And she's back folks - Spaghetti Squash

So I've been on a little blog hiatus. I must admit, I have less than two weeks until I'm off to sunny Mexico and I'm desperately trying to lose a few lbs before I leave. This winter really got the best of me and my thighs. So I've really been cooking grilled chicken and salad pretty much every night and trying my best not to think of all the delicious food I want to be cooking and eating!

Jenn from the SSCC (holla!) suggested I try spaghetti squash knowing that I'm a pasta lover. I had never heard of it and was not even sure that Stop N Shop even sold it. But they did! I have to say, while it's no penne rigate, I was pleasantly surprised. You definitely need a meaty/hearty sauce to disguise the fact that your eating squash. Go here to learn more about spaghetti squash http://www.fabulousfoods.com/features/featuring/spagsquash.html. It's great for dieters (esp South Beach and Atkins folks) or people looking to add veggies to their diets.

And no, Brian did not eat it.

Spaghetti Squash
Cut in half lengthwise. Put a little oil in a pyrex dish and place squash cut side down. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 45 minutes. After the squash is cooked take fork and shred the inside of the squash. Beware cooking the whole squash makes enough for an army.

Meat Sauce
1 lb of ground turkey or ground hamburger
1 can of kitchen ready pastene tomatoes
1 can of hunts tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1/2 sweet onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil

In a heavy sauce pan, brown ground meat for about 7 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain meat in a colinder to remove fat and oil. Add oil to sauce pan and sautee onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sautee for an additional 2 minutes making sure not to burn garlic. Add both cans of tomato sauce and salt. Let sauce simmer on medium low heat for 25 minutes.

Pork with Sugar Snap Peas

TGIF! Tomorrow, bright and early, Brian and I are leaving for Annapolis. We are going down with my aunt and uncle to visit my cousin, Matt, who is an Assistant Coach of the Naval Academy baseball team. I'm dreading the 8 hour drive, especially since the best part of a road trip is blaring the music and singing at the top of your lungs, and I imagine my aunt and uncle won't be up for that! Brian is probably doing a happy dance about this, because we all know if it were just him and me, I'd be singing for 8 hours straight. My compilation would include a little Madonna, Justin, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Latoya Jackson....okay just kidding about Latoya, but you catch my drift. I'd subject him to show tune after show tune, accompanied by jazz hands and dramatic facial expressions to the point where he'd want to get out of the car and start walking to Annapolis. Maybe this is why he's never wanted to go on a road trip with me?

We get back on Tuesday night so stay tuned for pictures from our road trip.

And for those who care about the recipes...here's a quick week night meal that was mighty tasty. I got the base of the recipe from AllRecipes.com but I added some of this and some of that. Next time I'll add carrots, celery and probably red peppers for some color.

Ingredients:
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil

10 ounces fresh sugar snap peas

1 green bell pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 sweet onion, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Hot cooked brown rice

In a nonstick skillet, stir-fry pork and garlic in hot oil for 6 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. In same pan, cook onions and peppers for 5 minutes. Add the peas along with the soy sauce, vinegar, molasses, ginger and red pepper flakes for 4 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Return pork to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until glazed. Serve over rice.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our house so I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it. I made this recipe up so I'm not 100% sure of the exact measurements but either way, I assure you this is a tasty dish. I decided to stuff it with goat cheese because Brian doesn't really like goat cheese, I'm lucky enough that I got him hooked on feta. So I can't put goat cheese on a salad, or else he won't eat it, but if I stuff it into chicken, he'll never know....well until he asks and then at that point I say, "it's feta cheese, dear." See the trickery....I'll be fully prepared when we have kids.

Ingredients:
Package of chicken breasts or cutlets
goat cheese
spinach (could probably use frozen)
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup lemon (1 lemon)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbs oil
rosemary
kosher salt
pepper

Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Mix together goat cheese and spinach - add a pinch of salt. If you are using cutlet, you can add a spoonful of the mixture into the center of the cutlet. Roll the cutlet, starting with the bigger end, and then secure it with a toothpick or two or kitchen twine. If you are using breasts you can slice along the side and stuff the mixture in and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle eat cutlet/breast with salt, pepper and rosemary.



In a hot frying pan, add the oil and the breast. Cook for a couple minutes on each side so they get slightly browned. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes but be careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in broth, lemon and wine. Let chicken simmer in sauce for about 15-20 minutes. Take out chicken, remember to remove all of the toothpicks, and boil the sauce for 5 minutes to thicken. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

I served this chicken over orzo but you could use aborio, angel hair, couscous, pilaf, etc.

Pasta Caprese

In honor of the birth of Giada's baby girl, Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, I decided to make this pasta from my Giada cookbook. Okay that's a lie, my aunt called me and told me I had to try this recipe, it was quick, easy and delicious - three words that are music to my ears.

I love most of Giada's recipes, in fact, I think I've said this before, she's my favorite Food Network chef. Yes her voice drives me insane and her shirts seem to keep getting lower and lower, but hey, she's cute, so I can't blame her. Her recipes are always fresh and light - two more words that are music to my ears.

So when I told Brian I was making pasta and sauce on a Tuesday night, the little rat thought I was whipping up a real sauce with meatballs. Um excuse me, that would take me hours. I think I spoil him. So when I'm chopping up the fresh cherry tomatoes, he got nervous. Actually the exact phrase was "I'm scared, is there any left over chicken from last night?" As you know Brian will remove tomatoes from any dish that touches his plate. If you've ever watched him, it's almost like surgery. With a precise steady hand he removes things such as tomatoes, artichokes, olives, onions, etc. I do get mad he wrecks my masterpiece, but as I've said before, I get all the scraps so I consider myself lucky.

About 20 minutes later we were both sitting down and enjoying the FANTASTIC meal. And guess what, Brian loved it! He did pick out the chunkier tomatoes but he did manage to eat a few and he surprised himself by actually enjoying it. I recommend this recipe for a quick week night meal or even for a large crowd. This will definitely be added to the dinner rotation. Next time I make it, I'll use less oil because I don't think it needed that much. I might add even more tomatoes and perhaps some chicken. Brian will love it even more if it's topped with a pile of meat - he's so meat and potatoes!

Ingredients:

1 pound fusilli pasta (I used rigitoni - just make sure it's a hearty pasta the sauce will stick to)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn 8 ounces

fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

I think I'll make this the next time the Corey's come over for dinner. Shout out to Danielle Corey who is a member of the C6. Don't ask me where she's from because I never remember if it's England, Wyoming, Oklahoma or North Carolina. Now she currently resides in Malden with her husband David and two cats, Ralphie and Rufus that she adores despite the fact that they've already destroyed her new furniture. She's absolutely crazy but that's why we love her....

(D - feel better now?)

Sweet Potato Chips/Fries

I'm not sure what to call these tasty treats - they don't have the crunchiness of a chip but they aren't shaped like a fry either. Anywho - I just kinda made up this recipe. Brian isn't sold yet - he still isn't a huge fan of the sweet potato but it's a healthy alternative to the regular potatoes I usually make so he'll have to get used to it. We're going to Mexico in less than two months and this mama needs to lose some lbs. - stat!

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes

1 tbls of evoo

rosemary

kosher salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and sclice them about 1/4 inch thick. Toss potatoes with the remaining ingredients until well coated. Place on a cookie sheet and cook until they slightly brown - about 25-30 minutes.

Asian Beef with Snowpeas

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I've been sick. Serves me right, as I've been bragging to everyone how I've made it this whole season without catching anything, while everyone around me has been sick two and three times. Damn you winter!

Chinese food is something I rarely get to eat because Brian doesn't care for it. I've never really made any Asian flare dishes so I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. I have to say this recipe was pretty good, although Brian liked it a little more than I did. However, this is a great quick and easy week night recipe. I think next time I'll use sirloin steak because the top round can be a little tough. I found this recipes on allrecipes.com, and added the red peppers to give it more color and flavor.

Ingredients:
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs minced fresh ginger root
1 tbs minced garlic
1 lb beef round steak cut into thin strips
8 oz snow peas

In a small bowl, cobime soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar and corn starch. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Stir fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Add steak and stir fry for 3 minutes or until evenly browned. Add the snow peas and stir fry for an additional 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and smooth. Serve over white rice.

Stuffed Peppers

I'm trying my hardest to reduce the amount of meat Brian and I consume, but let me tell you, it's hard. Brian is very much a meat and potatoes type of guy - and me, well I'm a carb lover. Now that the winter months are coming to an end (hey, a girl can hope, right?) those bikini and speedo days are in sight. So we're back on the wagon, the diet wagon that is.

This stuffed pepper recipe is very versatile. You can add chicken, ground turkey or no meat at all. You can add any type of cheese, feta, goat or mozzarella. I've adapted this creation from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
2 cup water
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.

While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice and cooked chicken, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.

Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Garlic Green Beans

I was reviewing the recipes I've posted and noticed that I've yet to post any veggie recipes. It's not because we don't eat them, it's just because during the week I mostly serve a salad as our veggie. My taste buds have changed over the years. When I was younger I wouldn't eat any veggies. I blame my mother mostly for this because she would always say "Nikki, eat your vegetables, it'll put hair on your chest." I was scared that I would literally start growing hair on my chest. And to top it off, being Italian, hair was a sore subject for me since I pretty much had to start shaving when I was in the 3rd grade! So to all those moms out there - don't tell your little girl she'll become a hairy beast if she eats her vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of green beans trimmed

1 tbs minced shallots

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp of olive oil

Salt to taste

Cook green beans in boiling water for about 5-6 minutes. Drain beans and either dump the beans in cold water or just run cold water over them to stop them from continuing to cook. In a pan, sautee garlic and shallots in the olive oil until fragrant - about 1 minute. Transfer cooked beans into the pan and sautee for about 3 minutes. Add salt (kosher salt or sea salt) to taste.

Caramelized Onion Chicken

This past weekend was beautiful. The warm sun had finally melted the last bit of snow away. Just in time for the Nor'easter. Well if you ask me, and remind you I'm from Texas, the big Nor'easter proved to be a huge disappointment. It started yesterday when Brian and I made a trip to Costcos. It was chaos. You would have thought they were giving away free food (think Super Market Sweep). I knew we were getting snow, but come on people. Then last night they started announcing school closings and I think pretty much every town was shutting down. When I woke up this morning I expected more than what I saw. I mean, sure it snowed, cars were covered, etc but they blow everything out of proportion. Most of the people made it into the office, besides the lucky few who worked from home. Ahhh, the joys of New England.

So here's a Caramelized Onion Chicken recipe from Cooking Light (but it was given to me by Sue). I love pretty much anything with caramelized onions. This sweet and savory dish will not disappoint. I think this is something kids would even enjoy. They can do what Brian does and pick out all the onions. I served this over jasmine rice and thought it was another quick and easy dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken breast or tenders cut into pieces

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup of sliced onion (I used sweet)

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp bottled minced ginger

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken to pan; saute for about 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove onion and chicken from pan and set aside.

Add jam and remaining ingredients to pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return chicken mixture to pan. Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. However, the longer it cooks, the more thicker the sauce gets.

Enchiladas Verdes

If you know me, you know that I love Mexican food. I think my first words were "green limes and no beans extra rice." I could eat it morning, noon and night, and I'm pretty sure most Texans feel the same way. I'm convinced that I was a Juanita in my former life. We eat Mexican food so much Brian's dad thinks that our kids are going to be born with a sombrero and a mustache.

But it's hard to find good Mexican, or shall I say, Tex-Mex, in Boston. Nearly impossible. We live up the street from what I thought was fairly decent Mexican restaurant, Mexico Lindo, but when we took my dad there during his visit to Boston, he snubbed his nose at it. I've searched high and low and it's the best I can come up with. So I'm trying to recreate my favorites at home. It's not the same but it'll have to do until my next trip to H-town.

Here's an enchiladas verdes recipe that's become a favorite in our household. When I want to go all out, I make the verdes sauce from scratch. If you don't have the time, you can buy green sauce in the supermarket (La Victoria is my favorite brand). If you forgo the homemade sauce, this is a relatively quick and easy recipe, not to mention good for crowds.

The homemade verdes sauce calls for tomatillos and serrano chiles. I've included a picture for those who don't eat, sleep and dream Mexican food.

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken breast
1.5 cups of light sour cream
½ cup of thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup of minced fresh cilantro
½ of a white onion
3 cups of chicken broth
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of garlic powder
2 garlic gloves minced
8 flour tortillas
1 cup of cheddar cheese

Verdes Sauce

2-4 serrano chiles (depending on how hot you want it)
1 pound of tomatillos, husks removed
¼ cup of minced cilantro
¼ cup of chopped white onions
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
½ teaspoon salt or to taste

To make the enchiladas:
Sprinkle chicken with salt. Place chicken in a skillet with the garlic and half of a sliced white onion. Pour in 3 cups of chicken broth or enough to cover the chicken. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink inside. Let chicken cool a little and shred with your hands. Put shredded chicken in a bowl with the sour cream, scallions, cilantro, ½ cup of shredded cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix. Spray a baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Put two-three spoon fulls of chicken mix in a tortilla. Roll and place in the pan seam side down. I spread a little extra sour cream on each enchilada. Top with verdes sauce and cheese. Bake covered in a 350 degrees pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. Last 5 minutes remove foil and back uncovered. I used another recipe to base this from but really I made this up so you can add anything you want to it.

Verdes Sauce:
Place chiles in a sauce pan with three cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomatillos, cover, and continue to simmer for an additional 8 minutes. The tomatillos should be cooked through but not falling apart. Remove chiles and tomatillos from pot and reserve the cooking liquid. Allow chiles and tomatillos to cool then move the stems and seeds from the chiles and cut into small pieces. Place chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, and the onions in the bowl of a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. The sauce should be well blended but still retain some texture. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the content of the blender and ½ cup of the reserved tomatillo cooking liquid and simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce should firmly coat a spoon. Add the salt and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and reserve. This makes about 2 cups.

Arriba arriba!

Pan-Seared Chicken with Artichokes and Pasta

I have to say this is one of my favorite dishes to eat and make. It's fairly easy and it's great if you're having a dinner party. However, Brian hates it. He destroys this dish by picking out the artichokes, olives and tomatoes. It makes me cringe when I see him doing this, although he does give me all his scraps.

When I make this dish I use my huge anodized calphalon pan because I'm able to fit everything in there. If you don't have a pan this size (and once I figure out how to write html, I'll include a link to the picture of the pan) just sear the chicken in a pan and then mix everything together in the pot you use to boil your pasta.

Oh and by the way...this is another SSCC recipe. Shout out to Sue, who I believe got this from a Cooking Light magazine. I make some changes to the recipe which I've noted below.

1 large jar marinated artichoke heart quarters, undrained
about 1 ½ lbs chicken (I use chicken breast but the orginal recipe called for thighs)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups cooked cavatappi or fusilli (I use the whole box)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp grated fresh parmesan cheese

Drain artichokes reserving marinade.

Dredge chicken in small amount of flour, salt and pepper. In a large skillet cook chicken in olive oil until done and slightly browned. (This is a one pan meal, so the larger the pan the better). Add garlic and onions. Sauté about one minute. Stir in reserved artichoke marinade and wine, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir in artichokes, pasta, olives and tomatoes. Cook a few more minutes until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese.