Tag Archives: cooking

B.L.A.S.T.

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It has  all our faves – shrimp, check! Avocado, check! Bacon, check! I love a classic BLT, but the shrimp and the avocado really make it a substantial meal. I made ciabatta bread for the first time ever – yes, a bit time consuming, but a heck of a lot cheaper and flavorful than Publix. Once the bread was baked off this meal came together pretty quickly. Something I usually do to make life a little easier is bake my bacon at 400 degrees on a wire rack and half sheet pan lined with foil so I don’t have to babysit them.

Verdict: Everyone enjoyed this but it was a little difficult to eat, only because the sandwich’s innards wanted to fall out – but that seems to be a problem with lots of sandwiches. The shrimp weren’t too spicy and the lime mayo was a nice complement to this. I’ll try this with marinated grilled chicken next time. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

BLAST Sandwich – adapted from Soupbelly 

  • 4 sandwich rolls, I used these
  • 1 pound shrimp, thawed and deveined
  • 1 lime
  • 3 TBSP olive oil
  • Chipoltle powder
  • Chili Powder
  • Kosher salt
  • 6 slices of bacon, cut in half (12 small strips)
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 4 large leaves of lettuce

Lime infused Mayo:

  • 4 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1/4 lime, juiced
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions:

1) Make the marinade – squeeze the lime in a container, add the olive oil, kosher salt, chili powder and chipotle powder to taste; mix well and pour over shrimp. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

2) As shrimp are marinating in the fridge, slice and toast rolls. Cook bacon in skillet until crispy. Place on plate lined with paper towel to drain excess grease.

3) In a small bowl, squeeze lime juice, and 2 tsp of lime zest into 4 tbsp. of mayo. Mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste.

4) In a skillet on medium high, cook shrimp until they turn opaque (approx. 2-3 minutes). Place cooked shrimp in bowl.

5) Slather mayo onto toasted rolls, assemble sandwiches with avocado slices, lettuce, 3 slices of bacon, 4-5 shrimp, and a slice of tomato. Serve and enjoy!

Ciabatta Bread

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This is a first for me, so hopefully it works out! This takes a little planning ahead and slightly more effort to make than your average loaf. The dough requires a starter – which is so easy and low maintenance. I found this recipe around 9 last night and threw it together in a couple of minutes. All it had to do was sit, covered for up to 15 hours. I waited about 12 to finish the dough up – which is made so much easier with my trusty digital scale and KitchenAid mixer. This dough is much more wet and sticky than any dough I have used lately. It’s similar to a no-knead dough – both are moist, stringy and sticky. Oil your hands, tools and work surfaces generously; and even the oil doesn’t keep it all from sticking, but it is a big help. This dough is also a slow-rising dough, so again – plan ahead. There is the overnight bit, the two hour first rise, the 60 to 90 minute second rise and then finally the 20 minute baking time. Like I said earlier – I really hope that this works out! 😉

Verdict:  This was great for my first try – I learned a lot about this dough, so I will be more prepared next time. Because of the overnight starter, the flavor is reminiscent of a sourdough bread. I’d say overall this was a successful attempt at an artisan bread. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Ciabatta Ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

Overnight starter

Dough

  • all of the starter (from above)
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions –
1) To make the starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly.
2) Place all of the dough ingredients, including the starter, into the bowl of your mixer, and beat at medium speed, using the flat beater, for 7 minutes. The dough will be very smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.

3) Transfer the dough to a greased bowl or other rising container, cover it, and let it rise for 2 hours, deflating it midway through. If you’re using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.

4) Lightly grease your work surface, and a half-sheet baking pan (18″ x 13″) or similar large baking sheet. Grease your hands, as well.

5) Very gently turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface; you don’t want to deflate it. It’ll lose a bit of volume, but don’t actively punch it down.

6) Using a bowl scraper, bench knife, or your fingers, divide the dough in half. You should have two fat logs, each about 10″ long x 4″ wide.

7) Handling the dough gently, transfer each piece to the baking sheet, laying them down crosswise on the sheet. Position them about 2 1/2″ from the edge of the pan, leaving about 4″ between them.

8.) Lightly cover the dough with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Midway through, gently but firmly dimple the dough with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

9) Spritz the risen loaves with lukewarm water. You’ll see that the dimples have filled in somewhat, but haven’t entirely disappeared.

10) Bake the loaves till they’re golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Crimini Mushrooms

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Meat and potatoes – every red-blooded, American man’s favorite combination, right? Well, this meal was meant for the hubs Father’s Day dinner…we and our lazy butts never got around to going to the store. So, better late than never! He requested filet mignon, roasted shrimp cocktail and roasted garlic mash. The mushrooms are for me, however because the man doesn’t eat fungus! I’ve never had steak and sautéed mushrooms so now is good a time as any.

Verdict: Yum! Great sides, great steak…and we didn’t spend even one third of what it would have cost at a steak house! I love that 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Mash Ingredients – adapted from Food Network

  • 1 head garlic
  • Olive oil
  • 2 pounds red potatoes, washed well and quartered
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions –

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Slice off the very top of the garlic head. Drizzle head with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place on a sheet tray and bake until tender and fragrant, roughly 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the cloves and mash with a wooden spoon.

Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender and drain. Mash the potatoes until smooth.

Meanwhile heat butter and cream until butter melts. Add the roasted garlic and potatoes and mash all together.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Crimini Mushrooms – 

  • 8 ounces crimini mushrooms (aka baby Portobello) cleaned and sliced
  • 2 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 4 TBSP dry red wine
  • fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt to taste
Directions –
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Add mushrooms, shallot and garlic; then cook 15 minutes until evenly browned and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste then add wine and deglaze the pan. Cook down for a few more minutes until the pan is mostly dry. Add a little more unsalted butter to taste, if desired.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

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Quick Post: I made these to go with our Grilled Pork Chops. They were yummy, slightly sweet and not annoyingly crumbly – if that makes sense. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Honey Cornbread Muffin Ingredients – adapted from Food Network

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Directions –

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden

Grilled Pork Chops

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We’ve never grilled pork before, so hopefully this works out well! Choosing to marinade is always a good thing to ensure flavorful, juicy meat; so when I found this recipe and saw the ratings, I decided it was a safe one to try. The barbecue sauce was so simple to throw together and only needed to be stirred every once in a while. Then the marinating – what could be easier? I love dinners like this one where the longest part is the stay in the fridge.

Verdict: I am so happy that these simple ingredients and steps led to such a tasty dinner; and I will definitely make this again. The barbecue sauce has great flavor, and isn’t too sweet or too spicy for us. I would use the sauce recipe again for another application unless I’m feeling lazy 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Pork Chops Ingredients – adapted from Food Network

  • 4 pork chops (about 1/2-inch thick)
  • Neely’s Seasoning, recipe follows
  • Neely’s BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

Directions –

Apply Neely’s Seasoning to each pork chop. Place pork chops in a large freezer safe plastic bag. Pour 2 cups of Neely’s BBQ sauce into bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours.

Place pork chops on grill and cook until internal temperature is 160 degrees F. Reapply BBQ sauce to pork chops prior to serving.

Neely’s Seasoning Ingredients –

  • 1 cup paprika
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Neely’s BBQ Sauce Ingredients –

  •  2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
Directions –

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.

Over high heat, bring ingredients to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Once sauce comes to a boil, reduce temperature to low and simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours.


His Favorite Macaroni and Cheese – Now with Panko!

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It is really so good that it needs a repost. The last time I made this, I added Panko to the top before baking. It just gives it that crunchy texture that makes this extra special. This time I used Baby Swiss (Gruyère was over $9.oo for 8 ounces!) and M’s favorite Smoked Gouda. This dinner is worth the little extra effort to make and the leftovers are great too. Next time I make this, I’ll try some different cheese combination – hopefully he’ll go for it! 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Macaroni & Cheese Ingredients – adapted from The Pioneer Woman
  • 4 cups Dried Macaroni
  • 1 whole Egg Beaten
  • 1/2 stick  butter (1/4 cup)
  • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 2-½ cups Whole Milk ( *I used 2 cups 1% and the rest was half and half )
  • 2 teaspoons mustard powder
  • 1 pound Cheese
  • ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
  • ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
  • ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/3 cup (or more to cover the mac n’ cheese) Panko bread crumbs
  • Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Directions –

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, *panko*, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

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These are what I would categorize as a “special treat” cookie. They are huge! I wanted to make M an extra decadent dessert for Father’s Day, but he didn’t want me to have to put too much effort in to it. For some reason, that kind of dessert makes him feel guilty because of all the extra work – of course, I don’t mind that kind. I like the challenge! So, as a compromise, I’m making these for him instead.

Verdict: YUM!!! I made these slightly larger than they were supposed turn out because I used my disher that holds 1/3 cup. All of these cookies are at least 5 inches in diameter and took 15-17 minutes to bake to my desired doneness. Oh, and I chilled the Reese’s cups after I quartered them just so they would incorporate easily in the batter. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies – adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

  • 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 12 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 12 oz package mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped and rough chopped
Directions –
  1. Preheat oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicon mat.
  2. Place butter and sugars in a mixer bowl, mix on medium high until well-combined, 2-3 minutes.
  3. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla.
  4. Add dry ingredients and mix on low just until combined. Add peanut butter cups until distributed.
  5. Chill dough 15 minutes. Scoop 1/3-cup dough balls onto a lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake 12-16 minutes, until the edges brown and the center is still soft.
  7. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Yield: 14 cookies.

Pizza Caprese with Garlic Focaccia Crust

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I.Love.Bread. I could never cut it out of my diet – how boring would that be? A life with no bread is a sad thought 😉 I didn’t care all that much for it before I started making my own though. It makes such a difference and I’m so happy that I have my KitchenAid standing mixer to do all the grunt work. It is the most expensive toy in my kitchen arsenal, but it also gets the most use out of all my appliances. It opened up a whole new word of recipes for me and my family and I couldn’t be more excited!
Verdict: More cheese next time according to M – but I’ll have to agree. Also, I need to turn the heat up on the oven – I set it to 475 because 550 is scary-hot. We all enjoyed the flavor and the rosemary wasn’t over-powering at all. I thought the garlic flavor would come through more, but that wasn’t too strong either. M also mentioned that this dough would make tasty sandwich bread, so I’ll have to make that sometime soon for him. I’m pretty happy with how this came out, which is always a great outcome when I try something completely different for my family. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Pizza Caprese with Garlic Focaccia Crust – adapted from goodLife(eats)
For the Crust –
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 2 c warm water
  • 6 c flour, divided
  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • 1/4 c chopped fresh rosemary
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 8 cloves chopped garlic
Toppings –
  • Olive oil
  • Asiago Cheese
  • Fresh Basil, sliced thin
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • Fresh Mozzarella

Directions:

Combine yeast and water; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and salt. Stir 4 c flour, garlic, and rosemary in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 50 minutes. Dough will be spongy.

Sprinkle remaining 2 c flour onto a flat surface. Turn dough out onto floured surface, and knead until flour is incorporated into dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 550 degrees F with a pizza stone on a rack in the top 1/2 of the oven. Return to the bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 35 minutes.

Divide dough into quarters. On a floured surface (I like to use a pizza peel or a sheet of parchment so I can easily transfer the pizza to the stone in the oven). Roll each portion out into rounds just under 1/2 an inch thick. Using fingertips dimple the dough all over.

Brush each crust with 1 tablespoon olive oil all over. Grate 2 tablespoons of asiago on each pizza. Top with a handful of sliced fresh basil and halved cherry or grape tomatoes. Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Transfer pizza to the pizza stone in the oven. Bake at 550 degrees F for 9-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: If you don’t intend to use the full amount of dough, divide it after the second rise and place the extra in a gallon sized zip top bag in the refrigerator. Use the dough within 48 hours. Punch it down and proceed with forming the crust rounds.

Pico de Gallo

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I haven’t made this in a long time – which is probably due to the fact that there is no short cut to making this. There is lots of chopping, dicing, and mincing involved; thankfully it’s totally worth the effort. This recipe comes from one of my favorite bloggers – The Pioneer Woman 🙂 She knows her stuff and she is a home cook just like me – no formal training is required when you have a love for food and a desire to try out new techniques. I have come a long way in 8 1/2 years of marriage. In the beginning, I used a lot of boxed meals, frozen and prepackaged stuff – I had to start somewhere, right? Thankfully, my husband wasn’t raised around a lot of fabulous cooks, so he didn’t know what he was missing out on! 😉 I could never go back to that kind of cooking and those fuss free, easy stuff. I get such a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment out of giving my family the very best.

Anyway, this turned out perfectly and wasn’t too spicy when we added it to these tacos. By itself though, it has quite a kick! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Pico de Gallo – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
  • ½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
  • 3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
  • Cilantro
  • Lime Juice
  • Salt To Taste

Directions –

Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

Grilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter

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Quick Post: I was so sad when I finished this…I love grilled corn, but this made it extra special. I will make this again, and make sure that I buy extra ears for us. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter – adapted from Meatwave

  • 6 ears corn, husked
  • 1/4 pound butter at room temperature, plus 3 tablespoons
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Lime wedges for serving
Directions –

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 pound of the butter, chili powder, cayenne pepper, lime zest, and lime juice until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Lightly butter the corn with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Wrap ears individually in aluminum foil.

3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over the charcoal grate. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the foiled corn on the grill and cook until tender and slightly charred, about 20 minutes, turning 4 times during cooking. Remove from the grill and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Open the foil, slather each ear in the chili-lime butter, and serve with the lime wedges.