25. Taco Chili Mac

Wow, did the hubby love this one!  Well, we both did actually!  I made a full batch and we have about one serving left.  I made it through dinner one night and two lunch portions in the days after. 

It’s nothing fancy, just a good old tex-mex pasta.  It’s actually a rehash of the Salsa Stoup I posted yesterday.  Virtually the same ingredients and method, but a totally different meal!  I think that’s why I love this cookbook so much for people that are learning how to cook.  You can master a few techniques and have so many versatile meals. 

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 pound macaroni
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of pan
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped **I skipped this
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped with greens **use the leafy greens at the top of your celery – it adds great flavor!
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
1 cup shredded Cheddar, available in pouches on dairy aisle

Now what?

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and brown the meat crumbling with a wooden spoon, then season with the hot sauce, Worcestershire, cumin, chili and salt and pepper.  Add the jalapenos, bell pepper, onions, celery and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper then sauté veggies 5 minutes, add tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes  and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cilantro.

Stir in the pasta and serve with sour cream, cheese and/or guacamole.

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

24. Salsa Stoup And Double-Decker Baked Quesadillas

This one is a fan favorite in our house!  It’s kind of like a spiced up chunky tomato soup.  You can never go wrong with quesadillas on the side either!  This is a also a good soup to serve to your vegetarian and gluten free friends!

This is a good recipe to experiment with your own favorite flavors.  We don’t like things too spicy, so we always skip the jalapeno’s.  Add in your favorite quesadilla toppings too!  Chicken, beef, pork, a mix of cheeses, salsa ….

Stay tuned tomorrow for the follow up to this one – Taco Chili Mac.  It’s the same base recipe and techniques, but with a few swap ins you have a whole new meal!

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of pan, plus some for brushing tortillas
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped **I skipped this
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped with greens **use the leafy greens at the top of your celery – it adds great flavor!
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
6 flour tortillas, 6 to 8 inches
1 cup shredded Cheddar, available in pouches on dairy aisle
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese **we used cheddar jack
Sour cream, to pass at table

Now what?

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and the jalapenos, bell pepper, onions, celery and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper then sauté veggies 5 minutes, add tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and stock and bring soup to a bubble. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cilantro.

Paint 1 side of 2 tortillas with oil and place them next to each other, oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix cheddar with scallions and divide the cheese between the tortillas evenly. Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush tops with extra-virgin olive oil. Cook 10 minutes in the oven to melt cheese and crisp up tortillas. Cool quesadillas 5 minutes to set then cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces.  **We prefer to cook ours on the stove top, but do whatever you’d like!

Serve bowls of stoup with 3 wedges quesadilla along side each bowlful.

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Rate it!

I was playing around on blogger today and found a new option called "Reactions". Below each post, you can now click on a little button that says either "I made it YUM!, I made it Ew!!, I'll try it! or No Thanks"

I never have any idea who (other than my mom) actually reads my blog, let alone tries the recipes. I know it's daunting sometimes to leave a comment, so this is your way to contribute to making me feel loved while remaining anonymous. Does anyone actually read what I have to say an/or care about the food that I make???

On the topic of love, there should also now be a button below each post that makes it easy to share on Twitter, Facebook, email, etc. Try it out!

26. Florentine Meatballs

A traditional turkey or chicken Florentine is creamy and filled with spinach.  These meatballs don’t disappoint!  It puts the spinach in the meatballs, served with a creamy, cheesy sauce.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce on this one.  It was a bit heavy for my liking.  I think I would have preferred a good red sauce, but this one was OK.

There is a small discrepancy with this recipe.  The book says use 2 packages of turkey, whereas online on two different RR websites it calls for one package.  All other ingredients remain the same.  I had good luck with using two packages, but you do get a TON of meatballs.  I had about 3 cookie sheets full.  Now it seems like a lot, but they freeze and reheat really well.  On a night when we don’t really feel like cooking, I throw some into the slow cooker with some spaghetti sauce – dinner ready!

Meatball tip of the day!  I don’t like huge meatballs.  I also hate ending up with a bunch of balls that are different sizes, they cook differently.  Use a cookie scoop!  You do end up with one flat side, but all you have to do is scoop them out and you have meatballs that are all the same shape and size.  Genius right? I don’t claim originality on that one, but it is a fabulous idea.

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

1 box frozen spinach, defrosted in the microwave 
2 2/3 pound (2 package) ground turkey breast **I’ve seen this recipe online and it calls for 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey … not sure if this is a typo in the book, but it turned out great with 2, you just get a million meatballs!
1 medium onion, finely chopped, divided
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups milk, divided
3/4 cup bread crumbs, 3 handfuls
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 palm fulls
Coarse salt and black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 (10-ounce) sack shredded provolone or blend of Italian cheeses, available on dairy aisle
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped

Now what?

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Wring defrosted spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel. **Tip to defrost spinach – put it in the microwave for 4 minutes on 70% power, but be careful when you wring it out.  The water may be hot! **  Place turkey in a bowl and make a well in the middle of it. Add the spinach, all but 3 tablespoons of the onion, all of the garlic, 1 large egg, about 1/4 cup milk, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Form into 12 large balls and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. **I used a small cookie scoop and got around 50 meatballs** Arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

While balls are in the oven, heat a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Melt butter, add remaining finely chopped onion and cook 2 minutes then whisk in flour. Cook flour 1 minute, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk and 1 cup stock. Bring liquid up to a boil then stir in shredded provolone or blended Italian cheeses. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, turn heat to lowest setting.

Place 3 balls on dinner plates and top with sauce, garnish with parsley. **I also cooked up some whole wheat fettuccini because I thought this dish needed some pasta!

4-6 servings with plenty of meatballs to freeze

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Beef and Chicken Fajita Burgers with Seared Peppers and Onions

First up this week were some good old burgers!   The weather wasn’t great last night so we had to make them indoors, so I think they would have been even more fabulous on the grill.  We also didn’t see the need to make 8 burgers, so we skipped the chicken ones completely.  I only made two of the beef burgers and have enough to make two more for lunch or dinner later this week.

You also get a bonus recipe today!  My wonderful hubby got me a deep fryer for Valentine’s Day – totally not romantic, but the best gift ever!  We tried our hand at french fries last night and they were awesome!  I would never have guessed that they weren’t directly from a restaurant. 

Great meal!  We had a pretty crabby 6 month old, so I’m afraid we didn’t really enjoy dinner, but the food was fantastic! I think these would be great to have for a cook out.  They definitely have a different flavor than a traditional burger, but we loved it!

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

Beef Fajita Burgers:

1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, (eyeball it)
1 tablespoons chili powder, (a palmful)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, (half a palmful)
2-3 tablespoons fresh picked thyme leaves, several sprigs
Several drops hot sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

Chicken Fajita Burgers:

1 1/3 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoons ground chipotle (smoky flavor) chili powder, (a palmful)
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Several drops hot sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

Seared Peppers and Onions:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 1 turn of the pan "
2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 jalapeno or serrano, seeded and chopped   **Don’t like the heat, so we skipped this
2 cups tomatillo, green chili salsa or chipotle-tomato salsa, your choice **I buy salsa in bulk, so we used that instead of tmatillo
8 crusty rolls, split

Now what?

Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.

For Beef Fajita Burgers:
Combine sirloin, Worcestershire, spices, thyme, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Mark meat into 4 sections and make 4 patties, 1-inch thick. Using the reserved 1/4 onion piece, grate half of it on the burgers. Drizzle EVOO on the patties. Cook patties 4 minutes on each side for medium or, until desired doneness.

For Chicken Fajita Burgers:
Combine chicken, chipotle powder, cilantro, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Score and divide meat into 4 sections and form big patties, 1-inch thick. Using the rest of the 1/4 reserved onion piece, grate the other half of it on the burgers. Drizzle patties with EVOO and cook 6 minutes on each side or until meat is firm and cooked through.

For Seared Peppers and Onions:
Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add EVOO and peppers and onions. Stir-fry the veggies tossing them with tongs to sear them at edges. Add the jalapeno or serrano pepper. Toss and turn the mixture about 3 minutes, then add salsa of choice and toss a minute longer.

Place burgers on each bun bottom and top with 1/4 of the pepper and onion mixture and bun top. **I added a slice of cheese on top of this and let it get all melty and gooey before I put my bun top on!

4-6 servings

Bonus!!!

Double-Fried French Fries

Ingredients

4 (4 to 5-inches long) russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 quarts canola oil
1 tablespoons fine-grain sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Peel potatoes on the sides, leaving the ends with the skin on. Cut the potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and then slice into 1/3-inch sticks.

Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged, for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours. This will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes and keep them from oxidizing.

Heat a heavy stock pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer with oil to 325 degrees F.

Remove potatoes from the water, and pat dry to remove excess water. Add 2 handfuls of potatoes to hot oil. There should be at least 1-inch of oil above the potatoes. Par cook until potatoes are light brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove potatoes, gently shaking off excess oil and let drain on rack. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked.

Raise heat of oil to 350 degrees F.

Cook potatoes again, 2 handfuls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil, shake off excess oil, and season lightly in a bowl with salt and pepper. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked.

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

365–Week 6

I’ve been a little off track lately, so I’m starting fresh this week.  I’m starting to find that by the time Friday gets here I’m pooped and not in the mood to cook, so I’m trying to plan a slow cooker meal for that night.  As luck would have it, it’s slow cooker week on Rachael Ray!

Not too many other things going on in my life these days.  Cooking TONS of baby food!  If I could make Jake vats of sweet potatoes and squash I’m pretty sure he’d eat it all!  We’ve just been enjoying the beautiful weather here.  I’ve got a few knitting orders to get out this week, so I better get knitting!

Here’s what we’ve got this week:

Slow Cooker Chicken and biscuits – from Rachael Ray’s daytime show
24 – Salsa Stoup and Double Decker Quesadillas
25 - Taco Chili Mac
26 - Florentine Meatballs
27 - Pumpkin pasta – I don’t really like pumpkin, but we’re going to give this a shot in the spirit of being adventurous!
29 -  Beef Fajita burgers

I’m also skipping quite a few in 365 this week.   Here’s what and why, just in case you want to buy the book and make them on your own:

20 – Black Bean Soup and Southwestern Monte Cristos – I think black beans are really, really icky
21 – Citrus Marinated Chicken and Orange Salad – eh, not in the mood
22 – Boo’s Butternut Squash Mac-n-Cheese – I’m not sure why I don’t want to try this one.  This and the following two recipes are actually Rachael’s dog’s favorites … that might be a turn off to me
23 – Boo’s Smoky Chicken Patties on Buttered Toast – see #22.  Something about chicken on toast just doesn’t do it for me
28 – Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, Pumpkin and Hazelnuts – I’m reserving this one until I see how I feel about the pumpkin recipe this week.

What are you cooking?

Until the next time …
~The girl behind the lama

7. Smoky Chipotle Mac-n Cheddar with Tomato and Chorizo

Yet another yummy mac and cheese!   Same method, as Mac and Cheddar with Broccoli, Mac n Smoked Gouda with Cauliflower and Tex Mex Mac n Cheddar with Beef and Peppers … new flavors. Not too many changes in this one.  I am not a fan of chorizo, so I used kielbasa.  Conveniently 1/2 a kielbasa for this meal and 1/2 for the corn chowder.

We aren’t big on spicy food either, so we only used 1 chipotle in adobo instead of 2.  They aren’t super spicy, but 1 definitely adds a bit of a kick.  What the heck is chipotle in adobo?? They are smoked jalapeno peppers in a red sauce.  One other tip – you only need one or two for this recipe.  Freeze the rest and cut off a piece every time you need it! They are usually near the Mexican food and look like this:

Chopped up it looks like this:

Overall this probably isn’t one of my favorite mac-n cheese recipes, but it was pretty good! 

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

Coarse Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped pasta) 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (Once around the pan)
3/4 to 1 lb chorizo, casings removed, diced ***I used 1/2 of a kielbasa link
2 chipotles in adobo
1 15 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock or broth
3 cups grated smoked cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper

Now what?

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta.  Cook for 8 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente .  Drain well and return to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add a drizzle of EVOO and the kielbasa.  Brown the meat, then add the onions and chipotle peppers and cook together for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

**I actually changed the making of the sauce a bit for this recipe.  I wasn’t in the mood to dirty yet another pan, so I went ahead and cooked the sausage and onions.  I removed it from the pan and used that very same pan to make the cheese sauce – I had to make use of all the caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan!**

Add the EVOO and heat with the butter until it melts.  Add the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to sweat them out and turn the juices sweet.  Raise the heat a bit, then whisk in the four, cayenne, and paprika.  Whisk together until the roux bubbles up, then cook for 1 minute more.  Whisk in the milk and stock and raise the heat a bit higher to bring the sauce to a quick boil.  Once it bubbles, drop the heat back to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. **I whisk in about half of my liquids to see how thick it becomes, then keep adding in more until my sauce is the perfect thickness. For this recipe it’s really important to leave it a little thicker than usual.  Once you add the tomatoes it will thin out a little bit**

 

Add the cheese to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so.  Stir in the tomatoes and mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper.  Pour over the  cooked pasta and toss to combine.   Fold in the beef and bell peppers.  Adjust the seasonings, transfer to a large platter, and serve.

4-6 servings

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Beef and Scallion Roll Ups

Overall, not a huge fan of this one.  Great idea, might have been poor execution on my end. I think part of my problem was that my roast beef was too thinly sliced so I had a really hard time rolling them up without tearing all the time.  There was no chance that I could secure them with a toothpick either so they kind of fell apart a little.  Something about the flavor didn’t quite do it for me either.  Eh well, I tried right?  Not a bad meal, just not one I’d care to make again.

I took this one from the weekly meal planner through Rachael Ray Magazine.  I’ve got the recipe below with my own edits as to what I changed, but give the original a try if you want!

What do you need?

Salt and pepper

2 bunches scallions, cut into slivers
1/3 cup beer
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
12 thin slices deli roast beef
Salt
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into slivers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Cooked white rice, for serving
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Serves 4

Now what?

In a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook the scallions for 30 seconds; drain. In a bowl, whisk together the beer, soy sauce and sugar; set aside.

Trim each roast beef slice to about 4 by 5 inches. Season with salt. Lay a small cluster of scallion and cucumber slivers on the bottom edge of each slice and roll tightly to form a log; secure with a toothpick along the length of the roll. Repeat with the remaining beef, scallions and cucumber. Using a basting brush, coat the logs with the reserved beer sauce; let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef rolls (reserve the sauce) and cook, turning, until the sides are brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the reserved beer sauce to the skillet and simmer until syrupy, about 2 minutes.

Remove the toothpicks from the beef rolls; discard. Cut the rolls into quarters. Top with the sauce.

Top the cooked rice with the cilantro and serve with the roll-ups.

Did yours turn out better than mine?

Until the next time…
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Lazy Bolognese-Style Lasagna

I’m not really sure where the week went, but I believe I owe you a few recipes from last week.  Sorry!

First up is a fast and easy lasagna!  I did cheat a bit and used this a bit as a refrigerator cleanup night.  I added in some dollops of ricotta a. because I had half a tub leftover and b. because I like it. 

I also added some asiago cheese to my béchamel sauce.  I know … it’s not traditional, but I had some leftover and no real intent of using it, so why not?  While I’m on the topic of béchamel sauce … don’t be afraid to add the nutmeg!  I really think it adds a nice pop of flavor both to white sauces.  Not sure what to do with it?  Here’s what a whole nutmeg looks like:

Just shave a little bit off into your sauce with a small microplane grater.

I also can my own spaghetti sauce, so why reinvent the wheel right?  I have about 20 pints on hand just for such occasions!

This is a great time savor if you want the same flavors as lasagna, but without all the work. I took this one from Rachael’s daytime talk show.  I’ve got the recipe below with my own edits as to what I changed, but give the original a try if you want!

What do you need?

Salt and pepper
1 pound wavy lasagna noodles, broken into irregular pieces  **I used about half a box because that was what I had leftover from another meal months ago
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef  **I used 1 pound because that was what I had
1 onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
**I skipped everything from here through the row of *** because I used my own sauce, you could also use store bought sauce
1 spring of rosemary, finely chopped
A sprinkle ground cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 cups beef stock
*******************************
3 tablespoons butter
2 rounded tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk **I used whipping cream
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Serves 4

Now what?

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

In a Dutch oven, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown well. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, rosemary, cloves and lots of salt and pepper and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the wine for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and simmer for a few minutes longer.  **I skipped this and just used my own sauce***

Preheat the broiler and position a rack in the center of the oven. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let it cook for a minute.

Then add the milk, and let thicken enough to coat a spoon; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  **I also threw in a handful of asiago cheese for good measure.

Toss the pasta with the meat sauce and arrange in a casserole. Pour the béchamel sauce over the top in an even layer. Top with a layer of parmigiano-reggiano and broil in the oven to brown the top.  **I layered mine similar to a real lasagna, but I think next time I’d mix the noodles with the ricotta and then layer the noodles and sauce with cheese on top.

 

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
~The girl behind the lama

Corn and Kielbasa Chowder

I took another one from Rachael Ray Magazine this time.  I’ve made this before, and it’s one of our favorites so I couldn’t help but throw it in the rotation this week.  After all, it was on the suggested recipes of the week on her website.

I just cant’ say enough about this soup … it’s creamy … it’s sweet … it’s got kielbasa in it … how can you go wrong?  I’ll definitely make this one again and again.

I’ve got the recipe below with my own edits as to what I changed, but give the original a try if you want!

What do you need?

8 ounces kielbasa, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 large baking potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup half-and-half
One 1-pound bag frozen corn, thawed
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Serves 4

Now what?

Heat a deep skillet or a wide 4- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onions and butter to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the broth and potato and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the half-and-half and corn and cook, stirring, until heated through.

Using a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup chowder until smooth. Stir the puree back into the chowder along with the browned kielbasa and season to taste with salt and pepper. ** I actually just used a stick blender to lightly puree it with still leaving some chunks. ** Top with the dill.

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
~The girl behind the lama

365–Week 5

More diversions this week.  There are two other RR resources that I like to use other than her cookbooks.  On her daytime show she cooks a meal every episode.  You can go on her website and get the ingredient list for the recipes each week, but you can’t get the recipe until that show airs.  Her magazine also has a weekly menu.  That one tends to have food that is a little more adventurous to me so I don’t use it too much, but I do always check it.  Both of these resources are nice if you want to try to cook all of these meals in one week.  You can just print out the grocery list and be on your way!  Some day I’ll have to try to follow one of these week by week and cook them all … maybe…

So I’m throwing in a few recipes from both this week!  Here’s what we’ve got:

Lazy Bolognese Style Lasagna – from RR daytime online and also featured in the February 2011 magazine

Corn and Kielbasa Chowder – from Magazine weekly menu

Beef and Scallion Roll Ups – from Magazine weekly menu

7.  Smokey Chipotle Mac and Cheese – from 365

19. Rosemary Corn Cakes with Prosciutto and Chicken Sausages with Hot and Sweet peppers – from 365

What are you cooking?

Until the next time …
~The girl behind the lama

Parsley and Pancetta-Flavored Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken

I took another one from Rachael’s daytime talk show.  I switched things up just a bit.  I had no need, and no ambition really to butterfly a whole chicken.  We really prefer the white meat anyway, so I just used some bone in, skin on chicken breasts.

We served it up with some potatoes roasted with Penzy’s Old World Seasoning and some corn that we made over the summer and froze.  I live in the middle of corn country, taking the corn straight from the cob is so much better than the frozen stuff from the store! 

Tasty dinner!  It wasn’t hard to throw together. I started it a little later than I had anticipated, but the bright side was that the kiddo was down for the night at 7, and with dinner at 7:15 we had a nice, quite, adults only meal which was wonderful!

I’ve got the recipe below with my own edits as to what I changed, but give the original a try if you want!

What do you need?

4 starchy potatoes, peeled **I used a handful of baby yukon golds that I had leftover from earlier in the week
Salt and pepper
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for liberal drizzling plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1 head garlic, 3 cloves peeled and minced, the rest left whole and cracked, divided
A few sprigs fresh rosemary
1 4- to 5-pound chicken **I used 2 bone in, skin on chicken breasts
1/3 pound pancetta, cut into fine dice **You can also substitute bacon if you don’t want to worry about pancetta
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 small Fresno or red cherry chili, seeded and finely chopped  **I don’t like chili’s so I skipped this one
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped or processed
1 1/2 cups fresh regular or sheep’s milk ricotta, drained well
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Serves 4

Now what?

Parboil potatoes 5 minutes in salted water. Let cool then cut into wedges or chunks and dress with oil in a roasting pan. Toss with whole, cracked garlic cloves and chopped rosemary, salt and pepper.  **I skipped the parboiling completely.  I just chunked the potatoes, tossed them with EVOO and Old World Seasoning and popped them in the oven for about 45 minutes**

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Using a cleaver, a large sharp kitchen knife or shears, split bird down the back, open and flatten it. **You might be able to get your butcher to do this for you**  Butterfly it then loosen the skin all over the bird, being careful not to tear it. Dress with EVOO, season with salt and pepper.

Heat EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, in a small skillet. Brown pancetta then combine with shallots, minced garlic and chili. Stir 2 minutes then transfer to bowl to cool.

Stir in parsley, cheeses and nutmeg. Spread the cheese and parsley mixture all over the chicken under the skin in an even layer.

Roast on a baking sheet covered loosely with foil for 30 minutes then uncovered an additional 30 minutes.

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
~The girl behind the lama

Home Sweet Home!!

I just have to say ….

 

GO!!! PACK!!!! GO!!!!

So happy to see the Lombardi trophy back where it belongs!  You can bet I’ll be wearing my Aaron Rogers jersey **which should be coming in the mail tomorrow** all week long!

Missing Wisconsin like mad tonight!!  Should have gone up there for the weekend! Better yet, should  have gone to Dallas!!

18. Turkey Saltimbocca Roll-Ups, Mushroom and White Bean Ragout, and Spinach with Pancetta and Onions

Well a few changes to this one.  My grocery store doesn’t have turkey cutlets so I had to use chicken that I made into cutlets myself.  We also don’t need to make this much for 2 people, so we cut it way back.  I’ve left the recipe as written, but we definitely don’t need to eat 12 pieces of turkey! I actually used one giant chicken breast that I cut in half.  Portion control!

We’re also not a fan of mushrooms or beans, so we skip that part completely.

I needed one more side, so I cheated and baked up the rest of the tater tots from dinner a few nights ago.  We like it!

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

12 turkey cutlets, 1 to 1 1/2 pounds in all **I used 1 large chicken breast butterflied, then cut into two pieces
6 slices prosciutto di Parma, cut in half  **If you can’t find this in your store or don’t want to spend the money on it, you can swap in a bacon
12 whole fresh sage leaves plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage  **next time I would skip the whole sages leaves and just use a sprinkle of dried sage
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (2/3 palmful)
2 tablespoons wine vinegar, white or red
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine (eyeball it)
1/8 pound (3 slices) pancetta, chopped **I just used the rest of the prosciutto from the turkey**
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 pound triple washed spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg (eyeball it)

Now what?

Using a meat mallet or a heavy, small skillet, pound the turkey between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap to 1/8 inch thickness.  Top each turkey cutlet with a half slice of prosciutto and a whole sage leaf. 

Roll up the cutlets and drizzle them with EVOO, then season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO, once around the pan.  Arrange the roll-ups seam side down and cook for 6 minutes, then turn and cook for 6 minutes more.

After the turkey roll-ups have cooked on both sides, transfer to a platter and reserve.  Add the butter to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low.  Add the flower to the melted butter and combine with a whisk.  Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock to make a gravy **I add mine in a bit at a time until I have the right gravy consistency, better to have it too thick than too thin!**  Add the remaining chopped sage, then season with salt and pepper.  Slide the roll-ups back into the gravy and simmer over low heat until ready to serve. 

For the spinach, heat a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, once around the pan, then the chopped pancetta.  Brown the pancetta for 1 minute, then add the onions and cook until the pancetta bits are crisp.  Add the spinach to the pan and turn to wilt it while combining with the onions.  Season the spinach with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

**A note on the spinach.  I use one whole bag of spinach.  It looks like a TON

Just keep turning it with tongs over and over and I promise it wilts down to …

Serve 3 roll-ups in gravy with a portion of the ragout and the spinach along side. **I served mine on a platter on top of the spinach and put the gravy on the side.

4 servings (2 if you cook the way I do)

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
~The girl behind the lama

Muffaletta Stuffed Pizza Rustica

So we’re going away from 365 this week a bit.  Being a work at home mom, I get to watch the Rachael Ray daytime talk show every day and get great ideas for meals. 

Last week she made this fantastic stuffed pizza.  Now, I did take the liberty of changing a few things here.  First, I don’t like olives much, let alone an olive tapenade, so I took out that whole section and replaced it with a jar of pesto.  I think next time I’d still use the pesto, but maybe only half a jar. 

I was also in fridge clean out mode, so I used whatever toppings I had on hand.  I think I used pepperoni, genoa salami, and pancetta.  For the cheese I used a mix of mozzarella and Colby jack.  The hubby gets made that I always seem to buy cheese every week and our cheese drawer is overflowing.  I caved this week and decided to use up what I had.  For the record, there was only one partially used bag that was expired.

I’ll say that in the end this pizza was OK.  I think ours cooked a little too long and was a little too brown.  I used a thin crust pizza, so I think next time I’d use a thicker dough.  It ended up being a lot of greasy, salty meat, cheese and pesto … with just a little bit of dough.  I think thicker dough would balance out the the toppings much better.

I’ve got the recipe below with my own edits as to what I changed, but give the original a try if you want!

What do you need?

For the olive salad: **I skipped this whole section and used a jar of pesto**
About 1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed olives or pitted Sicilian olives About 1/4 cup pitted black olives
1 cup drained giardiniera (hot pickled vegetable salad)
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, optional
1 roasted red pepper, homemade or store-bought, chopped
2 large clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
A few leaves of basil
A scant handful of flat-leaf parsley

For the pizza:
2 1-pound balls pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
Flour, for rolling out dough
1/2 pound thinly sliced mozzarella or smoked mozzarella
1/3 pound sweet sopressata, thinly sliced
1/3 pound sliced hot ham, coppa or cappacolo
1/2 pound mortadella, thinly sliced
1/2 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for brushing
Sesame seeds

Yields: Serves 6-8

Now what?

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In the bowl of a food processor, add olives, giardiniera, anchovy paste, roasted pepper, garlic, basil and parsley. Pulse to form a finely chopped relish.

On a floured surface, roll out doughs into 2 thin rounds. Transfer the first to an oil-brushed baking sheet. Top with a layer of olive salad **or pesto**

then even layers of cheeses and meats, leaving a 1-inch edge.

Brush edges with water and top with remaining dough. Pinch all around to seal.

Brush with EVOO and sprinkle with sesame seeds. (Tip: Brush with egg wash for sesame seeds to really stick to the top!) Bake 20-25 minutes to deep golden. Let cool 10 minutes then cut into 8 wedges and serve with a green salad alongside.

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
~The girl behind the lama