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Welcome to my collection of some of my favorite dishes that have come out of our kitchen. I hope you enjoy the blog and try some of the recipes!

Quick-Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 bag of spinach leaves (I use the ones in the bagged salad aisle)
 3 (or more, depending on taste) cloves garlic, peeled and sliced or chopped
Generous pinch red pepper flake
Salt and black pepper, to taste

In your largest saute pan, heat the oil over high heat until very hot, almost smoking. Add the spinach and cook, stirring furiously, for about 1 to 2 minutes, the spinach should turn bright green and wilt slightly. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring rapidly, for 30 seconds.

Remove the spinach from the heat and add the red pepper and salt and black pepper. Toss well and serve.
If you are making this to go with the pork chops and mashed potatoes, this is easy to do while the chops are cooking and can be set aside and reheated later.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This is a combo recipe of a lot of other recipes I've used over the last few years.



Potatoes, peeled or mostly peeled (1-2 per person)
Salt
¼ top ½ stick of butter
1 C sour cream
milk
garlic cloves (at least 4, depending on your taste)
Directions:
Peel potatoes and cut into fairly large chunks.
Boil until tender to fork. Drain.
Add salt (to taste), butter and sour cream
Mash by hand. 
Add milk to desired creaminess.

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Drunken Pork Chops

One of my favorites.  I had a version of this at a restaurant at the Boardwalk hotel in Disney about 6 years ago.  I would have to say that this recipe is the closest and tastiest.  I serve this with the mashed potatoes and spinach recipes I'll be posting.  YUM.

Alterations I made:  1 bottle Bass Ale, 1 package of dry onion soup mix and 6 really thick cut pork chops (1.5" thick).  I also threw a chicken breast in for one of my guests.


Ingredients:
4-6 pork chops
flour
salt & pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¾ C beer
1 small jar mushrooms, drained
2 Tbs dry onion soup mix or 2 Tbs minced onion & garlic powder to taste
Directions:
Coat chops in flour, sat & pepper, and brown. Put in single layer in baking dish.
Prepare mushroom soup according to label direction, substituting beer for water or milk.
Add mushrooms and soup mix or powders, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Pour over chops and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Gravy is great to serve with mashed potatoes.

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Fall Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

From allrecipes.com
I subbed dried cranberries for fresh cranberries.

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup cranberries
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
  •  
  • 2 heads romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
  • 2 medium heads Belgian endive - washed, dried and chopped
  • 2 red Anjou pears
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, combine vinegar and cranberries. Cook over medium heat until cranberries soften. Remove from heat; add olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Place in blender and mix until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled.
  2. Core and julienne one pear, core and dice the other.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the Romaine lettuce, endive, diced pears, walnuts and Gorgonzola. Toss and drizzle with enough dressing to coat.
  4. Divide among salad plates and garnish with julienned pear. Top with any additional walnuts as well.

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Coming Soon!

A blog about Harvest Salad, Drunken Pork Chops served over Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Spinach and the Mushroom Log Appetizer.  Having dinner guests and I'm cooking!  YAY!  Check back after the weekend!

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"Snauchos"

That's what Ian called them...he also called them "Oh my God, these are the best nachos ever!"
While I can't take full credit for the recipe, I did make some alterations as I went along based on ingredients I had in the house.  I used LinguiƧa instead of the recommended Chorizo because we had it in the house.  And I used chili beans because I didn't have black beans...and I might have added some cilantro in there somewhere...and more garlic and green onions that I was supposed to...ha...


So I present to you the recipe that inspired Snauchos or Spicy Sausage, Bean and Cheese Nachos




The picture of my final product.  YUM!





From the kitchen of Emeril Lagasse
Servings: 4-6
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 1-30 min
Ingredients
·  1 pound fresh hot sausage (such as chorizo), removed from the casings and crumbled
·  1/4 cup finely chopped green onion bottoms (reserve tops separately)
·  1 tablespoon chopped garlic
·  Two 15-ounce cans pinto or black beans, drained
·  3/4 cup chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth or water
·  1/2 teaspoon chili powder
·  1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
·  1/4 teaspoon salt
·  12 ounces large (restaurant-style) tortilla chips
·  3 cups grated pepper Jack or sharp cheddar cheese, or a combination
·  1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices, or to taste
·  Your favorite salsa, for serving
·  Sour cream, for serving
Cooking Directions
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage, and cook until it is nicely browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add the green onion bottoms and the garlic to the fat remaining in the skillet, and cook until fragrant and soft, about 20 seconds. Add the beans, mix well, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Mash the beans with the back of a heavy wooden spoon or a potato masher until chunky-smooth.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until completely warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Spread half of the tortilla chips in one even layer on a large oval ovenproof platter or in a large baking dish. Top with half of the beans, half of the sausage, half of the cheese, and half of the jalapenos. Repeat with another layer of chips, beans, sausage, cheese, and jalapenos. Bake until the cheese is melted and the mixture is hot, 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and serve garnished with chopped green onion tops, salsa, and sour cream.
4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total: 20 minutes

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Tangy, Zesty & Spicy Grilled Shrimp

I have returned to blogging!  I have been cooking, just nothing really inspiring...'cept for a few things, which I have been documenting and am now sharing with you!  

If you're looking for a change up on your grilled shrimp, try this recipe.  It has a hint of citrus, garlic and spice all in one.  It is great with a grilled onion and a side of quinoa salad. 

This recipe had been a hit THREE times, so I suppose it's time to share it.  First, make the marinade and while you're waiting for that (20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on what you feel like) then you can make the seasoning.  It makes A LOT of seasoning, so it's good to have a container or jar to store the remaining seasoning in so you can you it over and over again.  

I've made about 36-40 large (peeled) shrimp with this dish (serves 4) and there is enough season left over to make this dish 10 times at least!

Marinade
1/2c lime juice
2Tbs cilantro
2tbs scallions
1 tbs shallots
1tbs ginger
1tbs  garlic
1tbs lime rind
1/2c olive oil

Seasoning
1/3c salt
2tbs garlic powder
2tbs onion powder
1tbs smoked paprika
1tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs red pepper flakes

After marinading, skewer the shrimp and season with the seasoning.  The first time I did this, I seasoned both sides it was a little salty.  The second time I made it, I completely forgot the seasoning so we added it after it was cooked, which was also good.  The third time, I only seasoned one side--that seemed to work out the  best.


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