I Love Spicy.... Pasta

Bow tie pasta with sautéed chilis, onion, garlic and spicy Italian sausage.,. Oh and I added baby Bok Choy for some greens just because that's what I had in my fridge!

Lots of olive oil and extra chili pepper. No sauce needed here! 

Thai Coconut Chicken and Shrimp Soup

Coconut Milk and Chicken broth make the perfect base for this soup. Simply add finely sliced veggies you love with green chili paste found in most Asian markets. Add rice noodles and you're set! 

The Great Pumpkin!

I know it's fun for most to choose a pumpkin for their door step or to carve but this weekend I chose one so I could roast those seeds and eat that soup!

To roast seeds:

Remove from your pumpkin and pick all the pulp off. DO NOT RINSE! The little bit will bake off and helps the flavor stick.

Rinsing makes them slimey. Yuk. 

You can pat dry with paper towel or let sit out to dry for an hour.

Preheat oven to 275. Low and slow!

In a shallow roasting pan, spread seeds single layer. 

For seasoning:

1/4c butter melted

1tbsp Worchestershire sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

Dash of paprika

Dash of cumin

Pour over seeds and stir 

Roast 20 min and stir/ rotate pan.

Do this for 2 hours and check that they should be crunchy not chewy!

If they are, go extra 20 min until crunchy.

Cool before eating.

For Soup:

Cut up that pumpkin to large bite size pieces without skin (throw that to your squirrels!)

Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 45 mi. At 375. 

Hint: you can also just roast it and eat it like that if you're not making soup... It's delicious!

Meanwhile in a large pot, add 3tbsp butter and a drizzle of olive oil and sauté one whole diced onion 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp fresh grated ginger ( or 1/2 tsp ginger powder if you don't have that )and 3 stalks of celery until soft and slightly browning. Add carton of chicken stalk ( about 4 cups) and simmer until pumpkin ready. 

In a blender, carefully pour broth mix into blender and add pumpkin. 

Purée until smooth and return to pot but not back to boil. Add 1/4 c of light cream and stir thoroughly. 

Add salt and pepper to taste 

Serve.

I like to also put a dash of cayenne pepper to spice it up but you can experiment by adding it to just one bowl to taste in case others don't like spicy!

I'm Bacon you Pasta for Date Night!

My husband loves pasta of any kind so for date night, I wanted to give it a little twist for extra yum factor!

One pkg of spicy Italian sausage casing removed

4 strips of thick cut bacon diced

1 c diced white mushrooms

1 large can petite diced tomatoes I drained

1 small can tomato sauce

1/4 cup beef broth

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic sliced thin

1/4 tsp dried chilis 

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

In saucepan:

Add oil and lightly sauté garlic

Add sausage (crumbled ) and bacon, oregano, onion powder,chilis, salt and pepper.

Cook until brown and remove from pan.

Leave drippings in pan,add mushrooms and butter and cook until seared but not soft.

Return meat mixture to pan and add beef broth while scraping the bottom to loosen any stuck bits into the flavor.

Add tomatoes and sauce with balsamic

Simmer on low for about an hour as it cooks down and thickens.

Serve this over bow ties or your choice of short pasta. 

Remember , just drain your pasta and immediately return to pot to save some of that starchy water ...it helps the sauce stick to pasta!

Bon Appetite and always make time for date night!

One Banana? No Eggs? No Problem!

Sometimes I wanna bake but my pantry says "nope". 

Yesterday I saw one banana in my kitchen and thought "so what, I can just make a smaller banana bread!"

Then, as a started to create my recipe, I turned to grab an egg.....dun dun Dunn...

No eggs. Oops! Then I thought "well what about all the people with egg allergies? What do they get to enjoy?"

This recipe is for them and anyone else who only has one banana and wants banana bread Dang it!

Preheat 350

Spray bread pan with veg oil

In a large bowl, add

One large very ripe banana

1 c brown sugar

1 stick of butter or marg softened ( 1/2c)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Blend with hand mixer

Now.. To replace the egg:

Mix 1/4 c of applesauce 

(whatever you have on hand. I happened to have sauce I made from last weeks apple picking)

 with

1 tsp baking powder 

Add to banana mixture 

Next.. Do not over mix but add until wet and not lumpy or you'll have a heavy bread:

1/2 c milk

1.5 c flour 

1-2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of clove

Dash of salt

Pour into pan

Bake for 55 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 min before cutting.

This was a shot in the dark but my husband and daughter said it was delicious!

It was very moist and very easy and yes, even with only ONE banana.... Taste plenty of banana!

ITS ALL ABOUT THE YORKSHIRES!!

If you're like me and my family, then you cannot, absolutely cannot make a roast beef dinner without the Yorshire pudding... That's why it get the star attraction here and I didn't take a picture of the roast! 

I have tried... And enjoyed many different recipes over decades... THIS recipe, with a little help of Mr, Gordon Ramsey, was my HANDS DOWN BEST YET!

Sorry Mr Ramsey... Slightly altered but freakin fabulous!

Recipe:

1 and 1/2 cups whole milk

4 Eggs

1 and 1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

Throw it all in a blender and mix.

You can make this several hours ahead but take it out 30 min before making.

Now.... According to Mr Ramsey... This is for one dozen... Made in a regular muffin pan. 

I used these measurements in a large half dozen tin.... Made only six but... Massive and perfection!

When ready:

Preheat oven to 425

Place 1 tbsp of veg oil in each muffin tin

Place in preheated oven and let it get hot... Almost smoking hot. It's important!

When it's hot, quickly fill each tin about 2/3 full and return to hot oven.

Now...do NOT open oven again or they will FLATTEN ... but bake for about 20 min.... You can peek though door and watch for them to be full and dark golden 

But if they aren't burning, give them another minute or so. 

When done, you can carefully take them out and they shouldn't deflate!

We always serve with a pat of butter in the center and gravy.... 

Usually I eat 3 lol... These were so big and filling I only ate one.., for now !

Seriously... If you know anything about Yorshires, you know these are an art but this recipe and portion was THE BEST in a decade of trial and error. Enjoy!

"Can I have that salad recipe" Salad

Dedicated to my friends and family that love it and have asked for it...it's why I love to cook and create... Enjoy!

Start with Baby arugula or field greens... Your choice.

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup chick peas

1/8 cup diced red onion

One shredded carrot

1/8 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup feta crumbled

1/4 cup candied pecans (yes you can make your own and they are way better!)

Pecans:

Melt 2 tbsp butter, add 2 tbsp brown sugar ... Bring to boil, turn off hear and add fresh pecans. Lay out to cool on parchment paper and sprinkle salt and pepper. Mmm

Dressing:

1/4 c olive oil

1tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp balsamic vinegar (you can use red wine, apple cider vinegar if you want or don't have balsamic)

Dash of salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper ( you will never see me use already ground pepper.. It's just not the same!)

1 clove minced garlic but 1/8 tsp of garlic powder ok too

Shake vigorously to combine and mix all together.

You can add grilled chicken, shrimp or steak and make this a meal!

Chim chimney Chim chimney Chim chimchurri!

Summer isn't over yet! Steak on the grill and a very fresh sauce to marinade it! 

Take one cup of fresh cilantro, two cloves of garlic, half a small onion and the juice of one lime. Add half a cup of olive oil. Salt and pepper. Place all in a food processor and purée.

This is your steak marinade. You can certainly use it on chicken as well.

Let marinade for at least one hour. 

Grill that steak and enjoy! I served this with a Cesar salad and a simple baguette  with 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Stuffing

Well this is a new recipe for me and I have to say.... It was yum yum yummy!

It was a throw together last minute "what am I cooking tonight?"

Stove top stuffing with fine diced celery and cranberries added. Thin sliced chicken breast pounded a little thinner.

2 slices of bacon also pounded thinner. Place a handful of stuffing in the center and roll up. Wrap each one in bacon to secure... Pat bacon with brown sugar and black pepper and bake 400 degrees for about 30-35 min until bacon is crispy and hot through. I served this with buttered Brussels and scalloped

potatoes but the bacon wrapped chicken was the star!

Summer Swordfish

Lemon Zest Blueberry Waffles

What more do I need to say ?! 

Fresh Lobster Cavatappi in Cream Sauce

When lobster is so readily available, I like to indulge!

Steamed whole lobster shelled and chopped with portabello, button mushrooms and  escarole in a garlic cream sauce with smoked paprika. Cavatappi is the perfect pasta to grab all that sauce....

Heavenly sinful!

Grilled Fresh Tuna on a Summer Night

Grilled tuna with soy, apple cider vinegar, garlic, brown sugar and sesame sauce. 

Served with grilled zucchini and mushrooms and grilled sweet potato.

More than a Meal.....honey chicken salad you'll crave over and over.

This is my homage to my old standby go to when i didnt want to cook thanks to Joe's all American Bar and Grill....so this one's for Katie Ambrose...our lunch dates at the short hills mall :)
...Prepare chicken tenders.
Slather in mayo, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 30min. Meanwhile make the coating. A  blend of cornflakes, breadcrumbs and plain pringles....food process to fine crumbs. Add, onion powder, garlic, dash of paprika, salt and pepper. Heat oven to 400. Lay two cooling racks over a cookie tray.
Take the chicken in mayo and roll in crumb mixture. Lay on oiled cooking racks.
Bake for about 25min. Until cooked through and crunchy.
Meanwhile, make angel hair pasta al dente and drain. This goes on the bottom of your plate, cold.. Top with chopped salad of field greens, shredded  carrot, diced tomatoe  and iceberg, that has been lightly tossed in the honey mustard dressing.....sprinkle some wonton toppings. Top with sliced tenderloins, sprinkle with dressing and some sesame seeds.!   Enjoy!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

German Husband. .German Food!

Veal Weinersnitchel ...
The best part about being a self taught chef...is knowing when I crave something like THIS....I can make it!  It truly is easy and a delicious change. I always enjoy making ethnic foods/ anything different.
This is another version of the all American "meat and potatoes " meal but so much more.
Simply purchase veal already pounded thin in the store or do it yourself. Salt, pepper, flour... Egg, then bread crumbs seasoned in salt and pepper. Pan fry in olive oil about 4-5 min per side. It's thin and will cook fast!
You don't need to make a fancy gravy...take a package of brown gravy and make per instructions. ..add 1/4 cup of red wine and saute mushrooms.
On the side...steamed baby red potatoes quickly sauté in olive oil and onions. I served this with a tossed salad with blue cheese chunks and dressing just for a change.

Bacon Blue Burger

Burger heaven....top your burger patty with bacon, sauté onions, crumbled  blue cheese on an onion roll with blue cheese dressing.

Crock Pot Rotissere Chicken

Yes it works. Piece of cake and ready when you get home! Pat dry .... Cover in herbs and spices. Place 4 squished balls of foil on the bottom of pot to keep chicken raised. Low for 5-8 hours.  Don't expect crispy skin. However, you will get a good amount of broth from the natural juices so you can make soup!