Easy weeknight dinner

I made this pasta for the first time about a four years ago and liked it so much that I make it at least once a month.  This is pretty good for a someone who rarely makes the same thing twice.  I love this dish because it's almost as easy as making hamburger helper, but tastes just like a restaurant dish.  I have added and subtracted may of the ingredients at one time or other and it always turns out great, as long as you always include the Italian sausage.  And please do not substitute the Italian for any other sausage.  You will not get the flavor that you need for this dish out of any other sausage.  I would also recommend sticking with pork sausage, but that is because I can't imagine it any other way :-)

This is Cavatappi Pasta

Italian Sausage Pasta

1 pound of cavatappi pasta (anything curly or with grooves in it, i.e fusili, rigatoni etc)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Pound ground Italian Sausage, loose or casings removed  (I like the hot kind)

1 pkg of sliced mushrooms

1/2 of a medium onion, diced finely

1/2 cup of white wine
1 medium Can of crushed or diced tomatoes (I prefer diced)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, divided in half

Direction:

Cook your pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.  Do NOT rinse the pasta.  The starch that is on your pasta needs to stay there.  This will help the sauce cling to the pasta better once you combine your pasta and sauce.

Place your oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat.  Add the sausage and break up into chunks, cooking until it is almost done, but little bit of pink still shows.  Add in your onions and mushrooms and saute until the onions are translucent and sausage is cooked through.  Turn the heat down to medium and pour the wine into the pan and let reduce for two minutes.  Add the can of tomatoes and reduce until almost all of the liquid is gone, approximately three to four minutes.  Add the heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.  Stir to combine and pour the sauce over the pasta.  Garnish with more Parmesan cheese as desired.

enJoy!

Saturday Salmon

I've made this salmon two Saturday's in a row now, and I'm still not tired of it!  This fabulous recipe came from my sister Amy and her grill loving husband Neil.  The first time I had it, I did not think I was going to like it because if the profuse amount of parsley and sun dried tomatoes, but it is so good, I promise.  It is fresh, light, easy and really quite healthy.  I usually serve this on steamed white rice or quinoa.

Saturday Salmon


4 6oz Salmon Filet's
1bunch of parsley
1 8oz Jar of sun dried tomatoes
Purchased jar of sun dried tomato and oregano vinaigrette
3/4 cup Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 untreated cedar planks for grilling.


12-24 hours ahead of time, immerse your cedar planks in water and let soak overnight.


Preheat your grill and set it to medium/medium low depending on your grill and prepare your salmon.


Remove the stems from your parsley and chop it fairly small.  Place in a bowl and set aside.  Drain your sun dried tomatoes and chop them to the same size pieces as the parsley.  Combine with the parsley and 1 Tbs of the dressing and toss well.


Brush your cedar planks with olive oil.  Brush your salmon with olive oil and place your salmon fillets on the cedar plank, at least an inch apart.  Take your tomato parsley mixture, divide it into 4 portions and heap it on top of each salmon fillet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Place the planks with the salmon on your grill and close lid.  Cook for 15 -20 minutes.  When the fish is almost done. drizzle it one last time with some of the vinaigrette dressing.   Fish is done when it can be flaked with a fork.


Please note:  I have made this numerous times without the cedar planks, by placing each fillet on a piece of foil .  It is equally good, but does not have the slightly smoky flavor that the cedar planks impart.  Also, make sure you watch it carefully when cooking as the salmon will cook faster when it is on foil rather than the planks.
You can also substitute any vinaigrette dressing for the sun dried tomato oregano one if it cannot be found.  I have used Italian vinaigrette and added in the oil from the sun dried tomatoes, and that works really well.


enJoy!

Tarragon, how have we never met before?

I hate to admit this, but for you I will...  I have never used or tasted fresh tarragon.  I consider myself a spice/herb connoisseur and I've tasted just about any spice you can think of, and some you've probably never heard of.  So to not have ever tried tarragon is really unthinkable I must say.  In my weekly grocery run this weekend, I spied it in the fresh herb section and decided that now was the time.  After all. if I'm to be a responsible foodie/food blogger, I must know this herb.

Tarragon has a light licorice like scent to it, and a unique but delicate flavor.  It suites white meats and creamy sauces very well.  I decided to properly highlight the flavor,  I would make a risotto and served it with some simple pan fried chicken breasts.  The risotto was so good on it's own, that the chicken seemed pointless.  therefore, I will give you the risotto recipe on it's own.

Spring Fresh Risotto

4 slices of bacon, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2" cubes
1 medium yellow squash, chopped into 1/2" cubes
1 cup corn kernels (preferably fresh.  I used roasted corn left over from a barbecue)
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1/2 white wine
1/1/2 cups dry arborio rice (no substitute)
6 cups warm chicken broth
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon
Salt

In a large saute pan, add one tablespoon of the olive oil and the bacon.  Cook until almost crisp, but not crunchy.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Turn your pan on medium high heat and add the squash, zucchini and corn.  Cook for approximately three minutes (should still be slightly firm when bitten into). If your pan becomes too dry, add a little water and continue to saute.  Once the veggies are starting to soften, remove and set aside.

Over medium high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and throw in the shallot and garlic.  Saute until the shallot is turning translucent.  Add the white wine and reduce by half (approximately 1/4 cup of liquid is left in the pan).  Add the dry rice and saute for 30 seconds to absorb the remaining oil in the pan.

Add the chicken stock 1 cup at a time, cooking until almost completely absorbed before making your next addition, stirring constantly.  Continue adding the broth 1 cup at a time until the rice has puffed up and become creamy looking.  Rice should be tender, but with a slight bite left to it.  Once you have reached this consistency, add the vegetables back into the rice along with the fresh tarragon and stir well to combine.  Salt to taste and remove from the heat.  If your rice has become too dry, add more liquid to it.  Your finished product should look saucy and creamy.

Serve warm, topped with the bacon bits.

enJoy!

Salty Steaky goodness!

Pauline (another one of my besties :-) and I share a passion for cooking. Where I am weak, she is strong and vice versa. Our culinary gifts are complimentary to each others, and we have so much fun in the kitchen! We also both share a passion for SALT. This was a random recipe that we made one night that turned into a favorite fallback for steak. I will warn you that it is SALTY, but oh so delicious.



"Steak Robear"
Ingredients:

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juic
5 garlic cloves (peeled and pressed)
1/2 tsp pepper
pinch of cayenne
2 1/2 - 3 lb London Broil (or favorite steak, cut to 1-1 1/2 inches thick)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Procedure:

Combine all ingredients (except Mayo and olive oil) in a 1 quart heavy duty zip loc bag. Seal and let marinade for at least 4 hours. Transfer steak to a plate and pour one cup of the marinade into a heavy sauce pan. Bring marinade to a boil and let reduce by half. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook steak, uncovered, until underside is browned, about 5 minutes. Turn steak over, then reduce heat to moderately low and cover skillet. Continue cooking until thermometer registers 120°F, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand at least 15 minutes.

While steak cooks and stands, bring marinade in saucepan to a boil, then pour into a bowl and cool completely. Whisk in mayonnaise until combined well and chill, covered, until ready to serve.

Cut steak across the grain into very thin slices and transfer to a platter, then drizzle with any juices accumulated on cutting board. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, with mayonnaise.

One last homage to Salt

Keri's Birthday dinner...I think it was pretty successful

Keri is one of my dearest and closest friends, and her birthday was the perfect time for me to show her my love through food.  I personally believe that every celebratory event cannot be truly successful without great food.  I know that people and conversation are equally important in creating memories, but my gift is making happy tummies, and I'm always ready and hopeful of making that happen :-)

When I asked Keri if she had any requests for her birthday, this is what she said:  pasta with white sauce, chicken, artichokes, asparagus and mushrooms.  Great, there are 100 ways to do this, what will make this one special?  So off my imagination goes....Here is what I came up with;  you will want to plan ahead, as this requires the chicken to brine for 8 hours or overnight, but it's worth it.

Herbes de Provence

Let's call it "Pasta A'La Keri"
Linguine with grilled chicken in a white wine cream sauce.

 Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbs Herbs De Provence 

2 tsp Salt

Cream Sauce (can be made ahead and refrigerated):
4 cups of heavy cream
4 cups of your favorite chardonnay (don't cheap out here, the flavor is important)
2 shallots (small dice)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice (preferably fresh, as it has a more subtle flavor than bottled)

1 bundle fresh asparagus (trimmed)

1 Tbs Olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 pkg of baby Bella mushrooms (sliced, and of course you can substitute any mushroom of your choice)

1 Tbs butter

1 lb fresh pasta (I used Butonni fresh linguine that can be found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery)

1 can of artichoke hearts (preferably in water and drained)

Procedure:
Place your chicken breasts in a large zip loc bag.  Add enough water to cover them along with your herbs De Provence and salt.  Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

For the cream sauce: Place the Tbs of butter in a medium sized skillet or saucepan and place over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, add your shallots and garlic.  Saute until the onions are transparent.  Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce the wine until it there is about a 1/2 cup of liquid left in the pan.  Add your cream and bring slowly to a simmer.  Let reduce until the sauce clings to the back of your spoon.  Should be the consistency of gravy, but not as thick as an Alfredo sauce.  Add the lemon juice and salt and set aside.

Remove the chicken and pat dry.  There should be some of the herbs still clinging to the meat, do not wipe them all away.  Prepare your asparagus by trimming, washing and coating with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill chicken and asparagus over a medium heat grill until cooked through.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.  Add your pasta and cook as directed.

Saute the mushrooms in a small saute pan with butter and salt until the mushrooms are soft and slightly browned.

Here comes the magic:

Plate your meal by making a nest of pasta, lay your chicken breast off to the side and garnish with the asparagus, mushrooms and artichokes.  Top with sauce and enjoy!

This is where we should have
been eating this meal 

I'm good, but not that good!

My brain is far too scattered to remember every recipe that I treasure.  While I would love to be a pure ad-hoc chef, I do have a plethora of recipes that I truly rely on, but can't possibly trust my mind to remember.  I've been procrastinating the start of this blog, because I have all of my recipes in a database that is not accessible due to my Windows 7 upgrade :-(  Once I get it sorted out, I will start in on the really serious stuff, but in the mean time I decided to share with you my appreciation for my recipe software, despite my inability to access it!


There is a decent variety of software available, but only one that I have found so far that is MAC and PC compatible.  It is called "Masterchef".  While I have heard wonderful things about it, I rely on "Living Cookbook".  I may try Masterchef at some point, but for now, what I have is more than suitable for my needs.


Both of these software packages provide comparable features.  They have a method of importing your favorite recipes from recipe sites across the web, as well as manual entry.  They have sections in each recipe for nutrition information (which is calculated based on the ingredients you list and the serving sizes you provide).  There is a feature to attach a photograph of the recipes if you desire, and many more amazing features, such as shopping lists. inventory tracking etc. You can also print, email and publish your recipes one at a time, or in a complete book.  


I have created two cookbooks (folders if you will) within my database.  One for tried and true recipes that I know are successful every time I make them, and one for recipes that await my testing at some point in the future.  This gives me the insurance that I will never forget which recipes I LOVE and which recipes I would love to try.


All this said, if you are a serious cook and want a good way to keep track of your favorite recipes, I would encourage you to get a recipe database software.  While I love my grandmothers hand written recipe cards, they become more and more difficult to read over the years.  Stained with food remnants and liquid splatters, which show the love of a recipe, I fear they will be lost for lack of readability over time.  Thus I employ modern technology to assist me in retaining these wonderful treasures for generations to come.


P.S. If those hand written cards are a true treasure, why not scan them up and attach them to the recipe within your database.  Then you will truly have them forever.

Welcome to Joyful Delights

My father's beloved plane :-)

Half of my childhood was spent in the jungles of Indonesia.  My parents served as missionaries to the native people there.  My dad spent his days flying airplanes into remote parts of the jungles with food and medical supplies for the needy people.  My mom spent her days supporting this life in many, many, many ways.  It would take a whole book to describe her work, but one of the things I remember most were her cooking endeavors.  She is the best cook I know, and most everything fundamental about food, I learned from her.

I have distinct memories of her helping to butcher various kinds of meat, picking the soft meat out of a freshly cracked coconut, baking bread, making the best granola on the planet... and I could go on for ages.  Watching her accomplish all of these things made me want to have such a great talent myself.  Thanks Mom, for all of the wonderful things you taught me by your willingness and determination.