dine me. wine me: crostini with ricotta and goat cheese, prosciutto and cheese stuffed lamb, champagne risotto, fried ravioli, & cream polenta

my friend, lynn, asked me to help plan a celebratory meal for her main squeeze. she gave me a few must-haves for the night:

1. needed to include lamb (his fav)

2. needed to be elegant

3. needed to be easy

when i think of romance and elegance, i think italian. after all, isn't it the language of love? i immediately knew to turn to my culinary bff - giada de laurentiis. i love the simplicity and rustic aspects to her recipes and i knew sister jones could handle it.

i found the most perfect lamb recipe and i gave sister jones a few options for the sides and appetizers.

appetizer: crostini with ricotta and goat cheese
main course: prosciutto and cheese stuffed lamb tenderloin
side #1: champagne risotto
side #2: fried ravioli with marinara dipping sauce
side #3: creamy polenta with arugula

lynn is a natural in the kitchen that not even a little roadblock could stop her. whole foods didn't have any lamb so she improvised with beef tenderloin. she choose side option #2 because honestly, what guy doesn't love a little fried food? check out lynn's success below:

Read more...

nuts for salmon: pecan crusted salmon with sauteed spinach and lemon green beans

first off, sorry for the delay in this post. it was my intention to write this post friday afternoon before i left for va tech, but my afternoon turned into shambles when i locked myself out of the house for over 40 minutes. my b. i made this meal as part of my original weekly meal plan. it took no time to whip up and it was a definite crowd pleaser.

ingredients:

1 bag of 10 oz spinach

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups of green beans

1/2 lemon

4 tablespoons of dijon mustard

4 6oz salmon filets

1/2 cup chopped pecans

evoo

s&p

directions:

heat oven to 350 degrees. brush mustard over salmon filets and press chopped pecans down to make sure they are sticking. heat skillet with evoo over medium high heat. place salmon pecan-side down in pan and sear for 3 minutes. transfer salmon to oven and let cook for 5-7 minutes.

steam green beans in vegetable steamer. once done, drizzle with juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of evoo and s&p.

in another pan heat up butter, 1 tablespoon of evoo, garlic and tomatoes. let cook for about 3 minutes and then add bag of spinach. cover pan and let cook for about 3 more minutes. add s&p and you're done.

i tried to take a picture of the delicious meal, but mine and peg's camera batteries died. i've found one that looks pretty similar. enjoy!

Read more...

passport to greece: chicken souvlaki with greek couscous and toasted chick peas

as part of my weekly meal plan, i cooked up this bad boy last night. it was such a hit, even brother gave me a compliment...you know the boy whose diet is a plain as a saltine cracker...yea, he even enjoyed it! i adapted the recipe for chicken souvlaki from cooking light to add a little more hint of lemon and freshness. here's how i do chicken souvlaki with greek couscous and toasted chick peas:

ingredients:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon evoo, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons bottled minced garlic, divided
1 teaspoon dried lemon pepper seasoning
2 cups sliced roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

directions:
combine feta cheese, yogurt, dill, 1 teaspoon evoo, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic in a small bowl, stirring well. heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and lemon pepper seasoning to pan, and sauté for 20 seconds. add chicken, and cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. pile pitas up with chicken, lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices and top with dollop of yogurt sauce.

now for the couscous...

i don't really have a real recipe i use, i kind of just throw things in there and see how it goes.

ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat couscous (when cooked, becomes about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons of evoo
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup chickpeas
1/4 feta cheese
1 tablespoon dried dill
s&p

directions:
cook couscous according to directions. fluff with fork when finished and add remaining 7 ingredients. taste and season with s&p to your likeness.
obviously, you saw what happened with the chickpeas earlier...so yeah, those got scrapped. i WILL try again.
now close your eyes, eat up, and pretend you're in greece. i am a grecian GODDESS.

Read more...

is something burning?

i'm not really a competitive person. it doesn't bother me if someone can finish a sudoku puzzle before me. it doesn't bother me if someone is is prettier than me. it doesn't even bother me when someone makes more money than me.

but when it comes to cooking, i somehow turn into spencer pratt - a complete monster.

i have to be the best and always cook the best thing. i like to make everything perfect no matter how long it takes me. if i mess up one little thing, i've been known to start over - completely.

so you can understand my frustration last night when i was making roasted chickpeas and i smelt something burning. i opened the oven to find these burnt little turds smoking up my oven. i still don't understand what went wrong - i followed rachael ray's recipe exactly.

luckily, i'm not one to give up. i have another can of chickpeas at home. stick around for round 2.

chickpeas -1
me - 0

Read more...

just call me susie...

....susie homemaker, that is.


i'm only home a few nights this week, so here's what we got cooking:

tuesday: chicken souvlaki with greek couscous and toasted chick peas
wednesday: pecan crusted salmon with sauteed spinach and lemon green beans


stay tuned for pics and recipes tomorrow!


(photo credit - vi.sualize.us)

Read more...

dinner in 15: blackened salmon with garlic rice and crunchy green beans

i don't know about you guys, but lately after getting home from work i have no energy to cook a lavish meal like i used in to my arlington days. (yes, i've already starting call them that because i already miss them dearly.) wednesday's dinner was slated for blackened salmon with garlic rice and crunchy green beans. not only was it really easy, but a real hit with the fam. here's how i did it:

ingredients:
4 four oz. salmon filets
2 tbs. chef paul prudhomme's magic seasoning blends (blackended redfish magic)
12 oz. bag of fresh green beans
3 & 3/4 cups chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic, minced
splash of apple cider vinegar
1 & 1/2 cups of 5 minute rice (any brand, just not the kind that boils in a bag or that you microwave)
2-3 tbs. of green onions, chopped
s&p
evoo

directions:
preheat oven to 400 degrees. heat skillet over medium heat and add evoo. sprinkle both sides of salmon fillets with blackening seasoning. be sure to rub it in. place in skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side, until crispy. transfer to oven to finish cooking for about 5-7 minutes.

meanwhile combine evoo, rice and 1 minced garlic clove in medium pan. cook for about 3-5 minutes. cooking the rice before you add the liquid gives it a different flavor and aroma. add 3 cups of chicken stock to pan and bring to boil. then turn down to simmer. (these directions will differ based on the brand you buy. be sure to read the directions on the box.) once rice is cooked, stir in scallions and s&p.

in another skillet combine evoo, 1 garlic clove, s&p and green beans. cook for about 1-2 minutes and then add 3/4 cup of chicken stock. place lid on pan and let vegetables steam with chicken stock. let cook until green beans are tender, but still crispy - about 7 minutes. right at the end, add splash of vinegar. cooking with chicken stock will add tremendous flavor and give your meal that perfect homemade, warm-in-your belly taste.

and there you have it, dinner in 15. enjoy!

Read more...

capers are the new olives: chicken with lemon caper sauce, smashed potato cakes, and roasted asparagus

as i mentioned yesterday, the cotton top weekly dinner menu included chicken in a lemon caper sauce with potato cakes and asparagus. and yep, the fam ate good last night.

i actually got the chicken recipe from cooking light. i have recently fell in love with capers and like to think of them as the new olives. they are salty, tangy, vinegary, and just plain delicious. if you're skeptical about them like i was in the beginning- go small first, go big later.

i adapted paula deen's smashed potato cakes recipe towards a healthier version. lets face it - paula's version has a little too much budda for this gal. this is an easy recipe makeover from leftover mashed potatoes. we all know they never taste the same the next day, so why not try to turn into something new altogether? alright, here's how i did it:

ingredients:

4 cups of day-old mashed potatoes (if you don't have these, you could even use the ones they sell in the refrigerated section in grocery stores)

1 egg

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

3/4 to 1 cup bread crumbs

3 tablespoons of fresh parsley

s&p

3/4 cup flour

evoo

directions:

add a couple tablespoons of evoo into a medium high skillet. mix first 6 ingredients together in bowl. quickly form into little patties. dredge patties into flour and place in pan. cook about 4 minutes on each side until crust is crunchy. serve immediately.

as for the asparagus - they couldn't be simpler. heat oven to 400 degrees. coat veggies in evoo and s&p. roast for 5 to 7 minutes and you're done.

and that's it. stay tuned for more recipes later this week. and where were you guys last night? i invited you over, ya know.

Read more...