Key West Chicken and Veggie Skewers

This past weekend we had glorious spring weather and that put us in the mood to bust out the grill for the first time in 2012.  I love grilling, mostly because it means I don't have to do all the cooking myself since my husband is the Grill Master!  This marinade was so simple (as in I had everything I needed for it already) and delicious.  And I love that I got the main dish and a side dish all in one - that makes this mama very happy.  You know what else makes this mama happy?  The fact that any food on a skewer will automatically be consumed by my child.

Key West Chicken and Veggie Skewers
adapted from Grocery Budget 101

for the marinade:
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 limes, juice and zest
1 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons cilantro, minced

for the skewers:
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 zucchini, cut into thick slices
1 yellow squash, cut into thick slices
8 oz fresh whole mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
wooden or metal skewers (if using wooden, soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling)

In a small bowl, stir together all the marinade ingredients.  Pour marinade into a large ziplock bag.  Add chicken and cut vegetables.  Close bag and shake well to evenly distribute marinade.  Refrigerate for 1 hour, flipping bag over once.

Preheat grill.  Drain marinade and discard.  Threat chicken and veggies onto skewers.  Grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, flip and move the skewers to indirect heat for another 4 minutes, or until juices run clear.

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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Not too long ago, I read that brussels sprouts were the most hated vegetable, but I swear, if you follow this recipe, they may just become your favorite!  These were so delicious that I opted to have another helping of them instead of eating dessert.  That says a whole heck of a lot!  The recipe says that it feeds four as a side dish...but last night it only fed two since Andrew and I just kept nibbling on them. You should have seen the horrified look on Andrew's face when he realized that I had finished them all off.  You'll just have to trust me, but I have never seen him look so upset over a vegetable.  And I can't remember ever being so excited over a vegetable!

The rather mellow flavored brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and meld perfectly with the sweet brown sugar and the crunchy toasted nuts.  I didn't make any major changes to the recipe and it was a perfect, and healthy, side dish that I will add into my regular rotation.  Although, I do think adding a little bacon or pancetta might be nice too...

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
recipe from Eat, Live, Run

12-14 brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 pinches of kosher salt
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Slice each brussels sprouts into thin ribbons.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute garlic for about 30-45 seconds, or until it becomes fragrant.  Add the brussels sprouts and continue sauteing them for another 5 or so minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender.  Add salt and brown sugar and stir to combine.  Finish by sprinkling the nuts over top.  Give it all a good stir and it's ready to serve.

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Cheddar Rosemary Biscuits

For dinner the other night, I prepared Pulled Pork with Homemade Peach BBQ Sauce served atop Cheddar Rosemary Biscuits. The Pulled Pork was great (just a word of warning to the Texas BBQ fans - the sauce is a vinegar BBQ sauce rather than a ketchup/tomato-based one), but the biscuits really stole the show. They were buttery, slightly cheesy with just a bit of beautiful rosemary flavor. Delicious on their own, but they also paired wonderfully with the vinegary, tender pork!

After the three of us devoured all of the biscuits, I decided to whip up another batch this morning to freeze for part of our Thanksgiving menu. I love things that can be made ahead of time for big holiday meals! To freeze the biscuits: prepare the dough, cut into biscuits, place the biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze completely. Once frozen, place the biscuits in an airtight ziploc bag. Bake them frozen at 425 degrees for 22-30 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.

Cheddar Rosemary Biscuits

adapted from Daily Cravings, who adapted the original recipe from Ina Garten

2 cups self-rising flour, plus more

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

12 tablespoons very cold butter, diced

1/2 buttermilk, shaken

2 extra large eggs, divided

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon milk or water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt and rosemary in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and continue to mix until the butter is the size of peas.

In a small bowl, beat buttermilk and 1 egg together. With the mixer still on low, add buttermilk mixture. Mix until just moistened. In a small bowl, mix cheddar with a small handful of flour. With mixer still on low, add cheese and mix until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly a few times. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough out to a 10-inch x 5-inch rectangle. With a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place on a greased baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix remaining egg with 1 tablespoon milk or water. Brush egg wash over tops of biscuits. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

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Oven Baked Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce

While I love onion rings, I've never made them before. I try not to fry too many things for health reasons - and because I hate cleaning up the grease splatters all over my kitchen. When I stumbled upon this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I'm notorious for not completely, or carefully, reading through the recipe directions beforehand and I did it again. I had almost finished preparing the onion rings before I realized that the recipe was actually called Oven Fried Onion Rings and they were cooked in oil in the oven rather than stovetop. Hmmm...not quite as healthy as I wanted, so I fiddled with it and came up with something that actually is Oven Baked Onion Rings, no frying involved!

Every afternoon around 4 or 5, Finley has her "witching hour" complete with fussing, crying and needing lots of attention. Unfortunately this coincides perfectly with the time I am trying to get dinner going for the evening. I've learned that usually I can prepare Miss F a big snack/light supper and plop her in front of an episode of Special Agent Oso and that will keep her happy and occupied while I'm working in the kitchen. But this particular evening my go-to plan wasn't cutting it. While I was dredging the onions rings with eggs and cracker crumbs stuck to all my fingers, I had a very unhappy toddler clinging to my leg shrieking for me to read to her. Fin finally settled for holding the book herself and I read aloud while working on the onion rings. Multi-tasking at its best. In my head, I was cursing these stupid onion rings for taking so long to prepare and I swore that they had better be damn good since it was complete chaos in our house at the moment.

But when I sat down at dinner and took a bite, I knew they were worth it. All the crispy, crunchy goodness of an onion ring without any of the deep fried guilt! By this time, Finley's witching hour had passed and while she wasn't a big fan of eating the onion rings, she did enjoy using them for bracelets! A happy toddler + awesome onion rings = a happy, and very full, mama!

Oven Baked Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce

adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

for the onion rings

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 sleeve Saltine crackers

4 cups corn flakes

1-2 sweet onions

non-stick spray

for the sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon ketchup

1/2 - 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1/4 teaspoon paprika

a pinch or two of salt

a pinch or two of dried oregano

a pinch or two of pepper

For the onion rings, preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a shallow bowl (I used pie plates), sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour. Set aside.

In another shallow bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk together. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and pepper and mix well.

In a a food processor, pulse crackers and corn flakes together until they are fairly finely ground. Pour the crumbs into a third shallow bowl.

Peel and slice onions into 1/2-inch wide slices, separating the rings. Discard any rings that are not at least 2-inches in diameter.

Dredge each ring in the flour, then dip into the egg mixture completely coating the surface. Allow any excess to drip off and then place onion into the crumb mixture, gently pressing crumbs onto the onion. Place onion ring onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining onion rings.

Spray each onion rings lightly with non-stick spray and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned and onion is tender.

Serve with dipping sauce.

*Onion rings can be prepared and refrigerated for an hour. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking or else the cold onions will not get tender.

For the sauce, in a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Store sauce in refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

I saw this recipe on Pinterest last week and I've been thinking about it ever since. I finally gave into temptation this evening and made it to go with our dinner. It was soooo good - really rich and creamy! If you're thinking of branching out from mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, this could be a contender to forever take their place!

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes

adapted from Food.com

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 green onions, chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bag (about 2 lbs) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

2 cups corn flakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch-x-13-inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes) with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a large (very large!) bowl, mix together the butter, soup, sour cream, cheese, green onions, salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in the hash brown potatoes and mix well. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Top with crushed corn flakes. Bake for 45 -60 minutes.

*This recipe makes a huge amount. I divided the mixture into two smaller dishes and froze one before baking it.

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Honey-Dijon Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Rice

This meal was so good! It was very much a kid-friendly meal without seeming like one. I absolutely loved the chicken and the rice - in fact, I think this rice recipe may have surpassed Cilantro-Lime Rice to become my new favorite rice. I love that there's a green veggie in the rice and the subtle nuttiness the parmesan adds. I can't wait to make this meal again for the fam!

Honey-Dijon Chicken Tenders

adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

1.25 pounds chicken breasts, cut into thin strips lengthwise (about 3 strips per breast)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup Dijon mustard, divided

2 tablespoons honey, divided

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow bowl, mix together panko, whole wheat breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. In a second bowl, mix together melted butter, 1/4 cup mustard and 1 tablespoon honey.

Coat each chicken tender with mustard mixture and then coat with breadcrumbs. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining mustard, remaining honey and mayonnaise. Stir well to fully combine. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve honey mustard with chicken tenders.

Zucchini Rice

adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

1 cup long-grain white rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly shredded

salt and pepper, to taste

Cook rice according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for water. Five minutes before rice is finished cooking, add butter, sprinkle zucchini and cheese over rice. Before serving, stir well to combine ingredients.

Serve immediately with the chicken tenders.

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Sauteed Spinach and Zucchini

One of our favorite gourmet comfort food restaurants is Bartlett's and we always order their spinach as a side dish - that way we feel a little less guilty for indulging at the rest of the meal. This week I was going to make some spaghetti and meatballs and decided to make my version of Bartlett's sauteed spinach to accompany it and I was really happy with the results! It's a simple presentation that really lets the individual flavors shine.

Sauteed Spinach and Zucchini

a Baking and Eggs original

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 zucchini, sliced and quartered

1 clove garlic, grated

1 bunch fresh spinach, leaves only

1-2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook zucchini, stirring often, until softened. Add grated garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lower heat to medium-low and add spinach. Cook until spinach wilts, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt. Toss with parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

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Stuffed Tomatoes

OMG, these were soooo good! While the pork chops were mighty tasty, the tomatoes stole the show. The bacon, the cheese, the crushed crackers, the green onions and the tomatoes united to become one of the greatest side dishes of all time. We all loved it and everyone had seconds! I will definitely make these again. And soon!

Stuffed Tomatoes
adapted from Paula Dean

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled with bacon fat reserved
3 oz bleu cheese, crumbled
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
2 T butter, melted
4 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
salt & pepper, to taste

In a bowl, mix together the bacon, cheese, green onions, and cracker crumbs. Stir in the melted butter and 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat.

Salt and pepper the tomato halves. Top each tomato half with 1/8th of the cracker mixture. Broil about 7 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown.

serves 4

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Cajun Potluck - June

We have a rotating monthly potluck dinner with our friends and when it's your turn to host, you get to pick the theme. We've been doing this for about three years and it's amazing to think how much everyone's lives have changed during that time - weddings, pregnancies, babies, new homes, new jobs, etc. We decided that we're going to start taking pictures every month so that we can have them as a reminder of all the fun times we always have at potluck. That idea got me thinking that it would be fun to start doing a monthly post with pictures and recipes for all the dishes we bring each month. So this will be the first of many potluck posts, I hope!

This month Candace and Craig chose to do a Cajun theme. They made a magnificent Shrimp Creole for the main course, which I ate (and thoroughly enjoyed) over Hunter's dirty rice. I've never eaten a lot of Cajun/Creole food, so I had no idea what to bring. After giving it some thought, I decided grilled corn on the cob would work just fine. In order to make it fit with our theme, I decided to serve it with a compound butter full of Cajun flavors. Easy-peasy, a lot more fun than plain ole butter, and it really gave the corn a great flavor; however, the butter was far from attractive. Because I made the unfortunate decision to roll into a log shape, there were quite a few comments about it looking phallic or poop-like. I think next time, I'll just put it in a ramekin! Also, grilling the corn with the beer in the foil packets really added a great dimension to the flavor that I highly recommend!

Recipes will either have a link under the picture or the full recipe will be found at the bottom of the page. I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we did!

{Lora's cajun crab stuffed mushrooms}

These were so good, and boy, did they go fast! I'm not sure everyone even got to try one before the entire platter was devoured!

{Candace's shrimp creole}

{Hunter's dirty rice}

{Robyn's cajun corn pudding}

I've never had a corn pudding with bacon before, and it added such a great smoky flavor that everyone loved. I know at least one person went back for seconds but I'm not saying who!

{my creole compound butter}

See what I mean about it looking dirty?!? Even extra herbs and tabasco sauce couldn't help it at all - may have even made it look worse!

{my corn on the cob}

{Candace's tres leches cake - not cajun but it was Jennie's birthday and it's her favorite}

I'm not a fan of tres leches cake because I find that so many of them are verging on completely mushy and way too sweet! But I loved this one though - it was moist without being soggy!

{bourbon cake}

This was sooo good! The bourbon added a really nice flavor without being overpowering. Plus I thought it was really cute spin on the cajun theme - a bourbon cake for Bourbon Street!

{banana pudding}

{my dessert plate - why choose just 1 when you can have all 3?!}

Shrimp Creole

adapted by Candace from Southern Living

2 (14 1/2-oz) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c chopped celery (about 2 ribs)

1 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2-3 t hot sauce - depending on how spicy you like it

1-2 t Creole seasoning

1 lb peeled large fresh shrimp

white rice, for serving (I prefer to use long grain rice, but you can easily use Minute Rice to speed things up)

Prepare rice according to package directions; keep warm.

Pulse stewed tomatoes in a food processor 3 or 4 times or until chopped.

Saute green pepper, onion and celery in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet for 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes, diced tomatoes, hot sauce and Creole seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in shrimp, cover, and simmer 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Dirty Rice

recipe from cooks.com

1 lb. sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

3 stalks celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c parsley, chopped

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

4 c cooked white rice

2-3 green onions, chopped

Cook sausage and beef in large skillet until almost browned. Drain all but 1-2 tablespoons drippings. Add celery, pepper, onion, garlic and spices. Cook until meat is browned and veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Combine veggie mixture with rice and mix well. Stir in parsley and garnish with green onions.

Grilled Corn with Creole Compound Butter

12 ears of corn, husked

1 bottle dark beer (I used Shiner Bock)

1 stick butter, softened

1 garlic clove, grated

1 lime, zested

2 t chili powder

1/2 t celery salt

1/2 t onion powder

5 - 10 dashes Tabasco sauce, depending on how spicy you want it

2 t fresh chives, snipped

To make the butter, in a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, lime zest, chili powder, celery salt, onion powder, Tabasco and chives. Place softened butter mixture into small ramekin and smooth top. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Wrap each ear of corn in foil and add 2 T beer to each foil packet. Wrap it up carefully so the beer doesn't leak out. Grill for 10-15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before eating. Serve with compound butter.

Candace's Tres Leches Cake

a Candace original!

for the cake

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix

1 1/4 c water

1 T vegetable oil

2 t vanilla

4 eggs

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 c whole milk or evaporated milk

1 c whipping cream

for the frosting

3/4 c whipping cream

1/3 c sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for dark or nonstick pans). Grease and flour or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 29 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Poke top of hot cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. (Don't hold back on the holes - the more, the better :-)

In a large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and whipping cream. Carefully pour evenly over top of cake. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until mixture is absorbed into cake. Frost with frosting and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the frosting, place the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using whisk attachment, whisk together on medium/high speed until stiff peaks are formed.

Banana Pudding

recipe from the Jell-O box

2 pkg (3.4-oz) Banana Cream flavor instant pudding

2 1/2 c cold milk

1 box mini Nilla Wafers

3 bananas, sliced

1 tub (8-oz) Cool Whip Lite, thawed

Beat pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Arrange layer of wafers on bottom and up sides of a 2-quart bowl; top with layers of half each banana, wafers and pudding. Repeat layers; cover with Cool Whip. Refrigerate 3 hours.

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Red Potato and Tomato Salad

Every year my husband and I plant a garden in the spring. And every year the garden is dead by the summer. But this year has been very different! Since we have a kiddo, we spend a lot more time at home and our garden is doing much better because of all the attention it gets now. You know, like watering and stuff :-)

By far our biggest producers are the tomato plants. About every other day I haul in a colander full of tomatoes so I'm always on the look-out for recipes featuring, you guessed it, tomatoes! I saw this recipe last week on Food Network and gave it a try. And it did not disappoint! I'm a big fan of traditional mayo-based potato salad, but this salad was so flavorful that I did not miss the mayo one bit. What I really loved about this recipe was that the potatoes weren't really the stars of the show. They had a supporting role so that the tomatoes and olives really shined. Since it doesn't have mayonnaise, it would be great to take to a picnic or BBQ too. It was just a fun, new spin on potato salad!

Red Potato and Tomato Salad

recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

makes 4 servings

1 lb baby red potatoes, halved

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup pitted black olives, halved

1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 T capers, rinsed and drained

1 T fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

1 large lemon, zested

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Add potatoes to a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Set the saucepan over medium heat. Bring water to a boil and continue boiling until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to dry for 5 minutes.

In a serving bowl, add potatoes and remaining ingredients. Toss gently until all ingredients are coated and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and gently toss again before serving.

Thanks for visiting! Please leave questions or comments - I always love to hear from you!

Erin

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Spinach and Boursin Mac & Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese, and I've almost convinced myself that this recipe is healthy as it contains spinach and uses whole wheat pasta! Even better, Finley ate it all - including spinach. Praise the Lord! Finley has developed a nasty habit of separating anything green from the rest of her food and then refusing to eat the greens. So getting her to eat spinach is a major feat!

Spinach and Boursin Mac & Cheese

8 oz whole wheat rotini (or other short pasta)

1 T butter

1/2 white onion, diced

2 heaping T flour

1 1/2 c whole milk

1 (5.2-oz) pkg Shallot & Chive Boursin cheese

1/4 c grated parmesan

1 (10-oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry of excess moisture

salt and pepper, to taste

1/8 t ground nutmeg

3 T walnuts, finely chopped

3 T panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 T grated parmesan

2 t olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Preheat broiler.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in butter until onion is soft. Add flour and stir to coat onion. Let cook one minute. Add milk and whisk constantly to prevent lumps. Let sauce simmer 1-2 minutes, or until thickened.

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in Boursin a little at a time until melted. Take pan off of heat and stir in parmesan, spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Carefully stir in cooked pasta. Pour into a greased casserole pan.

In a small bowl, stir together walnuts, panko breadcrumbs and parmesan. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and mix well. Sprinkle topping evenly over casserole. Broil about 5 minutes to toast topping. Watch carefully since each broiler is a little different and the topping can go from toasted to burned quickly.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish or 4 as a main dish

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Celery and Parmesan Salad

Whenever I make Italian food, I will serve a Caesar salad or a salad with a red wine vinaigrette. But I needed some thing new tonight because I was growing bored with the old stand-bys. I remembered a recipe from Ina Garten's newest cookbook How Easy Is That? that I thought could be exactly what I was craving.

I really enjoyed the crispness of the celery with the tart lemon dressing and the large slices of shaved parmesan made it all absolutely divine. It seems like a very gourmet salad but all the ingredients were easy to find, "normal" ingredients. Between the two of us, Andrew and I polished off the entire salad! I think this salad would make an elegant starter when serving any kind of heavy meal because, even though it's packed with flavor, it's a really light salad. I will definitely be making this one again!

Celery and Parmesan Salad

recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?

1/2 c good olive oil

2 t grated lemon zest

1/4 c plus 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

2 T minced shallots

1 t celery seed

1/2 t celery salt

1/2 t anchovy paste

Kosher salt and pepper

5 c thinly sliced celery hearts, tender leaves included, sliced as thinly as possible and on an

angle (about 12 stalks)*

4 oz chunk aged Parmesan cheese

2/3 c toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Whole flat-leaf parsley (I accidentally omitted this)

At least one hour before you plan to serve the salad, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, 1/4 c lemon juice, shallots, celery seed, celery salt, anchovy paste, 2 t salt and 1 t pepper. Place the celery in a mixing bowl and toss it with the remaining 1 T lemon juice and 1/2 t salt. (Even though these ingredients are in the dressing, believe me - this step makes a difference.) Add enough dressing to moisten well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to develop.

When ready to serve, arrange the celery on a platter, shave the parmesan onto the celery with a vegetable peeler, then sprinkle with walnuts, parsley leaves, salt and pepper and serve immediately.

*it really helps to use a mandolin to slice the celery - it provides evenly sliced celery in a fraction of the time.

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North African Meatballs with Dried Date Cous Cous

I was browsing Food Network's site and decided to look at some Melissa D'Arabian's recipes. She is the host of the TV show $10 Dinners, and after our Valentine's splurge, we needed some cheaper recipes! While I'm not sure how authentic this recipe (I know virtually nothing about African cuisine despite the fact that my parents lived in Nigeria for several years), but it sure was tasty! I loved, loved, loved the ginger in the meatballs and the sauce married beautifully with the slightly sweet cous cous. Even my 19 month old liked it!

I adapted the recipe only slightly but I loved it as I made it so I wanted to write it down so I didn't forget my changes.

North African Meatballs

adapted slightly from Melissa D'Arabian

for the meatballs:

1 egg

2 T tomato paste

4 T cilantro leaves, minced

1 T fresh ginger, finely grated

1 t cumin

pinch of cinnamon

1 lb ground beef

1/3 c breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs b/c that's all I had on hand)

3-4 T vegetable oil, for cooking

for the sauce:

1 T olive oil

1/2 small white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lemon, zested

1/2 to 3/4 c good quality green olives, chopped

1/2 c white wine

1/2 c chicken broth

1 14-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of cinnamon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the cous cous:

2 c chicken broth

1 T butter (or vegan butter)

1/3 c dried dates, finely chopped

1/3 white onion, diced

1 c quick cooking cous cous

salt and pepper

For the meatballs: Combine the egg and tomato paste in a large bowl and mix until well blended. Add cilantro, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and bread crumbs. Stir in the beef and combine gently. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Roll meat mixture into 1-inch balls.

Heat vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches until golden brown on all sides. (If they aren't completely cooked at this stage that's okay since they'll be simmering in the sauce.) Transfer meatballs to plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

For the sauce: In the same pan that you made the meatballs, add olive oil and saute onion, making sure to scrape up the browned bits on the pan from the meatballs. Cook for about 3 minutes and add the garlic. Cook an additional minute before adding the lemon zest and olives. Stir to combine and cook 1 minute. Add the wine and chicken stock and let the sauce reduce for about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cayenne and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down heat to medium-low. Add meatballs back into the pan, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the cous cous: After adding the meatballs into the sauce, bring chicken stock, butter, dates and onions to a boil in a small sauce pan. Once it comes to a boil, stir in cous cous, remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve with the meatballs and sauce.

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Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream

This was one of our side dishes for our Valentine's Day celebratory dinner at home. I thought they were a chi-chi version of baked potatoes but they weren't difficult at all to make. I made the herbed sour cream ahead of time so that the flavors had more time to marry. As advised in some of the reviews I read, I added shallots to the olive oil-garlic mixture with which I basted the potatoes. This recipe is perfect for company since it's easy to make but has a great gourmet flair!

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Rich Celery Root Puree

I've wanted to try celery root for awhile now and when I found this recipe in my new favorite cookbook...you guessed it!.. the Barefoot Contessa's How Easy is That?, I knew I had to try it. The original recipe makes scads, so I halved the recipe to feed four people and it still made enough for at least 6 people. So keep that in mind when making the recipe.

I really liked the subtle flavor and the slightly crunchy texture of the puree. To me it was a lot more exciting than mashed potatoes. As the recipe title implies, this recipe is very rich and a little goes a long ways.

Rich Celery Root Puree

Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?

serves 6 to 8 (but I think it would serve quite a few more than that!)

5 lbs celery root

2 T unsalted butter

1 1/2 c chicken stock

1 1/2 c heavy cream

4 t kosher salt

1 t freshly ground black pepper

Peel celery roots with a large knife and cut each one in half. With cut side down, cut into 1/2-inch dice, removing any brown spots.

Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add celery root and saute 3 minutes, stirring to coat with butter. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add chicken stock, cream, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the celery root is very tender.

In batches, transfer the mixture to a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and reheat gently over low heat. Check the seasonings and serve hot.

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Creamed Spinach

Oh. My. Goodness. We practically licked the bowl clean. Even Finley, who usually turns her nose up at most anything green, ate all of her spinach first. To me, that makes this recipe a winner! Also, I worked to lighten up the traditional creamed spinach so that it doesn't actually contain any cream!

Creamed Spinach

1 T olive oil

1/2 small white onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 oz. spinach, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, defrost in microwave & drain thoroughly)

3 oz cream cheese (can use low fat)

3 T grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper, to taste

In a pan over medium heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until onion becomes soft and translucent, about 2-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Add spinach. Cook spinach, stirring often, until wilted (if using fresh) or until heated through (if using frozen). Stir in cream cheese and continue stirring until it is melted and well combined with the spinach. Add parmesan and stir. Let cook an additional1-2 minutes, so that cheese fully melts. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot!

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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

OMG, these were divine! I don't think I will ever make another mashed potato recipe! I didn't change a thing and they came out perfectly!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

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Creamy Cucumber Salad

This recipe was simple and could be made ahead of time. It was pretty tasty but I think next time I'll cut down on the dressing a bit or add another cucumber so it won't be quite as saucy. I also added a tablespoon of white wine vinegar just for a little added tang.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1743,156181-251204,00.html

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Sweet Potato, Bacon and Apple Hash

Yummy! My husband, who does not like sweet and savory dishes, loved this and asked to take the leftovers for lunch today. The apples weren't very sweet - they just added a nice tartness to the bacon and sweet potatoes. And I thought the crunch from the pumpkin seeds really made the dish. I think the most important part of this dish is to try to dice all the ingredients to about the same size.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/sweet-potato-bacon-and-apple-hash-recipe/index.html

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Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

I was glancing through a cookbook (which will remain nameless) and I saw a recipe for Caesar salad that consisted not only of store bought croutons but also store bought salad dressing. Really?! You need a recipe for that?! It provided me with some motivation to make a Caesar salad from scratch and it was a success!

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

For the croutons
stale bread, cut into chunks
2-3 T olive oil
1 T parsley, minced

For the salad
4 anchovy fillets, slightly mashed
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c olive oil
salt and pepper
2 Romaine hearts, torn into small pieces
Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated



1.) To make the croutons, toss the bread chunks with the olive oil and parsley. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and crisped, tossing once during cooking. Let cool.

2.) To make the dressing, combine the anchovies, garlic, egg, lemon juice, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3.) To make the salad, toss the romaine and croutons with the dressing. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve!

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