Yesterday I cooked, but didn't take any pics. I cooked shrimp, bell pepper, onion and mash potatoes. Weird, right? I marinated 1 pound of shrimp in 1/2 cup of asian garlic chili sauce with the juice of one lime and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. I have this cast iron griddle that has a grill side to it, so I figured it would work great on bell pepper and onions. I didn't want to light up the grill outdoors, so this grill pan was the next best thing. I chopped one bell pepper into about 8-9 pieces and 1/2 of a large onion in nice size chunks and put them on the well oiled hot grill. I sprinkled some adobo seasoning on them for taste. While they were cooking away I added the shrimp to the grill and let them cook on both sides until they were done (don't over cook). The mash red potatoes were a last minute thought, since I didn't want rice. All in all it was a very tasty dish.
Tonight I decided to make burritos like Moe's and Salsa Fresh (and places like them). I used ground turkey, instead of beef, and Zataran's Yellow Rice instead of white rice. I seasoned the ground turkey with chili powder, cumin, coriander, and chipotle pepper. Once the meat was done I added approximately 1/2 cup of Salsa (I used Sam's Choice White Corn & Black Bean Salsa) and one can of black beans, season to taste. The rice should be cooked per package instructions and add 3 dashes of cayenne pepper. I added fresh cilantro to the jar of Salsa, since I could not taste any in it. Now that everything is done, it is time to build your burritos!! Use the big flour tortillas, warm them up to soften them. Load it up with the meat mixture, rice, cheese, salsa and sour cream. Wrap it carefully and enjoy. Be sure to have a fork on hand. Guacamole and lettuce are also great add ons, but I didn't have them on hand. And I didn't take any pictures, because I have not yet mastered burrito wrapping.....one of these days I will.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Homemade Chicken Enchiladas
Today I made chicken enchiladas from scratch. Normally I use the sauce from cans and the season package, but I found this great recipe on CookIllustrated.com. It is easy to make the second time around and it is well worth the effort to make it this way. It even tastes better than the frozen selections out there. I could make my own tortillas, but I am not a glutton for punishment, so I use flour tortillas from the grocery store. I had some cherry tomatoes from my deck garden on hand, so I chopped some cilantro and diced the cherry tomatoes for a quick side salsa. The salsa was a great addition to the enchiladas.
If you want to try this dish let me know and I will send the recipe to you.
If you want to try this dish let me know and I will send the recipe to you.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Blackened Chicken with Cajun Alfredo Sauce
I haven't been feeling 100% since I got back from my school reunion, so I haven't cooked very much. My sisters rented an RV for school reunion, so I was able to grill personal sized pizza's at the picnic. They were very good and I must try it at home soon. I had a great time seeing old classmates.
Last night I made a pizza with turkey pepperoni and onions. Normally I don't let the dough rest before I put it in the pan, but this time I let it rest for about 15 minutes and it was a much softer crust.
Tonight I made Blackened Chicken with Cajun Alfredo Sauce. I found the recipe while cruising other blogs about cooking. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I used chicken breasts with skin and bones. My sauce turned out darker than the pictures from the pics on the site with the recipe. I attribute the darker sauce to the bits left in the bottom of my skillet, but I actually liked that the sauce was darker. The chicken was tender and the sauce was flavorful. This is definitely a keeper for my recipe archives.
Last night I made a pizza with turkey pepperoni and onions. Normally I don't let the dough rest before I put it in the pan, but this time I let it rest for about 15 minutes and it was a much softer crust.
Tonight I made Blackened Chicken with Cajun Alfredo Sauce. I found the recipe while cruising other blogs about cooking. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I used chicken breasts with skin and bones. My sauce turned out darker than the pictures from the pics on the site with the recipe. I attribute the darker sauce to the bits left in the bottom of my skillet, but I actually liked that the sauce was darker. The chicken was tender and the sauce was flavorful. This is definitely a keeper for my recipe archives.
Jamaican Beef Patties
I made these last Thursday before I went to my highschool reunion. I was trying to be the good wife by leaving my husband with a variety of food to eat over the weekend. I even made a pot of spaghetti sauce and some Oatmeal cookies. I wanted to make two kinds of cookies, but I figured that I would be getting in over my head that night if I made two kinds of cookies.
Not long ago I purchase a plastic dough press set and I needed to give it a try. I had a taste for Jamaican Beef Patties, but I am not sure of where to buy them here in Raleigh, NC. Besides I wanted to see if I could make them.
Not long ago I purchase a plastic dough press set and I needed to give it a try. I had a taste for Jamaican Beef Patties, but I am not sure of where to buy them here in Raleigh, NC. Besides I wanted to see if I could make them.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Black Beans and Shrimp
I had to find something to do with the ingredients I had on hand for dinner tonight. I knew I had shrimp, black beans, brown rice, half of a green pepper and some onions. So I googled shrimp and black beans to see what I could find. I found two recipes that had some hope, but as I read each recipe I noted that I was missing some ingredients. What do to do? Improvise! One recipe was Cuban Black Beans and Rice and the other was Shrimp in Black-bean sauce, so I took some ideas from both recipes and hoped they worked well together.
1lb shrimp, shelled and deviened
1 lime
2 TBSP brown sugar
3 TBSP Soy sauce
3 tsp cilantro
1/2 green bell pepper ( or more to suit your taste)
1/2 yellow onion minced fine
1 TBSP minced garlic
red pepper flakes
oil
1-2 cans of black beans
1 bag of boil in bag brown rice
Squeeze lime juice into a bowl. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, cilantro and shrimp. Combine and let sit in fridge for at least 15 min, Season with a little sea salt when time to cook.
Cook brown rice per instructions, but add some lime juice and coriander seed to the water.
Cook black beans and season lightly with your favorite seasoning. I used Goya Adobo with pepper.
Saute garlic, bell pepper, onion in a bit of oil, until they have softened. Add shrimp and marinade. Cook shrimp until done and then remove from pan. Allow marinade and veggies to cook until sauce reduces and thickens.
I put the sauce on the shrimp and a little over the brown rice. There was a bit of spicy sweet flavor to the dish, but it was very good. I think the sauce on the brown rice made it taste better. But then again I have to get use to eating brown rice.
1lb shrimp, shelled and deviened
1 lime
2 TBSP brown sugar
3 TBSP Soy sauce
3 tsp cilantro
1/2 green bell pepper ( or more to suit your taste)
1/2 yellow onion minced fine
1 TBSP minced garlic
red pepper flakes
oil
1-2 cans of black beans
1 bag of boil in bag brown rice
Squeeze lime juice into a bowl. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, cilantro and shrimp. Combine and let sit in fridge for at least 15 min, Season with a little sea salt when time to cook.
Cook brown rice per instructions, but add some lime juice and coriander seed to the water.
Cook black beans and season lightly with your favorite seasoning. I used Goya Adobo with pepper.
Saute garlic, bell pepper, onion in a bit of oil, until they have softened. Add shrimp and marinade. Cook shrimp until done and then remove from pan. Allow marinade and veggies to cook until sauce reduces and thickens.
I put the sauce on the shrimp and a little over the brown rice. There was a bit of spicy sweet flavor to the dish, but it was very good. I think the sauce on the brown rice made it taste better. But then again I have to get use to eating brown rice.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Grillin' Time
I can't believe that I haven't grilled anything this whole summer. I couldn't let this whole season go by without throwing something on the grill. I marinated three chicken breast in vinegar and seasoning for a couple of hours. Anyone who loves grilled veggies knows there is nothing better than grilled onions (purple is my fav to grill), mushrooms and zucchini. Well, as you can imagine it was so very delicious. The chicken was juicy and flavorful! The grilled veggies were just divine!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Potato Pizza
Yes, I have been on a pizza kick. Not long ago I saw a potato pizza on Food Network, I think it was the show where the chefs talked about their fav pizzas. I was amazed, because I had never heard of this combo on a pizza. I bought a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, because they were used on the pizza I saw. I used approximately 4 small to medium sized potatoes thinly slice (use a food processor or mandolin). Cook the potatoes in the microwave or in water until they are just tender (don't over cook) and drain away any liquid. Of course I used the dough recipe I have come to love, but this time I had some garlic to the dough...ummm maybe a 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic and baked it for 5 minutes or so. I slathered some olive oil on the crust, then a layer of cheddar cheese, potatoes, thinly sliced yellow onion, sprinkle 2 tsp of freshly chopped rosemary and approx 10 basil leaves and the last layer of mozzarella cheese. Now I always have to add more, so I added some cooked shrimp and shook some red pepper flakes on the pizza before adding the mozzarella cheese. I baked the pizza at 350 until the crust was browned to my liking.
Who knew that potatoes on a pizza would be so good. We thought it reminded us of scalloped potatoes a bit. I will have to try this again, maybe I will use a mix of potatoes next time.
Who knew that potatoes on a pizza would be so good. We thought it reminded us of scalloped potatoes a bit. I will have to try this again, maybe I will use a mix of potatoes next time.
Cheeseburger Pizza
Yesterday I wanted a cheeseburger and a pizza, but I could not choose which one I wanted the most. A thought clicked and I thought I would try my hand at a Cheeseburger Pizza. I used the same dough recipe that I used on my margherita pizza, except I didn't add herbs to the dough. I baked the crust for about 5-8 minutes, then I spread some BBQ sauce (I used Bone Suckin' BBQ sauce) on the crust, next a layer of chedder cheese, a layer of crumbled cooked ground beef (I seasoned it while it cooked with Montreal Steak seasoning), 3 sliced roma tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, green onions, spinach (my version of lettuce on a cheeseburger) and finally a layer of mozzarella cheese. I baked at 350 until the crust started to brown. This was a wonderful explosion of taste in my mouth. I wasn't sure how it turn out, but I shouldn't have doubted myself.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Beef Smoked Sausage w/Peppers & Onions
Sometimes I just want something simple for dinner. I love sausage and peppers on a bun like you get at the fair, but the fair is not in town. What's a girl to do, but get in the kitchen and make her own. Thinly slice a small bell pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper lenghtwise and a small red onion and saute for a few minutes, then add your sausage. You can add some seasoning if you wish, but I think this will be just fine without. Now you are ready to dress it up how you like it. I added some mustard from Bone Sucking BBQ to my sausage bun (mmm good). I served red beans and rice as a side dish.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Recipe organizer
Today I was on the hunt for a program to help organize my recipe collection on my computer. I wanted to make it easier for me to create a shopping list for all the ingredients needed for my weekly menu. Doing it by hand is cumberson and for some reason I seemed to always leave something out. Oh, did I say I was looking for a free program. Well, since money is tight, I needed a free program. I started googling chef software, but came up with games and a few links to some sites that had nothing to offer. I tried all the variations free recipe program, free cooking program, etc. I found quite a few out there ranging in prices as high as $299 and as low as $9.95, but still nothing free. So I started clicking on the suggested links at the bottom of the search pages and finally I found a link that looked promising. I was probably asking for a lot, a free recipe program that I can enter recipes into and then create a shopping list of ingredients, but it was what I wanted and needed. The Recipe Center is a free program and it seems to have all the functions I wanted. It already has recipes loaded and it is fairly easy to type in additional recipes. There are other features like the shopping list that I have yet to try, but I think that for what I wanted to pay (zero) this is a wonderful find.
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