Category Archives: Dinner recipes

Comfort Food

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This is what I consider a perfect Satuday lunch.  I usually just make a simple grilled cheese sandwich and sometimes I even spice it up with some bacon, but Bon Appetit is not playing around with their version!  Here is a grilled ham and gouda sandwich with frissee and carmelized onions….Oh my!!

Image courtesy of Bonappetit.com

Image courtesy of Bonappetit.com

One of my favorite things is carmelized onions.  I could seriously eat an onion by itself if it is carmelized!  Is that weird?  The only other thing I would add to this masterpiece is some ketchup on the side.  You can’t go wrong with a little ketchup (okay okay… a lot!).

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 1/3-inch-thick slices country white bread or sourdough bread
  • 4 oz thinly sliced smoked ham, divided
  • 3 oz Gouda cheese, thinly sliced, divided
  • 2 large handfuls frisée, torn into bite-size pieces (about 1 cup), divided

Preparation

  • Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until onion is very tender and golden, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly.
  • Butter 2 bread slices. Place bread, buttered side down, on platter. Divide onion, ham, cheese, and frisée between bread slices. Top each with another bread slice; butter top slices.
  • Heat another large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sandwiches and cook until bread is golden brown and cheese melts, pressing occasionally with spatula, about 4 minutes per side. Cut sandwiches in half diagonally and serve immediately.

Steak and Shake!

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No, not that Steak n Shake!  Although I am quite fond of that one!  Those skinny fries are the best!  And since they are so skinny, it means there are less calories right??

Photo from Dill My Pickle

Photo from Dill My Pickle

This is steak and shake because it is so easy-peasy and it doesn’t take long to throw it all together.  This is Grilled Beef Top Loin with Balsamic Spring Salad and Grilled Whole Wheat Pita.  And end result looks and tastes like some goooourmet cooking if you ask me!  Now, that is my kind of dish!

Photo from Dill My Pickle

Photo from Dill My Pickle

We actually made this for my mother-in-law for a mother’s day lunch this year.  It was a big hit!

Grilled Top Loin

  1. Preheat grill to medium-low heat.
  2. Season beef with salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, fresh garlic, paprika, a little cayenne pepper, and lemon pepper.
  3. Grill the steak 8 to 10 minutes on each side (depending on the heat of your grill)
  4. Transfer to plate and cover for 10 minutes.
Balsamic Spring Salad
  1. Cut 2 red and 2 yellow pepper into strips, mix into salad.
  2. Add feta (as much as you like— I like a lot!!)
  3. Coat with your favorite homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Grilled Whole Wheat Pita
  1. Coat each whole wheat pita with a light layer of olive oil, pepper and salt.
  2. Put on grill for 2-3 minutes, or until light grill marks form.
  3. Cut into squares to serve with steak and salad.

Beans Beans The Magical Fruit!

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9

You know the rest of the saying!  And if you don’t…  then go find an 8-year old and they can fill you in.  It was a favorite saying in our house growing up!

While just browsing around  ‘ol Stew-dogs website today I came across this recipe for a Tortilla and Black-Bean Pie and I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared!  I meeean….   dang this looks good ya’ll!

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Those green onions on top look so pretty too.  I really can’t WAIT to try out this recipe…..  it’s going to the top of the list!

Ingredients

Serves 6

  • 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
  • 2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Add beans and beer to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold pie; sprinkle with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

SOURCE

When you wanna be a slacker

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I don’t know if you guys are like me, but sometimes I just CAN NOT motivate to cook dinner!  I just can’t!  Too many crazy people in the hospital wear me out!  And I mean c-c-c-c-crazy!

So, when I am feeling tired here is an example of a meal I cook.

photo from Dill My Pickle

photo from Dill My Pickle

Normally it is Friday night that I don’t have any steam left, so if we are staying in then my fall back is Mexican night!  But this is no Martha Stewart Mexican.  This is like Peg Bundy Mexican.  haha.  But……    it is good!

And at least somewhat healthier than the full-fat version since I buy 93% lean beef, reduced fat sour cream and cheese, and even SOMETIMES we will use whole wheat wraps!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 can black beans (optional to add in beef mixture)
  • 1 can tomatoes (optional to add in beef mixture)
  • 1/2 package of spinach lettuce or any kind of greens
  • light sour cream
  • 2% milk shredded mexican cheese
  • taco seasoning packet
  • 1/2 onion chopped finely
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1 pack  taco shells and soft taco wraps

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or whatever the box says… I forget!)

Um, really….  this is so easy.  Brown the beef with the 3/4 chopped onion (save rest of onion for topping).  Drain out any grease (there shouldn’t be much if you use the 93% lean beef).  Add a tablespoon or so of water, mix in the taco seasoning packet.  Add in black beans and tomatoes to beef.

Heat taco shells for 10 minutes or so–just eyeball them and take out when they look crispy.  Heat soft taco tortillas with refried beans in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.

Set out refried beans, sour cream, cheese, onion, salsa and chopped lettuce in assembly line fashion.  Let everyone serve themselves and eat!

Spaghetti alla Carbs

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I mean, Spaghetti alla Carbonara!  Although maybe Spaghetti alla Carbs is more fitting, right?  But when it tastes this good, who cares!  It is the weekend!

photo from Dill My Pickle

photo from Dill My Pickle

Since Lexie is in the middle of a clinical rotation that has her working all day Sundays, we have temporarily moved our customary Sunday night dinner to Saturday night.  So, last night was “Sunday night” dinner!

We experimented with a new recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara from Nigella at Food Network.  Can you believe that until last night neither me nor Lexie had ever tried this delicious dish??  My hubby requested it for dinner, and lucky for him, his wife and sister-in-law were up for the challenge of making it!

photo from Dill My Pickle

photo from Dill My Pickle

It turned out SO delicious!  The only thing we did different is instead of using pancetta, we used bacon (because we are lazy!).

(UPDATE:  My father-in-law just called to educate me that pancetta IS bacon….   see, I told you I am a novice cook and obviously preschool level when it comes to language translations of food!)

In case you are wondering, the chicken was easy-peasy….     just baked in the oven after glossing with some olive oil, fresh garlic, pepper and a little salt.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 2 cups cubed pancetta rind removed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly ground nutmeg

Directions

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the pancetta cubes in the oil until crispy but not crunchy. Pour over the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before end of the recommended cooking time.

When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the pan with the bacon cubes back on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the syrupy pancetta. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg to serve.

Source

Bleu light special!

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This Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Bleu Cheese from Epicurious looks really delicious.  If I liked Bleu cheese, I might even think it tasted delicious–but it’s not always about me (I’m told)!  I know LOTS of people who are very fond of the ‘ol Bleu, my husband being one of them!

photo courtesy of epicurious.com

photo courtesy of epicurious.com

I think this is perfect for a little dinner get-together that is casual but meant to be a little fancier than a backyard BBQ.  Don’t get me wrong–I’m all about a big burger and even bigger beer, but sometimes it’s fun to do things up a bit, right?

I think this would go perfect with a balsamic tossed salad and crisp white wine!

Ingredients

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each)
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence*
  • 1 3-to 4-ounce wedge blue cheese, cut into 6 slices

Preparation

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Whisk vinegar, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add to chicken; seal bag. Chill 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack generously with oil. Arrange chicken on grill. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to plates; top each with slice of cheese.

Wow.

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This looks beyond amazing.  I think it is the clear tall baking dish they used that really makes this look unique and so delicious!  And the fact that I am a sucker for mashed potatoes.

photo courtesy of carolyneroehm.com

photo courtesy of carolyneroehm.com

I was perusing Carolyne Roehm’s website, actually looking at her beautiful wrapping paper, while I stumbled upon this recipe she has for a One-Dish Shepherd’s Pie.

It’s definitely getting too warm down here in Florida for this dish, but some of you are still getting cool days here and there that qualify for a comfort food dish like this!  (especially you Canadians, eh?!)  It looks so yummy I think I could handle this for dinner even on a warm day!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ to 2 pounds ground sirloin
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef broth or water
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ tablespoon dried basil
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
6 cups Irish mashed potatoes (see below)
or your favorite mashed potatoes

1.  Preheat oven to 375° . Grease a large 13 x 9 inch casserole (or 6 large individual soufflé dishes) with 1 tablespoon of the butter. In a large heavy skillet, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil. Crumble half of the beef into the very hot pan and cook over high heat until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining beef.

2.  Add the remaining olive oil to the drippings in the skillet and lower heat to medium. Add onions and garlic and sauté until transparent, about 5 minutes. Return the beef and any meat juices to the skillet and stir in the tomato paste.

3.  Stir in beef broth, oregano, basil and parsley and simmer 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.  If making individual servings, divide beef mixture among soufflé dishes and top with 1/3 cup corn kernels, and 1 cup mashed potatoes; otherwise add beef mixture to casserole, add corn, and top with a layer of mashed potatoes. Brush surface with remaining melted butter and bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden.

Irish Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

8 Russet Potatoes, peeled and quartered
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup hot milk
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small head cabbage, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

1.    In a large saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling water until tender; about 25 minutes. Drain and mash with a hand masher. Add olive oil, milk and half of the butter and mash well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2.    Meanwhile in a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook the cabbage until almost tender, about 5 minutes; drain in a colander.
3.    In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter and sauté onions and garlic over medium heat until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and cook another 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
4.    Fold cabbage mixture into mashed potatoes.

Update: Your So Corny!

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We were busy yesterday–baking and cooking!  Lil Pickle and I also decided to try out the corn recipe we posted about earlier here, the recipe is called Grilled Corn and Tomato-Sweet Onion Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing and Crumbled Blue Cheese from the Food Network.

By the way, is that the longest recipe name or what?  I think they could have come up with something a little shorter instead basically just naming every single ingredient in the recipe!

Here is how it turned out….

corn-recipe

It tasted even better than it looks–it was so delicious!!  This is definitely a repeat recipe.

The dressing was perfect too–light enough for summer but substantial enough to give a good flavor.  The only thing we did differently was substituted feta in place of the bleu cheese–which which was awesome but I am biased since I dislike bleu cheese!

corn-2

If you are interested, here is the original recipe from Food Network:

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ears corn, grilled in the husk, kernels removed
  • 1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 pint Sweet 100 tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
  • Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Combine the vinegar, basil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Can be made 2 hours in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.

Combine the corn kernels, onion and tomato in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat, season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Top with crumbled blue cheese and garnish with basil sprigs just before serving. Salad can be made 1 day in advance and served cold or at room temperature.

Stuff yourself!

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Let me just say, this recipe looks beyond ridiculous.  I can NOT wait to try it!  As a part of Project: Color Wheel, Red Edition, we have a recipe using tomatoes–yum!

Tomatoes are considered a super food because of a phytochemical it contains called lycopene.  I learned two interesting things about lycopene in one of the A&P classes I took in school.  One, lycopene is released from the tomato by cooking with heat, which increases it’s absorption in the body.  Two, it is fat-soluble which means that eating tomatoes with things like olive oils, cheese or nuts increases how much your body absorbes.  How cool is that?  I love food!

Now, on to this recipe we have from myrecipes.com for Shrimp and Rice Stuffed Tomatoes!  The picture alone makes my mouth water!

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4  cups  uncooked long-grain rice
  • 4  large ripe tomatoes (about 3 pounds)
  • 1  teaspoon  olive oil
  • 1  cup  chopped onion
  • 1  garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 1/2  pound  medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2  cup  hot water

Preparation

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Place 2 cups cooked rice in a large bowl; set aside. Refrigerate remaining rice in an airtight container for another use.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut tops off tomatoes, and reserve. Carefully scoop out tomato pulp, leaving shells intact; reserve 1/2 cup pulp. Discard remaining pulp.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add reserved 1/2 cup tomato pulp; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Add onion mixture, cheese, and next 5 ingredients (cheese through shrimp) to 2 cups rice.

Place tomato shells in an 8-inch square baking dish. Divide rice mixture evenly among tomato shells; replace tomato tops. Add hot water to baking dish. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and rice mixture is thoroughly heated. Serve warm or chilled.

Nutritional Information

Calories:  269 (19% from fat)
Fat:  5.8g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:  15.2g
Carbohydrate:  40.4g
Fiber:  4.2g
Cholesterol:  77mg
Iron:  3.5mg
Sodium:  535mg
Calcium:  136mg

Project: Pizza Pizza!

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In our house, we have pizza night every Monday.  Mondays are probably my least favorite day of the week, I am still in mourning that the weekend is over.  I never can motivate to cook up a decent meal, so we eat pizza every Monday!  Nice, huh!  Don’t get too excited, it’s not some cheesy cheesy pepperoni covered pizza from the local pizza shop.  I still try to keep it healthy- we usually eat Amy’s pizzas which are organic and for the most part pretty healthy, along with a big salad.  But this pizza here looks amazing!!!  Check it out!

Photo courtesy of Myrecipes.com

So, to kick off Project: Color Wheel, Red Edition, I bring to you this great summer recipe for Spinach-and-Roasted Red-Pepper Pizza from Cooking Light magazine, via Myrecipes.com.  Who needs those greasy take-out pizzas when you can have a pizza at home that looks like this?  Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1  (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
  • Cooking spray
  • 1  tablespoon  cornmeal
  • 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese, divided
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
  • 1/8  teaspoon  pepper
  • 1  (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 1  (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and cut into 2-inch strips
  • 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Pat dough into a 12-inch round pizza pan coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Combine 1/2 cup cheese, nutmeg, pepper, and spinach in a bowl. Arrange mixture over dough. Top with bell peppers; sprinkle with thyme and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese melts.

Nutritional Information

Calories:  218 (28% from fat)
Fat:  6.8g (sat 3.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:  8.9g
Carbohydrate:  26.4g
Fiber:  1.6g
Cholesterol:  20mg
Iron:  1.2mg
Sodium:  565mg
Calcium:  256mg