Sunday, June 29, 2008

Chicken Spaghetti

I have a confession... I am addicted... to this blog... The Pioneer Woman. She was a big time city girl who married a rancher/cowboy. Now she lives out in the middle of no where (she never says where she lives... but you can tell it is country living!) with her husband and 4 children. They are cattle ranchers and she takes pictures and tells stories of her every day life as a cattle ranchers wife. She blogs about her recipes, her every day life, her home & garden...

Anyway - I came across this recipe on her blog and just had to try it. Jesse and I both really liked it! Now, I am passing it on to you guys! Try it! It is easy and really yummy!! FYI: I cut the recipe in 1/2 and still had lots of leftovers!

(For some reason her website is not working tonight... but keep trying it should come back on.)

Olive Oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt
Pepper
1/2 to 1 medium Onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 cup White Wine (or Chicken Broth)
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
Pinch of Sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped Fresh Parsley
8 large fresh Basil leaves, Chopped
1 package Linguine noodles, cooked. (Can use any pasta you'd like.)
Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated

Boil a pot of water for the pasta. Cook linguine noodles until al dente.

Heat olive oil in a hot skilled, then add diced chicken thighs in single layer. Don't stir around; just let them brown on one side. Flip over with spatula, allow to brown, then remove to separate plate. In same pan, over medium heat, add onions and garlic and stir to combine. Pour in wine (or broth) then scrape bottom of pan with whisk to loosen brown bits.

Next, pour in crushed tomatoes, add salt, pepper and pinch of sugar, then simmer for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, throw in all the cooked chicken, including its juices from the plate. Allow to simmer for fifteen more minutes. Add chopped fresh herbs at the end, then pour over cooked linguine in large bowl or platter. Top with lots and lots of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

thepioneerwooman.com

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Cubano Pork Chops

We grilled out a few nights ago and had these amazing pork chops! You gotta try these! I made grilled aspargus to go with it. Yum!

I let my pork chops marinade for about 3 hours! The first time I made this I did it for 5 minutes... and it just wasn't long enough. 3 hours was perfect!!

Cubano Pork Chops
Zest of 2 Limes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander (I didn't have this... I used my dried cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 bone-in pork loin chops

Preheat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high. In a shallow dish, combine the lime zest, brown sugar, grill seasoning, cumin, coriander and allspice and 3 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the pork chops to the dish and turn to coat evenly. Let the chops hang out for 5 minutes, then grill until the meat feels firm and the juices run clear, 6 to 8 minutes on each side with the grill top closed. If using a grill pan, tent the pan with aluminum foil and adjust the heat to prevent scorching.

rachaelraymag.com

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Steak with Gorgonzola & Tomato Salad

Last night we had a fantastic meal! It was so good! Almost better then we could get at a restaurant!! It was also super easy and fast to make! You just have to try this one!!!!

Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Herbs
4 tenderloin steaks about 1-1/4" thick
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
2 scallions, whites and greens
8 to 10 fresh sage leaves
A handful flat-leaf parsley
1 cup Gorgonzola crumbles

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Rub with a clove of cut garlic. Coat the steaks lightly in extra-virgin olive oil.

Chop the scallions, whites and greens. Thinly slice the sage and finely chop the parsley. Combine the scallions and herbs with the Gorgonzola crumbles.

Cook the steaks on a very hot grill (to your liking). About a minute before you are ready to take them off, sprinkle the cheese mixture on top of the steak and let it melt. (YUM!!!)

I am trying my hand at growing herbs. My basil is out of control! I have so much basil that I tried to find a recipe to use it on. I found a keeper!!! This recipe is SO good! The vinaigrette has a little bit of sweetness to it that just makes you keep going back for more and more!!

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon English dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese (preferably fresh), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
10 large fresh basil leaves, sliced thin

In a small bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. On a platter arrange tomato slices alternately with mozzarella and top with basil. Drizzle salad with vinaigrette.

FoodNetwork.com - Rachael Ray & Gourmet Magazine

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Teddy Graham Dip

It's that time of year again - parties, parties, and more parties! If you need to bring a dessert to any of these parties... bring this, Teddy Graham Dip!!

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered)
2 tbl. brown sugar
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars and beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with teddy grahams!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Mexican-Style Lasagna

This recipe started out a little rocky for me yesterday. I decided to prep this during my lunch so all I had to do was put it in the oven (1 hour cook time!).

This recipes tells you to put cilantro, scallions & spinach in a food processor... well I only own a blender. I have tried to put spinach in a blender before and it is a real test of my patience!! But, I thought I would try it again. I get everything in my blender and push the pulse button. Only chops up the stuff close to the blade. So I keep pushing everything back closer to the blade. Pretty soon I get annoyed and take all the spinach out of the blender and chop it - thinking this will move things along a little quicker! Put spinach back into blender and pulse... same thing! So now I get my wooden spoon in one hand and the my other hand is on the blender with a finger on the pulse button. I am going to do both at the same time!!!! Not such a good idea! All of sudden I hear a horrible noise and I pull my spoon out... missing a chunk!!! Hmm now what!? I say enough is enough with this blender and my rough chop is going to have to do. I dump it all back into a bowl and dig and dig and dig for the chunk of my missing spoon. I found it!! (Good thing it was just Jesse & I for supper!)

If only you could of saw my kitchen - spinach everywhere!!! So, my suggestion for you if you make this and DON'T own a food processor... just rough chop your spinach!!! And feel free to make ahead of time and keep in your fridge so all you have to do is bake it! Worked out perfectly for me.

It really was a great tasting meal. Jesse even had more of it for his 4th meal. (Jesse has to eat another meal about 9 every night.) He was still loving it re-heated!!

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
Nonstick cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)
8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.

Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.

Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

MarthaStewart.com