Pan-Seared Chicken with Mushroom Sage Sauce

     WOAH! I cannot even begin to explain how delicious this recipe was! The flavors were so.... delicious! I can barely form words remembering back to how much I really liked this recipe! I will say that part of what made this dish so exquisite was the Basil Pearled Cous-cous that I accompanied with the chicken. The flavors together were just so scrumptious! I will definitely only make this dish with the Near East Basil Pearled Cous-cous from now on! This dish was so creamy and delicious! Of course I used extra mushrooms because I like to have some mushrooms with every bite! I definitely recommend this dish!
     There is a little alcohol used in this dish. My husband doesn't like dishes that incorporate alcohol so I made sure to allow the alcohol flavor to cook off for a while longer than the recipe suggested, so my sauce wasn't necessarily as sauce-y as compared with where I got the recipe from, but I thought it made it richer and more flavorful. And, score!, my husband said he really couldn't taste the alcohol much at all, which he is particularly nit-picky about and able to pick out even when I haven't mentioned that there is alcohol in a dish, so for him to say that was huge. Also, if you would prefer not to use alcohol at all, I would just substitute it out for some chicken broth and it would be just as tasty.
     So, here we go!

Ingredients:
3 T butter
1/2 C chopped shallots, or minced onions (I couldn't find my shallots until I finally relented and used onion, cause of course that's when you find what you're looking for!)
10-12oz mushrooms of your choice (I used button)
1 t fresh parsley
1 C dry white white or dry vermouth (I know others would kill me, but I just use the cooking wine that can be found by the vinegar in the store. We don't drink so I don't have bottles of wine on hand.)
2/3 C heavy whipping cream
3 T fresh sage
1 T olive oil
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/3 inch or so
salt and pepper

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add onions and sweat for a minute. Add the mushrooms, parsley and a pinch of salt and saute for approx. 10 minutes or so until they begin to get all soft and yummy-butter filled.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon by scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the yummy bits from the onions and mushrooms. Add the cream (make sure your heat isn't too high so as not to curdle the cream, you want to slowly bring it to a higher heat). Now, bring it to a low boil and cook the sauce down for approx 10-15 minutes to allow it to thicken (You want it to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).

White the sauce is reducing, begin the pearled cous-cous in a small sauce pan.
Then, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan and sear chicken on each side for 3-4 minutes, do not disturb while it cooks. It will gain a lovely caramelized color from the hot pan.

Now, back to the sauce. Add the chopped sage to the sauce, along with a pinch of salt and pepper (make sure you taste the sauce first to see how much salt you actually need to add).

I served this dish by first putting a scoop of pearled cous-cous on each plate, and topping it with the lovely seared chicken breast, and topped it off with a healthy scoop of the mushroom sage sauce. Then, garnish with a pretty sprinkle of parsley!

Then, fall out of your chair as the flavors burst in your mouth! Then, get back up and finish the rest of your dinner! You're welcome!

Recipe Adapted from: Simply Recipes

Asparagus and Red Pepper Beef Stirfry

     I found this recipe a while back while looking for the perfect stirfry. I wasn't that enthused by the recipe, considering there weren't that many ingredients, but I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful the sauce was! It actually became our favorite stirfry recipe and I made it most nights that week; I'm not ashamed.

     What's great about this recipe as well, is that it doesn't take long to go from prepping to the dinner table; as most stir fry's. I also love that I don't have to worry about side dishes with this one! I can never remember to plan for vegetable side dishes, which is why I love stir frys: the vegetables are already included!

   
Ingredients:
3 T vegetable or peanut oil
1 bundle of asparagus, bottoms trimmed and sliced into thirds*
1 lb flank steak, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
Slurry: 2 tsp cornstarch whisked into 3 T water
3 T soy sauce
1 tsp ginger (I use the jarred version)
1 clove garlic (again, I use the jarred version, crushed garlic)
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili oil (or Sriracha** if you don't have chili oil)

Directions:
Prepare your rice and set for 10-12 minutes.

For the asparagus, I have tried two methods here and both worked great, just choose whichever you'd prefer. Since you aren't going to cook the asparagus for very long, this step is going to help make the asparagus tender and not hard and woodsy.
     *1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the bottom half outer layer of the asparagus off (Obviously, do this before you cut the asparagus into thirds otherwise this step will be a bit difficult).
       2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the asparagus pieces for several minutes and drain.

Prepare the sauce: Stir together the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, scallion and chili oil or Sriracha (**I didn't have chili oil the first several times I made this dish and used Sriracha instead. This time I did use chili oil, and I must say, I preferred the Sriracha. The Sriracha gives the dish a bit of heat and a bit more flavor).

Begin the stirfry: Add 1 T of oil. Start with the asparagus and cook on high heat for a few minutes until browning. Remove and set aside.

Add 1 T of oil to the pan and stirfry the beef strips in 2 batches for 1 minute on each side (2 minutes total); don't cook the beef any longer even though you might be tempted to. By the time the dish is ready, the meat will be so tough and dried out. Trust me, it might not look done, but just go with it.
Then, add all the beef to the pan along with the bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes to allow pepper to soften.

Give the slurry one more stir to make sure the cornstarch is incorporated into the water and pour into the pan with the stir fry sauce. Allow to thicken for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and toss to combine all the ingredients.

Serve over white rice.

Recipe adapted from: Simply Recipes

Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp

      This dish was so outstanding! I was really surprised at how delicious and flavorful it was considering it took less than 15 minutes to make and there weren't many ingredients involved! Definitely make this one! I know that the fish sauce might kinda throw some people off, but just trust me... if you're careful with it and use it sparingly, it adds such depth and flavor. This was a perfect dish for two, we like lots of shrimp though! Do it!

Ingredients:

1 tsp peanut oil
4 scallions (green onions) diced, with the white and green parts separated
1 Tb Thai Green Curry paste
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 lb shrimp
10 oz light Coconut Milk
6-8 dashes of Thai Fish Sauce (use sparingly and taste as you add)
2 T fresh chopped Basil
salt to taste

Directions:

Prepare 1 C dried rice and set for 10-12 minutes.
Begin to peel and de-vein shrimp if necessary.
Chop scallions and basil.
In a 10 in skillet over med heat, add oil and let heat for 30 seconds or so.
Add white scallions parts and curry paste and allow to cook for a minute or so, stirring to combine.
Add garlic and stir to combine.
Add shrimp and allow to cook for several minutes until the shrimp begin to turn pink.
Add coconut milk and fish sauce* and stir to combine, allow to simmer 2-3 minutes to heat thoroughly.
Turn heat off and add the green scallions parts and chopped basil and mix together.
Serve over white rice.
Be amazed at the deliciousness!

*Please, please, please be careful with the fish sauce. I just know that people are going to put a lot in and then hate me for suggested this recipe when the smell eminating from this dish makes you want to vomit, and it's so salty and fishy tasting. Fish sauce is super tricky: if you put too much, it can completely ruin a dish. If you put just the right amount in, it adds so much depth and flavor and you cannot taste fishiness at all. I promise. My husband would not eat it if he could taste it.

     (I remember the time I followed the recipe and put 1/2 C fish sauce in a dish and that was the first time I refused to allow my husband and I to finish the dish past one bite. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner instead. That meal will go down in history as the worst dish I've ever made. So just DON'T do it.)

Be very careful. I accidentally added a dash too much in this dish, and compensated by adding more coconut milk and it was perfect! I ended up really liking the extra sauce that it provided for the rice, so I've written in the addition to the recipe here. After each dash or two, taste the sauce to see if it's right.

Recipe adapted from: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Day One: Grilled Chicken with Pepper Peach Relish

Ingredients:
For the Chicken
1/4 t salt
1/8 t each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts; roughly 6 oz each

For the Glaze
1/4 C peach preserves
2 T lemon juice
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

For the Relish
1 medium peach, peeled and finely chopped
1/3 C red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 C yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green onion (scallion), finely chopped
2 T fresh mint, minced

Directions:
Prep and Heat the grill to medium.

Combine the spices and rub onto chicken; set aside.

Combine ingredients for glaze; set aside.

Combine ingredients for relish; set aside.

Spray grill lightly with cooking spray (careful with this, spray in spurts so as not to attract huge flareups). [Alt. Using tongs, brush the grate with a paper towel coated in oil].

Place chicken on grill and cover; cook for roughly 6 minutes on each side. Baste frequently with glaze.

Serve with pepper peach relish.

I served this with an orzo side dish.
I cooked 1/2 C of orzo, tossed it with 2 T olive oil, 1 T fresh basil, and some salt and pepper.

     This was pretty delicious. The relish gave this a great pop of flavor. Very simple to make, especially if you make the glaze and relish earlier in the day (which would probably make it more flavorful anyways). I also thought that it might be really good to add some jalapeno to the relish next time I make it. I will definitely make this one again; we both really enjoyed it!

Saltine Toffee

     This stuff.... there are hardly words to describe how delicious this little treat is!

     Several years ago we were gathered at my grandparents house in Riverside, CA preparing a holiday meal together when my uncle told us about this little dessert/treat he was going to make us. He said that his friend brought it to work one day and it was so addicting and everyone loved it, so he got the recipe to make for us. We were all excited... until we heard the ingredients: saltine crackers mixed with chocolate and a caramely sauce. Now, the chocolate and caramel sauce sounded great... but we were all a little skeptical about it being paired with saltine crackers. But, we told him we'd give it a shot.

     Boy oh boy were we ever so wrong. This is seriously addicting. We all pretty much stuffed ourselves with this rich and tasty treat that we weren't really too hungry when dinner came around. Whoops!

     Now, years later, I remembered the recipe and wanted to try it again, when I searched online for it... everyone was referring to it as "crack" because of how addicting it is... which made me laugh. It is pretty addicting. Therefore, you must go try it! It's super simple and easy to make with very few steps for a super big tasting treat! So, go, right now, and find these items to make this... I'll wait.

30-50 saltine crackers, depending upon how large your cookie sheet is, I used 48 for my large pan
1 C butter (add another 1/4 C if you are using more than 40 crackers)
1 C brown sugar (again, more if you're making a larger batch)
2 C semisweet chocolate chips
*optional: add crushed nuts to the top, or even crushed pretzels would be good... but I'm a purist, just chocolate for me please!

Preheat oven to 400°.

Line cookie sheet with foil and allow extra to fold over the edges for easy clean up.

Line the foil with the saltine crackers, covering the whole sheet, allowing for no space between each.

I have a Paula Dean Jelly Roll pan which is something like 12x17

In a saucepan, allow your butter to melt and add your sugar. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for a few minutes more until thickened.
**Be SUPER careful on this step. This is turning into a caramel type sauce and if you touch even a tiny bit it WILL burn you... I say this from multiple experiences. 

Pour this mixture over your crackers, taking care to try and make sure that it is evenly distributed. You don't want to leave any poor cracker out of this step, or you'll hurt its feelings.

Bake this for 5-6 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle the crackers with chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute or so (to allow the chocolate to get soft and melty), and then, using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate over the top to evenly coat.
**Again, if you do not have an offset spatula... GET ONE! They're not expensive at all, and it will make your cooking life so much easier. I have used it for SO many things.

If you're using nuts or pretzels, now is the time to add them, while the chocolate is still warm and not hardened.

Allow to cool completely. I let it cool on the counter for a while, 30 minutes or so, and then put it in the fridge to further cool down.

Take it out, break it into pieces and enjoy!
Break it into toffee type pices, on the diagonal, etc. This last time I went to break it into pieces and they just all came apart in the squares of the cracker, which worked perfectly fine too.

Recipe Courtesy of: My Uncle's friend, unknown to me, but super awesome for having this great recipe!

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

     Grant and I LOVE Thai food. There's this great little place in Bakersfield called the Thai House on Ming that we were introduced to a while back courtesy of Grant's previous occupation. We love to go there and get their Tom Yum Goong soup (spicy and sour soup with shrimp, straw mushrooms, carrots, and cilantro), Grant loves their Pad Kee Mow (drunken noodles with chicken and bell peppers, extra spicy), and my favorite the Yellow Curry Fried Rice, which is chicken with rice and lots of curry powder... yum! My dream is to recreate that dish at home sometime! 

     I've been in a bit of a Thai cooking frenzy lately. Last week I think three of our dinners consisted of Thai dishes. What I love about it is that they were all Thai dishes, and yet all so distinctly different. I love the sweet, spicy, and salty combinations. I love the hint of citrus in some of the dishes. It's all just so great! 

     This dish is great. I loved the addition of pineapple, it added such a brightness to the dish. 

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 tbsp Thai Kitchen fish sauce

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp oil, divided

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp ginger

2 C bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks (whatever color you like)

1 serrano chili pepper, chopped (if you don't want the heat, just take out the seeds and ribs)

1 can pineapple chunks, 1/4 C juice reserved

1/2 C Sweet and Spicy Chili dipping sauce *Next time I'm going to attempt to make my own Chili sauce!

cilantro 

Combine chicken and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in skillet, add chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet to a bowl or plate and cover to keep warm. 

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in large skillet over med high. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or so; be careful not to burn garlic. Add peppers, serrano pepper and pineapple and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes until peppers are close to the texture you want. Add the Chili dipping sauce and reserved pineapple juice; cook a few more minutes until it begins to thicken. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Serve over white rice and garnish with a sprinkling of cilantro. Then enjoy and make yummy noises!

Recipe Courtesy of: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Olive Garden's Italian Sausage Soup

          This soup was great. It was really fast and really easy to make. It's a pretty simple recipe as there aren't that many ingredients, but it all adds up to a very hearty and delicious soup. And, it's pretty healthy as well. I used Jenny-O Italian Turkey sausage to cut the fat some. I don't make many soups with a beef broth base, so I wasn't sure how I'd like this one, but it was really tasty! I'm definitely going to be making this soup again!

1 lb sweet Italain sausage, ground (I used the Jenny-O Italian sausage links, and took them out of their casings)

1 C white rice

1 Cup chopped tomatoes in puree (10 3/4 oz can)

10 oz box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

6 C beef broth

1/4 tsp black pepper

Pecorino Ramano cheese, for garnish

Brown the sausage in a soup pot and. Add the rice, broth, tomatoes, and pepper and bring to a simmer. 

Simmer for 12- 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in chopped spinach and let simmer a few more minutes.

Serve the soup with a healthy amount freshly grated cheese on top.

That's it! Couldn't be easier or tastier! 

Recipe Courtesy of: Olive Garden

Mongolian Beef

     .....or as my husband called it Candied Beef.

     This was probably one of the first Asian dishes that I cooked that I felt like I was eating at an actual restaurant. One can make good Asian dishes at home, but there is usually something missing, like that finish on the chicken or beef that makes it crispy. Well, this dish was not missing that special something. I felt like I was eating at PF Chang's (since it's supposedly their recipe and all).

     We really liked this recipe... but watch out, because as my husband observed, it's pretty sweet! It's definitely not a dull version of Mongolian Beef. I really liked it.

2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tsp ginger
2 tbsp garlic
1/2 C soy sauce
1 C brown sugar (if you don't want it as sweet, you might use 1/2 to 2/3 C instead)
1/2 C Vegetable oil
1 lb flank steak or sirloin sliced thinly (I used top sirloin, and this is a big key I think. You want to make sure you get good quality beef, since it's the star of the show, you'll really notice if it's tough and chewy).
1/4 C cornstarch
3 green onions, sliced 1-2 inches in length, on a bias

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and add soy sauce. You want to work quickly so that garlic doesn't burn. Slowly add the sugar and stir, allowing it to dissolve. Allow the sauce to come to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Remove and set aside.

Cut steak into thin strips and put in a bag with cornstarch and shake to coat. Let meat sit for 10 minutes, so the cornstarch will stick to the meat.

Put 1/2 C vegetable oil in a wok or skillet and heat to medium high. Add the meat and brown for 3-4 minutes. **Watch carefully, this is another step where your meat can become tough if cooked too long. DO NOT wait for your meat to be fully cooked, otherwise it will dry out completely. We are going to continue cooking the meat in a minute. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels.

Clean the pan out and return the meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook another minute. Add the green onions and cook another minute.

Serve over white sticky rice.

Recipe Courtesy of: Confessions of a Homeschooler

Asian Ground Beef Lettuce Cups

    

     When we're looking for a starchless meal, I always go to Lettuce Cups. They're super easy, and full of flavor. I typically use chicken, and cut it up into small pieces. I found a new recipe that looked pretty good and thought I'd give it a shot, but, I didn't have any chicken, only ground beef. Still, I thought I'd try it and hope for the best. Well, my wishes were realized as this dish was super tasty! 

     The first time I made it, I didn't measure my soy sauce, and it was super salty. The second time I made sure to measure my soy sauce and it turned out much better. It was still really good the first time, just really salty. So, just make sure to measure that bad boy out.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 - 3/4 C shredded carrots

1 celery rib, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper finely diced

15 sugar snap peas, finely diced

1/2 C red onion

1 - 1 1/2 ground beef

Iceberg lettuce leaves (I usually use butter lettuce, but this was good too)

2 tbsp diced scallions (green onions)

Sauce:

1/2 C soy sauce

3 tbsp minced garlic

3 tbsp minced ginger

3 tbsp sambal hot sauce

3 tbsp apricot preserves

1/4 C rice vinegar

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp minced cilantro

2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp sesame oil

(Mix ingredients together and stir well before serving)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, brown the ground beef. Drain the beef and set aside. 

Add a tbsp oil to the skillet and add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. 

Add the ground beef and mix together.

Add the Apricot Sambal sauce and scallions and let simmer for a few minutes so that the juices get all yummy together in the meat and veggies.

Add the beef mixture to a bowl. Place your lettuce leaves onto a plate and serve. 

I serve this out of one bowl, and give each of us a plate for our lettuce leaves. It makes it really easy to dish up, rather than trying to split the mixture between two plates, then one might want more or less than I served,  so one bowl works well for us. 

I know I said I use lettuce cups as starchless meals, but with this one I did make some white rice. I layered my rice then the beef mixture into the lettuce cup, rolled it up and chowed down. The rice helped to cut the saltiness of the soy sauce. It was really good. 

Super easy, super good, super flavorful! 

Recipe Courtesy of: Guy Fieri

Taco Salad

     Game night at church is the second Friday of every month. And I love it! I love getting to meet up with people from church and chat with them and catch up on things we don't have time to talk about on Sunday morning. But, the best part: the food everyone brings! I always try to change it up and bring something fun and interesting. Even though I love to bake, usually we have a ridiculous amount of dessert, so I am resigned to bring a dinner type of dish each month; which is great, because it allows me to find new recipes to try that I normally wouldn't.
     Last month I was looking for something fun and different, and I came across a Taco Salad recipe. We love taco salad. When I started dating Grant he introduced me to the addition of Catalina dressing poured on top of the salad. I thought it might be kinda weird at first, but because I love Catalina dressing, I was all about trying it... and it was SO delish! I will never go back to having a normal taco salad!
     What I like about this recipe though, is that it adds a little something I didn't used to include, beans. Duh, Meghan! I don't know why I never thought of it before. Needless to say this recipe is super delish, and I could not have received more compliments throughout the evening on it.
     So, the next time you are looking for something easy and fast, yet still not skimping on taste, try this one out!

Ingredients:
2 lb ground beef (We like things meaty, so I added the extra half pound)
2 packets of taco seasoning mix (I just use my McKormick seasoning container from Costco!, and A LOT of it! Season that meat up baby! Make it tasty!)
1 bag shredded lettuce
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Cup chopped tomatoes
2 Cup chopped onions
1 medium can of sliced olives (I give them a rough chop)
2 15oz cans Ranch style beans (1 used S&W, and they're exact title is Chili Beans in a Zesty Tomato Sauce)
1 bag of corn chips (I used the small ones to make it more bite size)
1 16oz bottle Catalina dressing
1 12oz jar salsa

**This makes a pretty good amount of salad, so if it's just for 2 people, I might cut it in half. Although, every time I make it I wish there were leftovers, so I would probably make this amount and save it for meals later. Obviously, don't mix it all together though or some of the ingredients will be soggy and wilty.

Directions:
Brown the ground beef and onion, and drain. Add the Taco seasoning mix and 1 C water and simmer for roughly 10 minutes or until the meat has soaked up all the water, making it all kindsa juicy!

Add the beans with some of the juices to the pan and continue simmering for however long you like, I simmered for about 10-15 minutes.

In a bowl, add the chips, the ground beef and bean mixture, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, Catalina dressing, and salsa. Mix this delish concoction together until everything is married together with screams of joy! Sprinkle cheese on top, dish and devour!

You could even add sour cream as well, but I chose to stick to the recipe this time, and it was really tasty!
You will not be upset about trying this one folks!

Recipe Adapted from: Taste of Home

Rigatoni with Asparagus and Bacon

     Who doesn't love bacon? Right?! Everyone!

     I came across this recipe a few days ago and knew I had to try it! The husband doesn't care for asparagus much, but, with a little bacon mixed in, and cheese... I thought he'd forgive me.... and I think he did! He said he enjoyed this dish. We had the leftovers for lunch today, and we were not disappointed! This dish could not be easier and tastier! You won't be upset you tried it! Of course... I'd add more bacon... cause, more bacon never hurt anyone!

Ingredients:
1 box Rigatoni
1 lb asparagus, cut into roughly the same size as the rigatoni
8 Bacon strips... next time, I'll probably use the whole pkg. (I used thick cut bacon... so good!)
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 C half and half
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C fresh parsley

Directions:
Bring water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook to al dente, 12 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, begin to cook the bacon (remember, low and slow!);
Remove and drain on paper towel.

Bring water to a boil in the same pot and add the chopped asparagus and boil for 3 minutes.
Drain and add to ice cold water.

In a large skillet, add the garlic, butter and oil (mmmmm, such a great combination!).
Add the half and half and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another few minutes.

While the sauce is thickening, chop your bacon into pieces.

Here comes the good part: Stir the shredded mozzarella cheese into the sauce and stir until melted.
The sauce will become this at this point.

Add the rigatoni, salt, asparagus and bacon. Stir to combine all those yummy ingredients!

Grate the Parmesan cheese right onto each dish, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Enjoy this delicious concoction that I will be adding to my list of recipes now!
Tasty!

     And because I can't leave well enough alone, I added some sausage... also because I'm sure that no matter how tasty my husband thought this dish was, he would have been wondering where the meat was.

Recipe Courtesy of: The Daily Dish

Fresh Garden Pasta with Chicken Sausage

     I love sausage! I could eat it all the time! So, when there is a sausage sale at the store, I stock up!

 

     At my last grocery store visit, I came across Johnsonville's new line of chicken sausages (on sale), so I decided to give 'em a whirl! I tried the Italian style sausage with Mozzarella and Romano cheese, Red pepper, onion and garlic. I was trying to figure out how to prepare these sausages, but I just couldn't decide. I usually make sausages with bell peppers, onions and some kind of sauce, like Marinara. It's really good, but I wanted to change things up a bit. I noticed that the back of the label had a recipe for the sausages on it, score! The only problem, it said to mix the dish with Italian dressing, and that just didn't sit well with me, as much as I like Italian dressing. So this recipe is adapted from the recipe on the back of the Johnsonville label.

     This recipe was really good! I was quite surprised because we usually like really sauce-y things. And I kept this recipe really light, hence the Fresh Garden part of the recipe title. I wanted the ingredients to really stand out and speak for themselves without being muddled by a heavy sauce. I had some fresh basil, but it was bad, so I didn't use it, but if it was still good, I woulda put that all over this dish. Instead, I settled for some dry herbs, which were just as great. Since there aren't very many items in this dish, it's important to use fresh ingredients so that it will taste really good.

Ingredients

3/4 lb Rigatoni 

1 pkg Johnsonville Italian Style Chicken Sausages, sliced

1 head of broccoli, trimmed down to small 1 inch trees (nice description right?!)

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 pkg grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 tsp crushed garlic, or 1 clove garlic

1 tsp crushed Red Pepper flakes

1 tsp McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder (seriously, this stuff is worth the purchase!)

dash of salt

Olive oil

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling add your pasta.

The Rigatoni is al dente at 12 minutes, so at about 10 minutes add your Broccoli to the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over med-high heat add a tbsp of olive oil. 

Add the sausage and bell peppers, stir together.

Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and Italian seasonings, stir together. 

When you add the broccoli to the pasta, add the sliced grape tomatoes to the sausage mixture, along with 2 big swirls of olive oil. Stir together.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the sausage mixture and stir to combine. Add more italian seasonings to taste, as well as salt. 

Dish it up and grate a healthy amount of Parmesan cheese over each dish. 

Super fresh, super simp, super delish!

Huevos Rancheros

     Sorry for the super huge long absence! Having a baby sorta makes it hard to find the time to post new recipes, as if I was so great at it before anyways! But here's to a new resolution of trying to get more recipes on here, if not frequently, at least not once every 5 months!

     I was watching the Food Network one day last week (my computer was acting up) and caught an episode of Paula Dean cooking with her son. It seems like she can never cook alone anymore, every show as someone else on it, usually one of her sons, but whatever. I'm not the biggest fan of Paula like everyone else is, but I think she has some good recipes. I've just made a few that weren't all that great before. But this one is pretty great! Although, it's not really hers, it is her son's, so yah for Paula's son! I did change up the recipe just a bit based on what I had at home, and the fact that my weird husband doesn't like chorizo, sad day for me! Anywho, a link to the original recipe is below.

     I'm salivating right now just looking at the picture wishing I had some to eat right now!

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients
1 15oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1/4 C diced yellow onion
1/4 C cilantro leaves
1 large clove garlic (I just used crushed garlic I have in a bottle, works perfectly for everything!)
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded if desired; I just took out the membranes, but left all the seeds)
1/2 tsp salt
5 oz or 1/2 pkg of Jimmy Deans Sausage Crumbles . They're really good! I use them for all kinds of things!
Vegetable oil
4 6-in corn tortillas
1 16oz can refried beans (I used half the can for 2 servings)
4 eggs
shredded pepper jack or your favorite cheese for topping

*This made 4 servings. We each had 2 tortillas and 2 eggs, and there was just enough of the sauce and beans  for 2 more servings the next morning!


Directions
In a food processor (or blender, if you're me and too lazy to get the processor out and then clean it afterwords), combine the tomatoes (with juices), onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, and salt and puree until smooth. Transfer to a medium skillet and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm over low heat.

After you let it warm up a bit, add the already cooked sausage crumbles to the sauce while it was thickening to allow them to heat up.

Place a tortilla in the skillet and cook until warm and pliable, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to an individual plate (2 tortillas to a plate), and cook remaining tortillas.

Heat the beans up in the microwave while the sauce is cooking and spread about 1/3 - 1/2 C onto tortillas

Add another tbsp of oil to the skillet. Crack one egg into the pan (I use a small skillet) and cook until the bottoms are set and the edges golden about 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until set, about 1 minute more. Place one egg on each tortilla (so, 2 to a plate), and spoon the sauce over the eggs. Then you can add any toppings you want, I sprinkled some shredded pepper jack cheese and chopped up cilantro over it, as well as a little dusting of salt to bring out the yummy flavors.

Recipe courtesy of: Paula Dean Click here for original recipe

Dumpling Soup

     I found this recipe in my Food Network magazine and made it on a whim a few months ago, not expecting much, and crazily enough, it has become G's new favorite meal! He asks for it ALL the time! Once, sometimes, twice a month! I've made a few additions to the soup based on our own tastes; nothing drastic, just adding more yumminess, who can argue with that!

     What's great about this dish is it's pretty healthy for you, and we've found that it's actually quite filling! Also, it's super easy to make and takes practically no time! If you like dumpling or wonton soup, then I think you'll really dig this soup!

Ingredients
-4 C low-sodium chicken broth (We like more broth, so I usually up this to 5 or 6 cups, you'll probably agree)
-1/4 lb thick-sliced ham, diced (I get the Farmer John brand from the meat section in the market)
-2 tbsp dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 1-in piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (I just add 1 or 2 tsp of grated ginger from a jar)
-4 3-in strips orange zest (Again, I just zest 1/2 an orange)
-Kosher salt and ground pepper
-2 scallions (green onions), sliced, white and green parts separated
-1 C sliced button mushrooms
-2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (I've diced my own carrots, and used frozen, which worked out great as well)
-2-3 Napa Cabbage leaves, thinly sliced (I really like the cabbage, so I usually use a few more leaves. Also, notice this isn't your normal cabbage, which I've also used and it tasted great as well, but it's Napa Cabbage which is also green, but is more delicate than normal cabbage)
-24 frozen chicken or vegetable dumplings or pot stickers (I use the brand Ling Ling, which comes in a yellow bag in the frozen section. They're actually chicken and vegetable dumplings, and they have proven to have the best taste, really hearty)
-Soy sauce for drizzling (optional, but really tasty)

*I add some fresh or frozen shrimp to the dish as well just because!
*I also make some white rice to serve with the soup (I used boil-in-a-bag rice and stuck it right in the soup while it was simmering, and took it out when I added the dumplings, it was perfect)

Directions
     Combine 2 cups of water with the chicken broth, ham, sherry, sugar, ginger, orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper in a large pot.
     Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the scallion whites, mushrooms, and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
     Add the cabbage, dumplings, and scallion greens (*This is where I add the shrimp). Cover and cook until the dumplings are soft and heated through 4-5 minutes. {The dumplings really don't take any longer than this, so if you're planning on letting the soup simmer any longer b/c you're not going to eat for a while, wait to add the dumplings. I've made the mistake of letting them cook for too long and they were falling apart}
     Divide the dumplings and soup among bowls. Drizzle with soy sauce, if desired.
     *I put a 1/4-1/3 cup rice in the bottom of each bowl and scoop the soup on top. It's spectacular!


Prep time: 15 minutes (If you get frozen carrots, it will take no prep time, I start the soup simmering, and do the rest as I go, so even better!)
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 4-5
Cal 256; Fat 9; Chol 56; Sod, way too much; Carb 24; Fib 3; Pro 18