper

Directions:
Snap the stem ends of green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you’d like. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.

Jen's Notes:
I am making 2 lbs. of green beans, so I am going to double this recipe. Also, I don't just have bacon grease lying around. My variation will include cooking some bacon to render out the fat until crispy. Then, I will pull the bacon out, chop it up, and set it aside. I will add more oil/butter to the pan and then follow the recipe as indicated. When finished, I will garnish my beans with the chopped bacon pieces right before serving. Hopefully, each bite will have a little chunk of crispy bacon. Yum!

Parmesan Potato Pancake

Okay, so I admit I am borrowing all of my recipes for tonight. In my defense these recipes are proven to be awesome. Why reinvent the wheel????? This is another Giada dish, that I have made before with great success. It is really delicious and a bit unexpected...a twist on classic flavors. The husband always has to help me "flip" this pancake, because I am pretty klutzy and I know I would drop it or something. This is definitely more interesting than a normal potato side dish.

Parmesan Potato Pancake

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch diameter) nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about another 2 minutes. Season the onion
mixture with salt and pepper. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside. Reserve the pan.
Meanwhile, grate the potatoes in a food processor using the grating attachment blade. Use a kitchen towel to help squeeze out the water from the grated potatoes. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add the Parmesan and the basil. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
Warm the remaining olive oil over high heat in the same pan that was used to cook the onions. When the pan is hot, but not smoking add the potato mixture. Use a spatula to press the mixture down into the pan firmly and evenly. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the potato mixture until the bottom is golden brown and the pancake can move in the pan, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low if the pancake is browning too fast in places. Place a large plate on top of the pancake and flip the pancake out of the pan. Turn the heat on the pan back up to high. When the pan is hot slide the pancake back into the pan and cook until the bottom is golden and is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Slide the pancake onto a serving platter, slice, and serve.

Braciole

Ahhhh...Braciole. One of my all time favorites! I mean what is not to love???? Rolled meat stuffed with cheese and bread crumbs, simmered in a wine-based marinara sauce until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender. It includes all my favorite things...beef, cheese, wine, garlic, tomato sauce....raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, warm woolen mittens...

This is an old Giada recipe that I have adopted as my favorite. It is truly the best and easiest Braciole recipe that I have tried. People seem to make Braciole more complicated than need be, with really long cook times and special techniques. This recipe captures the essence of what Braciole should be...without a lot of complicated prep work. It is a straight-forward braise that turns out perfect every time, with rave reviews.


Braciole

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/3 cup grated provolone
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
1 cup dry white wine
3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce (recipe follows), or store-bought marinara sauce


Directions:
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.


Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Directions:
In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Jen's Christmas Eve Italian Foodfest

I am not sure how it started, but every Christmas Eve we have Italian food. I have sometimes carried over the tradition to Christmas Day dinner, but usually it is always just Christmas Eve. My mom always said she was sick of "holiday" type food by the time that Christmas Eve rolled around, so she started serving lasagna for that night's meal. Also, December 24th was my dad's birthday, and he loved Italian food. Maybe that was his birthday dinner request???...I am not sure. Anyway, I grew up associating Italian food with Christmas Eve. Since I am a sucker for tradition, I have carried out that notion with my own family. Since it is still a huge holiday meal, I have dubbed it Jen's Christmas Eve Italian Foodfest.

Tonight, we are having my husband's side of the family over for dinner. Since my husband's family comes from good Mid-Western stock, I am not going to try anything outrageous on them. Their tastes are pretty straight-forward, and they don't really appreciate 'exotic cuisine' very much. (So, just to be clear...Mediterranean Squid Salad will not be featured on tonight's menu.) I am going to stick to tried-and-true recipes that I know will work. Also, I have a couple things that need to be in the oven at the same time, so I selected recipes with the same oven temps. I try to make it as easy as possible on myself.

Without further ado, here is my menu plan. I will post each recipe separately. The only "new" dish I am trying out is the dessert. I will let you know how my dinner goes tomorrow (I will probably comment on the results by editing this post, with the attached pics).

Jen's Christmas Eve Italian Foodfest

Braciole
Parmesan Potato Pancake
Fresh Green Beans with Bacon and Roasted Red Peppers
Garlic and Tomato Rubbed Grilled Bread
Panettone Bread Pudding


Wish me luck!!!!



The Results:
This meal was a lot of work...but totally worth it! Oh man, it was fan-freakin'-tastic!!! Everything turned out perfect, so I am a happy girl.

Merry Christmas!

Claire's Chicken and Yellow Rice

I have present wrapping and house cleaning on the agenda for this afternoon/evening, so I need a quick and easy dinner for tonight. For some reason, I could not think of anything to make...I think my brain is on Christmas overload. We have family coming over tomorrow night for my annual Christmas Eve Italian Foodfest, and I have been focusing on my menu plan for that big, pants-splitting,garlic-studded,marinara sauce-laden, holiday meal. I decided to peruse my friend Claire's blog, and I came across this easy dinner idea. I just happened to have a package of the yellow rice mix in my pantry, so I thought I would give it a whirl. It sounds really simple and yummy....best of all easy and quick. I think I will serve this dish with some glazed carrots and call it a done deal. This is one of Claire's favorite easy dinners, so I am excited to try it out!


Claire's Chicken and Yellow Rice

Ingredients:
1 package saffron rice mix
1 or 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
Creole seasoning to taste (optional)

Directions:
Cook rice mix according to package directions. Mix in chicken and black beans. Add seasoning,salt and pepper, if desired.


Jen's Notes:
I think I have 3 small chicken breasts to use up. Also, I think I will use my standard 'broiler' method to cook my birds. I typically use salt, pepper, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little paprika on my chicken and then cook them under a high broiler for about 7-9 minutes (depending on how big/thick your chicken breasts are). Then, I will just cube up the meat and add it to my rice mixture. Yum.



The Result:
Oh man! This totally hit the spot! This was really, really good. Quick, easy, cheap, and delicious! I really loved it. This is a definite keeper. It actually reminds me of a dish that I used to get at a restaurant when I was a kid, but I haven't had since. I think it was the yellow saffron rice mix. Anyway, we will be having this again soon, I am sure. Thanks Claire...you always come up with good stuff!!!

Leftovers

We are going to look at Christmas lights tonight with some of my MOMS Club friends, so I need an easy dinner that will not destroy the kitchen again. We have plenty of burgers, and leftover green beans from the previous night(s), so I think leftovers are appropriate. I can just reheat and serve! Not very exciting...but certainly easy and fast.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce

I finally found an interesting vegetarian cookbook! As part of my "eat vegetarian three times a week" goal, I have been on the lookout for great vegetarian cookbook. Many that I have tried have been boring and disappointing, with lackluster recipes that just seem like a bunch of veggie side dishes. Nothing seemed to really scream "special" or have recipes that begged to be the "star" of the meal. In fact, there were a few cookbooks that were so boring I just returned them to the library without even marking one recipe to try out. That is really bad when I can't even find one recipe that looked interesting enough to make as an experiment(really, we will try almost anything once). Alas, my search continued...

Then, I found The Bold Vegetarian Chef by Ken Charney. I just happened upon it at the library,and loved it immediately. It was exactly what I have been looking for! Now, I have dozens of recipes marked for testing! His whole food philosophy (as you may guess from the book's title) is bold flavors and with lots of spices, etc., but easy and familiar enough not to be strange. Exotic, but not too exotic...not weird, but not boring either. I would call it "doable exotic". Hooray! I LOVE bold flavors! I am very excited to try some of his recipes, and I hope they live up to my expectations. This is the first one that I am trying from his cookbook, so wish me luck!


Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and grated finely
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 ounce dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft, stemmed, caps coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup peeled and mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (preferably vegetarian)
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 cups dried bread crumbs
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

Directions:
1)In a large skillet, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft and nicely browned, 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, black beans, and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened and fragrant.
2)Remove from heat. With a potato masher or large fork, mash until the beans are about half crushed. Stir in tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper.
3)Place bean mixture in a large bowl. Add the sweet potato, quinoa, caraway seeds, and cilantro. Mix thoroughly. Season with hot sauce and/or Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Gradually add enough bread crumbs to produce a mixture firm enough to hold together. Let cool.
4)Form bean mixture into 8 burgers about inches in diameter. Spread cornmeal out on a clean plate.
5)One at a time, dredge the burgers in the cornmeal, using your hands to carefully coat both sides. Place on another plate or clean surface. Finish all 8 burgers and set aside. Use extra cornmeal, if needed, to coat all the burgers.
6)In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add or 4 burgers and fry, turning once with two spatulas to prevent 'splashing' oil. Cook until crispy and brown on the outside, heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove burgers to drain on paper towels, and add remaining oil. When oil is hot again, cook the remaining burgers, and drain. Serve with Yellow Pepper Sauce.

Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:
2 yellow bell peppers
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 to 1 fresh hot pepper (jalapeno, Serrano or habanero) minced
1/2 banana
1/4 to 1/2 cup of dry white wine or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 splashes of white wine or cider vinegar

Directions:
1) Roast yellow peppers, peel and cut into strips.
2) In a small skillet or sauce pan, cook the onion in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until soft and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.
3) In a food processor, combine the roasted bell peppers, cooked onion, hot pepper, banana, and remaining oil. Blend briefly. With the machine on, gradually add wine mixing until smooth and creamy.
4) Strain the sauce through a food mill or fine mesh strainer and scrape into a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly. The sauce should be a bit thick, but not heavy. Season with salt, pepper, vinegar to taste.




The Result:
Oh man! This was awesome!!! Okay....it was labor-intensive, but well worth it. Also, I acknowledge the fact that most households do not stock 'quinoa' in their pantry (or some of the other specialty ingredients/equipment in this recipe), but I do...I actually had everything on hand for this dish...even the food mill (I know, I know...I am a food nerd...don't remind me). This recipe was fan-freakin'-tastic! It was exactly as promised, bold and flavorful. The yellow pepper sauce was so,so good. It was the perfect condiment to these burgers.
The yellow pepper sauce was awesome...although, I had a little jalapeno pepper incident when I was making the sauce. I put my knife down on the cutting board when I finished mincing the hot pepper (a little too haphazardly), and a piece of jalapeno flew up into my eye. Literally, a little chunk got lodged under my eyelid. It burned. It burned so bad, it felt like someone sprayed me with pepper spray at point-blank range. My eye was blood red. It hurt! I flushed it with water and the chunk came out. For the next 20 minutes or so, my eye just teared and burned. No fun! After 20 minutes, it was fine...it stopped hurting and the color returned back to normal. Ugh. I am happy that my eye is okay now, I really did not want to sport an eye patch for the rest of my life.

Anyway, this dish took a while to make but it was satisfying and substantial. One burger was plenty of food. In fact, I had the other half of the yellow sweet potato that I served on the side, that I could not finish because the burger was so filling.
This is an awesome vegetarian recipe to keep for when you really feel like "cooking". I think I used almost every bowl I had and almost every piece of kitchen equipment I own. So far, I have done two loads of dishes and it still looks like someone threw a hand grenade in my kitchen. I am happy to have leftover burgers, so I don't have to actually make them again anytime soon. I may even try freezing a couple. Overall, I am really happy with this recipe and I will make it again sometime. These burgers could easily become addictive!

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

This is one of my favorite stuffed pork chop recipes, from one of my favorite chef's, Giada de Laurentiis. It is so flavorful and savory...I heart it very much! I only make it once in awhile, but when I do, I consider it quite a treat. We actually had this for last night's dinner, so I will skip the fluff, and just get down to the nitty-gritty of the recipe. Needless to say, we all loved it and there are no leftovers for today.

I have to make a few adjustments based on our families preferences. The husband is not a huge fan of goat cheese (it is a little too tangy for him), but he will eat it in small quantities. I think this recipe calls for 2 ounces (or 1/4 cup) of goat cheese, but I actually cut it down to 1 ounce (or 1/8 of a cup) and find that it is the perfect amount. I usually make up the difference in quantity by adding more cream cheese. Also, the husband likes the flavor, but not the texture, of sun-dried tomatoes. I actually agree with him on this one. Sometimes large pieces of sun-dried tomatoes are a little too chewy for me, as well. I fixed this little issue by chopping the sun-dried tomatoes really finely before adding them to the filling. Problems solved! The texture is no longer a point of contention, and the sun-dried tomato flavor still shines through the dish.
I always end up with more filling than I need for the stuffing, so I actually top the chops with the remaining filling (I remove the chops from the pan, and put the filling on top right before covering them with foil); the filling gets all melty and warm through from the carry-over steam. It is so good!!!

I think this is another dish where the quick pan sauce really makes it yummy. So, don't skip the sauce step. Trust me.

I served this meal with Creamy Parmesan Orzo and steamed green beans. It was fan-freakin'-tastic!


Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese ***(I only use 1 ounce)***
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions:
Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.
Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.
Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. ***(Here is where I put the extra filling on top of the chop, before tenting with foil).***

Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

Jen's Broccoli Cheese Chicken Bake

This was such a hit with our friends Pete and Michelle, I thought I would make it again for my friend Danielle. Danielle just had her second child, and I volunteered to bring her family dinner tonight, through my MOMS Club meal support program. I love this dish since it an all-in-one, well-balanced meal. The best part is that it is really easy. I will just make a double-batch to get two meals (one for us and one for Danielle's family) with the same amount of effort as it would take for me to cook just one. Hooray! I love easy, yummy dinners that pull double duty!


Jen's Broccoli Cheese Chicken Bake


I hope that Danielle and her family will like this dish as much as I do!

Dinner Out

I did not feel like cooking tonight, so the husband went to the local pizza shack and got some take out. Nothing really exciting or noteworthy to report, other than I did not have to cook!

PW's Pasta and Eggplant: A Variation

With all the heavy cookie eating that has been going on around here, I decided to make a light, vegetarian dish tonight. I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman website awhile back, but I had not see any decent quality eggplant at the store since she posted this dish back in November. Every time I would go and look for eggplant I would find small, squishy, scarred, sorry looking eggplant. Ick. So I waited it out and I finally found some good-looking specimens. Hooray for me! I also have a few small portobellos saved from the other night, so I will incorporate those in this dish, as well. Since I do not have any basil and I am putting mushrooms in this dish, I am calling it a variation of PW's original recipe. Also, I am not certain what shape pasta I have on hand for this meal. Hopefully, it will still come together. I will let you know how it turns out!

PW's Pasta and Eggplant: A Variation

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium eggplants (the original recipe has 3 eggplant)
4 sliced, small Portobello mushrooms (optional, not in the original recipe)
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
Fresh basil
1 1-lb package fusilli
salt & pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Slice eggplant into round slices. Sprinkle one side with salt and allow to stand or 15-20 minutes. Turn over and repeat for another 15-20 minutes. Rinse eggplant and pat dry.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic until starting to turn color, about 5 minutes.
Add eggplant and mushrooms, stirring gently. Cook for 8 minutes, or until somewhat tender and starting to brown.
Dump in canned tomatoes and reduce heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper and simmer until eggplant is tender. Toss in cooked pasta and chopped basil. Stir in 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Garnish with shaved Parmesan.

Jen's Notes:
(Actually this is a PW cool tip): If the sauce seems overly thick, just grab some of the boiling pasta water with a ladle and add it in until it gets to the consistency you want.



The Result:
This was very yummy. I really liked this dish. We made whole wheat rotini (fusilli) pasta and the husband went to the store and got me some fresh basil. I am glad I did not skip the basil, since it really does add an extra dimension of flavor to this dish. Also, the mushrooms were a great addition. They were the perfect texture to compliment the eggplant. Yum. Overall, this is a total keeper! It was easy and fantastically delicious. I will definitely keep this in my vegetarian repertoire.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is now my favorite thing to do with ground beef. I have a busy day scheduled between my mom visiting and some MOMS Club stuff. This is an easy, comforting, dinner that is always a favorite at my house. I don't think I will be very adventurous tonight...so I am not making any changes. Besides, why goof up a classic??? I think I will serve this with my standard side of green beans and call it a meal. Yum! I always look forward to this dish!!!


Tater Tot Casserole


I heart Tots!!!!

Mom's Christmas Cookies

I started feeling better yesterday, so my mom and I decided to do our annual Christmas Cookie Bonanza. We ended up making 6 different kinds of cookies all on Monday afternoon...which was a personal cookie making record for me. These are my favorite cookie varieties that we do every year. Quite a few of them are drenched in powdered sugar...I think that Christmas is really the only time that you can consume mass amounts of sweets drenched in powdered sugar without feeling much guilt. It is the most wonderful time of the year!

Mom’s Christmas Cookies

Nut Cups

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 small (4 ounce) package of cream cheese
1 cup of AP flour
¼ cup of margarine (not butter)

Filling:
1 cup of ground nuts (pecans)
1 egg beaten
¾ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Dough:
Mix all ingredients together, wrap in foil, then chill overnight or freeze. Make into 24 balls and line small muffin tins with dough.

Filling:
Distribute filling to 24 lined cups until all is used. Bake 20 minutes @ 350 degrees. Reduce oven to 250 degrees and cook an additional 10 minutes (total cook time will be ½ hour). Cool and sprinkle tops with powdered sugar.


Fudge Scotch Squares

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:
Mix well and press into well greased 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool for 45 minutes, then cut into 1 ½ inch squares.


Aunt Marilyn’s Crescents

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter or margarine
¾ cup of powdered sugar
2 ½ cups of AP flour
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup ground nuts (pecans or almonds)

Directions:
Knead to smooth dough and shape about 1 teaspoon of dough at a time into small crescent shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven until slightly brown; about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool 1 minute. While still warm roll cookies in powdered sugar.


Lemon Squares

Ingredients:
1 cup of melted butter
2 cups plus 4 Tablespoons of AP flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 eggs
2 cups white granulated sugar

Directions:
Combine melted butter with 2 cups flour and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Pat into a buttered 9 x 13 pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While crust is baking, beat 4 eggs well, then add 2 cups granulated sugar, baking powder, remaining 4 Tablespoons of flour, and lemon juice. Mix well and pour over baked crust. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar lightly.


Toffee Squares

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 7/8 cups AP flour
10 oz. milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 cup chopped pecans or almonds


Directions:
In mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until light-colored and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla; gradually beat in flour until smooth and blended. (Dough will be thick.) Spread evenly on ungreased 16 x 14 x 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and puffy. Remove from oven. Pour melted chocolate over crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Cool; Cut into squares. Yield 40 squares.


Cherry-Pistachio Italian Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour (about 6 ounces)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 teaspoons ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup finely chopped salted dry-roasted pistachios
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. With food processor on, add butter through food chute a few pieces at a time; process 1 minute or until mixture is the texture of sand.
3. Combine 3 teaspoons ice water and vanilla in a small bowl. With food processor on, slowly add ice water mixture through food chute; process 1 minute or until very well combined. (Mixture will remain crumbly.) Add cherries and pistachios; pulse 10 times or just until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Gently press mixture into a level tablespoon; pack lightly with the heel of your hand. Turn out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining dough to form 32 cookies.
4. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or just until bottoms are golden. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes on baking sheet.
5. Place remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add cooled cookies; toss gently to coat with powdered sugar. Transfer cookies to wax paper to cool completely.

Jen's Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi with Broccoli

I still feel about like the texture of dirt. This is an easy dinner that comes together fast.

Jen's Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi with Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 package of dried gnocchi (I find mine at Trader Joe's)
2 cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 package of frozen broccoli, steamed cooked
1 bottle or package of pesto
additional olive oil to taste
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:
Cook gnocchi according to package directions, drain and place in large bowl. Add cooked, cubed chicken to gnocchi. Add steamed broccoli to bowl. Add whole container of pesto to bowl and toss with additional olive oil, salt and pepper. Once all ingredients are well coated, spoon servings onto plates or bowls and sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.



The Result:
I always forget about this dinner, but I really, really love it. It is so easy and fast, and always delicious. I need to remember to keep this dinner in the current rotation.

Pasta & Co. Tomato Cheddar Soup

We still are not feeling all that great. I threw together this easy soup last night for dinner. Here is the link...that is about all the typing I am in the mood for today.

Pasta & Co. Tomato Cheddar Soup

Ugh.

Portobello Parmesan

The husband and I are sick with flu-like symptoms, but unfortunately we still need to eat dinner. The boy has been at Grandma and Papaw's Party Palace all day, but was just delivered home a few minutes ago. I was hoping they would keep him over night, but no such luck. Then, I could have skipped dinner all together and remained guilt-free about it. I would've just had scrambled eggs or cereal and went back to my couch. Sigh. With a kid in the house I forced to come up with some sort of meal for tonight. Luckily, I am the least sick out of the two of us (apparently my flu shot did some good) and this is an easy dinner. It really should not be that bad...besides this is one of my favorites. I don't know why, but it sounds really homey and good and tomato-y...kind of a weird comfort food, I know. The husband's stomach has been all wonky, so he may just sleep through dinner anyway. I noticed that since I started my blog, I have not made this dish. That makes me sad that it has been sooooo long ago. I am really looking forward to having it again, and I think it will hit the spot. I don't have the energy to make any side items, so I guess this is it for us tonight.

Portobello Parmesan

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the grill pan
4 to 6 Portobello mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic, minced finely
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the grill to prevent the mushrooms from sticking. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through and tender, about 5 minutes per side.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place the grilled mushrooms on top of the marinara sauce and top with the minced garlic, a little Parmesan cheese, and the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and top with the butter pieces. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes, then serve.



The Result:
This was fan-freakin'-tastic as usual. I heart this dish very much!

Chicken Bouillabaisse with Rouille

I am behind again in my posting, so I am going to combine my review and commentary.

I think I was a little over-ambitious for dinner this evening. In fact, I originally had just a plain ol' roast chicken on the menu, but I changed my mind right at the last possible second (meaning, the last possible second that I could change my mind and still have time to pull this dish off). Ever since I got my Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook, I have been wanting to make this recipe. I finally scored some Pernot at BevMo, which completed my stash of all the ingredients for this dish (hey, that rhymes...."Pear-NO"..."Bev-MO"...phonetically, at least). Finally, my plan was coming together. When I got home today, I was in the mood for a stew type of meal, and this popped into my head. Eureka! I am an evil genius!!!

So, let me tell you...I started cooking at 3pm. We finally ate dinner a little after 6pm. I ended up giving my son a PB & J and some applesauce because it was getting so late. This was labor-intensive to say the least. I know, I know...I should have expected it...the French are known for their fussy cuisine. Needless to say, I am whupped.

The million dollar question on your mind is....Was it worth it?????

The million dollar answer is....that depends.

Let me explain. It was awesome...there is no disputing that it was good. In fact, I am still thinking about the sauce, as I type this. If you enjoy fussy French food with booze in it, then this is the dish for you. I happen to be quite the 'booze-in-the-food' lover, so I was a happy girl. (Come to think of it...I am a 'booze-in-the-chocolate' lover and a 'booze-in-the-booze' lover too.) The flavor was complex and delicious...mostly with fennel,saffron and licorice flavor undertones.
Was it easy? In a word...NO. This was not an easy recipe. In fact, it was quite a pain. To be fair, you could save yourself time by not cutting up the whole chicken yourself (like I did...I should have bought pre-cut chicken or had the butcher do it as suggested in the recipe...cutting up a whole chicken never makes my skirt fly up). Other than that, it was pretty time consuming with a lot of little steps that you had to focus your attention on. With that said, it was tasty. I am a little disappointed, because you cannot tell how hard this was to make by the looks of the photo. The photo makes it look like chicken in sauce with a dollop of topping...completely deceiving. Trust me when I say, the preparation, cooking, and flavor profile of this dish was anything but simple. Darn photo is undermining my hard work!

I will probably make this again at some point, because it was so freakin' tasty. However, I will reserve this dish for a special occasion type of meal only...you know, when I feel like hiding in the kitchen all day.

I should note that if you do decide to tackle this dish, make sure you make both parts of the recipe. The bouillabaisse would not have been as great if it did not have the rouille to top it. The rouille was easy to do (basically a homemade, flavored mayonnaise whipped up in the food processor) and can be made ahead of time, then stored in the fridge. I am glad I paired them both together or I would have felt cheated. The rouille gave a bright mellowness to the sharp fennel flavor of the bouillabaisse sauce. Together, it was so fantastically delicious. Also, make sure you have good bread to mop up the sauce bits. The additional components make this dish truly special.


Chicken Bouillabaisse with Rouille

Ingredients:
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Good olive oil
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree
1 1/2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons Pernod
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
Rouille, for serving, recipe follows
Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions:
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces in batches until nicely browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, saffron, fennel seeds, tomato puree, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the garlic is very tender, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Carefully pour the sauce into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and add the sliced potatoes and browned chicken pieces with their juices. Stir carefully.
Cover the pot and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is done. Check the seasonings and serve hot in shallow bowls with big dollops of Rouille and slices of crusty bread.


Rouille

Ingredients:
4 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
*1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup good olive oil

Directions:
Place the garlic and salt on a cutting board and mince together. Transfer the mixture to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, saffron, and red pepper flakes. Process until smooth.
With the machine running, pour the olive oil in a thin, steady stream through the feed tube to make a thick mayonnaise emulsion. Transfer the rouille to a serving bowl and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Yield: 1 cup




Hooray! I am all caught up on my posts!!!

Jen's Broccoli Cheese Chicken Bake

Our friends Pete and Michelle just had a baby, so we are going over to visit and bring them dinner tonight. Again, I have a busy day planned so poor Pete and Michelle are not going to get the benefits of a lot of effort on my part. A fancy dinner, this is not. Instead, they get a "trasherole". Okay, okay...I am sure it will be yummy. Just boring. This is a standard canned soup casserole. Nothing exciting, but all the food groups will be represented. There is really not even a true recipe, just a bunch of ingredients thrown into a baking dish and warmed through. Not my culinary best, for sure. I am hoping that Pete and Michelle are so tired from being first time parents, that they will think this dish is the best thing since sliced bread. (If you are a parent, you remember how it is with the first baby...no shower until four in the afternoon, bleary eyed feedings in the middle of the night, colic, etc..) I am hoping that hot food (that they did not have to prepare themselves), and their total exhaustion, will fool them into thinking that this meal is a dinner masterpiece. Cross your fingers for me!

Jen's Broccoli Cheese Chicken Bake

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 cups of cooked brown rice
2 cooked chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
1 package of frozen broccoli florets, steam-cooked
2 cans of condensed broccoli cheddar soup, undiluted
1 cup of shredded cheese (I use Monterrey Jack or Cheddar)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon of melted butter

The following spices, at your discretion:
garlic powder
onion powder
minced onion
paprika
one or two your favorite seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash, Lemon Pepper, Poultry seasoning, Lawry's Seasoning, Adobo seasoning, etc.)
dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and set aside. Cook brown rice, according to package directions, and place in bottom of greased casserole pan. Steam frozen broccoli in microwave, according to package directions. Place broccoli in an even layer over rice. Sprinkle with favorite spices and then top with shredded cheese. Add layer of diced, cooked chicken. Top chicken layer with cans of undiluted broccoli cheddar soup. In a separate small bowl, combine melted butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top evenly and bake uncovered for 1/2 hour. Serve and enjoy!



The Result:
This was really, really good. I loved that it was a one-dish meal, with all the food groups in attendance. It was very kid-friendly (my son had seconds), and our friends seemed to enjoy it as well. They were happy to have the leftovers! All in all, this was an easy crowd-pleaser that I will keep in my casserole rotation. It was nice to visit with Pete and Michelle over a relaxed casual dinner...not to mention it was great to have a little baby time. I was able to get my snuggle and 'new baby smell' fix for the evening.

Jen's Bean Burritos with Mashed Avocado

When it turns December 1st, it seems like my schedule goes bonkers. We have been super-crazy busy this week, and there are no signs of it slowing down. I guess I will rest in January! I am slightly behind in posts, but I hope to be caught up today. There will be lots of cooking going on at my house, so stay tuned. Aside from normal holiday madness, cookie baking and Christmas Polish Sausage making will be in the works soon...but those are topics for other posts. Then, there is the traditional Jen's Christmas Eve Italian Feast, but I am not sure if that is happening this year or not. Anyway, on to last night's dinner...I am rambling.

My son had a late afternoon ear doctor appointment yesterday, so we did not get home until after 5pm (again). I did not thaw any protein items out, so I threw together my favorite single person meal I used to make myself all the time when I lived alone. I would get home from work pretty late on most occasions, so this would be the perfect filling, quick, and nutritious dinner to throw together in 15 minutes or less. Basically, my burrito filling is doctored-up canned vegetarian refried beans. Let me tell you, it still hits the spot. I did not have any side items with it, just the burritos and mashed avocado. It was so good! I love easy dinners when life gets hectic, and this dish fills my second vegetarian meal o' the week requirement.

Jen's Bean Burritos
1-2 cans of vegetarian refried beans
1-2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 of a onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 4 oz. can of green chiles
1 teaspoon of Ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon of Adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of cumin
3-4 shakes of hot sauce (I always use Tapatio)
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup of stock (I use either beef or vegetable stock)
shredded or sliced cheese (I use Colby or Monterrey Jack)
whole wheat tortillas

Burrito Toppings:
More shredded cheese
salsa
sour cream
mashed avocado

Directions:
Heat butter over medium heat in large medium sauce pan, until melted and starting to foam. Add onions, green chiles and cook until onions are soft and translucent (but not brown. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add all spices, hot sauce, and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Mix in beans and stock, and stir to combine thoroughly; until beans are pliable. Add cheese. Turn heat down to medium-low and heat until beans are warmed through, making sure to stir so beans do not stick and all ingredients are integrated thoroughly. Roll in warm wheat tortillas with favorite toppings and serve.

Jen's Mashed Avocado

Ingredients:
1-2 avocados
lime juice
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:
Remove flesh from avocado skin and pit and mash with a fork. Add in all other ingredients to taste, while continuing to mash to desired flavor and consistency.

Jen's Notes:
Avocado mixture can be saved for one or two days in an airtight container in the fridge, if you include an avocado pit (in the middle of the mixture) to prevent oxidation.

One-Pan Whiskey Flavored Pork Chops and Couscous Pilaf

So, I have been having some computer issues for the past couple of days. Yesterday, I could not get on the Internet, and today I lost some of my photos, including the photos of last nights dinner. I copies the photos from last night's meal off my camera, but they would not paste correctly onto my hard drive. I got an error message and then "poof" they were gone. Ugh. Oh well, I think I only lost some food photos, and nothing truly important. Frustrating, to say the least. Since I am late with my posts for dinner last night, I will just update both recipes and tell you how it turned out. I am hoping to get back to my normal format, providing I don't have any other computer problems.

Last night, I made two really yummy recipes from Cooking Light. The pork chop dish was brand new, and the couscous side dish was something that we have had in the past and really liked a lot. Again, the couscous did not disappoint. It was fantastic. This is truly my favorite couscous recipe. If you are unfamiliar with couscous, this is a great dish to try.
Now on to the pork chops... Let me tell you, the pork chops were amazing. They were pretty easy to make (all in one pan), and the sauce was drinkable (which is a good thing in my book). This pork chop sauce was so yummy, the husband and I were eating it out of the pan. It was that awesome. I love that the whiskey in this dish lends a great depth of flavor, without being too strong or off-putting. The trick is to let it reduce until all the whiskey is almost all evaporated. There was just enough flavor leftover to infuse the sauce, without being overpowering with the taste whiskey. Since pretty much almost all of the alcohol cooked off, I was fairly comfortable feeding this to my son (we skipped giving him any extra sauce, and he just ate the meat part). Everyone at the table really liked it, so I will definitely be making this dish again.

I served my meal with a side of broccoli. I would show you how beautiful and eye-appealing everything was, but alas, my photos are gone and I am really cranky about it. Ugh. Both of these recipes are total keepers, and I love that they are considered "light". Good and good for you!!!!

One-Pan Whiskey Flavored Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup whiskey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

Sprinkle pork with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove pork from pan. Add onion and mushrooms to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Carefully add whiskey to pan; cook for 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir sour cream mixture into pan. Return pork to pan; spoon sauce over pork.
Wrap handle of skillet with foil (or use oven safe pan). Cover and bake at 300° for minimum 1/2 hour to maximum 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and about 1/3 cup sauce)
CALORIES 310 (28% from fat); FAT 9.6g (sat 3g,mono 4.5g,poly 1.1g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 16mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g; SODIUM 546mg; PROTEIN 29.5g; FIBER 1.3g
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2001

Jen's Notes:
I only cooked my pork chops for 1/2 hour. Seriously, 1 hour for pork chops is way to long of a cook time.


Couscous Pilaf

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of chicken stock
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/3 cup dried cherries
¼ cup of toasted slivered almonds
3 Tablespoons chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon lemon zest(or you can substitute a few splashes of lemon juice)
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, over medium high heat. Add couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let couscous stand for approximately 5 minutes (until stock is absorbed). Fluff with a fork. Stir in cherries, almonds, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Falafel Pita with Tzatziki and Roasted Acorn Squash

No, you are not experiencing deja vu...we did just have this meal last week for dinner. You see, I still have everything on hand to make this dinner again. I did not buy that many fresh ingredients this week at the grocery store (just staple items), so we are having a repeat dinner to meet the vegetarian dinner goal I set for the week. Not surprisingly, it is a little challenging to plan three vegetarian dinners in a week when you are out of pasta, out of fresh mushrooms, and did not buy any fresh veggies for the week. Don't worry...I figured it out. I still have some options left from last weeks shopping trip, and I am well stocked, otherwise. I intend to just work out of my pantry.

I think I will make this exactly like I did the first time, with no changes. I have some acorn squash that I will roast to serve as a side dish. This should be another easy dinner to put together tonight.

Here is the link to my original recipe post. Below that link, you will find that it's all about the squash.

Falafel Pitas with Tzatziki

Jen's Roasted Squash

Ingredients:
1-2 Acorn or Butternut Squash
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Directions:
Halve and clean squash by scooping out seeds and discarding. Place clean halves on sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roast in a 375 degree oven cut side up for 25 minutes, then flip and roast cut side down for an additional 20 minutes. Squash should be soft and browned. You can remove skin,scoop roasted flesh into a bowl and serve OR just serve roasted halves for your guests to scoop themselves, at the table.

The Result:
I forgot to take a new pic. Since we had this last week, I was hoping you would just scroll back to the old post if you needed to be reminded of what my pitas looked like. This was just as yummy as it was last time I made it, so I think I will put this into rotation. Also, the acorn squash turned out awesome! (I am a squash lover, so I am a bit biased.) All in all, this was a fast, healthy, satisfying meal.

Jen's Cajun Fish Sandwiches with Cole Slaw, Potatoes, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

We have been pretty busy this weekend with running errands, cleaning house, and getting ready for my mom to visit. I needed a fast dinner that was fairly healthy, and not very fussy. I bought some Tilapia at Costco the other day, so I decided that fish was the way to go tonight. Instead of searching around for a new recipe, I adapted the recipe for Blackened Fish Tacos to a sandwich version. I will skip the 'result' post later and just tell you it turned out great. It was exactly what I wanted for dinner. Yum! Not fancy; but definitely tasty.
I served it with some baked (microwaved) potatoes, fresh, roasted Brussels sprouts (which I actually liked...they are a lot less bitter than the frozen variety), and I used cole slaw as the sandwich topping. I found a bag of pre-shredded cole slaw mix on sale for .50 cents today at the grocery store (score!), then I just made a simple dressing for it. I think the whole process took me right around a half hour to put together. I love it when I get a good return for minimal effort!

Jen's Cajun Fish Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of canola oil
4 Tilapia fillets
1 Tablespoon of blackening seasoning (I use Paul Prudehomme's Blackened Steak Magic)
1 Tablespoon of Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)
Toasted buns of your choice (I used hamburger buns)
Cole Slaw for topping

Directions:
Heat oil in a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet on high. Meanwhile, pat fish dry with paper towel. Mix seasoning together in palm of your hand. Sprinkle on one side of fish fillets, in even coating. Place fish, seasoning side down in hot skillet and pan fry approximately 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping once. Fish is done when it is flaky and cooked all the way through (fish should cook fast; approximately 5-6 minutes total, depending on how thick your fillets are).

Top each toasted bun with cole slaw (see below for recipe) and a cooked fish fillet. Serve and enjoy!


Jen's Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 bag of pre-shredded cole slaw salad mix

For Dressing:
¾ cup of mayo
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of white sugar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Directions:
Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl, mixing thoroughly with a wire whisk. In a separate, large bowl place cole slaw salad mix. Pour dressing over cole slaw mix and toss to combine thoroughly. Use as a side dish or a sandwich topping.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 pound of fresh Brussels sprouts
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut stem end off each Brussels sprout and discard. Also, discard any yellow or damaged outer leaves.

On a large sheet pan, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper.(It is okay if a few individual leaves fall off.) Roast for approximately 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally to make sure they brown evenly on all sides.