1 Dec
I spiced up the lentil soup that I had made a while ago b/c I thought it was a little bland. i had originally used the Barefoot Contessa recipe…here’s what I added:
red wine (merlot)
more cumin
dried parsley
crushed red pepper
garlic powder
cinnamon
salt
It was really good and had a lot more flavor. i served this over rice.
1 Dec
had a great salad while I was out in California…wanted to jot it down before I forgot…
Spinach
sliced strawberries
gorgonzola
walnuts
EVOO & white balsamic vinegar
26 Oct
I made 6 whole wings (12 once you cut it up)…for the sauce, I used 1/8 cup hot sauce (could have used more); a few splashes of chipotle Tabasco; 1 clove of garlic and 3 tbsp unsalted butter.
Cut up your whole wings and toss away the tips. Clean off and pat dry. Lay on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, cayenne pepper and a little brown sugar. Toss around to make sure they are coated.
Broil for about 8 minutes. Turn the wings and then broil for another 4-6 minutes until cooked through and a little crispy.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat butter and garlic until butter is melted. Then add to hot sauce and a pinch of salt in a bowl that you can fit all of the wings.
Once wings are done cooking, toss them with the sauce and then put them back on the cookie sheet and broil on high for a couple of minutes to get them extra crispy.
Serve with celery and a blue cheese dipping sauce.
I created a blue cheese dipping sauce by combining crumbled blue cheese (smashed up); a little brown sugar, freshly chopped chives, a little apple cider vinegar, a couple spoonfuls of plain greek-style yogurt and a splash of buttermilk.
15 Oct
Tonight, i made butternut squash soup which was really easy and tasted great. I used an Alton Brown recipe and made a few adjustments.
Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/squash-soup-recipe2/index.html
Some of the things I did: Instead of starting with whole butternut squash, I bought butternut squash that was already cut in chunks. Then I tossed them with olive oil, salt and white pepper (and cinnamon, which is not in the recipe), spread them on a large cookie sheet and roasted them as Alton instructs in the recipe.
Once the squash was roasted, I added it directly to the dutch oven and followed the recipe from there. I also added a little garlic powder to the mixture as well before blending. I didn’t use quite the amount of nutmeg as Alton suggested.
I served this with a nice caprese salad and some whole wheat bread for dipping.
12 Oct
I’ve decided to post my weekly menus so that I can remember what I’ve made. Up for this week…
Sunday: Shrimp Puttanesca over brown rice
Monday: Roasted whole chicken w/ potatoes, carrots, celery and fennel
Tuesday: Leftover mushroom lasagna & salad
Wenesday: Salmon w/ green beans & baked sweet potato
Thursday: Chicken stir fry
Friday: Butternut squash soup & Cucumber/tomato salad
Saturday:TBD
12 Oct
Last night, I have to admit that I made a GREAT dinner. I hope I’m not forgetting anything as I record how I made it…
Instead of sauteing the shrimp as I usually do; I decided to roast them in the oven and they came out PERFECT! It’s very easy…first, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees; then peel/devein the shrimp (I actually buy them deveined b/c it’s a disgusting job), rinse them and place them on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle them with salt, pepper, chopped fresh parsley, lemon juice, minced garlic and capers (with a little caper juice). Pop that in the oven for 8 minutes and you should be all set. Once you take them out, immediately transfer everything into the sauce (below). Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then it’s ready to serve
For the sauce, I heated a couple of tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. I then sauteed Julienned onion, then added minced garlic for about 1 minute. Add 1 can of whole tomatoes (mush them up in a bowl with your hands before adding); 1 can of crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, 2 bay leaves, some good red wine (I used a delicious cabernet), salt, pepper, pinch of sugar, capers. I then add a bunch of basil – instead of chopping it, I tear it apart and throw it into the sauce. Bring this to a small boil and then reduce to a simmer and let it sit for a while before adding the shrimp. Oh, I also added about a teaspoon of tomato paste to thicken it up. Just a note, I used San Marzano canned tomatoes and they were AWESOME – I would definitely recommend.
Instead of using pasta, I used brown rice and it was really good and a lot less carbs. Obviously, you can use pasta and it will probably taste great!
8 Oct
Tonight, I decided to use 2 recipes. One I have used before (Mushroom Lasagna) and one is new. Both were outstanding!
Mushroom lasagna was really easy and very tasty. Instead of just using the portabella mushrooms, I used a variety of different mushrooms and it turned out really good. I would also mention that you probably don’t have to use the entire amount of nutmeg…it was a little strong for me, but J thought the whole thing was really good…
Lasagna recipe is from Barefoot Contessa (my FAVORITE): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/portobello-mushroom-lasagna-recipe/index.html
Caesar salad recipe is from Alton Brown (2nd FAVORITE): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/hail-caesar-salad-recipe/index.html – this was SO good and it was really easy to make. I didn’t do the croutons like Alton did, but instead took some stale bread that I had on hand, drizzled with olive oil and put in the oven on broil (high) until it toasted. I then took a clove of garlic and cut in half and then rubbed the toasted bread pieces with the garlic. Also, for the first tbsp of olive oil that is tossed with the salad, I took 1 garlic clove and minced it and then crushed it up with the olive oil with a mortar/pestal before applying to the salad. I used reg EVOO for the rest of the recipe. I also added chopped tomatoes to the salad as well as I really like tomatoes with caesar salad.
5 Oct
Sunday: Beef Stew
Monday: Grilled chicken fajitas-ish, black beans and rice
Tuesday: Grilled salmon, spaghetti squash, corn on the cob and a side salad
Thursday: Mushroom lasagna and caesar salad
Friday: Homemade veggie pizza
I don’t exactly remember what we did for the other 2 days in the week (guess that’s the prob with typing these in after the fact).
21 Sep
Salmon: pat dry, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, dill weed…drizzle with oil and then rub everything in
Spaghetti squash: cut the squash lengthwise in half; drizzle, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper….roast on 400 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes…remove from oven and scrape with a fork…in the meantime, caramelize some thinly sliced onions in a saute pan. Add the spaghetti squash to the onions and mix around
Salad: mixed field greens with tomato, mushrooms and cukes
19 Sep
Steak: used a rub, including the following spices: chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika, ground mustard, chipotle pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, oregano, garlic powder
Sweet Potato: Bake for about 50 minutes (or until soft) on 400 degrees
Green Beans: Used a Tyler Florence recipe and it was awesome – http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/green-beans-with-caramelized-onions-and-almonds-recipe/index.html
