Chicken Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce

I made this when Blake was out of town one weekend. All it is is the Buitoni chicken Ravioli, which I boiled, and then added to some brown butter. I cooked the butter over medium heat, and then added some salt, pepper, herbs de provence, and some walnut pieces I had.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Unfortunately, I really don't remember where I got this recipe, or how exactly I cooked this dish, which is too bad because it was really good.

I cut an acorn squash in half, and trimmed the bottoms so they would stand flat in my pyrex dish. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and a half a tab of butter. Then I poured water halfway up around them and baked them. I can't remember how long or at what temperature, but they came out very tender. While they were in the oven, I cooked some onion and broccoli, and some 90 second rice. I don't remember what else I put in it, but that could be all. When the squash came out of the oven, I had to pour the liquid out of them and the pyrex, before putting the stuffing in and topping with cheese. I think I used gouda. I just put it back in the oven long enough to melt and slightly brown the cheese. All the stuffing didn't fit, so I served it on the side as well.

Toasted Ravioli

I saw this recipe on foodgawker, but it really came from cooking light. It was a little bit time consuming to prepare, but good, and also so pretty and colorful.

Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
* 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
* 1 (9-ounce) package fresh ravioli
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 4 cups grape tomatoes, halved (about 2 pints)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped


Directions:
1. Combine 2 tablespoons water and egg in a shallow dish, mixing well. Using a fork, combine panko and cheese in a shallow dish. Dip each ravioli in egg mixture then coat in panko mixture.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to pan to coat. Add half of ravioli to pan in a single layer; sauté 1 minute on each side or until golden. Remove ravioli from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and ravioli. Wipe skillet with paper towels.

3. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Divide ravioli evenly among 4 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Serve with a leafy green side salad for a complete, wholesome meal.

Steak with Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Blake grilled us a steak to share for dinner and I made the sides. Both of these came out pretty good.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato

Ingredients:
1 Japanese sweet potato
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potato with a fork and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for one hour or until tender.

Slice potato in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp. Be careful to keep skins intact. Place pulp in a large mixing bowl and mash until smooth. Add cream cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of spices. Mix well and spoon back into the potato skins.

In a small bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, and remaining spices. Sprinkle over the top of the potatoes.

Place potatoes skin-side-down back onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for another 15 minutes.

Brussel Sprouts

Cut the brussel sprouts in half and brown cut side down in a little olive oil in a pan until well browned. Flip them over, and add some liquid to go halfway up the sprouts. Season with salt and pepper and cook until softened. Finish with some red wine vinegar.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

This was inspired by a Giada soup recipe. I decided to make it in order to use my new immersion blender. We served it as an appetizer to the steak, sweet potato, and sprouts as part of our first shabbat dinner. This was a very Italian tasting soup which I liked a lot. I probably added too much water to it though, and it wasn't quite as thick as we were hoping. It might have been good to add some milk to make it a little smoother.

Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons butter, and olive oil
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* water and vegetable bullion cube
* 1 head of garlic, roasted
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* ground thyme

Directions:

Cut the top off the head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in foil. Roast in the oven on 400 for about an hour, or until softened.

Meanwhile, place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized. Add the beans and stir to combine. Add the water and bullion and bring the mixture to a simmer. Squeeze in the roasted garlic. Puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper and thyme. Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Stuffed Portobello

I was going to make this for one of Blake's vegetarian friends, without the beef, but he didn't end up eating with us so I made it closer to this recipe, which I saw on foodgawker. We both really liked how this turned out.

Ingredients:
2 Large Portabello Mushrooms
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 lb Ground Beef
frozen sliced carrots
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
italian seasoning
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Spinach
Marinara sauce
Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Directions:

Scrub the mushrooms and scrape out the gills. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the onion in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and brown, and then add the carrots. When thawed, add some marinara sauce, just to moisten the mixture. Remove mushrooms from oven and fill with stuffing. Top with cheese and bake until melted and browned.

Mushroom Ravioli with Onion Sauce

This is another meal I made for myself while Blake was out of town. I cooked an onion, sliced very thin, in some olive oil and butter until very caramelized. Meanwhile I boiled some Buitoni mushroom agnolotti. I may have added some wine or chicken broth to the onions to make it more of a sauce before I tossed them with the pasta. I topped it with parmesan and it made a very tasty meal.

Short Cut Chicken Pot Pie

I really don't remember where I got this recipe. I was trying to make a healthier chicken pot pie, so I did not use cream, but used 2 soups instead. I think I cooked the chicken in the oven, and then cooked the onion with frozen peas, carrots, and maybe corn in a pan. I added to that some cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups and cooked until thickened. I added the cubed chicken and then put it in a casserole dish. I used store bought biscuits and dropped them on top. I had hoped that they would cover the whole top of the pot pie, but it wasn't enough. I baked it until the biscuits were browned and served it with green salad.

Sweet Potato Risotto

I really can't remember where I got this idea or if I used a recipe. I think I cooked an onion and some frozen sweet potato cubes in a pan, then toasted the risotto with it and cooked as usual with chicken stock.

Breakfast Taco

I made this for myself one day with leftover foods. I put a layer of refried beans, scrambled eggs, cheddar and hot sauce. I think I wanted to remember to do this once in a while because it was pretty quick and easy and also filling.

Linguine Bolognese

Don't remember if I used a recipe or not. I'm sure I looked at some. I know I browned the beef as much as possible before adding san marzano tomatos and seasoning with basil and worcestershire sauce. Blake definitely liked this meal a lot, but unfortunately I did not remember to post what I did soon enough.

Moroccan stew with cous cous

I think this recipe was the inspiration behind this dish which I made in the slow cooker. We liked this meal a lot, but unfortunately I just don't remember what I did exactly. I think I followed this recipe as closely as I could. I'm sure I didn't use the garam masala or allspice though because I did not have any of that at the time. I also may have used smaller amounts of everything because my slow cooker does not hold very much.

1.5 pound stewing beef, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 parsnip, chopped
1 sweet potato , chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 28oz can tomatoes, chopped ( 796 ml)
1/2 cup raisins 125 ml
1 tsp grated fresh ginger 5ml
1/2 tsp cinnamon 5ml
1 tsp cumin 10 mL
pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 cups beef stock 500 mL* check after a few hours, may need to add some more.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup each dried apricots, add with veggies
Chopped fresh parsley
Slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Toss beef with the flour in slow cooker.
2. Add all veggies, tomatoes, spices and broth......stir.
3. Cook in slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or until meat is cooked and veggies tender.
4. Top with slivered almonds and chopped parsley. Serve over couscous, rice or mashed potatoes

Flank Steak with Sweet Slaw and Japanese Eggplant

I followed a recipe from epicurious for this dinner and Blake grilled the steak. Unfortunately, I can't remember at all how I prepared the eggplant which is unfortunate because it was really good. I used Japanese eggplant, which I sauteed in some oil. I looked at several recipes for cooking Japanese eggplant, so I think I used a combination of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and chili sauce, since a number of recipes contain those ingredients.

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 5 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided
* 1 garlic clove, pressed
* 1 1 1/2-pound flank steak
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
* 2 red jalapeños, thinly sliced into rounds
* 5 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (about 9 ounces)
* 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided

Directions:
Mix soy sauce, oil, 3 teaspoons ginger, and garlic in resealable plastic bag. Add flank steak and seal bag; turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Stir sugar and vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Add jalapeños and remaining 2 teaspoons ginger. Place cabbage and 1/2 cup green onions in medium bowl.

Pour vinegar mixture over and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand while grilling steak, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle 1/4 cup green onions over slaw.

Peanut Noodles with Bok Choy

I haven't posted any of the things I've cooked since October, I guess because I've been too busy doing wedding stuff all the time. I can't remember half of the recipes, but I'm posting them anyway just to keep track.

This is from a recipe on epicurious. I remember this was just ok. It was supposed to be served room temperature, but we wanted it hot so I heated it up again before serving. I think that made it a lot better, but since it was kind of a hassle to make and had a lot of ingredients, I don't know if I would make this again.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
* 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled
* 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
* 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper, divided
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 8 ounces soba noodles
* 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
* 3 cups (loosely packed) mixed baby greens
* 2 heads of baby bok choy, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
* 1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into matchstick-size strips
* 3 green onions, cut into matchstick-size strips
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
* Salted roasted peanuts

Directions:

Puree first 9 ingredients and 1 teaspoon red pepper in blender until smooth. With machine running, gradually add canola oil through opening in lid. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Cook soba noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Using kitchen shears, cut noodles crosswise in 2 to 3 places. Drizzle noodles in strainer with sesame oil and toss to coat.

Place greens, bok choy, cucumber, green onions, chopped cilantro, and mint in large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon red pepper, dressing, and noodles; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and peanuts and serve.

Maple Glazed Tuna with Pear and Potato Salad

I made this last night, so I'm caught up with posting. I thought the tuna was just ok, but we both thought the potato pear thing was good and unusual. Next time I'll only buy one tuna steak so we can share it and not eat so much.

Tuna Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup (see Tip)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
Four 6-ounce tuna fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cilantro sprigs

Directions:
1. Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.
2. Season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the tuna and cook for 30 seconds on each side.
3. Remove from the pan and brush both sides of the tuna with the maple-mustard glaze. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the cilantro. Serve with the pear-potato salad.

Potato Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or 1/2-inch pieces
2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup shredded baby spinach

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and sauté until golden, about 12 minutes. Add the pears, onion, garlic, almonds, and curry powder and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the lemon juice and spinach.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I made this salad to eat for lunch last week. It doesn't look so good in the picture I finally remembered to take one day at lunchtime. It was pretty tasty though and I would make it again.

Ingredients:
1 package chicken tenders
salt, pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 can artichoke hearts, halved
1/4 cup kalamata olives, quartered
1 can hearts of palm, sliced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, quartered
3 tbsp pesto
toasted pine nuts
crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Check to make sure they are cooked through, and cut into cubes. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Meanwhile cut all vegetables. Mix vegetable with cooked quinoa. Add in chicken, nuts, and pesto. Top with feta cheese and serve.

Grilled Lamb Shoulder with Roasted Carrots

I wanted to make lamb chops, but I couldn't get enough so I ended up buying lamb arm shoulder chops. They are supposed to be a flavorful and cheaper cut compared to a regular loin chop. I marinated them and then Blake grilled them. We ate it with some roasted carrots and the leftover cauliflower.

Lamb Marinade:
salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Marinade lamb for as long as possible, but remove from the refrigerator for the last 30 minutes.

Carrots:
Split lengthwise. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Roast at 400 for about 30 minutes.

Roasted Tomatoes and Cauliflower Gratin

I'm pretty sure I made these as side dishes to go with steak that Blake grilled. I didn't take a picture of the whole meal though. Blake didn't love the tomatoes, which I should have anticipated but I liked them and we both loved the cauliflower. I think I used this recipe as a suggestion for that.

Tomato Ingredients:
Vine tomatoes
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning
olive oil

Directions:
Toss tomatoes in oil and seasoning. Pop into 400 degree oven and roast until puckered about 30 minutes.

Cauliflower Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 1/2 cups milk
salt, pepper
breadcrumbs
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup gruyere
parmesan
2 tbsp flour

Directions:
Heat the cauliflower, milk, flour and salt together over medium heat. When the cauliflower is softened and the mixture is thickened, slowly stir in cheeses, except for parmesan. Season to taste. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

Beet Salad with Feta

Blake got an Ipad for the second time and I added a bunch of recipes on epicurious to his favorites with their app. Now he emails me what he wants me to make. I followed this one exactly but the rhubarb was nasty so we picked it out. It was a pretty weird idea. Otherwise the salad was good. I think I bought 7 beets and it was way too much. I used the extra beets up in a pasta the next night, which was tasty, but turned pink from the beets. I don't think I took a picture of it, because it did not look appetizing, but the recipe also came from epicurious.

# 8 2- to 2 1/2-inch-diameter red or yellow beets, 4 of each color if available
# 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
# Coarse kosher salt
# 3 cups water
# 1/2 cup sugar
# 1 pound trimmed rhubarb stalks, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
# 3 large oranges
# 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
# 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
# 1 tablespoon minced shallot
# 1 teaspoon honey
# 3 cups watercress sprigs
# 1 1/4 cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese (about one 7-ounce package)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place beets on large sheet of foil. Wrap beets in foil. Roast beets until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Unwrap and cool beets. Peel, then cut each into 8 wedges.

Bring 3 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar, and pinch of coarse salt to simmer in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb. Simmer over medium heat until just tender but still intact, 1 to 2 minutes (do not overcook or rhubarb will be mushy). Using slotted spoon, transfer rhubarb to platter and cool completely. DO AHEAD: Beets and rhubarb can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Finely grate enough peel from 1 orange to measure 1/2 teaspoon; transfer to small bowl and reserve for dressing. Cut off peel and white pith from all oranges. Working over medium bowl to catch juice and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release orange segments into bowl; squeeze membranes to release juice into bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons orange juice to bowl with orange peel. Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, honey, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil into bowl with orange peel and orange juice mixture. Season dressing with coarse salt and pepper.

Arrange watercress, beets, rhubarb, and orange segments on 6 plates. Sprinkle with feta and drizzle with dressing.

Pasta for leftover beets

# 1/3 cup pine nuts
# 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
# 2 large onions, quartered lengthwise through root end, sliced crosswise (about 4 cups)
# 3 garlic cloves, minced
# 2 bunches 2-inch-diameter golden beets with fresh healthy greens; beets peeled, each cut into 8 wedges, greens cut into 1-inch-wide strips
# 12 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
# 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and onions to same skillet and sauté until beginning to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to sauté until onions are tender and browned, about 30 minutes longer. Add garlic and stir 2 minutes. Scatter beet greens over onions. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil over; cover and cook until beet greens are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook beets in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beets to medium bowl. Return water to boil. Add pasta to beet cooking liquid and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Stir onion-greens mixture and beets into pasta. Add pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Divide pasta among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve, passing additional cheese.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

It seems like I've been making a lot of chicken, but I remember us grilling a lot of steak. Since that's Blake thing I don't take pictures of it. This was tasty and good as leftovers that I took to school all week. I looked at a couple recipes (here's one, and here's another) but then I pretty much made it up. It's been a while so I don't quite remember what kind of soups I used (I don't think I used mushroom) and I don't remember exactly what I did. I'm kind of guessing with the directions now... I served it with a simple green salad and some frozen garlic bread sticks that were not so great.

Ingredients:
1 package chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 bag egg noodle
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can chicken broth
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt n Pepper to taste
unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
milk (how much?)
1/2 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1 cup coarsely crushed crackers

Directions:
Melt the butter in a pan and sautee the onion until soft. Meanwhile, boil water and cook noodles according to package instructions. Add in the soups and the chicken broth. Heat until well incorporated. Whisk flour with milk and add to the soup mixture to thicken it. When thickened, add in cubed chicken and heat through. Then add in shredded cheddar and gruyere. Grease a casserole dish with butter and preheat oven to 350. Drain noodles and stir into sauce mixture. Pour into casserole dish. Top with crushed crackers and a little more shredded cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbly. Let set before cutting and serving.

No Mayo Avocado Chicken Salad

I really liked this recipe which I followed off of a blog I saw on foodgawker. I just used about 2 cups of chicken from a precooked chicken I bought at the store. I ate it for lunch for a few days, stuffed in pita bread.

Ingredients

2 cups diced cooked chicken breasts (use cold)
1 small red onion, diced
1 small green apple, diced
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 avocado, mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 pita pockets, halved

1. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, avocado, red onion, apple, and salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice and stir to coat evenly.
2. Add the cooled chicken to mixture, Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
3. Spoon into pita pockets and serve with extra toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts or cheese!

Chicken with Mushroom and Artichoke in White Wine sauce

I found this recipe on Annie's Eats blog in an effort to make something healthy yet tasty. I think I liked this recipe. I made a stuffed Provencal tomato to go with it which we both really liked. I just cooked a little onion and garlic and mixed it with oil, breadcrumb, and parmesan and then stuffed and baked the tomatoes til they looked brown and done. I didn't really use a recipe for that. I also served it with some Uncle Ben's minute wild rice.

Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. herbes de provence (or a combination of other dried herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano, thyme)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (2 chicken breasts total)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Minced fresh parsley, for serving

Directions:
In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine the flour, dried herbs, salt and pepper and stir with a fork to blend. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. Using tongs, coat the chicken breast halves in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate; cover and keep warm.

Add the butter to the pan and warm until melted. Add the mushrooms and artichokes to the pan and cook until most of the liquid is released from the mushrooms and the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the white wine, chicken broth, and reserved tablespoon of flour; whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to the skillet, cooking until it is warm and slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the pan to warm through and cover with sauce. Serve the chicken with sauce spooned over the top, and garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley as desired.

Chicken Shitake Manicotti

I haven't posted anything I've made in a while. Things have been crazy since Blake and I got engaged and I've been spending much more of my computer time looking at wedding stuff. So I'm just going to post what I have even though I probably don't remember too much about it anymore.

I found this recipe on foodgawker, as usual. I think I pretty much followed the recipe. Mine came out a little thicker than I think I would have liked. It made a lot and I ate it for lunch for a few days though and it was good as leftovers. I served it with some crusty bread and green salad.

Preparation:
Olive oil
1 head garlic
1 cup dried shitake mushrooms
Boiling water

Manicotti:
6 manicotti, cooked to al dente
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1 large green onion, sliced, greens reserved
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
¼ tsp each salt and black pepper

Sauce:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
2 tbsp parmesan, grated
¼ tsp each salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off the top third of your garlic head, place it cut side up on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in the foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until soft. Set it aside to cool.

Place the mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to sit for about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and reserve the water for stock. Gently dry the mushrooms and then roughly dice. Reserve about a 1/ 4 cup for the sauce.

Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute then add the mushrooms, chicken and water. Cook for about 5 more minutes until everything is heated through. Stir in the parmesan, ricotta, salt and pepper. Set aside and allow to cool so that you can handle the filling.

In a sauce pan create a roux by melting the butter over medium heat, and then whisk in the flour to form a paste. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk constantly to smooth out any clumps. Return to the heat, still whisking, and allow the sauce to thicken to your desired consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon when it is ready.

Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the roasted garlic cloves (careful not to let any of the skins to fall in), parmesan, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Stir in the reserved mushrooms.

Spread 2 tbsp of the sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Divide the filling into six equal parts and fill each manicotti shell by hand or with a spoon. Place each shell in the baking dish, and then pour the remaining sauce over the top.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Then serve and garnish with the reserved onion greens, or scallions. Serves 2 to 3 people.

Squash Tart

Blake's parents came over for Labor Day and we grilled steaks yet again. I made this tart to use some more squash from our rawfully organic share. We also cut the beet slices into strips and added them to a salad with romaine, also from our share. This time I covered the tart and baked it longer so that the bottom was cooked better. I used pesto from a jar, which was pretty salty, so next time I wouldn't add more salt to the squash.

Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted
2 squash sliced thin
about half a jar of basil pesto
grated pecorino romano
salt, pepper, olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the puff pastry and score a border about 1 inch from the edge of the pastry to form the crust. Spoon pesto and spread to the edges of the rectangle formed in the middle of the pastry. Lay the squash slices in rows on top of the pesto. Brush the edges of the pastry crust with oil and brush the squash slices. Season with salt and pepper (or no salt), and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 15-25 minutes or cover when pastry is browned so that bottom of tart gets cooked all the way through.

Beets, Beet Greens, and Squash

Our rawfully organic share came with beets which Blake really was excited to use. I never cooked them before but it turned out to be easy. We also cooked the greens similar to the way we did the kale, but since they're not so bitter it didn't take so long. We also have a ton of squash so I roasted some in the oven and that also was pretty good. We had all this as sides for another steak Blake grilled, this time it was a NY strip.

Roasted Beets:

Cut the greens off the beets about an inch above the bulb. Lightly scrub the beets and wrap each individually in foil. Bake about 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Unwrap the beets and insert a knife smoothly to make sure they are done. Rub the beets under cold water and skin will come off. Slice and serve with herbed goat cheese spread or in salad etc.

Beet Greens:

Wash and dry beet greens, remove stems, and roughly chop. Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves. Add to about 3 tablespoons of oil in a cool pan. Bring to medium heat and brown garlic. Remove and toss out the garlic. Add the beet greens and toss as they begin wilting. Cover with lid and let wilt about 15 minutes until ready to serve.

Roasted Squash:

Slice 2 summer squash about a half an inch thick. Season with dried thyme, salt and pepper and olive oil. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, flipping each slice with tongs about half way through.

Braised Kale

We ordered a share from rawfully organic this past weekend and it came with a bundle of kale. I looked up some recipes and decided to braise it to take out some of the bitterness. We thought it was good and not bitter at all. We had this with a porterhouse steak that Blake grilled and cut up, and some long grain and wild instant rice.

Ingredients:
1 bundle of kale, washed, dried, stems removed, and chopped.
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
about 2 cups water
olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions:
Prepare the kale and chop the onion. Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sautee onion until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and sautee about 1 minute. Add kale and stir until wilted. Add 1/2 cup of water and let cook until evaporated. Add another 1/2 cup water and repeat until kale is almost melted. Add red wine vinegar and stir in. Cook until liquid evaporates and serve.

Twice Baked Potatoes

I wanted to make twice baked potatoes for Blake to go with dinner last week but we ran out of time and ended up picking food up. I made these the next night just for myself. I got a little impatient and microwaved the potatoes to get them all the way baked and I think that changed the texture. Next time I will try to make the filling mixture creamier. I had to add a lot of extra milk to get it to a decent consistency. This recipe is a little lighter than the one that I linked to, which uses gruyere and heavy cream instead of cheddar and sour cream.

Ingredients:
2 baking potatoes
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
half container sour cream
chives
leftover broccoli
salt, pepper

Directions:
Scrub and pierce the potatoes with a fork. Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for about an hour or until a knife inserts easily. Cut them in half and scrape out the inside into a bowl. Mix in the sour cream, cheddar, salt and pepper and cooked broccoli if using. When the mixture is smooth, spoon it back into the potato skin shells and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until browned on top.

Pad See Ew

I've always liked this dish at Thai restaurants so when I saw a recipe I really wanted to make it. I thought this would be simple to make in Blake's wok but it ended up being messy and difficult. The tofu was sticking to the wok so even after I added a ton of peanut oil I still decided to remove it and cook it in a nonstick pan so it would get crispy on the outside. In the end I was disappointed because I thought it was not as flavorful as it should have been. The first night we ate it with some sriracha and some lime juice and it was better, but I had to add more sauce to the large amount we had leftover.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
1/2 cup homemade mushroom soy sauce (soak dried shitakes in soy sauce for about a half hour)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Splash(s) of peanut or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 block tofu, cubed
1 egg
2 broccoli crowns cut into florets
8 ounces dry flat rice noodles
Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:
Cook the broccoli in the wok in a small amount of oil over medium heat until softened but still crisp. Add some water into the wok so it partially steams. Set broccoli aside. Cook tofu in a nonstick pan in a small amount of oil until browned on all sides. Meanwhile soak the noodles in warm water for until softened. Mix tofu and broccoli together and add in garlic. Stir and make a well in the center. Crack in the egg and scramble into the vegetables. Drain noodles well and add into the wok. Pour in the soy sauce and stir fry until dark brown. Serve garnished with lime and sriracha.

Vegetarian Dinner

Dru came over to Blake's house the other night so we made him a vegetarian dinner. I decided to make a tart after looking at some of the vegetable dishes on the closet cooking blog. I decided to make a pasta I'd seen on foodgawker. It was good but Blake would prefer pastas with sauce in the future. The mushroom tart was good, but the dough was a little raw in the middle. Next time I will cover it after the pastry is browned so that it can stay in the oven cooking a little longer.

Rigatoni Pepperonata

Ingredients:
1 box of rigatoni
3 peppers, red, yellow, and orange
2 tbsp chopped capers
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
basil
parsley
pine nuts, toasted
olive oil
crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper
pecorino romano or parmesan

Directions:
Heat oven to 400. Spread the pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the capers, vinegar, crushed red pepper, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until heated though, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the pasta and pine nuts to the skillet and cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Add parsley, basil and Parmesan cheese.

Mushroom Tart

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
1 bag baby portobellos, sliced
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup white wine
handful parsley
1/2 cup grated gruyere

Directions:
Heat oil in a pan over medium low heat. Sautee onions until soft and carmelized, about 20 minutes. Add butter and let it melt. Then sautee mushrooms and cook down about another 15 minutes. Add in thyme and garlic. Stir in and season with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine. Heat oven to 400. Meanwhile, roll out puff pastry dough and score a border about an inch from the edge all the way around. Spread mushroom and onion mix into the center rectangle. Top with grated gruyere. Brush the outside dough crust with oil and bake about 15-25 minutes. When crust gets browned, cover the tart with foil and continue baking. Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Cut into squares and serve.

Hasselback potatoes

I saw this in the Ad Hoc at home cookbook I looked through at a Williams Sonoma recently and thought it looked so cool. I found a recipe on foodgawker and made it a few weeks ago. Blake grilled steaks and sauteed some asparagus in olive oil with garlic.

Ingredients:
russet potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
salt, pepper, olive oil, thyme

Directions:
Heat oven to 400. Scrub potatoes clean and lay on their flattest side. Slice the potatoes thinly but only about 2/3 of the way down. Slice garlic thinly and shove pieces in between some of the potato slices. Stuff in some thyme and salt and pepper as well. Massage in the oil. Bake for about 1 hour.

Tofu Noodle Stir Fry

I made this a couple weeks ago for dinner. I liked it pretty well for not being a big fan of tofu. I didn't post right away and now I can't find the recipe I used so I am just trying to remember.

Ingredients
1 package extra firm tofu
1 bag snow peas
1 chunk of ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic
soy sauce
1 package ramen egg noodles
scallions

Directions
Cut tofu into cubes. Marinate in soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Reserve sauce to use after. Then cook in a small amount of peanut oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat until browned on all sides. Meanwhile boil water and cook noodles. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add snow peas to tofu, then noodles, and reserved sauce. Stir fry until heated through. Top with scallions.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I made this for dinner on Tuesday. I looked at recipes online, but ended up just kind of winging it in the kitchen. I served it with a simple green salad with balsamic dressing and frozen garlic breadsticks. Blake liked it and was happy to have a good all beef meatball.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, chopped
about 1/2 cup bread crumbs
about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
splash of milk
salt and pepper
1 box Pomi marinara
fresh basil
half box thick bucatini pasta
olive oil

Directions:
Mix ground beef, egg, garlic, bread crumbs, parmesan, milk, and salt and pepper. Shape into balls and place on parchment paper. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick over medium high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Remove browned meatballs from pan and drain on paper towels. Wipe out pan and add marinara sauce. Season to taste. When pasta is ready, drain and place in serving bowls. Put meatballs into marinara sauce and toss. Top pasta with meatballs and sauce and sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil.

Baked Chicken Tender Dinner

I made this meal for dinner this past Monday. It came out well, especially the sweet potatoes, which Blake said were restaurant worthy. He also liked the broccoli salad which was unusual because he said he usually doesn't like raw broccoli. The sweet potato recipe came from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and I followed the recipe exactly. Then for the chicken, I basically used a recipe from dlyn, but I changed it according to what we already had in Blake's kitchen. I didn't measure for this one. I looked at some recipes for broccoli salad, but ended up just making it myself. I probably didn't need to buy 3 broccoli crowns, because we had plenty left over.

Chicken Ingredients:
1 package organic chicken tenders
about 1 cup of milk
about 1/2 tsp of salt. pepper, garlic powder, paprika
about 1 cup bread crumbs
about 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme, garlic powder, italian seasoning, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper
a pinch of fresh thyme
olive oil

Directions:
Marinate the chicken tenders in the milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika for up to 24 hours. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400. Mix bread crumbs and seasonings on a plate. Shake off chicken so it is not dripping, and press into breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Set on a rack over parchment paper for about half an hour so breading sets. Drizzle with olive oil and place oiled side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Drizzle the other side with olive oil and bake for about 12 minutes. Then flip over and bake another 9 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
2.5 tbsp olive oil
2.5 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Place in bag and add olive oil, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix and let sit for about 15-30 minutes. Grease a pyrex and dump in potatoes. Drizzle with honey. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.

Broccoli Ingredients:
3 broccoli crowns
about 1/4 red onion
1/2 cup dried cherries and golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Brianna's poppyseed dressing

Directions:
Cut broccoli crowns into small pieces. Dice onion small. Mix all ingredients together and dress. Chill and serve.

Skirt Steak and Grilled Corn Salad

Blake and I made this together the other night and it was delicious. Blake loved it and told me to definitely remember this one, especially the marinade for the steak. He did the grilling, so this was a really easy and simple meal with not a lot of clean up. I saw the recipe for the salad in Better Homes and Gardens magazine while I was waiting to see my dentist. I went to Whole Foods right after to get the ingredients and decided to get some steak to go with it.

Steak:
1 skirt steak, cut to size for two
juice of half a large juicy lime
salt, pepper, olive oil
3 tablespoons cilantro dressing and dipping sauce (I bought at Central Market)
small handful of cilantro, torn up

Place steak in bag and add marinade ingredients. Toss to coat steak. Marinate for at least 45 minutes at room temperature. Grill to medium rare. Rest, slice and serve.

Salad:
1 english cucumber, sliced
1 pint blueberries
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/3 red onion, sliced thinly
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
5 ears of corn, grilled, and cut
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
Mix lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin and salt together. Chop all ingredients and mix together. Dress with lime mixture. Serve at room temperature.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Blake wasn't feeling well so he asked me to make mushroom barley soup for him. We ate it for dinner last night and lunch today. It would have served about 6 people. I basically used the recipe from this blog. I served it with some french bread and the Amish butter Blake bought at Spec's a while back. Today we melted some provolone on the leftover baguette and dropped it in the soup.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1 package of shitaki mushrooms, chopped, with stems removed
1 bag of baby portobellos, sliced, stems removed
1 bag of white button mushrooms, sliced, stems removed
Salt
2 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 48 oz box of reduced sodium chicken broth
1 32 oz box of beef broth
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Directions:
Melt the butter in a dutch oven. Sautee the onions over medium low heat about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add in the mushrooms and salt and cook until browned and liquid has almost absorbed. Add carrots and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add broth, barley, and thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for about 50 minutes.

Goat Cheese Pasta

I wanted to use up the leftover cheese from the Poblano pepper recipe so I decided to try this pasta I found on the TLC website. It was pretty good, although it got a little dry halfway through eating it. I did add some water right when I mixed the pasta with the cheese mixture, but it could have used some more. I used thyme, wine, and pine nuts, instead of sage, broth, and walnuts, because that's what I had. This is a similar recipe I have saved also.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) goat cheese
1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
linguine
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook slowly until golden and caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, combine goat cheese and milk in small bowl; stir until well blended. Set aside and cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and set aside. Add garlic to onions in skillet; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine, thyme, salt and pepper; cook until moisture is evaporated. Remove from heat; add pasta and goat cheese mixture, stirring to melt cheese. Sprinkle with nuts.

Asian beef salad

I made this recipe from Donna Hay pretty much just as it appears, except I used ground beef. I took a picture with my iphone, but next time I checked it had mysteriously disappeared. I really liked this meal because I like the herbs and vietnamese flavors, but Blake wasn't crazy about it. It grew on him and he ended up eating it all, but he thought it was kind of a weird meal. I'll probably just make this for myself next time I have a craving for a light herby salad.

Stuffed Poblano Pepper

When we got back from Switzerland I wanted to make some healthy meals. I tried this stuffed pepper recipe because it looked really good on Real Simple but it didn't look as nice when I made it. The poblanos were very difficult to peel and then did not have any shape to hold the filling. I also made a sauce because I thought it would look nicer served on a sauce. I had a ton of extra filling, so the sauce was good with that. I also made guacamole and baked tortilla chips as a side dish. I learned that 1 large avocado makes plenty guacamole for 2 people.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
2 poblano chili peppers
3/4 cups corn kernels, fresh (from 3 ears) or thawed frozen
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:
Cut and clean out peppers, broil in oven on foiled baking sheet until blackened. Meanwhile, cook rice and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the corn, beans, cooked rice, oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Using your fingers or a paring knife, peel the poblanos and discard the skins. Divide the poblano halves among individual plates. Spoon the rice mixture over the tops and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve at room temperature.

Sauce:
I used one small can of tomato sauce and seasoned it with cheyenne, taco sauce, and cinnamon and heated until slightly thickened. I spooned it on the plate before placing the peppers and filling on top.

Guacamole: chop and mix all ingredients together. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Bake tortilla chips at 400 for about 15 minutes.
2 large avocados
1 roma tomato
1/4 red onion
cilantro
lime juice
salt