Still cookin'......

We've been cooking quite a bit lately, even though I haven't posted a new recipe to the blog. I've been making some things we've made before, plus doing a few cooking experiments on my own. There are so many good recipes that we've added to this blog, that sometimes I just want to go back and eat them again! So that's pretty much what we did this week...we had the Stuffed Poblano Peppers again, and the Memphis Dry Rub Ribs, mmm....and a few things we just whipped up on our own.



Chorizo Breakfast Tacos : We browned some chorizo and incorporated it into an omelet. We added some cheese, sour cream, and leftover Avocado Aioli, then wrapped it up in a corn tortilla that was warmed over the gas burner on the stove. I LOVE breakfast tacos!


Salmon and Acorn Squash on the Grill : I seasoned everything with salt, pepper & olive oil and just grilled it, and added a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice added to the salmon. I also threw in some black eyed peas for good measure. :)


Seasoned Pork Chops and Grilled Asparagus : Another quick fix meal made entirely on the grill. I seasoned the pork chops with salt & pepper, chili powder and a small amount of cayenne pepper for some spice. Onto the grill it went, along with the asparagus. When it was done, I added some butter and parmesan to the asparagus.

I'm planning out my list for next week and doing some new recipes, so get ready! :)

#92 :: Eggs in Purgatory

Jamie is working nights this week, so I planned some breakfast/brunch meals for us to have together. This one turns leftover mashed potatoes into a delicious and light brunch. This recipe definitely makes my list of favorites so far on our cooking journey!




Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 2 cups mashed potatoes, chilled
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup marinara sauce, warmed
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Stir 1 egg in a large bowl to blend. Mix in the potatoes, then the flour. Using a generous 1/2 cup of potato mixture for each, form the potato mixture into 4 (4 1/2-inch) diameter pancakes.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick fry pan over medium heat. Fry the pancakes until they are golden brown and heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pancakes to paper towels to drain. Keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven. Pour off the excess oil from the pan.

Heat the pan over medium-low heat. Crack the remaining 4 eggs into the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the white is firm, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the eggs over and cook for 30 seconds longer.

Spoon the sauce onto 4 plates. Place a pancake atop the sauce. Top each pancake with a fried egg. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Everyday Italian on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Vegetable Quiche

This recipe doesn't count towards our # because I've made it before and it's already on the blog (find the recipe here: Mixed Vegetable Quiche), but I got a little creative with it this time so I had to share my photo! I made an N out of the extra crust, and I piped sour cream on the top. Gourmet breakfast for the hubby today! :)

#51 :: Chocoflan

One word sums it up. Mmmmmm! Made-from-scratch chocolate cake, with homemade flan and caramel sauce..... rich and sweet! This dessert was absolutely delicious.....and magic!

Ingredients

• 12-cup capacity Bundt pan
• Softened butter, to coat pan
• 1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

For the cake:

• 10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

• 1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)

For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.

For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.

Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

Cook's Notes: The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it's inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving.

Flan is a rich, creamy, cooked egg custard. It is often flavored with vanilla and baked in a water bath to retain its delicacy.

Cajeta is a thick and creamy spread or paste made with caramelized sugar and milk. It is used as a desert on its own or as a topping. Also known as "dolce de leche," it is sold in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a thick caramel sauce.

Makes 10 servings

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#45 :: Eggs Florentine Sandwich

Jamie came up with this great idea. We're all about using up our leftovers, and hopefully using them in a different way than we ate them the first time. Jamie's idea was to use our leftover Gorgonzola Spinach Artichoke Dip on a ham, cheese and fried egg breakfast sandwich to create a Florentine sandwich. Excellent idea, it was yummy!

Ingredients

• 4 slices of crusty french bread
  
• 2 Tbsp. butter
  
• 2 eggs
  
• Sliced deli ham (we used honey ham)
• Sliced deli cheese (we used cheddar)
• Leftover Gorgonzola Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Salt & pepper to taste
  
  

Directions

Over medium high heat, melt the butter in the pan (or on the griddle). Lay 2 pieces of bread in the pan to brown. Top one slice with your spinach dip, ham and cheese. At the same time, fry 2 eggs. Place the fried egg on top of the cheese, to help the melting. After the egg is placed, flip the 2nd piece of bread over and place it on top of the sandwich (browned side up). Flip the entire sandwich and cook for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and gooey.


Makes 2 sandwiches

Recipe from: Jamie

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

#42 :: Chicken Wings *Super Bowl*

We made a lot of chicken wings for the Super Bowl..... I mean....a LOT! I bought 2 four lb. bags of wings - which I think equals out to about 96 wings....and we ate them for 3 days afterwards! (No Monday meal to post, because we had leftover chicken wings!) We made the chicken wings plain, and served the sauces on the side so people could choose their own.

The first round of wings we tried Panko breadcrumbs for the breading. Unfortunately, the Panko bread crumbs don't hold up in the frying oil for 10 minutes. Jamie liked them, but they came out a little too dark for my liking. So, we used the regular flour/egg/flour method.

I saw a dredging tip on Guy's Big Bite (Food Network) that I shared with Jamie. To keep from getting goopy hands, use 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other for dry. Keeps the mess to a minimum! Jamie said it took a few tries to get the hang of it, but then it came natural and he quickly dredged our 100 wings!



Ingredients

• (2) 4 lb. bags of frozen chicken wings {thawed}
  
• Approx. 2 cups of flour
• 6 eggs
• Salt &Pepper to taste
  

Here's the dredging station! We tried the Panko bread crumbs first {as you can see in the photo}, but then switched to flour.

Directions

Preheat oil to 375. Defrost and pat dry the chicken wings. {A dry wing is a crispy wing!}

Set up your dredging station -- 1 bowl of flour (about 1 cup), 1 bowl of 3 beaten eggs, and nother bowl of flour (about 1 cup).

Dredge each wing, making sure the entire wing is covered -- first dip it in the flour, then dip in the egg, then in the flour again.

Fry at 375 for 10 minutes.

Makes a boat load of servings! {About 96 wings}

Recipe from: Many different places! {and Jamie says"common sense"} lol

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#36 :: Green Vegetable Omelet

This is something we came up with on our own, just trying to use up the produce before it spoils! I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but when we were finished and took the first bite, I looked at Jamie and said "It's official....we can COOK!" It turned out delicious! I'm really surprising myself!


Jamie cooked our eggs on the griddle -- he loves using that instead of a pan!

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (we used an Italian blend of Parmesan, Asiago, Provolone and Romano)
  
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Reserved shredded cheese (for topping)
  

Directions

In a medium pan saute the zucchini, green bell pepper, green onions and garlic in the olive oil & butter. Season with thyme, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Fold in the sour cream. Add the bacon and shredded cheese, then season with salt & pepper. Add in the sauteed vegetables. Cook the egg mixture in a large skillet {or, if you're like Jamie, a griddle} on medium/high heat until eggs are scrambled. Serve immediately with a little extra shredded cheese sprinkled on top.



Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Amy & Jamie.

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

#32 :: Mixed Vegetable Quiche w/ Cheddar & Parmesan

Yesterday was Jamie's day off, so I got up early to find a good quiche recipe for breakfast/brunch. I have so many veggies in my fridge right now that I need to use up, so I was looking for something to incorporate all the veggies I had. I stumbled upon the BEST quiche recipe EVER. This has to be in the top 5 list of the best things I ever ate. Just the two of us ate the entire quiche, and were sad that we didn't have more! (I topped the quiche with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of parsley, which wasn't in the recipe.)

Ingredients

• 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust (I made my own - see below for the recipe)
  
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup cooked stir-fried vegetables (we used a green bell pepper, a yellow squash and half of a medium red onion - all diced)
  
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Cheddar
• 1/4 cup low fat milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Press pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan (or 9-inch pie pan). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, stir-fried vegetables and place on top of uncooked crust. In another bowl combine ricotta, cheddar, milk, eggs, Dijon, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Spoon cheese mixture on top of vegetable mixture in prepared pie crust and top with Parmesan.

Bake 20 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5+ out of 5 stars

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients. Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts

#15 :: Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches

We didn't get to post yesterday. We cooked, but didn't post. Jamie worked from 12-10,and I had errands and other work for my wedding this weekend, so the only time we had together was early morning. So....we cooked breakfast! I'll be back later to post what we make for dinner tonight.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 egg
• Kosher alt
• 6 eggs
• Mango preserves, for serving
• Arugula, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Fry the bacon in a nonstick skillet until cooked but not yet crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined sheet tray. Let cool. Reserve the bacon drippings in the skillet.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the cheese and bacon and toss. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cream with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Remove the dough to the countertop and knead briefly until it is smooth and uniform in appearance. Pat the dough out to a 1-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter dipped in flour, punch out dough rounds. Push together the leftover dough and pat out again to 1-inch thick and cut out rounds. Arrange the biscuits on the parchment lined sheet tray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and the egg. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt. Put immediately into the oven and bake for 18 minutes.

When the biscuits come out of the oven, start frying the eggs. Heat the same nonstick skillet used earlier (to cook the bacon) over medium heat. Once heated, crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the white is set and the eggs begin to turn golden brown. Spoon some of the hot grease over the yolks to help it cook. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To assemble the sandwiches, split the biscuits in half and spread some mango preserves on the inside of the biscuit tops. Put a small handful of arugula on each of the bottoms. Top with the fried eggs and cover with the top of the biscuit. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe from Down Home With the Neely's on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars