Thursday, August 28, 2008

Pork Stir-fry


I bought a couple pork tenderloins because they were on sale this week. I roasted both of them, then I was going to decide what to do with them. For the first one, I made a pork stir-fry. It turned out ok, but nothing special. Update: after letting it sit the flavors started to really meld together and the dish was good!

Pork Stir-Fry

1 lb pork tenderloin
1/2 cup garlic hoisin sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili sauce
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp oil
2 tbsp cornstarch, in 1/4 cup cold water
12 oz package stir-fry veggies (carrot, broccoli, snow peas)
Serve with rice

Roast pork tenderloin in oven at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes (you can also skip this step and just stir-fry the pork in the wok).
Combine hoisin, honey, chili flakes, soy sauce, chili sauce, and ginger and stir well.
Add oil to wok.
Add veggies and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
Add sauce to wok and stir-fry for another 3 minutes.
Add cornstarch mixture.
Add diced pork, and stir fry another minute.
Serve with rice.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Grilled Bacon Cheeseburger


I was craving a burger last night. My husband had class late, and I was just relaxing at home in my pajamas. He called to see what I was having for dinner. I was just going to make some simple spaghetti, but instead I ran to the store and grilled out some great burgers!! I lightened up a regular burger by using ground sirloin, turkey bacon, and 1/2 of a slice of 2% milk cheese. These burgers really hit the spot. I served the burgers with some oven roasted red skin potatoes with cumin.


Grilled Bacon Cheeseburger

1 lb ground sirloin
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 small red onion
pinch salt and pepper

Toppings

4 slices cooked turkey bacon
2% milk cheese singles
mustard, ketchup, and mayo
sliced red onion
sliced roma tomato
4 hamburger buns

Mix sirloin with salt, pepper, and Worchestershire sauce.
Grate in the onion.
Mix and form into 4 patties.
Grill patties on medium high for 6 minutes per side.
Melt a half piece of cheese of each patty and serve with toppings.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Fresh Corn Risotto





I had a few ears of grilled corn leftover and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had my eye on Liz's Fresh Corn Risotto from Food and Wine magazine. http://lizscookingblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/inspiration-food-and-wine-and-fresh.html


The risotto came out great. It was creamy and delicious.


Fresh Corn Risotto

6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice (12 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup white corn kernels (from 2 ears)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Salt and freshly ground pepper


In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil with the bay leaf.
Keep the stock warm over very low heat.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.
Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring until opaque, about 3 minutes.
Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until completely absorbed, about 1 minute.
Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until nearly absorbed.
Continue adding the stock 1 cup at a time and stirring until it is absorbed between additions.
After about half of the stock has been added, stir in the corn, then add the remaining stock.
The rice is done when it's al dente and creamy, about 25 minutes total.
Stir in the cheese and butter; season with salt and pepper.
Discard the bay leaf and serve.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Winner of book giveaway

I am now the proud winner of Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book Of Food And Drink edited by David Remnick. I won the book from Cathy from Noble Pig. She had a book giveaway for her birthday!! Visit her great blog about great food and wine.
http://noblepig.com/

Spaghetti Carbonara





This week it as my turn to pick a recipe for my cooking group. I have always wanted to make spaghetti carbonara. I have enjoyed it in restaurants, but have always been afraid of making it at home for some reason. I chose a recipe from the "bible of Italian cooking". The cookbook is The Silver Spoon. It is such a great reference for cooking Italian dishes. The carbonara turned out great. It was a quick and easy weeknight meal. I served it with grilled chicken.


Spaghetti Carbonara
from The Silver Spoon
Serves 4

2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup pancetta, diced
1 clove garlic
12 oz spaghetti
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup romano cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper
1/4 cup pasta cooking water

Melt the butter in a pan, add the pancetta and garlic and cook until the garlic turns brown.
Remove and discard the garlic.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and add to the pancetta.
Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the eggs, add half the cheese and salt and pepper.
Mix well so that the egg coats the pasta.
Add the remaining cheese and 1/4 cup pasta cooking water, and mix again and serve.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Steak Diane Dinner Party















My brother in law and sister in law came over for a dinner party. We all had a tough week (some of us worse than others). We had a lot of great food. Some was premade. Here are the recipes for what I made.

Menu
Shrimp Cocktail
Gouda cheese and crackers
Spinach dip and crackers
Smashed Garlic Cheddar Potatoes
Grilled Corn
Steak Diane
Chateau Gravat Medoc bordeaux 2005
Frappuccino Martinis
Angel food cake with berries and whipped cream
Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake


Smashed Garlic Cheddar Potatoes
2 lbs red skin potatoes
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk (more or less for desired consistency)
salt and pepper

Dice potatoes into 1 inch chunks.
Boil potatoes and garlic for 20 minutes until fork tender.
Drain potatoes and add cheese, milk, salt and pepper.
Mash with potato masher until mostly smooth.


Grilled Corn
6 ears corn
butter
salt and pepper

Remove husks and silks from corn and pat dry.
Grill on medium high for about 8 minutes (turning every 2 minutes).
Drizzle with butter and salt and pepper.


Steak Diane
Inspired by Paula Dean, but with much less butter
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of lemon
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
pinch salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves
4 ribeye steaks

Add butter and oil to pan.
Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to pan.
Cook until mushrooms are tender (about 7 minutes).
Stir in chopped parsley.
Salt and pepper the steaks.
Grill steaks on medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side.
Drizzle sauce or steaks.


Frappuccino Martini's
9 1/2 oz bottle Starbucks frapaccuccino coffee drink
1 1/2 oz Absolut vodka
chocolate syrup

Drizzle martini glass with chocolate syrup.
In a cocktail shaker, mix coffee and vodka.
Shake and pour into martini glass.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Shrimp Lemon Pepper Linguine and Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling




This is another recipe from my cooking group. This pasta dish turned out great. It had such a nice lemon flavor that was perfect for a hot summer night. I served this with a great Riesling. The wine was Chateau Ste Michelle from Columbia Valley Washington. Many Rieslings that I have tried recently have been too sweet. I felt that this wine had just a hint of sweetness, and wasn't too dry. It might become my favorite summer wine. It's also great that it was inexpensive!!
The pasta dish was from allrecipes.com. My changes are in blue.
For the wine in the dish I used a Pinot Grigio.
Shrimp Lemon Pepper Linguine

1 (8 ounce) package linguine pasta (used 16oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil (2 tbsp)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth (1 cup)
1/4 cup white wine (1/2 cup Pinot Grigio)
1 lemon, juiced (1 & 1/2)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (1tsp)
salt to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (3 tsp)
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup butter (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (4tbsp)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (used dried)

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine, and cook for 9 to 13 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and saute garlic about 1 minute. Mix in chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced by about 1/2.
Mix shrimp, butter, parsley, and basil into the saucepan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until shrimp is opaque. Stir in the cooked linguine, and continue cooking 2 minutes, until well coated.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Peach Salsa and Mango Salsa






Here is another recipe from my Weekend Wizards group. It's Rachael Ray's Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa. I made grilled pork tenderloin and grilled chicken. I also made our favorite mango salsa. We had plenty of choices. I think the mango salsa would also be delicious on fish.




Here is a link to her original recipe http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/beef-pork-lamb-recipes/grilled-pork-chops-with-peachy-hot-salsa/article.html


Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa
by Rachael Ray
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
June-July 2008

Adapted by ME

3 peaches, peeled and halved
1 lb pork tenderloin
1 avocado, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 serrano chili, diced
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

Dice peaches and place in medium bowl.
Stir in avocado, onion, chili, parsley, sugar, and lime juice.
Grill pork tenderloin on medium high heat for 8-9 minutes on each side.
Check to see that the internal temperature is about 155 degrees.
Let meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with peach salsa.

I would wait to add the avocado until the last minute, because the texture can get slimy if it sits too long.
I also served this with some grilled chicken.
I grilled to chicken breasts on medium high for about 9 minutes per side.
I also served this with my mango salsa.



Mango Salsa

2 mangos, diced
1 serrano chili, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
handful chopped cilantro

Combine above ingredients.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas




This is a quick and healthy meal that I have been making for years. The recipe came from an American Heart Association low-fat, low-cholesterol cookbook. I used a box of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water removed.

Here is the original recipe.


Ingredients
1 pound fresh spinach
Vegetable oil spray, if needed
15-ounce can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed if desired and drained
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
6 6-inch corn tortillas or fat-free flour tortillas
1/2 cup fat-free or light sour cream
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 ounces shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
2 medium Italian plum tomatoes, diced
2 green onions (green and white parts), thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions
Thoroughly rinse the spinach and remove the stems.

In a large pot, bring several quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Cook the spinach in the boiling water for 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, remove the spinach. Drain well in a colander. Using the back of a spoon, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a shallow nonstick baking pan or casserole dish with vegetable oil spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the spinach, black beans, salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Spoon one fourth of the mixture down the middle of one tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling, jelly-roll style. Place the tortilla with seam side down in the prepared baking pan or casserole dish. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the sour cream and lime juice. Remove the enchiladas from the oven. Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese, tomatoes, and green onions.

Bake for 5 minutes.

Black Bean Dip




This recipe was inspired by my Aunt Susie. She would make a dip similar to this at her parties. It is quick and delicious. Serve the dip with tortilla chips.


Black Bean Dip

15oz can black refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 roma tomato, diced
1 tbsp diced chilies
3 tbsp sour cream
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
tortilla chips

Spread refried beans on serving tray.
Layer on salsa, tomato, chilies, sour cream, lettuce, and cheese.

Enjoy!!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Breakfast Smoothie made by my husband



My husband often says that he doesn't know how to cook, or put a meal together. I remember him being able to make some good meals back when we were dating in college. I guess when he got a wedding ring on his finger, he lost all cooking skills!! One thing he will do is make smoothies.
Everything is approximated since I didn't actually make this!

Cherry Smoothie

1/2 cup pitted cherries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix above ingredients in blender and serve.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Veggie Pizza




I haven't found any local pizza that I like better than my own. I love the pizza from my hometown, but driving 80 miles to Cardo's just doesn't make sense.

I had to work today, so I needed something quick, easy, and delicious. This really hit the spot!!!


Veggie Pizza

1 frozen pizza crust (thawed overnight)
cornmeal
cooking spray
1/2 cup pizza sauce (canned)
a couple tbsps of diced onion
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Dash of dried basil and oregano
handful of fresh basil

Spray pizza sheet with non stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle pan with cornmeal.
Stretch dough to fit pan.
Spread sauce on dough.
Add garlic, onion, and green pepper.
Cover with cheeses.
Top with dried basil and oregano.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle pizza with fresh basil.