Cordon Blue Pasta with a twist!!

 

For the pasta1 box (16oz) Penne Rigate Noodles (use wheat pasta)
3 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2-1 C bacon crumbles (decide how much you like bacon)
2 4oz cans of mushrooms
1/2 to 3/4 bag of fresh spinach chopped
1/2 3.5oz package of sun dried tomatoes chopped
one bunch of green onions chopped

For the sauce1/2 c butter (1 cube)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 C heavy cream
1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp pepper (more if you like spice)
1 C Parmesan cheese (fresh if you can)
2 C mozzarella (you will save 1C for the top)

Directions1- cook chicken (and bacon if not using crumbled from package) and shred
2- preheat oven 350 degrees
3- cook noodles to package directions (drain)
4- while noodles are cooking make sauce; melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  add garlic, cream, milk and pepper.  Bring mixture to a simmer. stir often.  Add the Parmesan and simmer 8-10 minutes or until it has thickened and is smooth.  Add 1 C mozzarella and stir until smooth.
5- add drained pasta back into large pan (off stove) pour in sauce, all remaining ingredients and pour into a 9x13 greased pan. 
6- Sprinkle remaining 1 C moz on top and bake 350 degrees for 15-20 min until lightly browned on top.
** the twist is Zach adding the spinach and sun dried tomatoes and any other vegetable you want**

Caulifower pizza crust

This is one of our families favorite recipe right now! I wasn't sure how this would taste but, it is sooo yummy! You can’t tell at all that the crust is made out of cauliflower. It doesn’t taste like “real” pizza crust, but it doesn’t have the flavor or texture of cauliflower either.

Recipe & Pictures from : http://www.recipegirl.com/

Yield: One 9 to 12-inch pizza (feeds 2 people)
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 18 min

Ingredients:

CRUST:

1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt

TOPPINGS:

1/2 cup tomato-basil marinara sauce (or pizza sauce)
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
And whatever over toppings you like

Directions:

Preheat the oven 450 and spray a cookie sheet

Just use a cheese grater to “grate” your cauliflower into very small pieces.

Microwave those cauliflower crumbles for 8 minutes. No water or anything needed.
 Just microwave it for 8 minutes to soften it up, and then let it cool a little bit. .

Mix 1 1/2 cups of the cauliflower crumbles with egg, cheese and spices. (I used mozzarella, but imagine using different varieties of cheeses in the crust! Yum!)

Shape it into a 9 to 12-inch round.

 Bake JUST the crust for 15 minutes

After the crust is cooked top it with desired sauce and toppings.

 Basil marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, Canadian bacon and pineapple (our favorite).

 Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Korean Bibimbap

This week I took it upon myself to try new recipes and new foods. First on the menu was Korean Bibimbap.

This dish was light and refreshing. It wasn't bursting with flavor, but it turned out that is exactly what I wanted.

Korean Bibimbap

3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced or minced
english cucumber, thinly sliced
3/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
5 ounces spinach
4 green onions, thinly sliced, the green and white parts separated
4 eggs
hot cooked rice
3 TB soy sauce
toasted sesame oil

Heat up olive oil in pan. Add carrots, cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and white parts of green onions. Cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms, cook 4 minutes. Add cucumber and spinach, cook until softened about 3-4 minutes. Stir and coat in soy sauce. Remove vegetables from pan. Heat up olive oil and fry eggs.

Put veggies over rice, place eggs on top. Top with green onions, sesame oil and extra soy sauce.

Recipe via here.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

My MIL got me some non-alcoholic wines to cook with for Christmas. So to test out the white, I made some shrimp scampi to use up a bag of shrimp in our freezer.
I found this recipe on the Food Network website. I subscribed to their magazine for Christmas; really excited about it.

Kevin gave this an A+, which is pretty spectacular. Me, I give it a B.







I served it with roasted green beans, probably my favorite side dish right now.
All you do is preheat the oven to 400.
Drizzle, or drench-you decide, olive oil and kosher salt on the green beans (or asparagus)
Roast for 10-20 minutes. Depends on your taste.

I also served it with my favorite easy homemade foccacia bread.



Baked Shrimp Scampi

1 pound shrimp, in shell-cooked or uncooked
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/8 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

The Best Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

1 cup chopped celery
2-3 cups chopped potatoes
1 large onion, chopped
3 chopped carrots
4 cans clams
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart half & half
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


In a large saute pan, cook vegetables with clam juice for 15 minutes covered.
In a separate pan, melt butter. Whisk in flour while bubbly. Whisk in half & half. Cook and whisk until thick.
Once thick, add to vegetables (do not drain the clam juice).
Add salt and pepper.
Add clams at end, so they don't get tough.
Serve with bread bowls.

Winter Salad with Candied Pecans

Winter Fruit Salad
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice (from a bottle is fine)
2 t. diced onion
1 t. Dijon-style mustard
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1 T. poppy seeds
1 head romaine lettuce (or any lettuce), torn into bite-size pieces
4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. candied pecans (or cashews)
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
1 pear - peeled, cored and diced

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.

In a large serving bowl combine the lettuce, cheese, nuts, cranberries, apple and pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

Sugared Pecans
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
1/4 t. vanilla extract
8 oz pecans
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Put sugar, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a plastic bag, shake to mix.
3. Put egg, water, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until slightly foamy, add pecans and coat well. Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon and put into the bag of sugar and spices. Shake pecans making sure they are well coated.
4. Bake 30 minutes on a baking pan lined with lightly greased aluminum foil. 15 minutes into baking, stir the pecans. Let cool completely before serving.
Makes about 2 cups.

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

This was as good as any restaurants peanut sauce I have tried. I had the chicken and sauce for two lunches after I had it for dinner. And I still am not sick of it.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup chunky/creamy peanut butter
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon salt
12 ounces dried spaghetti noodles

Optional
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (to coat noodles)
green onions

Toast sesame seeds in a skillet for 10 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Add rest of ingredients in a blender and blend until mixed well. Add toasted seeds (save 2 TB if you want to sprinkle them on top).

Broil chicken for 8 or so minutes per side (When I broil chicken, I usually just put some olive oil, kosher salt and pepper to flavor).
Shred chicken with fork.
Cook noodles, add salt to boiling water.
Pour sauce over noodles, add chicken, sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions on top and VIOLA! Yummy bummy.