Oven Baked Tilapia

Sooo...this was my first attempt to cook fish...ever. It turned out pretty good. The recipe was very easy and knowing how good fish is for me, I'll probably do it again. I got the recipe from my former roommate, Trevor.

Before baking but it looked the same when

it was cooked, just whiter.

Ingredients:

tilapia fillets

milk

butter

lemon pepper

lowry's seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup.

3. Rinse the fish with water and pat dry.

4. Melt butter and a bit of milk and brush over fish.

5. Sprinkle on lemon pepper and Lowry's seasoning. We used a good bit of both just because neither Lauren nor I are huge fans of fish.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is white and flakes easily with a fork.

pasta with mushrooms, chicken, and red wine

Another recipe from our new cookbook Food Matters.  Pasta and mushrooms is one of my favorite combinations on earth.  I didn't think the chicken added much to this dish and would just leave it out next time, personally, but it does make the recipe heartier.

Ingredients


2 tbsp olive oil, or more as needed
8 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, cut into chunks
1-1/2 lbs mushrooms, preferably assorted; sliced
1 onion, julienned thin
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
8 oz any pasta; cooked reserving about 1 c. cooking liquid
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup parm, grated (optional) Add Cooking Step Directions

1. Heat oil and saute chicken and cook until no longer pink; remove to a plate.
2. Add a little more oil if needed and saute onions and mushrooms; season. Stir once, cover and cook, undisturbed for 5-7 mins or until mushrooms have release some liquid. Remove lid, increase heat nd cook, undisturbed for 3-5 mins or until mushrooms just begin to stick.
3. Return chicken to pan and add wine and rosemary.
4. Toss in pasta to pan, adding cooking water as needed to moisten; season and garnish with parsley and parm.

Cooks Illustrated: chicken pot pie with savory crumble topping

source: Cooks Illustrated
prepared by: David
serves: 8-10

I love chicken pot pie - especially once it starts to get cold outside.  Temperatures haven't started to drop in Houston yet, nevertheless this was a delicious way to welcome October.  David made it for dinner Sunday night (he is away this week) and so far I have been able to eat it again on Monday and Tuesday and there is about half a pan left. I think it will last all week! It's different from the traditional pot pie recipe like Aunt Ro makes because it doesn't have a crust - just a topping.
Crumble Topping
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Filling
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/o thighs
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
2 small celery ribs, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
Table salt and ground black pepper
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and sliced thin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% lowfat milk
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup frozen baby peas

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until chicken is just done, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.


2. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour.Pulse butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and pulse until just combined. Crumble/clump mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to ¾ inch each onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside. Do NOT bake this until it’s entirely crispy, because it’s going to bake again. This initial baking will keep the crust from soaking up all of the sauce and getting mushy, and will allow it to all crisp up nicely in the final baking.
3. FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes.Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, mushrooms are well browned, and dark fond begins to form on surface of pan, about 5 minutes.Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables. Set aside. Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir chicken-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce. Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish or casserole dish of similar size. Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve

Pureed White Beans with Tons of Fresh Herbs

The second new cookbook David bought is "The Food Matters Cookbook" by, you guessed it, Mark Bittman. As I've mentioned before we are Bittman aficionados and I am pretty excited about many of the recipes in this book.  The premise is also one that I believe in, having lived almost a decade without eating meat.  Bittman outlines 5 tenants to healthy eating, the first and foremost being to cut down on eating animal products.  We've been trying to substitute fish or vegetable based meals for meaty ones on weeknights, our recent, and overdue, discovery of grilled eggplant has gone a long way towards helping us accomplish this goal! In terms of cutting down on other animal products (read: cheese) some of us still have a lot of work to do!

Last Wednesday DLG cooked Pureed White Beans with Tons of Fresh Herbs.  He added prosciutto, so it wasn't vegetarian, but it was delicious! (Mom, I know if you are reading this you are cringing at the idea of "pureed prosciutto" but it was worth it!)   David didn't blend it, but did all the chopping by hand so it still had a good texture. He served it with sauteed kale which is, slowly, growing on me. As a disclaimer, don't judge this recipe by the photo below. 

Source: Mark Bittman
Prepared by: David
Serves: (we ate it Thursday too!)

Optional additions: bits of crumbled bacon, sausage, or prosciutto, or a small piece of simply cooked chicken or fish. David used prosciutto.


1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 leek, white part and some of the green, trimmed, well rinsed, and chopped; or 1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped mixed mild herbs, like parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, or chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, tarragon, or thyme
3 cups cooked or canned cannellini, navy, or other white beans, drained, liquid reserved
About 1 cup bean-cooking liquid, stock or water, or more as needed
Salt and black pepper

1. Put the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped herbs and cook a minute or 2 more.
2. If you want the mixture super-smooth, transfer it—along with the beans—to a blender, food processor, or food mill and process, adding as much liquid as you need to make a smooth but not watery puree. If you want a lumpier texture, mash the beans right in the pan with a fork or potato masher, adding liquid slowly to get them as soupy as you like.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; taste and add more if necessary. Heat and serve immediately or keep warm over low heat for up to an hour or so. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Arroz a la Tumbada con Camarones

Last weekend we visited the Borders Going Out of Business Sale where David got two new cookbooks.  His favorite cuisine is Mexican so he was particularly excited to find a discounted copy of The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy.  Our recipe for corn soup was originally published in this book, although republished in the 150 Best American Recipes.  At nights this past week David could be found diligently reading his two new books.  Tonight he prepared his first recipe from the new Mexican cookbook.  Tomorrow's dinner recipe comes from the other new book.

Prepared by: David
Serves:4

source: modified from The Essential Cuisines of Mexico



1 c olive oil
1.5 lbs shrimp unshelled
salt
12 oz tomato finely chopped
3/4 c finely chopped onion
1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1.5 cups long grained rice (David used risotto)
5 cups water or fish broth (David used his homemade shrimp stock)
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 tbsp chives chopped
2 tbsp mint chopped
1 tsp drained Mexican oregano
David added saffron

Heat olive oil in dutch oven, add shrimp and salt and stir fry over high heat one minute. Remove shrimp. In the same oil fry tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper - 5  minutes. Stir in rice and add water (shrimp stock in our case) and salt to taste (and saffron if you want to follow David's modifications).  (Here David cooked it like a risotto so it took a bit longer).  Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Add shrimp and herbs and continue cooking over medium heat until rice is tender.  Consistency should be soupy. 

fajitas

Fajitas and Houston go hand-in-hand.  In fact, it is rumored that this delectable Tex Mex dish was invented here at Ninfas on Navigation.  Houstonians have high standards when it comes to fajitas and everyone has his own opinion as to which restaurant serves up the best.  In addition to Ninfas, my favorites include Lupe Tortilla, El Tiempo, and, I am happy to report, David Gorney's.  Not surprisingly David's fajitas are savory enough to compete with the best of Houston.  The sole weakness is the tortilla, although he bought them fresh (and still warm) from the Mexican market - they are no substitute for those at Lupe's.  David's beef, however, waswithout question the best I have ever tasted in my 27 years.  Complete credit, however, cannot be ascribed to David's cooking alone.  A neighborhood butcher recently opened a few blocks from our house in the Heights.  Revival Market sells Texas products from Houston Dairy Maids cheeses, to meats and produce and fresh bread.  In the few months since Revival has opened it's become our go-to stop (particularly on week nights) for delicious baby arugula from Wood Duck Farms in Texas and fresh ciabatta.  You can read about Revival's philosophy on grass-fed beef on their website, so I won't go int details here beyond to say that the skirt steaks (which David assures me is a mediocre cut of beef despite my conviction that it ranks the most flavorful) we have purchased there) are divine.

David marinated the skirt steak overnight in lime, soy sauce, garlic and ginger.  He grilled bell peppers and onions and used cilantro, cheddar or mixed (colby/jack) cheese as well as fresh jalapeno, and pico de gallo for topping. 

Chicken Adobo

Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo is David's favorite chicken recipe.  It's far from my favorite (rosemary and lemon-esque flavors trump soy in my personal palette, and I'm still working to develop David's affinity for rice).  Nevertheless, this is a good dish and I would recommend it, especially if you are looking for a new way to cook the same old chicken.

CHICKEN ADOBO (as copied from the NYT 

Time: 45 minutes

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white or rice vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 dried chipotle pepper

1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up (with legs separated from thighs); or use 2 pounds bone-in thighs or leg/ thigh pieces cut in two.

1. Combine all ingredients with 1 cup water in a covered pot large enough to hold the chicken in one layer. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to medium-low or low (you want a slow simmer, nothing more). Cook, covered, about 30 minutes, turning once or twice, until chicken is cooked through. (You may prepare the recipe in advance up to this point; refrigerate the chicken, in the liquid, for up to a day before proceeding.)

2. Meanwhile, start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill or broiler. The fire need not be too hot, but place the rack just 3 or 4 inches from the heat source.

3. Remove chicken, and dry it gently with paper or cloth towels. Boil liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 1 cup; discard bay leaves and chipotle; keep sauce warm. Meanwhile, grill or broil chicken until brown and crisp, 5 minutes per side. Serve chicken with sauce and white rice.

Yield: 4 servings.

fennel, red pepper, and mushroom salad & mussels in beer

Last night was Mediterranean night at our house.  David prepared delicious fennel salad and mussels cooked in beer.  Our old mussel recipe was from the same cookbook and "mussels with smoky bacon,lime, and cilantro" prepared with bacon and white wine and ketchup -- the new one, is based on the old recipe (which is posted here) but substituted beer for wine, and took out the ketchup and bacon - neither of which I was particularly fond of.  If you can find Mediterranean mussels definitely use those, the ones featured in these photos are Canadian, much smaller, tasty, but no match for their Mediterranean counterpart.

Salad:
prepared by: David
serves: 4-6
source: The 150 Best American Recipes

2 pounds fennel bulbs, trimmed, quartered and cut into very thin crosswise slices
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut in thin 2-inch slices
8 mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced (1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives
2 ounces shaved Parmesan

For the dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove, very finely minced or pressed
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss with the salad and serve.

Mussels:
prepared by: David
serves: 4 (we eat them all though)
source: 150 Best American Recipes + David's improvements


1/4 pound thick-sliced lean smoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces - we leave this out
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 large jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced into rings, seeds removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or one 14 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained - we use 1 roma tomato only
1/2 cup dry white wine - we substitute a bottle of beer
2 Tablespoons ketchup
3 1/2 pounds medium mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Bread, for dipping in the juice

Cook bacon in a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add shallots and jalapeño, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add wine and ketchup and simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Increase heat to high and add mussels. Cover and cook, shaking pan a few times until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer the mussels to four large serving bowls. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir in the lime juice, cilantro and butter. Ladle the sauce over the mussels and serve at once with the bread.

Pizza Pockets

This recipes comes straight from Pillsbury. I saw a commercial for it a while back and decided to try it. We tweaked it a little bit but will definitely make it again.

The official recipe is here:

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/crescent-pizza-pockets/12e72fb4-088a-4e51-856e-44db932fa8f5/

Ingredients:

crescent rolls

pizza sauce

mozzarella cheese

pepperoni

garlic powder* (our addition)

Step by step images on how to assemble in a clockwise order.

You can follow the recipe from the Pillsbury website, but we did make a few changes.

Unroll the crescent rolls.

Separate into 4 rectangles (2 rolls apiece) and press the perforations to seal them.

Spoon a tablespoon or more of pizza sauce onto half of the rectangle.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of cheese and a few dashes of garlic powder. We may also add some oregano next time.

Layer 4-6 pepperonis on top.

The original recipe calls for folding them diagonally, but reviews say it works best to fold them into squares instead.

Use a fork to seal the edges and then poke a few holes on top to allow steam to escape.

Bake them on an ungreased cookie sheet for 11-13 minutes until golden brown.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I rarely ever make homemade pizza but this one is extremely easy and tasty. This is a bit more healthy and not quite as greasy as a pepperoni pizza.

Specific ingredients that I use.

Before baking.

Finished product.

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pizza crust

BBQ sauce

cooked chicken (approximately 1-1.5 breasts)

mozzarella cheese (approx. 1.5 cups)

onions (optional)

Follow the instructions on the pizza crust container to see whether or not you need to prebake it and at what temperature.

Spread a thin layer of barbecue sauce over the crust.

Cook the chicken and cut into strips (or warm the chicken if you use the precooked frozen strips). Spread this over the sauce.

Cover with your desired amount of mozz. cheese (and onions if you want)

Bake according to the instructions on the crust container. Crust should turn golden brown and cheese should be melted when done.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe came from Martin's grandmother. This is one of the recipes I used for Mom and Dad's Christmas present. It freezes really well.

Looks strange because I tried it in a 9 x 13 pan.

But it still tasted just as good- added more crust per bite.

Ingredients:

~1.5 chicken breasts

1 package of frozen vegetables (your choice)

1 can cream of chicken

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional, but my house and I agree it is necessary if you like cheese)

1 rolled pie crust (I use the refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts)

Boil the chicken in salted water until done and then shred. Save the water for the broth or just use the store-bought kind.

Mix the cream of chicken, frozen vegetables, broth, spices, chicken, and potentially the cheese together in a large bowl.

You can use pretty much any kind of pan for this. For the frozen ones, I found deep aluminum round dishes, but this makes for a very thick pie (3"). I made this one in a 9 x 13" pan and had to stretch the crust to have a top and bottom layer. Katie makes this in a 8 x 10" pan and then lattices all the crust in strips over the top. If you do use a round dish, make sure it is a deep one and try to fold the edges of the bottom layer of crust over the top layer of crust with your thumbs.

*Don't forget to poke a few air holes in the top of the crust.

Bake at 350 degrees until hot in the middle (edges may brown and bubble). Approximately 30-60 minutes. I know that's a broad range but it depends if it's still partly frozen as well.

**I usually just boil an entire pack of chicken breasts and make two pies at once to put one in the freezer. A lot of work up-front but a delicious result.

Steelers Super-Bowl-Bound Championship Chili

Inspired by Katie and Martin's recent chili post David decided to make-up a batch of his own lucky chili for the big game. It worked! Maybe a new championship game tradition in our house!

Source: Cooks Illustrated

Preapred by: David

Serves: 6-8

You will need:
Table salt

½ pound dried pinto beans (about 1 cup), rinsed and picked over
6 dried ancho chiles (about 1 ¾ ounces), stems and seeds removed, and flesh torn into 1-inch pieces (see note)
2-4 dried árbol chiles , stems removed, pods split, and seeds removed (see note)
3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium onions , cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3 small jalapeño chiles , stems and seeds removed and discarded, and flesh cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons light molasses
3 ½ pounds blade steak , ¾ inch thick, trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into ¾-inch pieces (see note)
1 (12-ounce) bottle mild-flavored lager , such as Budweiser

Prep:
1. Combine 3 tablespoons salt, 4 quarts water, and beans in large Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse well.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place ancho chiles in 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat; toast, stirring frequently, until flesh is fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, reducing heat if chiles begin to smoke. Transfer to bowl of food processor and cool. Do not wash out skillet.

3. Add árbol chiles, cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa, and ½ teaspoon salt to food processor with toasted ancho chiles; process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. With processor running, very slowly add ½ cup broth until smooth paste forms, about 45 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer paste to small bowl. Place onions in now-empty processor bowl and pulse until roughly chopped, about four 1-second pulses. Add jalapeños and pulse until consistency of chunky salsa, about four 1-second pulses, scraping down bowl as necessary.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated and vegetables are softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chili paste, tomatoes, and molasses; stir until chili paste is thoroughly combined. Add remaining 2 cups broth and drained beans; bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer.

5. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Add half of beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer meat to Dutch oven. Add ½ bottle lager to skillet, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Transfer lager to Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil, steak, and lager. Once last addition of lager has been added to Dutch oven, stir to combine and return mixture to simmer.

6. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until meat and beans are fully tender, 1½ to 2 hours. Let chili stand, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir well and season to taste with salt before serving.

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil (al Limone)

Another delicious sauce-less recipe and my current favorite!  Sorry pasta porcini you have slipped from the #1 spot.  If ya'll like it maybe David could cook it the night before the Bridge Run. 

Prepared by: David
Source: Cooks Illustrated
You will need:

Table Salt
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 3 lemons
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

Prep:

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1 & 3/4 cups cooking water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 & 1/2 cups reserved pasta cooking water and cream into pot; bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat, return pasta, and stir until coated. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

3. Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining 1/4 cup reserved pasta water if necessary. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual portions with oil and sprinkling with cheese.

NOTE: Let the dish rest briefly before serving so the flavors develop and the sauce thickens.

George's Chili

*From Sister Schubert's Cookbook: Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters

Martin and I tried a new chili recipe tonight, and it was delicious and pretty easy! We eat chili on a regular basis during the winter, so we've tried out quite a few recipes. This is our favorite one yet. We may try it with chicken next time!

2 pounds ground chuck
1 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
4 TB chili powder
2-3 tsp sea salt
1 TB sugar
1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (We used Martin's grandma's homeade canned tomatoes)
2 TB black pepper

Optional
2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans
We also added 1 can of black beans

Using a large pot, combine beef, onion, garlic and cumin, cooking over medium heat until meat is browned and onions are tender. Drain excess fat.

Add spices, sugar and tomatoes, simmering over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to correct seasoning (my favorite part). If you like, add well-drained kidney beans and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Do not overcook the beans.

Makes 6-8 servings (Made A LOT)

Enjoy!

Saucy Ravioli with Meatballs

Really easy and hearty meal.

Got this recipe from the slow cooker book Tiffany got me. The recipe in the book creates a huge meal so I adapted the amounts to work for a smaller group. Still a lot of food though.

Ingredients:

26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce. (recipe calls for sauce with mushrooms and onions and I used four cheese sauce)

24 ounce package of frozen ravioli (I used store brand cheese ravioli)

12 ounce package of frozen cooked Italian meatballs, thawed

1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Snipped fresh basil (optional)

Lightly coat the slow cooker with cooking spray and add a layer of sauce to the bottom. Layer 1/2 the ravioli, all the meatballs, 1/2 the cheese, more sauce, the rest of the ravioli, cheese and sauce. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4.5 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting 2.5 to 3 hours.

Add the parmesan and basil at the end if wanted.

Grab a bag of Caesar salad mix and some garlic bread and make this an amazing meal!

Mexican Delight

View from the top.

Finally! The recipe for the famous Mexican Delight, shared by many and loved by all.

Very simple.

Ingredients:

1 tube of crescent rolls

1 lb taco meat (ground beef, taco seasoning, water)

1.5 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

I usually make this in a 8" x 8" glass pan. Cook the taco meat on the stove. Use half of the crescent rolls to line the bottom of the pan. Next, add a layer of cooked meat and 1.5 cups of cheese. Cover all of this with the other half of the crescent rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Done. Easy. Delicious.

Chips and salsa are standard. Occasionally, I make spanish rice as a side too.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Quesadillas

Source: Real Simple Magazine - with modifications
Prepared by: Andrea
Serves: 2

You will need:
4 oz goat cheese
4 soft taco sized mission tortillas
arugula leaves
olive oil
Sliced roasted red peppers (about 2-3 whole ones) I prefer DeLallo because they come Pittsburgh!

Drizzle some olive oil in sauce pan.  Place a tortilla shell on top and crumble about 2 oz of goat cheese over the tortilla.  Top with arugula leaves then top with sliced red peppers, salt and pepper.  Cover with another tortilla and drizzle some more olive oil.  Cook about 3 min per side until brown.

This recipe is designed to be an appetizer - slice the final product into 8 slices and serve.  We enjoyed it as a main course tonight though.  I also decided to add a new label to our blog: "Quick". For recipes that can be prepared in almost no time at all.  This meal definitely falls into that category.

Slow Cooker Chicken Barbeque

• Got this recipe from allrecipes.com and loved it. Very simple yet all my roommates and I thought it was delicious!

• Ingredients:
• 6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Original)
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Texas Pete (not called for in the original recipe but I shook some in for more flavor)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
2. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

I did this with 4 chicken breasts and upped each amount a little bit. After ~3.5 hours on high, I took a potato masher and shredded the chicken in the crockpot. Served on buns with roasted carrots and forgot to take any pictures.

Fresh Silver Salmon

Scour the Kenai river by boat during the months of August and September for the perfect silver salmon approximately 9-12 lbs.  Clean and fillet the fish and vacuum seal for travel.  Overnight fish to GA, SC, or TX.  Upon arrival, thaw fish, season with salt, pepper, and olive oil and grill until just cooked - about five minutes.


Caught by Brian, Dad, and David
Cooked by: David

crab cakes

It's a Cutruzzula family tradition to celebrate Christmas eve with the feast of the 7 fishes.  Historic family law stipulates that the term "fish", as applied on this holiest of nights, encompasses not only aquatic vertebrate, but also, crustaceans, cephalopods, and bivalves.  Fried shrimp make an annual appearance as does tuna-fish-macaroni (capellini with tuna and tomato sauce).  This past Christmas David prepared his crab cakes.  My mom was asking for the recipe today, so I thought I might as well post it in case anyone else is looking for a good crab cake recipe.  (The only photo I took was before they were fried!)  I am sure since these were made in Pittsburgh that the jalapeno was left out, but usually he includes it!

Prepared by: David 

Serves: 6 (we made them a bit smaller and got 10)

Source: the New York Times Magazine Jason Epstein - with minor changes

You will need:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for sautéeing

1 cup finely chopped scallions (including some green stem)

1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeño pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons dry mustard

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 pounds jumbo lump crabmeat, drained well, patted dry, picked over 

2 eggs 

2 cups bread crumbs 

1 to 2 tablespoons oilve oil 

Prep:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté scallions and jalapeño about 2 minutes, until bright green. Add the heavy cream and heat to boiling. Stir over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and pepper. Cool 5 minutes. Place the crabmeat in a large bowl. Stir in the scallion mixture. Form uniform cakes by placing spoonfuls of the crab mixture on a cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator to harden, about 2 hours. When ready to serve, beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working with half of the crab cakes at a time (keep remaining cakes in the refrigerator), dip each cake into the beaten eggs and coat with crumbs. Sauté until browned, 2 to 3 minutes on each side (turning cakes only once or they will break up). Drain on paper towels and serve.