200 RECIPES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Another milestone is here

200 recipes!

So here it is!

The 200th recipe!

Doesn't it look absolutely delectable? 

Let me tell you this was pretty amazing and I'm so excited to share it with you as the

200th recipe!

Can you tell I'm excited?

So this hotdish (or as anyone outside of the state of MN calls it, casserole) is AMAZING!

I knew as soon as I read the part in the recipe about caramelizing the onions that this would be incredible,

I can't think of anything I like more than caramelized onions(other than maybe chocolate)...SO GOOD.

I chose to make my own squash puree (which was so simple), but you can also buy frozen.

I just figured that it is such an easy thing and I love to use my food processor, so it was a win-win for me. 

If you are making your own puree, remember you need to account for the time it will take to roast the squash in the oven, about an hour.

Besides that this is a pretty quick meal.

You could always make the puree the night before if you really don't have the time that night.  

However, that requires thinking ahead, which I am not good at, at all.

Anyway, hope you

ENJOY!

Baked Shells with Winter Squash

Butter for the baking dish

4 T olive oil

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

S&P

2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 lb small pasta shells

1 package frozen winter squash puree, thawed (or homemade puree)

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 slices crusty baguette, cut into 1/4 in cubes

Preheat oven to 400.  Butter a 9x13 in baking dish.  Heat 3 T oil in a large skillet over med-low heat.  Add onions; season with salt and pepper.  Cover; cook until the onions are soft and release their liquid, about 15 min.  Unocover; raise heat to medium.  Cook, stirring, until onions are browned, 20-25 min more.  Stir in 1 tsp rosemary.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest.  Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water.  Return the pasta to the pot.

Stir squash and reserved pasta water into the onions; simmer for 2 min.  Toss the squash mixture and 1/2 cup of parm with the pasta.  Transfer to the prepared dish.

Combining the bread cubes with the remaining parm, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper.  Top the pasta with the bread cubes; bake until golden brown, 10-15 min.

Homemade Squash Puree

Roast whole winter squash (I used acorn) on a rimmed baking sheet, turning occasionally, until very tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour, depending on the size of the squash.  When cool enough to handle, halve the squash lengthwise and scrape the flesh into a food processor.  Discard the skin and seeds.  Puree until smooth, you will need 2 cups (from about 3/4 pound squash).  I added about 1/8 cup chicken stock, to make it easier to puree.  

Serves 6.

Paige Rating: ****

Valentines Dinner

Dang...the cat is out of the bag now.

This is how behind I am in blogging,

this was valentines day dinner. 

WHOOPS!

So we decided to do a real Vday dinner on Sunday night, 

so we went out and had a fantastic meal and dessert at a new restaurant in town.

It was absolutely AMAZING, and the dessert, 

a peanut butter mousse with bruleed bananas was absolutely decadent. 

So on Monday night, the real Vday, we decided to stay in and I made one of Logan's faves

Chicken caesar salad!

I was completely scared and intimidated by the anchovy fillets in this recipe,

but I'm telling you, you cannot leave them out.

They add a perfect saltiness..and I promise you cannot taste them.

 Not being a huge fan of caesar salad,

I was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed this meal.

It was perfectly light and tasty,

topped off with some homemade croutons...YUM, you can never go wrong.

You have to try this, 

either for a lunch or dinner,

because it is SO simple and quick!

ENJOY!

Chicken Caesar Salad

For the Salad.

4 oz Italian bread, cut into 3/4 in cubes

3 T olive oil

S&P

4 chicken cutlets (each 2-3 oz and 1/2 in thick)

1 package romaine lettuce hearts

For the dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup reduced fat mayo

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped (optional, but HIGHLY recommended)

1 small garlic clove

Make the croutons:  preheat oven to 375.  Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with 2 T of the oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.  Bake tossing occasionally, until golden, 12-15 min.  Remove the croutons from the oven and let cool

Make the chicken; heat remaining oil in a skillet over high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook until opaque through out, 1-2 minutes per side; remove from the skillet and let cool.

Prepare the lettuce; cut romaine hearts crosswise into 1 in ribbons: wash and dry.

Make dressing:  In a blender, combine lemon juice, mayo, parm, anchovy fillets and garlic; blend until smooth.  

Slice chicken crosswise into strips; toss with croutons, lettuce, and dressing.

Serves. 4.

And what is Vday without dessert...I bought these cupcakes at a local grocery store...next year I am determined to make my own dessert!

YUM!

Paige Rating: ***

Roast Chickens

Do chickens have more than one liver?

I found 2 in one chicken!  

Does this mean chickens metabolize alcohol faster?

Can a chicken even get drunk?

WEIRD!!!

ANYWAY...

So here is the roasted chicken recipe I was talking about in the last post.

Sorry it is out of order.

Apparently I can't keep track of all the backlogged recipes I need to share with you.

That ought to teach me to wait so long to update this blog!

Nah, it probably won't.

Anyway, make this meal the night before the curry meal so you will have already cooked chicken for your curry.

I am obsessed with this meal.

This is what I cook whenever I want a simple, no babysitting meal.

Throw everything in the oven and let it cook.

My kind of week night meal.

You could use any kind of potato and vegetable that you want.

Squash would be really good too, especially because winter is still lingering around.

This is the last time I had to use cookie sheets to roast a chicken,

I'm a grown up now,

I have a ROASTING PAN!

Thanks Candy and Dug!

LOVE IT!

Pictures of my beautiful steel clad roasting pan are coming soon...

Stay tuned.

ENJOY!

Thyme Roasted Chickens with Potatoes

3lbs new red potatoes, halved or quartered

3 T olive oil

S&P

1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves or 1 T dried

2 whole chickens (31/2 to 4 lbs each) rinsed and patted dry

Preheat oven to 450.  Toss potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet or ROASTING PAN with 2 T oil, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Combine thyme, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, toss to blend.  Remove giblits and livers from chicken cavities.  Working from neck end of chickens, gently separate skin from flesh with your fingertips, including thigh and leg areas. (this always makes me feel barbaric).  Rub thyme mixture under skin of each chicken, dividing evenly; season generously with additional salt and pepper.  Tuck wings under breasts, using kitchen twine, tie legs together securely on top of chickens.  (I did not do this...my chicken was still delicious!)

Nestle chickens breast sides up, among potatoes; rub chickens with remaining T oil, dividing evenly, and season with S&P.

(I ended up moving potatoes to a separate pan with the asparagus because they were cooking way faster than the chicken).

Roast tossing potatoes occasionally and basting chicken with pan juices, until thermometer reads 165, about 1 hour.

I put the pan with the taters and asparagus in the oven when the chicken had about 20-25 min left to cook.

The asparagus is just trimmed and tossed with about 1T olive oil, salt and pepper and topped with a little Parmesan.

Paige Rating: ***

(It was delicious, but nothing special, just a staple meal)

  

I love CURRY!

Do you love curry?

I DO, I DO, I DO!

How could you not?

This is a chicken curry that I made by roasting a whole chicken, but you could just use breasts if you don't want to wait for the whole chicken.

I served it with some brown rice and it was absolutely delicious, the basil added such a great flavor, I would have never thought of that!

FYI I put extra curry paste in because I like it SPICY, 

so use your taste buds

and add more if you want.

This is definitely a mild curry,

I know this because I was not breathing fire by the end of the meal.

So here's my suggestion...

the night before you want to make this dish make roasted chickens.

Roast 2 chicks instead of one.

Cut breasts off one chicken and serve with potatoes and some kind of veg (or whatever you want).

Then shred up the meat from the other chicken,

that you will use for the next night to make this curry dish.

It makes for such a quick and easy curry, you have to try it.

Its like killing two birds with one stone...

ok PUN intended. :)

ENJOY!

Green Chicken Curry

1 T veg oil

12 oz green beens, trimmed and halved (i just used frozen)

1 onion, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2 in thick

S&P

2 T thai green curry paste (or more to taste)

4 cups cut up roasted chicken (or just cooked breasts)

1 can coconut milk (i use light)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 cup packed torn fresh basil leaves (ESSENTIAL)

1 to 2 tsp fresh lime juice

cooked rice, such as basmati or jasmine, for serving (i used brown basmati)

Heat oil in large skillet over med heat.  Add beans and onion; season with S&P.  Cook tossing frequently until onion begins to soften, 5-7 min.

Add curry paste; cook, stirring and scraping bottom of skillet, until paste is slightly darkened, 3-4 min.  Add chicken, coconut milk, and chicken broth; bring to a simmer.

Cook until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, 5-8 min.  Remove from heat.  Add basil and lime juice.  Season with salt, and stir to combine; serve over rice.

Serves 4.  

Paige Rating: ****

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

Sorry about the poor quality pics on this one, I guess I was not in the mood to focus this day. 

Here is a meal that I had made before I started this blog and LOVED it!

Logan was home for this one and we both really liked it the second time around also.

It is SO incredibly simple to make and has a really great well rounded flavor with the saltiness of the capers, sweetness of the tomatoes and spicy zing of the red pepper flakes.  

Wow, I sounded pretty official there didn't I?? ;)

This is something that will definitely be a staple in our house, 

the ingredients are almost always on hand...

and you could always substitute chicken or sausage if you are not a seafood fan

or just leave out the shrimp it would be just as tasty.  

One tip I would give you is that this was not very good leftover because the pasta got soggy, so make the amount of pasta you will eat and then save the leftover shrimp and sauce and make fresh pasta when you want leftovers.

You have to try this.

ENJOY!

Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Pasta

S&P

1 lb penne 

2 lbs fresh or frozen med shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 tsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 T capers, rinsed and drained

1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 cans diced tomatoes in juice

Bring pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt.  Cook pasta until al dente, drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, season shrimp with S&P.  Heat 2 tsp oil in a skillet, add shrimp (half at a time if necessary) cook until lightly browned on both sides and opaque throughout, 3-4 min.

Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to med; add garlic, capers, red pepper flakes, and tomatoes with their juice.  Cook, stirring occasionally until tomatoes are softened and sauce thickens, 10-15 min.  Season with S&P.

Add sauce and shrimp to pasta; toss to combine and reheat over med-low if necessary before serving.  

Serves 6. 

Paige Rating: ****

Logan Rating: ***

Is anybody out there??

I hope some of you are still out there...I have been a horrible blogger.  

It's so hard to find the time!

I know you are sick of the excuses, so I will spare you and just get to the food.

This soup was different for sure and definitely not my favorite. 

When I was seasoning it I tasted it and was not a fan at all.

But once I topped it with the leek garnish it was MUCH better.

In fact I scarfed down the whole bowl pretty quickly.

So moral of the story is, don't skip the garnish, it really makes this dish!

I've never cooked with parsnips before, they were definitely different.  

I think next time I would do less apple and more parsnip and potato, it was a little sweet for my taste. 

However the leeks helped a lot in that department. 

I would say this is definitely a good dish to try, but next time I would make a few changes and also serve it as a starter or addition to a meal not as a meal itself...

ENJOY!

Creamy Parsnip Soup

2 T butter

1 lb sliced leeks (soak in water before using)

1 lb parsnips, trimmed, peeled and cut crosswise

2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 in pieces

1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 in pieces

1 can reduced sodium chicken broth (or you could use vegetable)

1/2 cup heavy cream (I never cook with heavy cream, makes me feel to guilty, so I used fat free 1/2 and 1/2)

S&P

Heat butter in large pot over med heat, add leeks (reserving 1/2 cup for garnish).  Cook stirring for 5 minutes.

Add parsnips, apples, potato, broth and 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered until veggies are tender, 20-25 min.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Return to pot, stir in cream.  Season with S&P, top with leek garnish.

Serves 4.

Leek Garnish

1 T butter

1/2 cup prepared leeks (that you reserved)

In a skillet, heat butter over med-high heat.  Add leeks; cook, stirring until golden brown, about 3-5 min.

Paige Rating: **

Super Bowl Sadness

I was planning on having people over for the super bowl.

And I was going to cook this...

and this...

and this...

and this..

BUT NOW due to incapacitation from a gnarly cold and subsequent cancellation of my party

I will be eating this...

GO PACK GO!!!

Hope you all have a great Superbowl Sunday!!!

Caution...foodgasm

Ok I know I'm making up words again, but this risotto seriously needed a new word to describe it!  

It was THAT good.

This is by far one of my favorites and I literally ate it 4 times for leftovers and NEVER got sick of it.

This was my first time making a true risotto and while it was a lot of work it was totally worth it.

I can't say enough about this dish and at the same time I don't have the words to explain how good it is!

So my solution for you is to TRY IT!

ENJOY!

Mushroom and Parmesan Risotto

2 cans vegetable broth

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed ( I couldn't find these so I used dried oyster mushrooms)

2 cups water

3 T unsalted butter

8oz mixed fresh mushrooms cut into 1/2 in pieces

S&P

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, more for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring veg broth, porcini and water to boil; cook until porcini are tender, about 1 minute.  With a slotted spoon, remove porcini coarsely chop and reserve.  Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm.

In a saucepan, heat 1 T butter over medium high add fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini; season with S&P.  Cook, stirring frequently until tender 3-5 min.  Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to med low.  Add 1 T butter and onion to saucepan; season with S&P.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 3-5 min.  Add rice and cook stirring 1 min.  Pour in wine, cook stirring until absorbed, about 2 min.

Ladle in 2 cups warm broth cook, stirring occasionally until almost completely absorbed (about 5 min).  Continue to add broth (1 cup at a time) stirring occasionally and allowing liquid to be almost absorbed before adding more, until rice is al dente and mixture is creamy, about 25 min total.  (you may not need all the broth or all the time). 

Remove from heat.  Stir in parm, remaining T butter and half the sauteed mushrooms; season with S&P.  Serve immediately, topped with remaining mushrooms and garnished with additional cheese.

Serves 4.

Paige Rating: *****

Chicken Parm

This meal is a staple in our house, even before the blog came along.  Its just so easy and I seem to always have the ingredients on hand.  I generally serve this with pasta, but a nice light salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil was a great compliment this time.  Ok so MAYBE, just MAYBE I also had a small helping of pasta...its not a crime! :)

I usually don't cook the chicken in a pan first, but it was a great way to ensure that the crust was crispy, which made it much better than my usual chicken parm.  This recipe was so incredibly easy and I encourage you to have breadcrumbs, chicken, cheese, and marinara on hand at all times...it will always make a delicious and quick meal!

ENJOY!

Chicken Parmigiana

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 chicken cutlets or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

S&P

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups jarred tomato sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

6oz mozzarella cheese, cut into eight 1/4 in thick slices

Heat broiler.  Combine bread crumbs and parm in a shallow bowl.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken in the beaten egg then dredge in breadcrumbs, turning to coat both sides.

Spread tomato sauce onto bottom of a baking dish.  Heat 2 T of oil in a non stick skillet over med heat.  Place chicken in skillet cook until golden brown on both sides.  Transfer to the baking dish.

Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella.  Broil about 4 inches from the heat source until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 5-8 min.

If you are using chicken breasts and not cutlets, they will need more time to cook.  I put mine in the oven for about 15 min before I put them under the broiler.  Just make sure you check to see if they are cooked through before eating them!

Serves 4.

Paige Rating: ***