Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Another late night and thankfully there is Bradley and Wall. Located near the train station in Madison. I got my husband Pork Cutlets with Diced Tomatoes and Rigatoni and a side of sauteed zucchini. I had Chicken Florentine with a side of Vegetable Risotto. My husband said it felt like we were eating in a restuarant but we were on our deck!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Turkey Burgers!

A nice summer day. Warm and no rain. We were able to sit on the deck and enjoy the day.

Dinner on the grill, of course, was turkey burgers. Whole wheat rolls, red green leaf lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese and bacon. It was good. I had not had a turkey burger on the grill at home and it was not bad. The tomato was very good. We also finished up the tabbouleh salad left over from last night.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

This morning I made Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins from the Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite Cookbook. The house smelled so good first thing this morning. Super easy, fast, fresh and yes delicious.


Now for dinner... In between rain drops, but the sun was out (?) my husband grilled pork tenderloin medalions. He marinated it in Paul Newman's Lemon Pepper Marinade. Also grilled zucchini spears. I made Tabbouleh with Goat Cheese from... yes the Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite Cookbook. I love that book.


The Tabbouleh was made with bulgar wheat, scallions, grape tomatoes, lemon peel, lemon juice, parsley, mint and olive oil.

Look at those grill marks!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Seared Scallops with Minted Peas


From the Gordon Ramsy's Healthy Appetite cookbook, I made Seared Scallops with Minted Peas. The scallops were cooked perfectly! The peas were sweet and tender. The mint was not overpowering. The changes I made in the recipe were using sugar snap peas instead of peas and Fava Beans and adding Grape Tomatoes. We had Basmati Rice as the perfect side dish. It was fun to cook. I kept remembering watching Hell's Kitchen and Ramsey screaming at the chefs about not being able to cook scallops. Compliments to the chef... hey that's me!
Also had stuffed clams from our fish monger. Also quite good.

The recipe (with my changes)-

Ingredients
12 sea scallops
coarse sea salt
thyme leaves
sugar snap peas, trimmed
olive oil
butter
mint, roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Method
Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas, and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Put the thyme leaves on cutting board and mix with sea salt. Sprinkle the salt mixture over one side of the scallops. Heat skillet and add olive oil. This part is directly from the Ramsay recipe - "Pan-fry the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness-they should feel slightly springy when pressed. Make sure you turn them in the same order you put them into the pan to ensure even cooking." Remove from pan and add sugar snap peas to skillet and add a splash of water and a little butter. Heat to warm through and season to taste and add the mint leaves.
Spoon veggies onto a plate. Top with scallops and drizzle with olive oil.

This cookbook had not disappointed me yet. Here is a link to Amazon. I know you can get a lot of recipes online but this is a good book to have on your shelf. Oh dear did I just do a commercial?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Summertime!


It was a summer afternoon. What tomorrow will be like is anyone's guess. But my husband bought and put together a new grill this week. Today was the first day we could use it. So we had steaks and baked potato, corn on the cob and salad. Again my husband prepared the whole meal. Look at those grill marks! Oh I do love summer...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tilipia Piccata- Tuesday, June 23

First about that radish sandwich. I did google it to make sure my leg was not being pulled by someone at the farmer's market and there is such a thing. So I used Pittsfield Rye Berkshire bread from Big Y. I buttered the bread, sliced the radishes very thin, added salt and pack up my lunch bag. It was good. It was peppery and crunchy. It was also very light!

After a long day at work I could not even remember what I had planned for dinner. So I made the logical choice of stopping by Allegre Express. I picked up Crab Cakes for an appetizer and Chicken Parmesan for my husband and I had Tilipia Piccata. It was lightly fried in an egg batter and served with veggies and pasta. I cleaned my plate, after all that radish sandwich was on the light side.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Zucchini and Pasta


My husband cooked tonight. I walked in to a wonderful aroma of sautéed zucchini, onion and grape tomatoes. The colors were so vivid. I saw him add lemon juice and pasta water. I will try to get him to share the recipe. We had it with rigatoni. A fantastic Monday night dinner.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Keep It Simple Sunday!

First of all, Happy Father's Day!


I baked a Lemon Blueberry Bread this morning and brought it to my Dad's. He said it looked better than what he had bought in the store!

For dinner I opted for Keep It Simple Sunday. Last night I made that big salad and we hardly put a dent in it. So I had rotisserie chicken in the freezer. Once defrosted I added it to the salad and voila - Chicken Salad. I had Italian bread that I cut in half and buttered and added feta cheese and orgegano to and put that under the broiler. When it was crispy I removed the bread and spread the cheese. Very tasty.


Saturday, June 20, 2009

Meat and Potaotes

Grilled pork chops and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy but then there was the salad... Organic red leaf lettuce purchased at the Farmer's Market on Wooster Street in New Haven. With beets and radishes, peas, feta cheese and olives. For dressing I used olive oil and lemon juice and my husband used olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
At the Market I bought radishes. I asked someone what they use the radishes for other than in salad. This woman said she slices them adds salt and puts them on buttered bread. She said that is how they are eaten in France. I have never been to France so I am not sure about this but hey I'll try it. I will post the outcome.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Suddenly it is summer...

I had planned on making Chicken Braciole tonight but it got quite warm out so grilling became the only option.
Marinated chicken breast in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, soy sauce, and hot sauce. My husband handled the grilling part while I was on microwaving rice and frozen veggies. Microwaving rice actually tastes more like the rice from the Chinese restaurant. The veggies were Green Giant "healthy weight." It was delicious and quick and an easy clean up!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Grilled Sausage and Peppers


Let me tell you the one advantage of working late is having my husband cook dinner. And walking in as the food is coming off the grill is priceless. Tonight we had grilled sausage and peppers. He sauteed the baby carrots and onion on the grill on aluminum foil with oil, salt and pepper. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted fresh and light.
Hey check out the banner on the side of the blog, The Foodie Blogroll. I am so excited to have it on my blog. It is just another "foodie" outlet.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I want to make a big salad.


Had to work late and as I was driving home I thought to myself I wanted a big salad for dinner. I did not care what time it was but I was going to make this salad. Beets, olive, grape tomatoes, radishes and feta cheese. I walked in the house and my husband had waited for me for dinner and showed me what he had made... a big salad with everything I had planned to use! Yeah! But he even made a salad dressing. He used roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, feta cheese. Wow it was really good.
And this is my 50th Blog entry! What fun!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Pasta with Grape Tomatoes


Looking on the internet today for a recipe using grape tomatoes. I found a great site, The Italian Chef. The recipe Pasta with Grape Tomatoes uses 7 ingredients, I left out the garlic. Perfect for the tomatoes and I can imagine adding other things to the dish. Perhaps Tuna or Bacon...

Then there was this cookie recipe that I found on the foodbuzz site, Jehan Can Cook, for Coconut Shortbread Cookies. I added chocolate shots and was quite pleased with the outcome.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Mediterranean Foccacia Bread



One of the blogs I follow is Nourish. There was a recipe for Mediterranean Foccacia Bread which sounded so easy. Oh my God. It is unbelievable how good it is. The olives and sun-dried tomatoes with the rosemary and sea salt. Sighn. But then when I dunked it in the olive oil from Tuscany the taste was over the top. I had to force myself to stop eating it... but it is still in the kitchen... I think I hear it call me...

Wow two nights in a row without cooking. Chris made steaks on the grill with grilled zucchini spears. Just delicious. I did make the baked potatoes. : )

Friends & Company

No we did not entertain last night. Being a Friday what with traffic and the desire not to put a dish in the sink we ate out. Friends & Company has been in Madison for a very long time. The food has always been good. Not your run of the mill menu. A full range from sandwiches to pasta to seafood and some good vegetarian choices. The prices are also very reasonable.

We started with Absolute and Soda with lemon. A tall refreshing cocktail to celebrate what was finally a warm day. We shared two apps, Grilled Margarita Shrimp and Maryland Crab Cakes. They were both great and disappeared quickly!

For dinner I had Nicoise Salad with Grilled Tuna. It was really good. It is my new favorite salad. I love hard boiled eggs. I don't know why but I do. And the potatoes and string beans and olives... Oh and the tuna. Now I do not usually have tuna other than in the can. I was unsure what temperature to request so I picked medium. I think I made the right choice. It was seasoned perfectly.

My husband had a Steak and Gorgonzola Sandwich. I tasted a bit of the meat and wished I had ordered that but then I got back to my dish and was happy again.

I even had dessert. An almond crepe with chocolate ice cream. Wow really good and something I might try to make at home...

Thank you Friends & Co. for a delicious dinner and for doing the dishes!

And Happy Birthday to my brother Stephen! I will not blog your age. : )

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Frittatta

I love frittattas. You can put anything in them. It is a fast, nutritious and easy meal. You can make them and freeze them. You can make sandwiches with them or even wraps. I was trying to write a recipe for a frittatta but found one online at about.com. Once you get the basic recipe down the skys the limit. On that link, about.com, there is a link for Busy Cook Guide's Illustrated Guide to Making a Frittata. The frittatta we had tonight was made with zucchini, red peppers, onions and prosciutto.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

"Wow This Is Delicious!"


I would like to thank my husband for the title of tonight's blog. Vidalia Onions were on sale so I went to epicurious.com to look for a recipe. Found Vidalia Onion Pie and the rest is history. The recipe said not to use low fat milk... well I did and it turned out fine. It was so good. We also had some Chicken Soup for Allegre Express. Not bad for week night meal.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Jamie Oliver Rules!

Crispy and Sticky Chicken Thighs
With Squashed New Potatoes And Tomatoes


Got the Jamie Oliver jamie at home
cookbook and this dish was so good.
His writing is great and most of the recipes are very easy.

Made this on Sunday and reheated it tonight. It was a rainy cold night and this was perfect.

Next time I would get bread because we added chicken broth when we reheated it and the sauce was tasty.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Monday


Brought some treats to work today. Blueberry Crumb Bars. The new Bon Appetit came in the mail and there are a lot of recipes to try.


Dinner was finally Hot Dogs on the Grill. It seems the weather was never on our side for other attempts. I made Cider Braised Leeks and Apples to go with the Dogs. I did not have caraway seeds but I did have fennel seeds so used that. Used the just bourbon, did not have apple cider. My husband said he liked it, probably enjoyed the bourbon. Also made Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad. So tonight's dinner was a true Bon Appetite meal!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Car Shopping and Dinner

I am the owner of a Kia Soul. Love the car! Car shopping is exhausting. So we had to keep dinner simple. Drove the new car (!) to the grocery store and spend wow a lot for not that much... It was one of those times when I stuck to my list and did a double take when they said the total.
Anyway ended up having grilled pork chops which we marinated in Paul Newman's Lemon Pepper Marinade, Minute Rice and Green Giant Healthy Vision frozen vegetables. For dessert I picked up 2 pints of Ciao Bella Gelato, it was on sale on Big Y this week. I got the Key Lime Graham Cracker Gelato and the Blood Orange (Sicilian) Sorbetto. I had the Blood Orange which was very refreshing. And the flavor was just perfect. It was like eating a frozen Blood Orange...

Friday, June 5, 2009

Friday night comfort food

Friday night traffic... But have no fear Lucia's comfort food is here. Ravioli with butter and cheese. Simple and satisfying. I used frozen cheese ravioli and Roasted Eggplant Ravioli from Pasta Vita in Old Saybrook. I found the ravioli at Stop and Shop last week. It was good. Hopefully they have more when I go shopping this weekend.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

And then it rained...

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Worked from home today and had planned on grilling chicken breasts. Well at 4 pm the rain began. So on to Plan B. First the sides, Mashed Potatoes (with the skin on) and steamed snow peas. Now the chicken. I took the breasts and pounded them into thin slices, and cut them into smaller pieces. Floured chicken breasts. Heated oil and butter in sauté pan until butter began to foam and lowered the heat to medium and added chicken to pan. Cooked one side for 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan so chicken will not stick. Turned and cooked for 5 to 6 minutes on other side and added scallions and oregano during that time. Then I added 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and covered for a couple of minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with Feta cheese and cover for a couple more of minutes. Garnished with parsley and enjoyed!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Chicken in a Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite comfort foods. It is so easy if you just follow a few simple short cuts. First use store-bought pie dough. Once and a while it is okay. I wish I could make my own paté brisee every time but that thing called the commute just gets in the way.
Next short cut– Rotisserie Chicken. One chicken will make one pie and plenty to freeze for later use. And finally the recipe...
Ingredients
1 package prepared pie crust (2 crusts)
1 can of cream of potato or other cream soup

1 cup of frozen mixed veggies, thawed

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place one crust into pie pan. Mix rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour into crust. Top with 2nd crust, cut 4 slits in top dough and bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes until top is browned and pie is bubbly.
And that is it.

Monday, June 1, 2009

"This is delicious"

I like when I hear my husband say that about dinner. Double-Cheese and Prosciutto Calzone
from Bon Appétit, February 2006. This recipe is so easy. I actually bought the pizza dough. I did not use the kind in the tube. The texture was really good and I used that magical rolling pin,
see Sunday May 10 entry. The sauce was also store bought, forgot to defrost my own. But it was a very good sauce, Chef Silvio's Sunday Sauce, which is produced locally.

The calzone was perfect for two, two very hungry people. Needless to say there are leftovers!