Sweet Potato Hash

I wasn't kidding when I said Blake and I eat sweet potatoes at least once a week.  Not only are they fantastic for you, but they're basically the vegetable equivalent of candy.  Normally I just roast the sweet potatoes or turn them into french fries, but I wanted to do something different.  This is kind of a play off homemade hash browns and the typical Thanksgiving dinner sweet potato casserole.  Since I was using veggie candy I figured I'd throw some meat candy in there too... aka bacon! This turned out really great. The brown sugar butter sauce played off the potatoes sweetness while the bacon added a nice salty aspect.  I'm definitely going to be making this again.

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 Sweet Potatoes - peeled and diced into bite size pieces
1/4 Sweet Onion - diced
2 Cloves Garlic - minced
2 Tbs. Butter
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  In a medium sized pot melt 1 Tbs. butter and begin sweating the onions.  Add in the garlic after a few minutes and let the mixture cook until the onions begin turning translucent.

2.  Add in the diced sweet potato and stir to combine and cover the potatoes evenly in butter.  Let the potatoes saute for a few minutes.  Add the water and cover.  Allow the potatoes to cook on medium-medium high heat until the water is boiled out.  The potatoes should be fork tender.  They should boil for no more than 4-5 minutes if that.  Keep an eye on them and test them with a fork so they don't over cook.

3.  once the potatoes are ready, add in the other Tbs. butter and melt.  Add in the brown sugar and stir the mixture until it is well mixed.

4.  Cook the bacon in the microwave and chop up into pieces.  Add into the finished product before serving to ensure it stays nice and crispy.

This recipe would be perfect for Thanksgiving or on a cold snowy evening.  Hope you enjoy!

Quick and Easy Pesto Pasta

I love making things that take no time at all and out of ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge.  This is one of those recipes.  I felt like cooking lunch today, but didn't want to worry about making something that took a million different ingredients.  I also didn't want to have to clean up the entire kitchen afterwards.  So, I found a few things in the fridge and came up with this super simple pasta dish.  All you really need is pre-made pesto sauce, and then you can add whatever else you like to add more flavor.  I obviously added bacon, and also decided to add some sliced cherry heirloom tomatoes. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box of your favorite pasta - I used bow tie!
1 Jar of Pesto - you can often find this near the pizza or pasta sauces
3 Slices Bacon- diced
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan 
1 Package Heirloom Tomatoes - sliced into fours

1.  Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Don't forget to salt the water once boiling before adding the pasta.  This is the only time you will be able to season the pasta itself.

2.  While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon until crispy.  Remove from the heat and drain the oil. Once the pasta is finished, strain and add back into the pot.  Add in enough pesto to coat all of the noodles.  Add in the bacon and the tomatoes as well as the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and then Serve and enjoy!

Bell Pepper Salad

I have been extremely obsessed with avocados recently.  I absolutely love them, and since they're in season right now I've been using them as much as possible.  Plus, they make your hair and skin glow, so that's an added bonus.

I like to believe that if I make food that is fitting for summer, it will come faster.  I don't think it's actually working, but it's worth a try.  Sometimes when you think about salad, you assume it has to have lettuce.  I love making salads with a bunch of chopped up veggies, and I truly believe every meal should be served with a salad.  It's a great way to get your serving of vegetables.

For this salad, I used some left over roasted garlic in the salad dressing and tons of honey to play on the bell peppers sweetness.  The dressing was so delicious I could have drank it with a straw.  I also added some Feta Cheese in, because everything is better with cheese.





 INGREDIENTS:
1 Red Bell Pepper - diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper - diced
1/4 Sweet Onion - diced
1 Avocado - diced
2 Tbs. Feta Cheese Crumbles

Dressing:
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
4-5 Roasted Garlic Cloves - mashed/minced
2-3 Tbs. Honey
1/2 Tsp.  Sugar
1-2 drops of Dijon Mustard - just enough to help the dressing emulsify 
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste


1.  Dice all of the veggies except for the avocado and add them to a medium sized bowl.  You will add the avocado right before serving so the avocado stay nice and green and don't turn brown.

2. For the dressing, add the honey, garlic, mustard, sugar salt and pepper, and vinegar to a small bowl.  Whisk these items together.  While whisking begin adding the olive oil slowly until it is well mixed. 

3.  Pour enough over the veggies to coat each piece nicely.  Mix and put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Right before serving, add the avocado and Feta cheese.  Mix the salad again, and add dressing as necessary.

Mini BBQ Chicken Biscuit Pizzas

I tried to be an awesome fiance today by having lunch ready for Blake when he got home.  Sadly, he showed up with TACO BELL... ohhhh the disgrace! Oh well, guess we have dinner ready and it's only noon.  I love love love BBQ chicken pizza, as you probably know, since I've made it on here before.  I also love "hoooot poooockets" (say in Jim Gaffigans voice). This is basically the best of both worlds.   It's a homemade hot pocket, and all you need is your favorite pizza ingredients and a can of Pillsbury biscuits.  The recipe below will reflect the BBQ chicken pizza idea; however, fill it with whatever you want.  This would be a great recipe to make with your kids too!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Container Pillsbury Biscuits
1 Chicken Breast - Boiled and pulled apart (You can also substitute canned chicken if you don't wanna do this step)
1/4 Sweet Onion - diced
2 Tbs. Real Bacon Bits
1/2 Tbs. Red Pepper Flakes - this amount can vary depending on how much heat you like
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

** yields 8 mini pizza hot pockets

1.  Boil your chicken breast ahead of time.  Once ready to go, add it to a medium sized bowl with the onions, red pepper flakes, bacon bits, and BBQ sauce.  I used Sweet Baby Rays, but you can use whatever you have on hand.  I like this BBQ sauce because I enjoy the sweetness it adds to the pizza.

2.  Preheat your oven to the temperature it states on the biscuits container.  Mine said 350 for about 15 minutes.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up, and begin preparing the biscuits.

3.  After opening the biscuits, take each biscuit and flatten to create a bigger biscuit.  Spoon a heaping teaspoon full of the chicken and BBQ mixture into the center of the biscuit.  Fold up the biscuit to create four edges and seal them together.  I just squished mine together, but some did open up while baking.  You could use an egg wash to help seal it better, or just flip the pockets seam down when baking. Both should help keep the pockets closed during the cooking process.

4.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown, and serve with a side of BBQ sauce or ranch dressing.

These will re-heat very well, so feel free to save your left overs.  Microwave them for about 1-2 minutes and then throw them in the toaster oven to crisp them up.  I haven't tried freezing them, but that might be a good idea too for a last minute lunch or dinner idea.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Pan Roasted Tomatoes

 I decided to take a major Christmas break.  I'm pretty sure I only cooked one meal, and I must say I loved it.  Sometimes it's a good thing to stop everything and focus on yourself and your family.  I had a wonderful Christmas break and I was in no mood to have it end this past Monday when school started up again.  I'm thankful that I only have class on Monday and Tuesday because that will leave me plenty of time to cook dinner during the week... if I'm not too exhausted!

If you could see inside mine and Blake's refrigerator, you would be astounded! We have managed to accumulate so much food that we cannot fit anything else in it.  Therefore, I dug deep and found some left over Tilapia fillets from a blog entry I did a while back, and figured it would be perfect for dinner tonight.  I spent most of the day running errands and doing things for school, so the fact that I am able to come home and thaw out this fish in only 15-20 minutes is perfect.  Obviously, fresh fish is the way to go, and if you have that as an option go with that instead. However, as you probably all already know, I am in college and these Tilapia frozen fillets were cheap and I must say, good.  If you haven't had it before, you should definitely try it out.  I do not like fishy fish, this is very light and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.

INGREDIENTS:
Tilapia Fillets
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs - beaten
1/4 Cup Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
TOMATOES:
6-8 baby tomatoes (whatever kind you like)
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. Olive Oil 
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced

* I used three different plates for preparing the fish.  One with the flour, the second with the eggs, and the third with the Panko and Parmesan mixture.
** The measurements for this recipe will vary depending on how many fillets you are making.  I made two for dinner tonight and used about 1/4 cup of cheese and Panko.

1.  Pat dry the fish, and season both sides with salt and pepper.  Flat side down (there should be no skin), place the fish in the flour so that you get a nice light layer.  Then place the fish (same side down - flour side) into the eggs and then into the Panko and Parmesan cheese mixture.  Place the fillet Panko side up on a plate until you are ready to cook.  (You can do this a few minutes ahead of time so that they are ready to go when you are.  I only coated one side of the fish tonight.  It's healthier and really you just want to get a nice crunch on it without taking away from the actual fishes texture.

2/ Once the fillets are all set to go, heat up a large skillet pan on medium-medium high heat with about 2 Tbs. Olive Oil.  You want your pan to be hot so that the fish does not stick at all.  Place the fish Panko/Parmesan side down and allow to cook until the Panko/Parmesan mixture is golden brown.  This should take no longer than 3-4 minutes.  Flip the fish and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.  Remove fish and plate.

3.  For the Roasted tomatoes, in the same pan, add the butter and olive oil.  Add in a handful of your favorite cherry tomatoes and saute until they begin to soften and pop.  Add in 2 cloves minced garlic and continue to saute until they are at a desired consistency.  I like mine to still have some body.  Spoon the tomatoes and sauce over the fish and enjoy!

*** I served this on top of mashed potatoes and with some pieces of bread and roasted garlic.  My favorite part was the crunch that the Panko and Parmesan gave to the fish.  Let me know what you think!!!

Rosemary Thyme Potatoes and Cedar Plank Salmon

First, let me apologize for being absent from the kitchen for the past few weeks.  School and Christmas took over for a while, and I needed a break from everything, including cooking.  Now, after a few days of sleeping in and not studying, I'm back with a vengeance. 

I discovered something wonderful at the super market today.  Pre-packaged cedar plank salmon.  Not only did this save me the time of finding a cedar plank, but it was also already marinated and ready to go! Does it get any better? Of all the recipes I've made, this had to be the easiest to clean up.  The salmon was delicious and just one package was enough for Blake and I to split.  Did I mention it only cost $5.99??? That's only 3 bucks a person.  As Blake pointed out during dinner, this meal would probably cost at least 12 or 13 bucks at a restaurant.  I found this in the frozen food section, and they had a few different marinades to choose from.  This particular one was a honey marinade.  It was light but flavorful.  I served it with roasted potatoes and topped it with a light salad dressed in a sweet onion lemon vinaigrette.

 This is what the salmon looked like before cooking it and right after I took it out of the packaging.... perfect!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Large Russet Potato - diced into bite size pieces 
5-6 Garlic Cloves - peeled 
1 Yellow Squash - sliced 
1 Red Bell Pepper - diced 
2-3 Sprigs Thyme

2-3 Sprigs Rosemary - minced   
1/2 Tbs. Paprika 
2-3 Tbs. Olive Oil 
Salt and Pepper to taste  - I added it after it was cooked as well and it still could have used more 

1.  In a large bowl, add the diced potatoes, squash, red bell peppers, and garlic. sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and stir.  Top  with the olive oil and stir until all the veggies are covered in the spices.  


2.  Pull off the Thyme leaves and add them to the bowl.  Pull of the Rosemary leaves and give them a rough chop before also adding them to the bowl.  mix the veggies again, and add to a baking dish. 


3.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Depending on how large you dice your potatoes this cooking time may vary.  It will need at least 30 minutes, so after that time passes then you can begin checking on it.  When you can poke the potatoes with a fork with ease it is ready. 

SALMON:
Pre-Packaged Cedar Plank Salmon - you could also use fresh salmon and add your own marinade or spices 
Mixed Lettuce Greens 
1/2 Freshly Squeezed Lemon 
1 Tbs. Honey 
1 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar 
1 Garlic Clove - minced 
2 Tbs. Grated Sweet Onion
About 1/4 Cup Olive Oil - I don't like a lot of oil in my dressings, so you may need more - I also don't measure so this is literally a guess. 
2-3 slices of beets - julienned  
Salt and Pepper to taste 


1.  Follow the directions on the package of the salmon and cook accordingly, mine called for 14 minutes, but I think it could have actually used a little less.  

2.  In a small bowl, squeeze 1/2 a lemon, making sure no seeds get into the bowl.  Add the honey, garlic, cider vinegar,  salt and pepper.  


3.  Cut a sweet onion in half and then again into fourths.  Using a fine grater, grate the onion until you get about 2 tbs worth. Add into the bowl.  This will give the dressing flavor without having chunks of onion.  


4.  Mix together and while whisking, mix in the olive oil.  Taste and adjust flavors as needed.  


5.  In a separate bowl, add mixed greens and top with enough dressing to coat.  Top the salmon with the lettuce mixture and with a few slices of beets. Store the extra dressing for a salad the next day, the flavors will meld together and make it taste even better!  

Chorizo Stew and Brown Rice

 

When I go to the grocery story I love looking for new things to try and cook with.  Today it was Mexican Ground Chorizo.  I've never cooked with it before, nor have I eaten it, but it's made from ground beef or pork, so I figured I could make it work.  This week seemed to fall under the category of "wahhhh waaahhhhh."  Just like the last post, this meal was good, just not great.  I'm not even sure what I would have done differently.  The Chorizo is filled with spices, which gives it a lot of flavor on its own.  Luckily, Blake and I both liked the flavor of the Chorizo, it was just difficult to add any depth to it because it was so strong.  That would be my only complaint about this recipe.  

Try some things out if you make this and let me know what you think.  Like I said it was a great meal, that was extremely generous on the pocketbook and didn't take very long either.  I am not a chef, or even a cook for that matter.  I'm simply someone trying to learn how to cook through trial and error and a lot of "googling" of terms and techniques.  With that said, I have no idea what makes a "stew" a stew.  The name seemed fitting, so don't be disappointed when you realize it's not like your mothers beef stew or beef and noodles.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Ground Chorizo - spicy (pretty sure it's the only way it comes, but you never know) 

1/2 Sweet Onion - diced 

1 Green Bell Pepper - sliced 

2 Cloves Garlic - Minced 

1 Cup Red Wine (Anything you have is good) 

1 Cup Chicken Stock 

8 oz. Heavy Cream 

Goat Cheese for topping

1.  In a large pot, begin browning the Chorizo.  Once the Chorizo begins browning, add in the bell pepper, onions, and garlic.  Don't worry about adding any oil or butter. The Chorizo has enough fat in it, and adding it in will only add unnecessary calories.  

2.  Once the peppers and onions begin to soften and the Chorizo is pretty much cooked fully, add in the red wine and chicken stock.  Keep the stove on medium high heat and reduce the sauce by half.  

3. Before finishing, add in the heavy cream and allow the sauce to thicken by reducing.  Taste the stew to see if salt or pepper is needed.  I didn't add any in this recipe, because the Chorizo seemed to be salty enough.  If you feel that your stew isn't spicy enough (you're crazy), I'd add in a Jalapeno or Serrano at this point as well. 

4.  I served this over homemade brown rice, but you could also do quinoa, risotto, or white rice.  You could even use the microwave rice that cooks in a minute if you'd like too.  I happen to have a big bag of brown rice left over from a previous recipe experiment. 

5.  Top with crumbled fresh goat cheese

*** I always like to serve my dinners with at least one vegetable.  In this case I served a Cool Corn Salad on the side.  This ended up being perfect because it worked exactly as I had hoped, and helped to cool off our burning tongues!  Of course the milk helped too.