Zesty Lemon pasta

Ingredients
nocoupons
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli
1 pound dried fettucini pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

A Successful Buckwheat Adventure

A Successful Buckwheat Adventure

(Yes, there were unsuccessful buckwheat adventures.)

I (Stacey) wandered down to the farmer's market today and decided to pick up dinner. I bought a funky yellow squash, zucchini, an onion, and eggplant to make stir fry. And for the rest of the afternoon I plotted my dinner. Protein, but not chicken...eggs? Eggs and rice? No. Eggs and what? Buckwheat! Yes, the buckwheat that has been hiding in the far back corner of the pantry for eons might just be the thing.

The end result:


Buckwheat

1 c. buckwheat groats
2 c. boiling water
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
4 scrambled eggs

Start the water boiling. Rinse the buckwheat and heat on Low in a skillet for 1-2 minutes (toast it a bit). Pour the buckwheat into the boiling water, add butter, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on Medium or Medium High for 10 minutes. Remove and let stand for a couple minutes before fluffing with a fork and mixing in the scrambled eggs.

Veggie Side

1-2 zucchini
1-2 funky yellow squashes
1/3 white onion
1/2 red bell pepper
3-4 tomatoes
1 med. eggplant (soaked in a 2 c hot water + 1 tsp salt brine for 30 min and rinsed)
1-2 c. fresh parsley (I like parsley!)
1/3 c. fresh chives
olive oil
1 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (a pinch or two?)



Warm the olive oil over Medium heat and add sesame seeds. Add all of the veggies except for the tomatoes. Add chives, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 10 min and add the parsley. When the rest of the veggies are almost cooked through, add the tomatoes for the last 5 minutes or so.

Okay, clearly I would not be good at writing a cook book because I'm not really sure on the quantities. How do I compare a wimpy, but ripe red bell pepper from my garden to a huge, half-ripe bell pepper from the supermarket?

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Glaze, and Mojito Freeze

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Glaze
From Better Homes and Gardens Magazine June 2010

1 recipe Watermelon Glaze
1 whole chicken or 3 ½ lbs. Meaty chicken pieces
½ tsp salt

1. Prepare watermelon glaze (see below) remove 1/3 for serving; set aside
2. Remove chicken from packing and pat dry with paper towels. To butterfly, using poultry or chicken shears cut along each side of the backbone to remove it. Turn chicken breast-side up. Open the two sides of the chicken as if you were opening a book, and lay it flat. Break breastbone by firmly applying pressure and pressing down. Tuck wing tips under upper wings. ***
3. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. Brush chicken with olive oil. Season on both sides with salt and black pepper. Place skin-side down on center of grill over indirect medium heat.
4. Grill 25 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush a little of the remaining 2/3 cup glaze over skin. Grill 25 to 30 minutes more, or until juices run clear and an instant- read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees, brushing with gaze 2 more times.
5. Remove chicken from grill; brush with the reserved 1/3 cup glaze, and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken into pieces. Serve with fresh watermelon wedges and sprinkle with herbs. Makes 6 servings.
*** I just got chicken breasts at the store and cooked them in the oven in a Pyrex dish because I don’t have a grill yet. It still turned out, but recommend covering the chicken while cooking.

Watermelon Glaze
1 small watermelon
1 12oz. jar of apple jelly
Juice and zest of one small lime
2 tsp red chile flakes
1 tsp jalapeno hot sauce

1. Cut half the watermelon from the rind in chunks (about 4 cups of fruit). Cut the remaining half watermelon into wedges for serving; refrigerate until ready to serve. Place in a food mill, juicer and collect the juice. Or place the watermelon chunks in blender. Cover; blend until nearly smooth. Pour mixture into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard solid bits. Reserve 1 cup of the juice and drink or freeze the rest.
2. In small sauce pan melt jelly over low heat, stirring often so it does not burn. Stir 1 cup watermelon juice, the lime juice and zest. Add red chile flakes, jalapeno hot sauce and pinch of salt. Mix to taste. Adjust seasoning as desired; remove from heat.
3. Use warm or let cool and transfer to a clean jar. Glaze will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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Mojito Freeze
By Kraft Foods

1 cup finely crushed pretzels
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 pkg. (8oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
Zest and juice from 1 large lime
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping, divided

Mix pretzel crumbs and butter, Press into bottom of plastic wrap-lined 9 inch round pan. Freeze until ready to use.
Beat cream cheese, sugar, zest, juice and mint with mixer until well blended. Whisk in 1 ½ cups Cool Whip; spoon over crust.
Freeze 4 hours. Serve with remaining Cool Whip
Serves 10

Milenesa, Cream Cheese Spinach Pasta, Sour Cream Jello

Milenesa

3-4 pounds of Carne Ranchera Para Asar while is translated as Ranch meat to BBQ. This is the same as Carne Asada. Season with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic on each side Scramble 2-3 eggs, dredge the steak in the eggs, and then coat in Italian bread crumbs. Fry in ¼ inch vegetable oil on medium high heat and cook it on each side about 3-4 minutes. Lay finished steaks on paper towels to absorb oil.

Quick Cream Cheese and Spinach Pasta Adapted From Top Ramen Recipe

1 package cream cheese
¾ cup milk
1 bouillon cube

Bring all the above ingredients to a simmer and then add 2 cups rough chopped spinach until the spinach is tender. Serve over angel hair pasta or top ramen.

Sour Cream Jello

Cook jello as usual and mix in whatever fruit you like and top with sour cream once it is set. Get fancy, pour some jello, top with fruit, let it set in the fridge and then add another layer of gelatin and fruit and set. Finally, top off with the final layer of gelatin, let it set, and finish it with the sour cream topping.

Serve with Curtido (already in the blog)

Gourmet Mac n Cheese

This recipe is taken from the Picky Palate food blog, which is super cute so check it out.

Chef Terrance Brennan’s Gourmet Mac and Cheese

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
7 ½ Tbs Butter, divided
¼ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour
3 Cups milk
2 ¼ Cups gruyere, shredded
½ Cup mascarpone cheese
¾ Cup bread crumbs
¼ Cup Parmesan Reggiano, grated
salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and add the elbow macaroni. Cook until it’s al dente, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

2. While the macaroni is boiling, slowly melt 5 1/2 Tbs of butter over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan.

3. Add the flour, stirring, cook together for a minute or so. Do not brown the mixture; you want a blonde roux. Add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring mixture to a boil and continue whisking. Lower heat and simmer for about five minutes until it thickens.

4. While the milk is simmering, combine 2 Tbs butter and the bread crumbs, and melt together in a separate pan.

5. Add the Parmesan cheese. This adds another layer of flavor so it’s not one-dimensional. Just cook until the butter is melted. Remove from heat.

6. When the milk is ready, add the mascarpone cheese. Then add gruyere cheese and whisk it in, and as soon as until it’s melted, remove from the heat. This will happen quickly because the gruyere cheese should be grated and at room temperature.

7. Season with salt and black pepper and whisk to combine. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce, mix it well, and when it’s nicely incorporated, spoon it out into a cooking dish.

8. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top, using your hands to pat it down to make sure it’s nice and evenly dispersed all over the surface. The topping becomes very crunchy when it bakes. Cook for about 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and bubbly.

Irish Fish Pie with Green Delight and Easy Asparagus

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cod fish fillet
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Scone topping ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk

Directions:

Turn on U2 or any Irish music to get you in the mood.

Place fish filets in the bottom of a 9x5 pan.

Make a cheese sauce with the butter, flour, milk and grated cheese and pour over fish.
While this is sitting, make scone dough by mixing the flour with baking powder and pinch of salt and then work in butter as much as possible.

Add grated cheese and drop egg yolk into the mixture and add enough milk (it is a few tablespoons, add a little at a time) to make a workable dough.

Roll out to a thickness of 1/2 inch and cut into small rounds with a cup. Gather and reroll dough repeatedly until you get about 8 rounds.

Place these rounds on top of the fish mixture so that they just about cover the surface and then glaze them with a little milk.

Sprinkle some more grated cheese over them and bake at 450F degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.

Serve with Frank’s Red Hot if you are Mexican Irish

Green Delight:
Mix 1 pint small curd cottage cheese, 1 cup marshmallows, one small can of pineapple and 1 small can of mandarin oranges, a package of sugar free lime jello, and a few dollops of whipped cream to reach your desired consistency and chill.

Easy Yummy Asparagus:
Place asparagus on a plate with a little bit of water (a couple tablespoons), slice as much butter as you like atop the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes or so.

Haystacks

Beans: Cover about a pound and a half to two pounds of pinto beans with water up to at least three inches above the beans in a slow cooker. Cook on high for about 8 hours. The next morning the beans will be plump and ready to add flavor. Add ¾ tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, salt and pepper to taste, 2 pinches of oregano, ½ spanish onion finely chopped , two cloves of garlic, two chopped tomatoes, handful of chopped cilantro, and bring to a boil.

Salsa: 5 Roma Tomatoes boiled until skins fall off or can be taken off easily with the fork (not an all day process). Stick in a blender and blend until smooth, throw in a serrano chili, a handful of cilantro, a couple cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste and lime juice to taste. (Viv tastes a lot)

Top tortilla chips with beans, cotija cheese, salsa, lettuce, chopped tomato, olives, avocado and ranch(made from the Hidden Valley Ranch envelope, no other way, it makes the recipe along with the salsa and the cotija).

Hit the Haystack!

Roasted Veggies and Sausage over Polenta

12 garlic cloves
4 bell peppers (mix and match your favorite colors)
mushrooms - halved
1 onion - quartered and cut into strips
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pkg kielbasa sausage
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup polenta

Combine the garlic, peppers, mushrooms, onions, oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and the pepper in a 9x13 baking dish. Cook for 20 minutes. Add the sausage and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, bring the stock to a boil. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp if low-sodium vegetable stock is used). Gradually pour in the polenta, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the polenta is tender and pulls away from the pan when it is stirred. Note: the polenta will be pretty thick, so it doesn't really simmer. Mostly bubbles build up and explode, so lower the heat appropriately :) Once it pulls away from the pan, transfer it to a wooden board, smooth it to about an inch thickness, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes or until it sets up.

Cut the polenta into squares and top with the vegetable mixture.

Serves 4

Wanna Be PF Chang Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from Rachel Ray's Recipe:

* 2 cups, 4 handfuls mushrooms (no need to spend the bucks on the shitake)
* 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional
* 1/4 orange, zested (more if you like the orange. She called for a full orange)
* 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
* 1 small tin, 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
* 3 scallions, chopped
* 3 tablespoons hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce
* 1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
* 1-2 serrano or jalepeno peppers including seeds to spice it up
* Maifun Rice noodles fried up (see the video above)


Directions

1. Chop chicken and mushrooms into small pieces.

2. Preheat your wok to high.

3. Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more.

4. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture.

5. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly.

6. Your done! Fill your lettuce with the meet and top with the fried noodles.

Serves 4

*If you don't like to chop this isn't for you. There is mucho chopping. This wasn't as PF Chang as I wanted so I'll have to try another recipe. It was VERY good, just not Chang good.

**Viviana gave me the "snazzy pants" she commented on in the video. I'm sure you agree they are snazzy and add to the fun of Maifun noodle frying.

Almond Lemon Chicken

Recipe from allrecipes.com
Serves 6

Ingredients
· 5 tablespoons lemon juice
· 3 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
· 6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
· 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
· 1 cup sliced almonds
· 2 cups chicken broth
· 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
· 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
· 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
· 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 6 slices lemon, for garnish
Directions
1. Combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic and white pepper. Beat in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the chicken in a shallow container and pour the lemon mixture over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. In a large skillet, saute the almonds in 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil until golden. Remove from skillet and reserve. Wipe out the skillet. Drain the chicken, reserving the lemon marinade. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, then add chicken breasts and brown over high heat until breast is brown on each side (6 to 10 minutes). Remove from skillet and reserve.
3. Strain the lemon marinade into the skillet. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and cornstarch/water mixture. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces by half (about 5 minutes). Add marmalade and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in the butter a bit at a time over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in parsley and red pepper flakes. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Add reserved almonds and garnish with lemon slices.

Delightful Doughnuts

(from Beard on Bread)

1/2 package active dry yeast
2 tbsp warm water (110-115 deg)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup warm milk (or 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup warm water)
2 tbsp melted butter or margarine
3 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Lard, shortening, or cooking oil for deep frying
Confectioners' sugar or additional granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Place the yeast in a mixing bowl, add the warm water, and stir. Add the sugar and mix well. Let stand 10 or 15 minutes to proof. With the hands or 2 wooden spoons, stir in the egg, then the milk, melted butter, flour, and salt. Continue to stir until the dough is springy. Brush the top of the dough lightly with additional melted butter or margarine and cover with waxed paper. Place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Note, however, that the dough is easier to roll out if put in the refrigerator to rise overnight, or at least for 4 hours.)

Punch down and roll out half the dough at a time to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter and place on a board or waxed paper to rise until doubled in bulk.

Heat 2" of oil to 370 and fry doughnuts until they are brown on one side, then turn to brown on the other side. Drain doughnuts on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle glaze over the doughnuts.