November: The Month of the Freezer Meal

In an effort to curb grocery costs and make life easier for myself, I've been researching and saving recipes for meals that I can prepare ahead of time that freeze well.

When I was pregnant with AJ, one of the best things I did was make and freeze about 7 meals that we were able to pull out of the freezer after she was born.  In the first days of new motherhood, it was invaluable to know that dinner was in the freezer if sh!t hit the fan.  I'm planning to do the same preparation a few weeks before baby #2 arrives.

In the past three years, it seems that crock pot cooking and freezer meals have become way more popular and I've found a few websites that have some great-looking recipes I'm going to test-run before the baby arrives.  One main site is the Six Sisters' Website.  They claim that you can prepare and complete 8 dinners in just over an hour.  I am planning to test their theory this month.

I also have a few of my own recipes that I know freeze well that my family likes that I'm planning to make this month.  I think I'll have more than 10 meals in the freezer that we can pull out as life gets crazy and we start to travel for the holidays.  I can't wait to just be able to pull a pan out of the deep-freezer when we get home from a trip and have a home-cooked meal the night we get home!

Here are the meals I'm planning to make this month:

• Chili
• King Ranch Chicken Casserole
• Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs
• Black Bean Taco Soup
• Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
• Chicken Cacciatore
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Hearty Beef Stew
• Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
• Cilantro Lime Chicken w/Corn and Black Beans
• Pasta e Fagioli
• White Bean Soup w/Grilled Sausage
• Homemade Pasta Sauce

The only two of the above recipes that I've made before are chili and homemade pasta sauce, which, technically I don't make, since D makes it.  The chili recipe I make is loosely based off the one I linked above, but I've changed it so much that its really different from the above recipe.

I'm kind of excited to get all these prepped and frozen, there is nothing better than having a fully-stocked freezer, and not just with frozen pizzas, but actual meals.  I also feel like most recipes for freezer meals are big enough that we can eat off them for at least an extra day with the leftovers.

So, if you'd like to join me in cooking up a storm, feel free, but I'll be posting about how these recipes come together, if we like them and what my overall thoughts on them are.

Recent Pins: Baking Edition

I have a lot of events coming up in the next few weeks and I've volunteered to bake treats for several of these events, which has led me straight to Pinterest to find some new recipes to try out!  I have a few tried and true recipes that I know I can always fall back on, like PW's Monster Cookies, but I am kind of in the mood to try something different!

Here are a few of the recipes I've pinned for the next few weeks.  I haven't decided which of the cookies I'm going to make, so if you have votes, let me know!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Lemon Cookies

Snickerdoodles

 My family is coming into town to visit this weekend and I'm thinking about whipping up this French Toast bake for breakfast one morning while they are in town.  I think it sounds heavenly, what do you think?

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

And D is a big eggplant fan, so when I turned on the Food Network today during nap time and Giada was making this recipe, I knew it had to go on my list of things to make sometime soon!

Eggplant and Pesto Pasta

 And finally, D's battalion is having a Halloween Trunk or Treat event next week and we're planning to have a "Cake Walk" at the event.  I volunteered to bake a cake, and this is the recipe I found.  I think it looks super cool, and it is basically a red velvet cake, but using black food coloring instead of red, so its super spooky!

Black Velvet Halloween Cake

So there you have it, folks!  I've obviously been drooling over sweets lately, which could be disastrous to my already ever expanding waistline!  Hopefully I can concentrate my efforts on baking and not eating all these goodies!  What have you been pinning lately?

The Best Thing I've Made In A Long Time, Possibly Ever

If you are a loyal follower of the old blog here, then you may already know about my new favorite recipe site, SkinnyTaste.com. I tried a few new recipes from the site last week. I blogged about one already on my food blog (the Stuffed Cabbage Casserole, which was okay) but the one I made on Thursday was possibly the best dinner I've ever made.

I'll preface by saying that it wasn't the easiest dish I've ever made, but it was worth every step and this dish has easily earned a spot in our regular rotation.

***

Chicken with Mushrooms in a Garlic and White Wine Sauce

8 chicken tenderloins, 16 oz total
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside in a warm oven.

Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half. Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.


***

You should also make this side dish to go with it. They really pair perfectly.

***

Baked Rice with Peas

1 cup uncooked long grain rice
14.5 oz can fat free chicken broth (vegetarians use vegetable broth)
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
5 oz (1/2 package) frozen peas

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a oven-safe baking dish with a lid. Place a piece of tin foil between the lid and the dish to ensure no steam escapes.
Bake 45 minutes (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). When 45 minutes is up, remove from oven and let it sit for 10 more minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice, (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). After 10 minutes, remove lid and fluff with a fork.

***

There you go, friends. Make this, soon.

Christmas Eve and the Feast of the Seven Fishes

I haven't really talked about our Christmas plans on my blog because we don't have a ton of plans. We decided to stay here this year and spend Christmas just our little family. We are going to wake up in our own beds tomorrow morning and relax, eat, open presents and just chill. I can't wait. I will share my Christmas day menu with you all soon (after Christmas, obviously). With that being said, we're having some people over for dinner on tonight.

I wasn't too sure about making some big crazy prime rib or something (because I like cooking, but don't want to eff myself over and be the fool who ends up having to order out on Christmas Eve because something went terribly wrong).

I decided that something much easier, like the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner of The Feast of the Seven Fishes. In my apparently warped mind, this was more sane than the alternative. Ha! Now I'm making six seafood dishes (amongst various frozen appetizers) to serve our guests this evening. One of the guests is bringing a seafood dish, so I only have to make six recipes instead of seven (should lighten the load a little bit, at least).

Here's what I'm making.

Shrimp Cocktail (because I'm being lazy on this one)

Baked Scallops

Lemon Garlic Flounder I'm using Flounder instead of Tilapia

Chez Lorraine's Baked Salmon

Fried Calamari

Crab Cakes (I bought these pre-made from our local grocery store, so no recipe, sorry!)

As you can see, most of these recipes are very simple, but the ones I've made before are delicious and the new ones sound fantastic, so I'm excited to get to work in the kitchen!

I'll post an update after Christmas to let you all know that I survived what will undoubtedly be known as "Seafood Extravaganza 2011" or "The Christmas Beth Went Crazy" for generations years to come! Wish me luck!

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

I hope everyone has a fun and exciting day planned for this festive Mexican holiday!

We're having enchilada casserole for dinner tonight to celebrate! Maybe we'll even enjoy a corona or two!

Quick and Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
via AllRecipes.com

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
garlic salt to taste
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn in half
1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) container reduced fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish. Season chicken with garlic salt. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool, shred, and set aside.

Pour about 1/2 inch enchilada sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish, and arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 the chicken, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 the sour cream, and 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce. Repeat. Coat remaining tortillas thoroughly with remaining enchilada sauce, and arrange on top of the layers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and top with any remaining enchilada sauce. Cover, and bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool slightly before serving.

This is so, so good! I highly recommend it!

Make sure you come back tomorrow for another fun post!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken

Jessica Lynn over at The Tale of Two Kitchens posted this recipe a few weeks ago and I've had it in my email, waiting for a good time to make it! Tonight seemed to be the perfect night, I had a hankering for Mexican and it did not disappoint! D even commented about how delicious it was.

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken
Please refer to the links above for the recipe as it appears on her blog, I made some changes based on what I had on hand.

1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
2 bone-in chicken leg quarters
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 limes
1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped


Directions:
In a small bowl combine seasonings: cumin, chili powder, coriander, garlic powder paprika, red pepper flakes and garlic cloves; set aside. Heat oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add seasoning mixture and sauté two more minutes. Deglaze the pan with broth, making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Turn off and set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to crock pot. Squeeze lime on top; add cilantro and pour onion and seasoning mixture over top.

Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until cooked through (different crock-pots cook at varying heats) and tender. Remove chicken from the crock pot, let cool for a few minutes, shred and return to crock-pot on "warm" setting until ready to serve.

I didn't put my chicken back in the crock pot because we were ready to eat. It was delicious when I spooned some of the onion and broth over it, though.

We piled ours on top of tostadas as Jessica recommends in her original post (even though ours were store-bought because I'm lazy), then we topped it with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and chopped tomatoes, yum!

I highly recommend you make this recipe, and soon!

Party Food and Menu Planning

We've had a lot of visitors from out of town lately, and to add to that, we've been busy celebrating birthdays. Since we have been feeding lots of extra people, I've had a lot of fun menu planning the past few weeks.

Menu planning for large groups of hungry party-goers is a lot different than the usual menu-planning I do (for two)! Its been fun to make and serve things that I normally don't make, and I want to share our dinner menus for the last few weeks. Part of the reason that its been fun is because we're kind of on a budget, so I didn't want to go crazy and serve everyone filet mignon, but I also didn't want to seem cheap! Ha!

So here you have it!

3/7 Monday:
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

3/8 Tuesday:
Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema and Crunchy Apple Salsa

3/9 Wednesday:
AJ's Birthday! We ate out at Red Robin

3/10 Thursday:
Sausage, Cheddar, and Onion Quiche with Spinach Salad

3/11 Friday:
Cowboy Skillet Casserole

3/12 Saturday (D's family came to town):
BBQ Chicken Thighs, Steak, Macaroni Salad, and Grilled Asparagus

3/13 Sunday (Party Day!):
Spaghetti and Meatballs with Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread, Salad and Birthday Cake

3/14 Monday:
Take-out Chinese

3/15 Tuesday:
Stuffed Pepper Casserole

3/16 Wednesday:
Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Roasted Red Potatoes

3/17 Thursday (St. Patty's Day):
Corned Beef and Cabbage

3/18 Friday:
Chili and Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread

As always, my preferred recipes are linked up, so try them out and enjoy!

I've never made corned beef and cabbage before, so it should be interesting. I'm hoping that it turns out, because I really love it and I'll be super disappointed if its yucky!

Soup For YOU!!!

As you can tell, D was gone this week, so I made soup.

I love soup, but it tends to not really be enough for a full dinner for D, so I rarely make it when he's home. That is, unless I make grilled cheese or serve a salad and bread with it. The point is, I made soup this week and it was heavenly.

Our mail is finally catching up with us from the move and the address changes, so we got our February issue of Family Circle late. In it, however, was a whole section of recipes for homemade soup! I saw two recipes that caught my eye, so I decided make them this week while D was gone. They were so good, so I'm sharing them with you!

Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

Makes 6 servings; Prep Time 15 minutes, Cook Time 8 minutes

1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers in brine, drained
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
1 c low-sodium and fat-free chicken broth
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c heavy cream
croutons, for serving

1. Combine drained peppers and diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.

2. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add pepper-tomato mixture, tomato puree, chicken broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Heat just to simmering, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Return to stove and heat through. Ladle soup into bowls; top each with a few croutons.

For this recipe, I also added a little bit of red pepper flakes to spice it up a tad and it was delicious. Also, since I was making this for only one person and the recipe feeds 6, I froze the soup before adding the cream so when I defrost it in the future, I'll just add a little cream to my bowl and stir it in.

The next soup I made was totally different, but something I'd been wanting to try for a while.

Winter Veggie Bisque

Makes 6 servings; Prep time 15 minutes; Cook time 12 minutes

1 large onion, peeled and halved
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
3 carrots, trimmed and peeled
2 tbsp butter
2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen cooked winter squash, thawed
3 c vegetable broth
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 c heavy cream

1. Shred onion, apple, and carrots either with a box grater or with shredding blade in food processor. Heat butter in large pot over medium heat. Add shredded onion, apple, and carrot. Cook 7 minutes, until softened.

2. Stir in squash, broth, sugar, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes.

3. Transfer mixture to food processor fitted with chopping blade or to blender. Puree until smooth (do this in batches, if necessary). Return to pot and stir in heavy cream. Gently heat through.

Again, I froze the leftovers of this soup before adding the cream, so if you plan to make this and freeze, I would keep that in mind. I also couldn't find frozen squash at our commissary, so I just oven roasted some butternut squash in the morning and then let it cool. After if was cool, I cut it into chunks and used that instead of the frozen variety.

I hope you all enjoy these recipes, I know I'm already looking forward to our next "soup dinner" so I can break out these from the freezer!

Valentine's Day Menu

The first thing I made for our Valentine's Day dinner was the chocolate covered pound cake. This is pretty much the easiest, most delicious dessert ever. Its decadent, and looks impressive, but really takes about 15 minutes to make.

Chocolate Covered Pound Cake
via My Mom

1 Sara Lee Frozen All-Butter Pound Cake
3 Giant Bars Hershey's Milk Chocolate
3/4-1 c. Sour Cream

Over a double boiler, melt chocolate bars until smooth. Stir in 3/4 c (or more) sour cream until thoroughly combined.

Meanwhile, slice pound cake several times horizontally (you will be "frosting" it so the whole thing looks like a layered cake when cut). Spread chocolate mixture in between cake slices and then stack and finish frosting the outside of the cake.

Place cake in freezer for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve frozen.

Next I got the chicken in the oven to roast. I made Ina Garten's Friday Night Roasted Chicken and it was so good. This is the chicken she makes every Friday for Jeffrey, in case you were wondering. I didn't use a whole chicken, but instead used bone-in chicken thighs we already had. I also omitted the roasted veggies that she had in her pan and just made the chicken. The recipe below is how I made it. Click on the title of the recipe for the original recipe.

Perfect Roast Chicken
via Barefoot Contessa

4 bone-in chicken thighs
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
3 lemons, quartered
1 head garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken. Arrange the bunch of thyme, lemon, and all the garlic around and on top of the chicken thighs. Drizzle the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut it. Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil for about 15 minutes.

And finally, the root veggie mash, which was something that is totally out of the norm for us. It was delicious and paired perfectly with the chicken. It was wonderful!

Root Veggie Mash
via Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

2 rutabagas, peeled and cubed (I used 1)
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 potato, peeled and cut into chunks (I used 3 red potatoes)
pinch of salt
3 tbsp Earth Balance (I used butter and way more than 3 tbsp)
1/3 c almond milk (I used about 2 tsp half and half)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1 tbps chives, for garnish (we didn't have chives, so I skipped this)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rutabagas, parsnips, potato and a pinch of salt. Cook the vegetables until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in large bowl. Add the Earth Balance, almond milk, salt and pepper. Beat with an electric mixer and whip until fluffy (I used a potato masher and left mine lumpy). Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

And there you have it, folks! Our full Valentine's Day meal. I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as we did on Monday!

Menu Monday

I've started menu planning pretty seriously again since we moved into the new house (something about cooking in my new, awesome kitchen). I'm trying to accomplish two things at once, we want to start eating more healthy and I want to expand our usual rotation of dinners to spice things up.

I got the Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everday Cookbook for Christmas and I've already made two recipes from it that were both big hits at our table, despite all her recipes being vegan. I promise I'll share those with you guys in the next few weeks. For now though, here's our menu for the week.

Sunday 1/23: Green Chile Turkey Burgers, Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Monday 1/24: Waldorf Chicken Salad
Tuesday 1/25: Pork Tenderloin, Glazed Carrots, Salad
Wednesday 1/26: Seared Pork Tortas, Sweet Potatoes
Thursday 1/27: Turkey Meatloaf, Acorn Squash
Friday 1/28: Chicken Caesar Salad
Saturday 1/29: Turkey Tenderloin, Root Veggie Mash

If you're interested in any of the recipes for the menu items above, let me know in the comments and I'll post some of them for you guys!

What's For Dinner This Week?

I realized recently that I've been posting a lot of recipes for yummy things, but I haven't really been talking much about what we've been eating on a regular basis, i.e. what's for dinner? I've been making some new and exciting recipes lately and I think they deserve a mention, so here we go!

The other night I made these fish tacos. They were absolutely delicious, but even better, they aren't battered and fried like lots of fish taco recipes, so they were pretty healthy, too!

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
via Cooking Light

Ingredients

• Crema:
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
• Cooking spray
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas (we used hard shells)
  
• 2 cups shredded cabbage

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 394 (14% from fat)

Fat: 6.3g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.5g,poly 1.5g)

Protein: 40.3g

Carbohydrate: 40.1g

Fiber: 5.5g

Cholesterol: 70mg

Iron: 3.5mg

Sodium: 857mg

Calcium: 233mg

I added a Tomato-Apple Salsa that I made up for a little sweetness and crunch. I was going for something like a mango salsa, but there weren't have any mangoes at the grocery store this week.

Tomato-Apple Salsa
1 sweet apple (we like Braeburn), chopped
1/2 package grape tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 red onion, minced
lime juice
salt
pepper
olive oil
white vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Spoon onto fish tacos for sweetness and added crunch.

We were both in heaven when we ate this dinner on Friday. It was so.good. I hope you enjoy it next time you get a hankering for tropical food!

Appetizer Recipe #7: Crab Cakes with Remoulade and Mango Salsa

7. Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce and Mango Salsa
(Recipes submitted by my brother, B)

Yumm-O!

Crab Cakes:
3/4 pound lump crabmeat
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup mayo
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, minced
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix. Shape into cakes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook crab cake patties until crisp and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.


Mango Salsa:
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 red onion, diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Minced Jalapeno
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix


Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons milk
1 & 1/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon minced celery
1 teaspoon minced white onion
1 teaspoon minced green bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt

Mix


Well folks, that wraps up the week of appetizer recipes from our Appetizer Cook-off in Florida! They were all wonderful and come highly recommended by my entire family! Hopefully next time you are in need of an appetizer for a party or gathering, you can find a use for one of these!

Appetizer Recipe #6: Teriyaki Scallops

The next recipe is actually the winning recipe. My sister's boyfriend, Z, submitted this one and it was amazing! If you are in a location that is known for good seafood, or you otherwise just happen to find some large fresh scallops at the store, make this recipe!

This recipe is nice because other than the scallops, fresh ginger and sake, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Make this for a special night, maybe a date night in or as an appetizer for a holiday dinner.

Teriyaki Scallops
(Recipe submitted by my sister's boyfriend, Z)


1 lb scallops halved crosswise (make 2 round pieces from each scallop).
2 tbsp grapeseed oil, divided
1/2 c sake
1/2 c honey
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c soy sauce
3 tbsp BBQ sauce
salt
pepper
2 tbsp minced green onions, to garnish

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Over high heat, sear in 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (about 1 min each side). Remove from pan and set aside.

Remove pan from from heat, pour off excess oil, and de-glaze pan with sake

Place pan back on heat and add honey, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and BBQ. Bring to boil; lower heat to simmer and cook til thickened. Add scallops back to pan and toss to coat. Heat through. Remove from heat and add green onion. Serve immediately.

Appetizer #5: Soppressata and Cheese in Puff Pastry

I know you've all been dying to find out what I made for the competition, and you don't have to wait any longer! I was a little nervous beforehand because this is a new recipe for me; I found it in my new Barefoot Contessa cookbook that I got for Christmas.

This turned out great! Everyone raved about how good it was. D even mentioned that I could make it for dinner and serve it with a veggie as a main dish.

5. Soppressata & Cheese in Puff Pastry
(Recipe submitted by me via Barefoot Contessa)


1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, defrosted
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
12 thin slices soppressata salami
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and lightly roll into a 10-inch square. Place it on the sheet pan and brush the pastry with all the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the soppressata in overlapping layers on the mustard and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on the soppressata, also avoiding the border. Brush the border with the egg wash.

Lightly roll the second piece of puff pastry into a 10-inch square. Lay the pastry directly on top of the first square, lining up the edges. Brush the top with the egg wash, cut three large slits for steam to escape, and chill for 15 minutes.

When the pastry is cold, trim the edges with a very sharp knife to make a clean edge. Bake the pastry in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once while baking, until puffed and brown. Allow to coll for a few minutes, cut in squares, and serve hot or warm.

Appetizer Recipe #4: Crostini a la Dad

The next recipe was submitted by my Dad and let me tell you, he won the award for most surprising! I'm pretty sure he's been holding out on my mom for the past 28 years or so. She was really shocked that he had the skills to pull this one off.

This recipe is a little bit more skillfully advanced than some of the others I've posted, but don't be scurred! The elbow grease that goes into it is well worth it in the end when you taste the deliciousness.

Crostini a la Dad
(Recipe submitted by my Dad via Giada)

The browned sage butter made this so interesting.

12 1/2-inch thick slices ciabatta bread
12 slices thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 ounces)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
3 tablespoons butter
6 sage leaves
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the slices of ciabatta on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden around the edges, about 8 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven. Place the prosciutto slices and mozzarella on the crostini toast and return to the oven to melt the cheese, about 8 more minutes.

Meanwhile combine the butter and the sage leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and starting to brown in spots and the sage leaves are crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the crostini to a serving plate. Drizzle the crostini with the sage butter and serve immediately.

Make this for an upscale get-together (or next time your mother-in-law comes to dinner). Come back tomorrow for the recipe yours truly submitted in the competition!

For the first three recipes, click on the following links:

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Eggplant, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Stacks
Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

Appetizer Recipe #3: Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

Recipe #3, here we come! For the first two recipes from our cook-off, here they are: recipe #1 and recipe #2.

My sister (who was sick the day of the competition) rose from the dead to make this appetizer. Let me tell you, it was delish! In fact, I'm pretty sure that she won the award for best "comeback" in the competition. If you want to switch up your usual bruschetta recipe, try this one!

3. Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
(Recipe submitted by my sister, A)

This was really good too!

2 packages of grape tomatoes
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
french bread
olive oil
salt
pepper

Spread the tomatoes out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes burst open.

Dice mozzarella into little pieces.

In a large bowl, lightly mash the tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil (as much as you like).

Cut the bread on the diagonal and toast slices in the broiler for about 2 minutes. Carefully spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread slices and serve. ENJOY!

Check back again tomorrow for the next recipe!

Appetizer Recipe #2: Eggplant, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches

So yesterday I shared the recipe for M's Buffalo Chicken Dip. (In case you missed it, click here.) Hopefully you can take it to a party or get together soon! Prepare to be bombarded by requests for the recipe! Today we have the recipe for the second appetizer that was served during our appetizer cook-off.

This recipe is grill-heavy, so if the weather isn't great where you are, I'd suggest holding off until spring time, but you definitely want to make this! This could even be prepared as a vegetarian main-dish, if that is your thing, just omit the proscuitto.

Eggplant, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches
(Recipe submitted by D)

Sorry so blurry, D, I'm no culinary photographer.

2 medium red bell peppers
extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 globe eggplants, about 1 pound each, trimmed
8 thin slices Prosciutto di Parma
8 slices mozzarella, each 1⁄4 inch thick
8 medium fresh basil leaves

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F).

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the peppers over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they are blackened and blistered all over, 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Place the peppers in a medium bowl and cover with plastic to trap the steam. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, then peel the skin and discard the stems and seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor with 1 tablespoon oil and the salt and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

Cut each eggplant crosswise into 8 slices, each about 1⁄2 inch thick. Lightly brush both sides with oil. Grill over direct medium heat until the underside is well marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer half of the slices to a tray, with the grilled sides facing up. Turn the remaining slices over and grill until well marked on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Place a tablespoon of the red pepper mixture in the center of the grilled side of each eggplant slice on the tray. Place a slice of prosciutto (folded to fit), a slice of the mozzarella, and a basil leaf on top of the red pepper mixture. Top each “sandwich” with a slice of the eggplant that has been grilled on both sides. Use a wide spatula to place the “sandwiches” on the cooking grate, uncooked side down, and grill over direct medium heat until the cheese is softened and the sandwiches are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining pepper mixture, if desired.

Tomorrow is the next recipe in the installment, be sure to come back!

The Great Appetizer Cook-Off of 2010!

I'm not sure if I completely explained the Florida vacation to all of my lovely readers. D's family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve, and traditionally we spend Christmas Day with my family. Well, my parents bought a condo in Florida about a year ago and we all decided that instead of hanging out in the cold weather for Christmas, we should spend time together in Florida!

So, bright and early Christmas morning D, AJ and I packed up the Jeep and drove to Florida. After spending Christmas night in a hotel (and driving through some crazy snowy weather in TN), we arrived early in the afternoon of the 26th and spent the next 12 days in Florida! It was heavenly!

My parents were already there when we arrived and then my sister and her boyfriend were the next ones there, followed by my brother and his girlfriend. We had already made plans for dinner for most of the nights we would be there, but there was one night that was stumping us. My mom had the genius idea to have an appetizer cook-off (I think its secretly because she didn't want to have to cook for all of us)!

There weren't many rules to the competition, but each person was to choose an appetizer recipe and then prepare it for the group. My mom would be the judge and the winner got, well, nothing.

I made sure to take pictures of all the recipes after they were completed and I vowed to my family that I would make them famous post their recipes on my blog for all to see! So we'll start with the first dish to be served:

1. Buffalo Chicken Dip
(Recipe submitted by my brother's girlfriend, M)

Sorry for the crappy picture, M! This was so, so, so good people!

1 original flavored rotisserie chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 8oz blocks plain cream cheese (room temperature)
1 bottle of hot sauce
1 cup of ranch dressing or to taste

Tortilla chips

Shred rotisserie chicken in large bowl. Add cream cheese. Mix well. Slowly add shredded cheese, hot sauce, and ranch to taste. Stir until mix well. Put into cooking pan, sprinkle cheese on top. Heat in oven for 20 min @ 325 degrees or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the next recipe!!

A Red Letter Day!

So after all the action and excitment that comes with a holiday spent with family, we're relaxing this morning and eating leftovers. I decided to hop online and check out the activity in the bloggy world and lo and behold, I have reached 100 followers!

I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who has determined that I am worth following, and say welcome to all my new followers!


So the other night D and I were talking about my blog and I happened to mention that I was close to having 100 followers. He continues to be super amazed by my popularity (ha!) and he's convinced that someday soon we'll be living off the profits from my super-awesome blog and subsequent book (a la Pioneer Woman).

No, really, he thinks that.

Anyway, the conversation continued and he suggested that once I hit 100 followers we should have a special dinner to celebrate.

I kind of laughed at the idea, but after thinking about it a little, I like the idea! I'm going to expand on it a little further and let you all suggest your favorite recipes or menus for our dinner. It is, after all, because of you that we'll be celebrating! So, start thinking about what I should make, because I'm opening up the comments section for you guys to make suggestions for the next week.

Next Friday, December 3 I will officially close the contest and organize all the suggestions by dish type (like appetizers, main dishes, desserts, etc.) and I'll randomly choose the recipes that l'll make for our dinner! Don't worry, I will blog about the preparation and how the whole meal turns out so you all know how much we enjoy your favorite recipes!

So, get thinking and let me know what we should make!

Details: Make sure that you either submit the directions for making your recipe or you enable your email address on your profile so I can get in touch with you to get the recipe! If I can't get in touch with you and the recipe isn't included in your post, then your entry will be disqualified. Sorry.

Thanks so much for following me!

Reese's Pie & Monster Cookies, Oh My!

In honor of Halloween (and because Lord knows we don't have enough sweets in our house right now) I decided to make a few goodies that either use candy in the recipe or remind me of candy. I found both of these recipes elsewhere, so the credit is due to Pioneer Woman and Family Circle magazine.

If you have any parties this weekend or just have extra m&m's that you can pilfer from your kids' candy bags, then you might want to make one (or both) of these recipes!

Pioneer Woman's Monster Cookies

• 2 sticks (1/2 Pound) Butter (salted) Softened
• ½ cups White Sugar
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1-½ cup Oats (either Quick Or Regular)
• ½ cups M & M's (more To Taste)
• ½ cups Pecans, Chopped (more To Taste)
• ¾ cups Chocolate Chips (milk Or Semi-sweet)
• ½ cups Peanut Butter Chips
• 2-¼ cups Rice Krispies

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix till combined. After that, add in remaining ingredients in whatever quantity you prefer. Add more nuts if you’d like, or more M & M’s, more peanut butter chips or chocolate chips.

Add Rice Crispies at the very end, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix!

Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, then allow to cool on a rack.

Serve with glasses of cold milk.

Reese's Pie (via Family Circle)

• 1 refrigerated rolled piecrust (from 15-ounce package)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus additional for garnish (optional)
• Frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed (optional)
• Chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate. Flute if desired. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

2. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs with a fork. Stir in corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla extract; mix until completely blended.

3. Remove piecrust from refrigerator and sprinkle with chocolate chips then pour peanut butter mixture over top. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil.

4. Bake pie at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes; remove foil. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes more or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Garnish with whipped topping, remaining chocolate chips and chopped peanuts, if desired.