Pear & Blue Cheese Pizza

We had our first annual holiday party over the weekend, and I was trying to figure out something unique other than dips that everyone can munch on. I wanted something that I could make earlier in the day, set aside and then serve fresh and hot. I came up with this pizza after reading about 5 different pear pizza recipes  This is a culmination of all of them put into one pizza.

Pear & Blue Cheese Pizza

• 1 ball of pizza dough
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 large white onions
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 2 Bosc pears, cut in half and then thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
• chopped walnuts, optional

1. Thinly slice white onions and add to frying pan with butter and brown sugar. Put lid on and set heat to low and allow to cook down and caramelize. Takes about 30-45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 450°. Roll out your dough in desired shape. For this dish, I cut the dough ball in half and rolled out two rectangles, but you can do a traditional round shape. In a small sauce pan add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and set on medium for about 8-10 minutes. Stir every so often and and once it reduces and thickens a little remove from heat and stir for about 1 minutes. Sauce will begin to thicken. Before it gets too thick, pour and spread over dough. 
3. Begin to assemble the rest of the pizza; provolone cheese, caramelized onions, pears, red onion and blue cheese
4. Bake in oven on pizza stone for about 10 minutes. If desired, sprinkle on walnuts before serving

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a great comfort food for cold and rainy days. And yesterday was one of those days. It was dark, overcast and cold with a light mist all day and this soup hit the spot. I added the milk and cream at the end, since Phil likes creamy soups, but you are welcome to omit it for a broth-y soup.

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon each garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bag of cheese tortellini
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. In small sauce pan place chicken breast and fill with enough water to cover chicken. Place over medium-high heat and cook about 15-20 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Once cooked, place in mixer with paddle hook attachment until chicken is shredded. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in large stock pot add butter and onions and cook on medium until onions are clear, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook about another 5 minutes. Add flour and mix to coat all of the veggies.
3. Stir in the chicken stock, all spices including the bay leaf and turn heat to low. Bring to a low simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Add shredded chicken and bag of cheese tortellini and cook 3-5 minutes, or according to package directions. Don't forget to take out the bay leaf floating around in the soup!
5. Remove from heat and add cream and milk, stir to combine and serve.

Fake Take Out - Sweet and Sour Chicken

Every week, I make up a menu for the week of meals that I would like to try/make etc, which makes food shopping easy and takes the stress out of figuring out "whats for dinner" every night. This recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe has been on my menu for a few months now, but keeps getting cut or pushed back for some reason or another.

But last night was the lucky night! Sweet and Sour Chicken was finally brought to life!

I recommend doubling the ingredients for the sauce, as the recipe called for. But when I doubled the sauce, I didn't add nearly as much sugar (probably about 1 cup total) and I also added in some garlic powder (1 tablespoon) and ginger powder (1 teaspoon) and reduced the sauce for about 20 minutes on low.

Phil took care of the meat part of the dish, but from looking over his shoulder and the final outcome of the dish, I may have used less cornstarch since there was still a good amount that wasn't used, and the chicken bordered on having that chalky consistency in your mouth.

For next time, I think I will pound the chicken breast thinner and cut smaller pieces, but overall this was a fantastic dish and was very easy to create.

Image from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Broccoli Spanakopita

Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of last night's dinner. Mostly because the creation that I made looked nothing like the inspiration nor did it look appealing. But it was very appetizing and the flavors were deep, savory and very layered.

But I still wanted to share this recipe because it was very simple (which is a huge plus during the week) and very delicious. Spanakopita is made with feta cheese, spinach and phyllo dough. I found this recipe made with broccoli and liked the creative spin on this classic Greek dish.

Image from Steamy Kitchen

So, go, make Broccoli Spanakopita tonight!

Moroccan Chicken Bastilla

One of my favorite dishes in Moroccan cuisine is Chicken Bastilla (pronounced bastiyya). It is a meat pie filled with ground chicken, spices and almonds enclosed in warqa (Moroccan pastry that is similar to phyllo dough) and then sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar and cinnamon. I know it sounds interesting, but the flavors and textures are incredible.

Typically you eat Moroccan food with your hands and you can use bread as a utensil. This course for instance is served piping hot and you have to puncture though the dough to allow the steam to escape.

Moroccan food consists of many courses of  hot and cold salads, soups, tender meats, fruits, desserts and teas.













Moroccan Chicken Bastilla
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on finished dish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 onions chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 carrots chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 6 phyllo sheets, thawed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Add almonds, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to food processor and pulse for 30 seconds until finely chopped.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about five minutes until softened. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, cumin and salt; cook for 1 minute. Stir in carrots and 3/4 cup chicken broth and cook for about 5 more minutes; until carrots are softened. Remove from heat and stir in chicken until well mixed.
3. Coat a 2 quart shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle 1/2 cup of almond mixture over bottom. Spoon chicken mixture into casserole; sprinkle with remaining almond mixture. Evenly pour remaining chicken broth on top.
4. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on top of casserole dish. Brush entire surface lightly with some of the melted butter. Place next sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter. Continue with remaining sheets and butter. Bake  20 to 25 minutes, until filling is hot and phyllo is browned. Sprinkle casserole with additional confectioners sugar and cinnamon.

Croc Pot Apple Chicken

One of my go to dinners (and one that I brag about a lot) is a recipe I found in some cook book for apple chicken. I remember the first time I suggested making it for dinner, Phil wasn't that impressed, since he is not really a fan of dishes with fruit. But now it is a staple in our house and one of his favorite fall meals.

It is also nice, to put it in the croc pot, set the timer and when I come home from work the house smells delicious and dinner is done.

Croc Pot Apple Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bonless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut in chunks
• 2 granny smith apples, sliced

Directions

1. Put onions in bottom of a 3 quart slow cooker and then top with chicken and sprinkle thyme, pepper, salt and brown sugar. Pour in chicken stock and apple juice. Then add the chunks of butter.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Then stir in apples; cover and cook for 1-2 hours longer or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and apples are tender. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Balsamic Glaze and Fried Sage

I took inspiration for this dinner from this recipe. I remember reading the recipe a few weeks back and kinda forgot about it until after I made dinner and I was looking through my bookmarked recipes.

Its funny how you can get ideas and inspiration, store it in the back of your mind and then put it all together and think you came up with something great, only later to find that I already saw a similar idea somewhere else.

I used the gnocchi's that I made a few days ago and put in the freezer. But this sauce is so fast and easy that it can quickly add great flavor to even store bought frozen pasta, which is a big plus during the week.















Ricotta Gnocchi with Balsamic Glaze and Fried Sage

Ingredients


For the gnocchi:

• 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

For the balsamic glaze & fried sage

• 2 shallots, diced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• handful of sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• salt

Directions

1. In your mixer with the dough hook, add the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and Italian seasoning until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Take the back of a fork and press lightly along the length of the rope to create some texture. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet.  
3. Bring large pot of water to boil and season with salt.
4. Add gnocchi's to water and cook until they are floating about 3 minutes.
5. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter and shallots and cook for about 5 minutes to soften. Add remaining butter and brown sugar and cook for about 2 more minutes to dissolve sugar. Add Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Turn heat to low and reduce for about 5 minutes while gnocchi's cook.
6. In small frying pan on medium heat add peanut oil. Once oil is hot add sage leaves and cook until crisp about 3 minutes. Take out and place on paper towel and season with salt.
7. Once gnocchi's are cooked, remove from water and toss in balsamic sauce. Add fried sage and serve.

Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecan Crumble

I know it is close to Thanksgiving  and you may already have your entire meal planned, but I wanted to share with you a recipe I made last year for Thanksgiving dinner. This take of the typical sweet potato casserole got rave reviews and I think you should change your side dish plan, and make this one in its place. You wont be disappointed.


I am not a huge fan of sweet potato casserole, I think it is a texture thing, but this one was really, really good. I even had at least five of our Thanksgiving guests (we usually have dinner for around thirty people) ask for this recipe (I think one even took my food stained copy that was laying around the kitchen, since I still cant find it)

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble
adapted from November 2011 Saveur

Ingredients:

For The Filling:
3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1" piece ginger, finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For The Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 425°. Place sweet potatoes on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake until soft, about 1 1/2 hours; let cool for 30 minutes, and then remove skins. Pass poatoes through a food mill into a large bowl; stir in sugar, butter, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, eggs, ginger and pepper. Pour mixture into 1 1/2 quart baking dish and smooth top; set aside.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Stir together flour, oats, sugar, pecans and salt in a bowl; add butter and using your fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until large crumbles form. Mound crumble mixture over filling, dot with marshmallows and bake until filling is hot and crumble and marshmallows are browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Bun Waffles

I have quickly become obsessed with Pinterest. The recipe ideas (most of them are really fattening but look so good), but once in a while it is OK to splurge on calories, right?

I once saw a pin on Pinterest where somebody made waffles out of cinnamon buns. Brilliant!  Then I saw one where somebody put brownie mix into a waffle maker, which would be really good with a scoop of ice cream. And then I saw one with shoestring hash browns into a waffle maker, I think this would be really good with some caramelized onions and a fried egg on top. 

Wow, what else could I put in the waffle maker other than waffle mix?!?

So on Saturday, I loaded the waffle maker with the refrigerated cinnamon buns for breakfast and the outcome was incredible!

Depending on the size of your waffle maker, I used three buns per waffle. Usually we keep the heat setting on 3 for our Overnight Belgian Waffles  but I noticed it was better to turn the heat down a tad since the first batch was a little dry.

Once you peel them off the waffle maker, spread on the cream cheese icing and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Pot Stickers

I planned on reheating the gumbo last night for dinner, but when Phil and I were sitting around talking, I mentioned making buffalo chicken stuffed shells in the next coming weeks and that got Phil craving something buffalo chicken.

In the fridge I had some left over shredded chicken breast waiting to get used and wonton wrappers. I love having wonton wrappers since they are very versatile. You can stray from typical Asian fare and make raviolis - stuff them with anything you can think of and boil them as you would, mozzarella sticks - wrap up string cheese and spray with non-stick spray and bake in oven, mini lasagnas that bake in a cupcake tin, lay them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for a baked chip for a sweet dip etc... I usually buy egg roll wrappers and since they are larger and then cut them if needed. 

Buffalo Chicken Pot Stickers

• 1 cup shredded chicken
• 1/8 cup Franks Red Hot 
• 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup scallions
• 1 package of egg roll wrappers
• small cup with water
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/4 cup chicken stock

1. Cut egg roll wrappers to make 4 smaller triangles. 
2. Mix all ingredients together and lay a small scoop (about a tablespoon size) in the center of the triangle.
3. Dab your finger in the water, wipe on the long end and one of the short ends of the egg roll wrapper. This is the "glue" that holds everything together. Fold together to form a smaller triangle and seal the edges. Use more water if needed to help bond seams together. You can play around with shapes, I just do a triangle because it is quicker and easier.
4. Once all wrappers are sealed up and ready, heat oil in a frying pan and place all of the triangles in the pan to lightly brown one of the sides, about 2 minutes. Do not touch or turn over.
5. Gently add stock to pan and cover. Cook about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Fancy Creamy Sauce

With all of the cooking we did over the weekend, I made a batch of pumpkin gnocchi to freeze for later, for a dish I saw that combined the gnocchi with a Crème Fraîche–Sage Sauce.  

Crème Fraîche is a fancy French word for a less sour, sour cream (and a little thinner). It is sometimes hard to find in the food store, unless you try a specialty store, and it is a little more costly.

You can easily make your own crème fraîche at home with one cup heavy cream and two tablespoons buttermilk and let it sit out overnight in a warmer, dry space. Once it has sat and thickened, store it in the fridge. Crème fraîche can also be used in dessert in place of whipped cream, or a bit on top of a creamy soup.

Since I didn't buy buttermilk (let alone have it sit out overnight in the heavy cream), I made a mock crème fraîche with heavy cream and a little bit of Fage Greek Yogurt, since that is what I had on hand. You could also do it with heavy cream and sour cream. I also heard of people using heavy cream and cream of tartar, but I haven't tried that technique.

When I was making the pumpkin gnocchi's , I also added about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to add to the fall flavors with the pumpkin.

Cooking up a Storm!

This weekend we were cooking up a storm! I made three batches of ricotta gnocchi's, one batch of pumpkin gnocchi's, sausage gumbo, lasagna soup and two loaves of pumpkin bread. More recipes and pictures to come.

What is nice about the gnocchi's is that they don't take much time at all, and you can freeze them easily for later.

I wouldn't really call the shapes that we make, gnocchi's they are more like logs. Delicious logs that expand in your stomach before you realize you ate too many and are now way to stuffed.  I serve these with some basic tomato sauce, but these would taste great with any sort of gravy/sauce.

Ricotta Gnocchi's

• 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

1. In your mixer with the dough hook, add the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and Italian seasoning until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Take the back of a fork and press lightly along the length of the rope to create some texture. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. If you run out of room on your baking sheet, you can put down a layer of wax paper and place more gnocchi's on top of the first layer.
3. Place in the freezer until frozen solid and then add to Ziploc bag until ready to use.
4. When you are ready to eat them, bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt and add gnocchi's. Cook until they are floating about 5 minutes if frozen, maybe 3 minutes if fresh.

Breakfast Cookies

Yes, you read that right. Cookies for breakfast.

I have to share this recipe that I have made a few times already, for breakfast cookies. They are so yummy, healthy and really hold you over until way past lunch time.  I know, I had 3 (OK maybe it was 4) this morning for breakfast, and it is now 12:30 and I am still not hungry.

They are super easy to make and are ready in no time. After they cool, I put them in the fridge. They taste good when they are cold. And the chocolate chips are a nice bit of sweetness for the morning.  The recipe also calls to add dried cherries, but I do not add them for a certain member of my household does not like fruit. But I imagine they would be even better with the chocolate and cherries.

Soy-Orange Chicken

I have a huge stockpile of recipes. They are scattered all throughout the house, in binders, accordion folders, piles on my desk and there are even some on my desk at work. I even have a ton of recipes in my favorite places (which is nice on Google Chrome, I can see them on my work computer and also at home).

I am not sure where or when I found this recipe for Soy-Orange Chicken but I kept putting it on the menu for weeks and we never got around to eat it. So needless to say, the celery that I bought for it went bad, after sitting in the crisper for over a week. 

If you are going to use the recipe, I also made some tweaks to it (sorry, I couldn't help myself) but I added some ginger powder and garlic powder to the marinade. How much ginger and garlic? Well I would say probably 1 tablespoon pf garlic and 1/2 tablespoon of ginger. I know it is bad, but I never measure my spices. I also added some cayenne powder to the chicken as it was simmering on the stove, to give it some more heat and round out the flavor a bit more.

Now I don't want to say to not make the recipe, because maybe my taste buds are different than yours, but I found it to be a little bland. But with the addition of my two favorite item (the Sriracha is my addiction, and the  Nuoc cham ga is Phil's crack, he tried to drink it with a straw) the dish was magically transformed into something that I cant

Veggies

It has been a slow week food wise, but busy week with meetings, appointments etc.



































We haven't been home much to actually cook dinner, and when we have been home to eat, it has been, I am sad to say, dinner was one of those frozen dinner's in a bag.

But, the farm is looking really good! We have a bunch of tomatoes that are red and a green pepper that just needs to get a little bit larger...

Meatless Monday's

I would like to try and eat less meat, and in an effort to do so, I am making an effort to do this, I am going to try out Meatless Monday's. Or maybe Tuesday's or Wednesday's.

It is the thought that counts right?

This week, I made a recipe that I had my eye on from Bon Appetit for some time now, Pasta with Chickpeas and Charred Tomatoes.  Since I have a stock pile of canned chickpeas (I was on a homemade hummus kick for a while, but Sabra and Tribe make it much better and less mess).

It was good, easy and quick. If I were to do it again, I would probably add more hummus since Phil likes a very wet sauce. I omitted the Kalamata olives, but I would add some garlic and maybe basil or some sort of herb/spice to add to the flavor and create more color on the plate. And it heated up nicely the next day for lunch, which is always a plus.

Couscous, Watermelon, Goat Cheese and Mint Salad

I have a hard time following recipes. I found this recipe a few months ago for a watermelon salad that sounded light and refreshing. And when my mom gave me half of a watermelon, this was the first thing I thought about making with it.

So flash ahead to Saturday and I am at the food store picking up the cheese for this dish. I knew that it called for feta, but when I saw crumbled goat cheese, my hand just gravitated towards that instead.

And being lazy, I also didn't feel like soaking and cooking quinoa so I substituted it for couscous.

And I knew that I was making pesto for dinner on Sunday, and I didn't want to use up my entire basil plant, so I plucked leaves from my overflowing mint plant.

So my version of the feta, basil, watermelon and quinoa salad turned into goat cheese, mint, watermelon and couscous. At least I kept one thing of the recipe the same.

Couscous, Watermelon, Goat Cheese and Mint Salad

1 c. cooked couscous

1 1/2 c. chopped watermelon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. honey

2/3 c. crumbled goat cheese

handful of mint leaves, chiffonade

Cook your coscous to the directions on the package and allow to cool.

In a large bowl put your watermelon and sprinkle salt, pepper and honey and toss and let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the juices to mingle. Combine couscous, goat cheese and mint and allow to chill for about a half hour. Enjoy!

I served the salad with grilled chicken sprinkled with fresh lemon pepper seasoning.

Father's Day Burgers

Father's Day was a yummy feast of food.  My mom found this recipe for Smoked Brisket Burgers with Spicy Onion Jam. We figured that we would embark on a smoking expedition together, since we have never before smoked meats. And this would be a unique way to start.

To go with it, we had pickled beets and I made pasta with sugar snap peas and a basil and mint pesto.  I have to say that I was not impressed with the burgers. They came out very dry, no matter how much ketchup I put on them.

Oh well, better luck next time.

 On a side note, the onion jam was very good. Mostly like caramelized onions. I plan to stuff the leftover jam in some chicken breasts later this week. Yummy!!

Basil and Mint Pesto

makes about 1 cup

1/4 c chopped walnuts

1 c packed basil 

1/2 c packed mint

4 garlic cloves

1/2 c Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 tsp salt

squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 c olive oil

Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for about 5 minutes, just long enough to release the oils. Let cool for a few minutes.

Put the basil, mint, garlic, walnuts, cheese, salt and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine ingredients and scrape down bowl. With the food processor running drizzle in the olive oil in a slow and steady stream. 

Pour over cooked pasta with peas and place in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour before serving.

Peanut Chicken with Veg Fried Rice

The other night my mom invited us over for dinner and made a shrimp for dinner. But for me she made grilled chicken and marinated it in coconut milk and then made a peanut satay sauce (I think that was the recipe she used) to dip it in. It was very delish.

There was so much peanut sauce left over, so she gave me a container of it to take home. So tonight for dinner, we marinated some chicken strips in the peanut sauce and then grilled it continually mopping the sauce over it.  And then leaving some as a side sauce to dip in at the table.

I paired it with some veg fried rice.  Usually I would make fried rice with left over stale rice but I didn't think that far ahead so the rice was made only a few hours prior to dinner and left it out to cool and possibly dry out.  Fried rice is so easy to make, I wonder why people order it out sometimes.

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sriracha, or to taste
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped

Heat a wok or skillet/frying pan on medium with 1 tbsp peanut oil.  Crack two eggs and scramble in the pan. Once they are well scrambled, take out and set aside. 

Add the remaining 1 tbsp peanut oil. Add the onion and carrot and cook for about 3 minutes. 

Then add the rice, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well. Add the egg and sriracha. Cook until everything is heated well, mix in green onions and then serve.

Thats it! That is fried rice. You can of course add more or less soy sauce, I just do it to about a medium brown color. I don't like when it is swimming in the soy sauce but it needs to get absorbed into the rice. And add more veg if you have it. Peas, corn, kimchi, bok choy whatever else makes you happy.

Grilled Cheese and Soup

There is nothing better on a overcast, cold (yes, I am aware it is 70 degrees) and rainy day than gooey warm grilled cheese and tomato soup.

To use up some stuff in my fridge, I made the grilled cheese with a mix of muenster cheese and monterey jack cheese on some classic white italian bread.  The soup was from Trader Joe's, low sodium organic tomato soup and served it with a side of applesauce.

It was so gooey and yummy I even had to use my napkin.

Chicken Kebabs

Chicken kebabs with veg and roasted sweet potatoes

Breaded and Grilled Chicken Parmesan

With the warm weather approaching us, it definitely puts you in the grilling mood. But on Saturday I was (surprisingly) really craving chicken parm.

So we went about making typical chicken parm, by dipping the chicken in one egg, and then coating it in a mixture of breadcrumbs (I would usually use Panko, but I ran out) Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil and Italian seasoning.

  

Place a fry pan on the side burner of the grill and coat the bottom of the pan with oil.  Once oil is hot, place chicken in the pan and cook 1.5 minutes on each side to get a nice crust on the outside.  After both sides have cooked, place on the grill and brush with olive oil to obtain a nice crispy crust.  Cook 4-6 minutes on each side. 

As you're cooking the second side, coat the top with hot tomato gravy and place the mozzarella cheese on top to melt.  When the cheese has melted, remove from the grill and place some extra tomato sauce on the top of the mozzarella. Plate the chicken with some whole wheat spaghetti and garnish with a fresh basil chiffonade

Steak and Potatoes

Grilled steak with sweet potatoes and grilled zucchini, squash and asparagus

We have growth!

We have some growth at the farm! Our two cherry tomato plants both have a some fruit on them! Now they just have to sit in the sun and change to red. And some bees to pollinate those flowers!

Pulled Pork Pizza

 With the left over pork from Tuesday night I bought some fresh pizza dough, which can be easily picked up at your local pizza shop for about $2. 

Before I started, I sliced two onions and put it in my pan with a little bit of baking soda and put the heat on low. About fifteen minutes into cooking the onions I added a splash of balsamic vinegar and let the onions cook down a little more.

While the onions where cooking, sprinkle some semolina on the dough and roll it out to fit on your pizza stone. 

There is nothing worse when your dough is much much larger than your stone. 

Slather a thick helping of any sort of barbeque sauce as the base for the pizza.  Then layer the pork, green pepper, some shredded cheddar cheese and then the balsamic caramelized onions, don't forget a sprinkle of garlic powder for some added flavor.

Put the pizza the stone and bake it in the oven for fifteen minutes at 500 degrees.

Cheese-It crusted Tilapia

Thursday night special is Cheese-It crusted Tilapia with sauteed zucchini, squash, onions, tomatoes and asparagus and sprinkled with parm cheese.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Tonight for dinner, the plan was for something made with the left over sausage and peppers (yes we still have it left over), but there was only 4 pieces left of sausage left and the consensus was that is not enough for dinner.  So we decided on Indian food. We haven't had Indian food since we moved here from Philadelphia, where we were a few blocks from two really good Indian restaurants. So we ordered from Monsoon down the street from us here in Mount Laurel. 

For tonight, we had chicken tikka masala on top of a bed of basmatti rice with tandoori grilled vegetables and onion kulcha. 

Leftovers - Just as Good!

Leftovers from last night, just aged a bit but twice as delicious as last night!

Chicken, Veg and Cheese Soup

Homemade chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and cheddar cheese soup with a house salad topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions accompanied with freshly baked Cuban bread.

Crock Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

For our wedding reception party, Mark made Dr. Pepper Pork Belly Bao. I have been craving this dish since the party and then I found a recipe for Root Beer pulled pork. Hopefully this will fulfill my craving. Also, I figured I would be able to get two meals out of a large piece of pork butt/shoulder. 

I followed the recipe very loosely, so loose in fact that the only thing I used was the one can of soda. I also added brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a touch of cayenne powder.

So tonight for dinner is the pulled pork with tangy slaw on whole wheat buns and a side of corn on the cob (not pictured). The remaining pork will be re-used on Thursday night for dinner.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fun Cake

Wow.

And fun cake it is.

For some reason, I have about three dozen eggs. So, I figure the best way to use up some of my eggs is to make a cake. I sort through my huge pile of recipes that I must make as soon as possible (there are so many recipes it will probably take me at least three years to make every recipe, once, and that is cooking seven days a week).

So my heart is content on making this Bon Appetit Chocolate Peanut Butter Fun Cake. I get all my ingredients together, pour the cake into my 8x8 pan, place it into the oven and then I realize that there are no eggs in this recipe so that didn't help reduce my egg stockpile. 

Ohh well. 

After the cake comes out, let it cool for a little bit and then slather on this peanut butter buttercream and devour. 

Stuff your face.

And it was so much that you will go back for seconds, maybe thirds, if you have any room left.

I am in such a food coma now, after eating more than one serving of the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese just a few hours ago.

Tuna Wrap

Dinner tonight is a tuna wrap with a side salad



Too stuffed from dinner for dessert, so the strawberry shortcake is postponed until tomorrow.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

After a busy weekend we spent trying to get back to normal, this was a quick dinner that was to give us a few days of leftovers, so I wouldn't have to cook much during the week. I made it in an 11 x 13 casserole dish, but it was so good that I think we basically only got four servings from it, when we should have at least had three nights of dinner - and maybe a lunch.  

Oh well. It was worth it.  

The recipe can be found here. The only change I made was to boil the chicken and then shredded it in the food processor instead of cubing it.

This recipe is definitely going into regular rotation, but probably works better in the colder months as it really is reminiscent of a great fall day that turns into cozy a night with the crisp fall air.

Sunday Breakfast in Melbourne

Sunday breakfast in Melbourne... Bacon, egg and cheese burrito. Complimented with fresh watermelon, bananas and blueberries, and some Florida java. Yummmy!