Giving Thanks

Mmmm...carb overload, here I come!

Beanie-Weenie 2012

Oh.Yeah!

Soup's On!

Claro's cheesebreadstick enhanced!

Potato Bacon Accordions

Saw this in Food Network magazine. Easy & more than just a baked potato. They had me @ bacon!

Shoo Fly

Made this yesterday, as I was having a moment of homesickness. This with Ziegler's apple juice was the cure.

Low-Carb Skillet Chicken Divan

I had that leftover jerk chicken.  It's basically just leftover grilled breast meat at this point, and it's tough to come up with something to do with leftovers that's new and different.  This recipe accomplishes that AND stays low carb to help me on my diabetic diet quest. On WW, this is just 8.8 points per cup. 

You can make this low-carb version of chicken divan on the stovetop and run it under the broiler. Or forget the broiler and just serve and eat. Classic comfort food, and a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey (or buy a roasted chicken at the deli). 

Ingredients:

•        2.5 cups (or so) of chopped cooked chicken

•        3 cups cooked chopped broccoli

•        8 oz mushrooms, sliced

•        1/4 cup chopped onion

•        1/2 cup dry white wine

•        3/4 cup chicken broth and salt to taste

•        1/4 cup half & half

•        1/2 cup milk (low fat)

•        2 T whole wheat flour

•        1 teaspoon dried thyme

•        1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

•        1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preparation:1) Saute onion and mushrooms in oil for 4-5 minutes.

2) Add wine and boil most of it away.

3) Add thickener. If you are using flour, cook for a minute or so before adding the rest of the ingredients.

4) Add liquids and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese - you can mix that in or sprinkle it over the top and put the whole thing under the broiler to brown.



Nutritional Analysis: 6 grams effective carb plus 6 grams fiber, 31 grams protein, and 400 calories.

Jamaican Me Crazy!

What a week of track and field!!  I can't believe all these people from Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas... all in final heats.  Amazing island athletes. So tonight I went on a Carribean tour:

For jerk marinade:

            3 scallions, chopped

            4 large garlic cloves, chopped

            1 small onion, chopped

            4 to 5 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed and seeded (I REMOVED THIS AND USED A DASH OF TAPATIO INSTEAD)

            1/4 cup fresh lime juice

            2 tablespoons soy sauce

            3 tablespoons olive oil

            1 1/2 tablespoons salt

            1 tablespoon packed brown sugar (I subbed in Splenda)

            1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

            2 teaspoons ground allspice

            2 teaspoons black pepper

            3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

            1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For chicken:

            4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones (3 pounds), halved crosswise

            2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks

            (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead)

Rice and 'Peas' is really rice & red beans in Jamaica... 

      

 3 cups of rice

 1 can of tinned or 1 cup of fresh red peas (kidney beans)

 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

 1 uncut scotch bonnet pepper (1 jalapeno pepper may be used as a substitute) I left this out) 

 3 Scallion (spring onions may be used as a substitute)

 1 tin (or one cup) of coconut milk (didn't use this, I don't like it)

 1 teaspoon of salt

 1 teaspoon of black pepper

 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 teaspoons of dried thyme may be used as a substitute)

And voila, a celebration of the Caribbean for Usain and all the runners in the track & field division from the area!!

Ina Garten's Grilled Cheese

Admittedly, I cut corners and used Fresh & Easy's tomato basil. But the sandwiches I made in my panini press.

2 slices thick-cut bacon


1/4 cup good mayonnaise


1  T Dijon mustard


1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


2 slices sourdough bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick (12 slices) 


1 oz aged Gruyere cheese


1 oz extra-sharp Cheddar

Mix the mayo, dijon, parmesan, salt, pepper in a bowl.  Spread over the two slices of bread.  Layer the bacon and two cheeses inside the sandwich. Spray panini press or pan with non-stick butter-flavored spray (or you can use real butter if you want).  Grill until bread is browned.

Jefferson Mac n Cheese Recipe

I don't know why I didn't post this recipe last time!

Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni
3-4 cups of grated sharp Cheddar cheese, or whatever
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp butter


Cook macaroni el dente.
Make rue out of butter, flour, spices.  Add cold milk slowly, then melt  cheese slowly in it over 
medium heat. Add 1 tsp Dijon mustard.  Place macaroni in casserole, pour over cheese mixture,
stir around. Top with bread crumbs mixed with 1T melted butter.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Grilled Salmon with chili succotash

Oh, this was SO good!

Salmon Marinade:
1 1/2 # salmon filet(s)
lemon pepper (to taste)
garlic (to taste)
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c water
1/4 c vegetable oil

Marinade for 2 hrs or more.  Grill flesh side down for 7 minutes over medium coals, then flip to skin side down for 7 minutes. Serve.

Chili Succotash
1 c. peas
1 c. corn
1 T garlic
1 tsp lime juice
1 T chopped cilantro
1 tsp chili powder
salt
dash of EVOO

Heat and serve.

Cantina Trebs

Not the greatest photo job, but:

1 c. chopped romaine,

1/2 c. brown rice infused with lime, cilantro

1/2 c black beans

1/2 c corn

1/4 c. pico de gallo

4 oz chicken, chopped

2 T creamy cilantro dressing

OMG... this was the BOMB!

Our baseball team chipped in and everybody brought 2# of shrimp, 1 # of kielbasa, 4-5 ears of corn, and some red potatoes. Then one of the team Dad's used his Louisiana Cajun Shrimp Boil seasoning to boil us up a feast for lunch in-between games.  It was so delicious, I can't tell you anything but that my mouth was on fire, but I couldn't stop myself from bringing on more pain!!!  It truly was fantastic!

This Ain't Yer Grandma's Macaroni Salad!

This is so tasty, and different from the clumpy one you get at barbecues.

I'm doing this one from memory, but basically:

8 oz cooked large shells

1/2 c mayonaisse

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced radishes

1/4 c. green onions (diced)

1/2. c. black olives (sliced) with a little bit of olive brine from the can

1 TBSP italian seasoning

Mix together, then let sit in the fridge overnight! 

Blue Bayou at Disneyland

I hadn't eaten in the Blue Bayou at Disneyland inside Pirates of the Carribean in years, so we decided the other day while there with friends to try it again.  I had very tasty chicken breast with green beans and thinly scalloped potatoes (Tesoro Island Chicken was the name).  Then for dessert, we all shared a pretty creme brulee, though it didn't have quite the crispy enough top for any of us!  Tasty, just not crispy brulee!

Quote, "shiver me booty, this is good!"

PS: Belgian White Ale rules

Seriously, I had five bottles of Shock Top Belgian White this weekend, and DAMN is that stuff good.  I seriously have a thing for Belgian Whites.  Yummo!

Dijon Porkchops with Carmelized Onions & Succotash

Just 9 WW points per plate!

And easy, too.

4 pork chops

2 T italian dressing

3 T dijon (I used coarse)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 chopped or sliced onion

Brown the chops and remove from the pan.

Sautee the onions until carmelized, and remove.

Return chops to pan and spread the mixture of the remaining ingredients. Cook about 10-15 minutes over medium heat until cooked through. Layer onions over the chops to serve.

Serve with brown rice and succotash. 

Ina Garten's Prosciutto/Arugula Pizza

My mother once told me she liked Ina Garten because you "couldn't trust a skinny cook", and thus, I was won over to her show. I love that she makes meals for her gay friends and they do all the decorating. It cracks me up the way they fictionalize her life into her cooking show, as if she isn't really living like that.  I think it's more real than you'd believe. Anyways...

I've also been recently introduced to arugula. I'm not one who usually strays from the standard leafy greens, but when this was on sale at Fresh & Easy, I thought I'd give it a try. WW (Weight Watchers) had a recipe for milanese chicken with arugula salad, so I bought it to attempt. Then I found this pizza recipe and I combined it with my Trattoria Grappolo dough recipe and YUM! 

So here it is! Check out the process photos below. Recipe can be found HERE.

Bacon-Cheddar Frittatta

Living with persons (Dan) who don't like vegetables, it's important that you work around it or you will be stuck eating everything by yourself. Thus, the 1/2 n' 1/2 bacon-cheddar frittatta.  My side has green peppers; boys side, nope. 

• Ingredients
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Pour into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with onions, bacon and cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean

Roasted Pork Loin with Mashed Red Skin Potatoes & Vegetable Medley

This afternoon, I had an early day, so post state-testing I stopped at the grocery store & did a little shopping; I also re-joined Weight Watchers today, so the shopping was necessary to prepare for the change in dietary habits required of my new quest to lose weight, drop my blood sugar & blood pressure, move to whole grains and less gluten, and finally, to make food that still tastes good! 


I located this recipe for Roasted Pork Loin, and it was stellar!  It gave me the opportunity to utilize the overgrown rosemary bush shrub (still can't say 'bush' with a straight face!) and try the wine I bought recently- a moscato called DOON BUGGY from the central coast. 

www.doonbuggywine.com

It smelled so good whilst cooking that I napped dreamily through the grey afternoon sprinkles like it were a chilly November; the smells of roast meat and herbs wafted by my nose and lulled me further into REM.  Thank goodness for the timer buzzer!


The true test? The little man.  He ate 3 oz of it for dinner and said, "is this garlic? I taste some garlic. I might have some more of this pork."  I'm continuing to be amazed by his discerning palate...so different from his father's lack of appetit. 


Here's the photo of tonight's fare.  I highly recommend this; the wine sauce reduction was outstanding!  I found myself dipping pieces off the sliced roast directly into the roasting pan at the end! 

Note: beans, peas, corn succotash sauteed by my child! 

Monticello Meals

"Mom, I love that the macaroni is kind of sweet."

"Yep, that's the nutmeg, kiddo."

"That's why I love it!"

Thomas Jefferson didn't invent macaroni and cheese, but he was the first person in the US to bring it to the table and surprise his guests with a dish he'd picked up in Europe. He solicited research on "semola" flour, which he learned was used in Italy to make the noodles. Then, using a presumably Italian immigrant in New Jersey, he had the pasta made and began to import/export it. 

Monticello.org reports that from an 1888 letter, the guests stated they'd had: "[Among other dishes] a pie called macaroni, which appeared to be a rich crust filled with the strillions of onions, or shallots, which I took it to be, tasted very strong, and not agreeable. Mr. Lewis told me there were none in it; it was an Italian dish, and what appeared like onions was made of flour and butter, with a particularly strong liquor mixed with them."

I'm not sure what the 'strong liquor' was, but seeing this inspired me to make Jeffersonian Mac n' Cheese as pictured above.  

Tonight, we made brined, thin pork chops on the grill with the pasta as our side.  The 'brinerade' is a short brine-based marinade for thinner chops, which don't absorb as much fluid.  I quick grilled them (6 minutes total) over high heat. 

Brinerade

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

Now, here's to Tommy J and his fight for the independence we love, that which allows us to have macaroni and cheese for dinner, and the ice cream he brought over from France for dessert!

First BBQ of the season!

Summer is nearly upon us, and with this beautiful spring weather, it was time to break out the 'que. Tonight, grilled chicken, spinach ravioli, and a side romaine salad with my neighbor's cherry tomatoes and a little caesar dressing. It really feels like spring. Can't wait for summer and the outdoor cookery it brings!

St. Pat's Leftovers with a twist.

I always make corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes for St. Pat's...we're Irish, so it must be done!  This year, Aidan really helped out. He peeled the potatoes, helped boil them, mash them, and then cut up the cabbage and helped steam/saute it for me.  It was a family effort! :)


When the leftovers are heated up, I am never thrilled with the cabbage day-old alone. It needed some umpf, so I combined it with leftover carrots from a great roasted carrot recipe.(see below)


I had leftover mushrooms unused, so I chopped those up, threw in the carrots & cabbage and re-sauteed with a bit o' butter in a pan. The flavor was great and it was colorful, too.

The Chili-Roasted Carrots recipe is good enough on its own. Here's the recipe for that one:

Chili-Roasted Carrots

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chili_roasted_carrots.html
From EatingWell:  September/October 2009Roasted with chili powder and cumin then tossed with cilantro and lime juice, these carrots are bursting with zesty flavor. Serve them with simple roast chicken or pork.
4 servings, about 3/4 cup each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds carrots (10-12 medium), cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450ºF.
2. Combine oil, chili powder, cumin and salt in a medium bowl. Add carrots and toss well to coat. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the carrots, stirring once, until tender and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Toss the carrots with cilantro and lime juice. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving : 161 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 23 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Protein; 7 g Fiber; 455 mg Sodium; 750 mg Potassium

Easy & Delicious

• PAN ROASTED ROSEMARY CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS (Tyler Florence)

This is such an easy recipe, but so delicious.  It's one of my favorites.

Ingrediients

• 1 (6-ounce) boneless chicken breast with wing attached, with skin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 fresh white mushrooms, halved
• 2 shallots, halved
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Place a cast-iron or regular ovenproof skillet on the stove over medium heat. Drizzle the pan with the oil and lay the chicken in the hot fat, skin-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin begins to set and crisp. Throw in the mushrooms, shallots, and rosemary. Stick the whole thing in the hot oven and roast for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked, and the mushrooms and shallots are soft and roasted.

The last thing to make is a quick sauce using the flavors left in the bottom of the skillet. Take all the stuff out of the pan and arrange on a dinner plate to keep warm while preparing the pan sauce. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered chicken fat and return the skillet to the stovetop. Stir in the water and lemon juiceand cook over medium heat, scraping up the flavors with a wooden spoon. Cook the liquid down to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Drizzle the pan sauce over the dish, season with salt and pepper.

Brown the chicken in an oven-proof skillet.

Add rosemary, mushrooms, shallots (I used green onions instead here because I had them around the house)

This is the end result, with a little brown rice.