. . .or lunch. desert. breakfast. snack. appetizer. . .
recipe disclaimer: I very rarely cook using measurements! Most of the measurements I put on these recipes are
recipe disclaimer: I very rarely cook using measurements! Most of the measurements I put on these recipes are
guess-timates. Add a little more or a little less if you feel need be. Happy Cooking!!
Dijon & Maple Baked Salmon
2 tbl dijon mustard
1 tbl maple syrup
2 tbl olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
Mix everything together and spoon onto salmon. Broil salmon until they are cooked to your liking. Yum Yum!!
Mixed Greens Salad with Salmon
Mixed Greens Salad with Salmon
Now that summer has officially begun in Texas I am craving light dinners. I need more salad recipes! I really only have a few go-to ones, and I am so tired of those! These hot summers leave me craving salads, fish, fruit and white wine.
I ran up to Whole Foods hoping to find a salad inspiration. Salmon sounded good, but I wasn't sure what to put in with it. Definitely some avocados and cucumbers, but aside from that I had no I idea. Here's what I came up with . . .
Mixed Green Salad with Salmon
(no measurements here, equal parts of each)
mixed greens
red onions, sliced
green beans, steamed then cooled
avocado
tomato
cucumber
goat cheese
I tossed all the ingredients (except the goat cheese) together with the best vinaigrette (it's just a bit sweet). And because the goat cheese is so soft, I sprinkled it on top just before serving.
Standby Vinaigrette
from Gwyneth Paltrow's, My Father's Daughter
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 tbl vegetable oil
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
Meatless Monday Challenge: Accepted
I eat meat. I like meat. I eat meat at most every meal.
I commend all my veggie and vegan friends but have absolutely no desire to choose that lifestyle. No apologies and no judgement, just being truthful. Basically I have no self control : ) Sunday night Chase proposed we start "meatless Mondays." I was completely shocked! This coming from my man who insists on having meat at every meal! I had actually brought this up years ago and I'm pretty sure I was laughed at.
He started by asking me the rules to our Meatless Mondays. I laughed and I told him that the rules are whatever we make them to be! Maybe let's start with dinner? Let's also be realistic. My favorite word! REALISTIC. I don't want to start something and not accomplish it because it doesn't fit our lifestyle. So basically, we didn't make up any rules yet.
May 20 marks my first Meatless Monday!
Breakfast (I didn't have to change my normal breakfast)
Coffee. Yogurt. Granola. Blueberries. Rasberries. Strawberries
Lunch (Definitely a change from my usual turkey sandwich)
Open faced sunny side up sandwich.
Dinner (A typical dinner for us, but no ground beef)
Spaghetti. Salad
Not too bad for my first day! Lunch will probably be the most challenging meal. I am completely addicted to turkey sandwiches!!!!! Wish us luck : )
Open Faced Sunny Sandwich
1/2 piece of naan (or any bread)
1 piece of swiss cheese
1/4 avocado
1/2 tomato
1 1/2 egg (1 whole egg and just the white of the second)
pinch of sea salt
There are so many variations to this! I happen to have all these delish things at home today.
Veggie Spaghetti
1 eggplant, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
8 oz mushrooms
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper
olive oil
I roasted all the veggies together with olive oil, salt and pepper (you could also do this step in a skillet). In a large pot I added the roasted veggies to my spaghetti sauce and kept them on low while I cooked my pasta.
So many possibilities to this one too! The mushrooms added some hearty "meat-like" texture. Can't wait to eat this again!
Loaded Baked Pasta
Sunday nights Chase really loves a big pasta dish for dinner. I found my inspiration for this on Pinterest, then combined with a baked ziti recipe I have. And this is what I came up with...
Loaded Baked Pasta
8 oz sliced mushrooms
baby spinach, I did 2 big handfuls (or one pkg of frozen)
1 medium yellow onion
2 zucchini
1 lb italian sausage
1 lb pasta (I used spinach penne)
2 garlic cloves, minced
marinara sauce (1jar)
1 c mozzarella
1/2 c parmesan, or more : )
Cook pasta according to package. In a small skillet saute the baby spinach with a little olive oil and salt. Heat a glug of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and zucchini, cook until softened. Add the italian sausage into the skillet and cook. When the sausage is cooked all the way, add in the cooked spinach, marinara sauce, and cooked pasta. In a 9x13 dish pour half your pasta, then a layer of mozzarella cheese. Add the rest of your pasta and top with mozzarella and parmesan. Cook for about 20 minutes at 425, or until the cheese is bubbly and yummy!
There are so many different variations of this you could try! Add different seasonal veggies, different meats, or no meat at all, add some herbs (I forgot to buy some at the store that day)... Oh the possibilities!
A few months back some friends had us over for dinner. We never turn down dinner with these friends, Brooke is an amazing cook! Check out her blog Plum Pie Cooks. She made pork tenderloin, mac and cheese, asparagus and amazing pear and pomegranate salad. I'm usually not a huge fan of pork but the marinade she used was so delicious! It was so yummy that I copied her and made this meal for Christmas Eve dinner, and wow was it a hit!!
Since then I use this marinade any time I make pork chops. This is not my recipe at all, but I had to share it with you. A couple of the times I've used it, I didn't one or two of the ingredients on hand. The chops were just as good without them though! Check out the full recipe here.
Pork Marinade
1/3 c dried cherries
1/3 c dry red wine
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
3/4 c cranberry juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 shallots, sliced
3 tbl rosemary, chopped
The original recipe says to marinade anywhere from 2 hrs to overnight. When I use this on pork chops I grill them in a skillet. The tenderloin I sear on the stove top, then finish it off in the over.
Mmmm. . . Cranberries
A few Christmas's back my mom gave me her Helen Corbit's Cookbook which had been passed down to her by my dad's grandmother. It's always fun to flip through because both wrote little notes next to recipes. I have only used it a few times, I really forget I have it.
Today though, I wanted to make cranberry bread and there wasn't a recipe on the back of bag. Instead of googling for a recipe I thought she would probably have a great one. At first glance it looked really easy. Great! Elle's asleep so let's get going!! Then I took a second look...usually at the top of any recipe is a list of all the ingredients...riiiight? Well not this one. She listed ingredients but only half -- flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar. This being a cranberry bread, I would expect there to be cranberries in this bread. Five lines into the 6 line recipe instructions, the cranberries were finally mentioned -- orange juice and rind, shortening, an egg, and chopped nuts were also left out of the list. Here is the recipe, with EVERY ingredient listed at the top with a few slight changes. enjoy...
Cranberry Bread
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar
juice & rind of 1 orange
2 tbl butter
3/4 c boiling water
1 beaten egg
1 c chopped pecans
1 c raw cranberries, roughly chopped
Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar.
In a separate bowl combine orange juice, rind, butter, and boiling water. Stir until butter melts.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Add egg and mix together.
Add nuts and cranberries.
Bake for 1 hour at 350.
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
My mission from Chase: a light pasta
Ingredients in the kitchen: frozen peas, frozen corn, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, fettuccine, chicken breasts, butter, parsley, half and half
I really wanted a creamy pasta with a veggie and did not want to make a trip to the grocery store. I remembered an episode of The Chew where Mario Batali made Fettuccine Alfredo. I'm not always a huge fan, but his version actually looked light and most importantly, EASY! There were definitely a few other combinations that were in the running, but this guy was the easiest.
During Elle's 20 min evening nap, I cooked the chicken breasts. Then waited for Chase to get home to finish everything else off.
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo...I guess
1/2 lb fettuccine noodles
1 c frozen peas
1 grilled chicken breast, diced
6 tbl butter
1/4 c parmesan cheese
chopped parsley
salt & pepper
Maw Maw Kitty's Blueberry Pie
I wasn't the one to name my grandparents, my older brother did the honors. Some how he chose Maw Maw & Ging Ging Kitty, and wouldn't you know they had a cat. Since then Maw Maw Kitty has always had a kitty. When your name has the word Kitty in it, you most certainly should always have a cat!
She is one of the most sweet, gentle, loving, sophisticated, down to earth, and silly woman that I know. She always is so well put together even when she is going to Home Depot. The other day I complimented her on the top she was wearing, she told me she got it at Zara! Does anybody else have an 84 year old granny that shops at Zara? Most people find it very strange when I tell them that I borrow clothes from my grandmother...but when you see her you would understand. At my brother's wedding you could have caught on the dance floor getting down to the Black Eyed Peas!
Back to cooking...Maw Maw Kitty has been the cooking teacher to my mother, aunt, and I. Hands down my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving only because of the feast that we prepare. It's all recipes from my grandmother and her mother. I'll of course post those around Thanksgiving!
This Blueberry Pie is soooooo easy you can put it together in 5 minutes and my friends are always so impressed!
Maw Maw Kitty's Blueberry Pie
5 c fresh washed blueberries
1 tbl fresh lemon juice
15 oz pie crust (package of 2 crusts)
1 c sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on crust top)
1/3 c flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbl butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix berries and lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit while you combine the rest. In separate bowl sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix berries into dry ingredients gently. Pour mixture into pie crust. Use the second crust for the top -- cut into 1/2 strips and lay in a lattice pattern. Place small chunks of butter around the top. Sprinkle crust with sugar. Bake for 30-45.
*Don't judge me on the appearance of my pie! My husband took a knife to it before I could get a pretty picture. The best foods don't always look it : )
Red Snapper with Nectarine Salsa
Yummmm! Most of my early/late afternoons begin with the same question to Chase, What do you want for dinner? I gave him a Cooking Light and Bon Appetite flip through hoping that maybe just this one time he would give me idea. And of course he chose chicken kebabs...the one thing I hate most and refuse to cook! Kebabs are so stupid! It's that simple. Nothing on the stick requires the same cooking time, and I usually get so frustrated half way through that I take everything off the stick and cook it separately.
I told Chase I would make this minus the kebab part, but chicken breasts seemed pretty boring for a Saturday night. A fish would certainly do the job. We chose red snapper, but in my opinion the marinate and salsa would be wonderful with anything!!
For some reason I wasn't too sure about the salsa, but oh my goodness was I wrong! I wanted to eat it with a spoon for breakfast this morning! As I say that, I should have put it on an english muffin, or with eggs and a tortilla -- oh the possibilities!! Can you tell I'm pregnant : )
Red Snapper with Nectarine Salsa inspired by Cooking Light
Snapper marinate
1 tbl brown sugar
1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl fresh lime juice
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
Combine ingredients in a shallow dish. Let fish sit in marinate 15 minutes. Place fish skin side down on skillet or gill. Cook three-fourths of the way through, then flip. Cook to desired doneness.
Nectarine Salsa
(dice the following ingredients)
2 c nectarines (about 2-3 nectarines)
1/4 c red onion
1/2 c grilled corn cut off the cob
2 tbl fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tbl fresh lime juice
2 tsp seeded jalapeno peppers
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c avocado
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and give a gentle stir.
If you cook like me then you don't measure many things out. This salsa should be made to taste.
Don't forget to add your own twist to the salsa! Add whatever else is in the refrigerator -- bell peppers, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers...
Serve with a side of couscous or wild rice and there you have it!
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