Black Lab Baker

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

2009-08-27T12:55:00.003-04:00

Okay, so it's been awhile. Two kids, a dog, a husband, household chores, and working full time really fill my days...oh yes, and lets not forget the 3.5 hours a day I spend commuting to and from work. So, with that said I needed a little blogging vacation, but I'm back. I might not be back with a new recipe every day or even a post everyday, but I plan to share some good recipes and some crazy stories along the way. So, stay tuned as I start to share my adventures...

Just A Quick Broil

2009-03-24T20:14:00.004-04:00

If you are looking for a quick meal that actually tastes good, this is it. A pork tenderloin is broiled on top of a bed of snow peas, red peppers, carrots and scallions. The tenderloin gets a little help from a drizzle of honey and the meal comes together with a soy sauce glaze.

I've been on maternity leave for a little over a month now and I have successfully made it through all my Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazines. I cut out the recipes I've either made or would like to make and put them in a binder. So much neater than the millions of magazines I had tucked in every nook and cranny in my kitchen. This recipe came from one of those magazines. I made it because it looked easy and was quite surprised with how good it turned out. I will definitely make this again. You can find the complete recipe HERE.

It's A Girl!

2009-03-13T11:09:00.003-04:00

Slowly but surely I'll be back to the blogging world. I've taken a little break to spend time with our new baby girl, Abigail. She was born on February 7th and was just a little peanut. Luckily her brother has been a big help!

Snow, Snow and More Snow...

2009-01-15T13:41:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted and I've really fallen behind in my cooking and blogging about it these days. We have a lot of snow at home and this picture cracks me up so I thought I'd share. This is my 2 year old's (his birthday is tomorrow) first attempt at helping Daddy shovel. As you can see he got a face full of snow. That pretty much ended his outdoor play for the day!

After we finished the left overs last night I realized I completely forgot to take pictures. So, this recipe is without pictures but is definitely worth making. For Christmas we gave my sister a slow cooker and this recipe is adapted from one she recently tried:

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers:

1lb lean ground beef
4 peppers--tops cut off and seeds removed
Large can of crushed tomatoes in puree
1 can tomato soup
1 cup water
1 package Spanish rice mix (I used Near East)
2 celery stalks chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 egg

Mix beef with rice (excluding the seasoning packet), celery, onion and egg. Fill peppers with this mixture. I find cutting the bottom of the peppers flat helps them stand up easier after being filled. Empty can of crushed tomatoes into crock pot. Arrange stuffed peppers on top. Mix soup with water and rice seasoning packet. Pour this over peppers. Cook in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low.

Sorry for lack of pictures but these were really good and made the house smell great!

Turkey Tetrazzini

2008-12-05T13:21:00.003-05:00

To make use of some of our left over Thanksgiving turkey we decided to make some delicious Turkey Tetrazzini. I say "we" but it was really the man of the house who made this dish! My Nana used to make turkey tetrazzini all the time, I swear she'd roast a whole turkey just to make tetrazzini. She used spaghetti, but Emeril's recipe called for egg noodles. This dish wasn't exactly like Nana's, but it was definitely tasty!

Start by sauteing the red bell pepper and onions in butter in a large dutch oven. Add garlic, mushrooms, Essence, and thyme. Cook until mushrooms are soft...about 6 minutes. This part smelled great!

Sprinkle with flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine and chicken stock and cook stirring until smooth, about 2 more minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

After the sauce has thickened add the cooked egg noodles, turkey, parsley, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Stir until mixed. Transfer to a buttered baking dish. And here comes my favorite part....

Cover the whole thing in crushed potato chips (for those of you who live in New England--my favorite kind of potato chips are Wachusett Brand. I really like their sour cream and onion, but we used their regular flavor here...they are small bags and are usually sold 2 for $3. Can't go wrong). Bake the whole thing uncovered at 375 for 3o minutes or until bubbly and golden brown! This was a winner at our house. We ate the entire thing! For the complete recipe, click HERE.

BB; Mexican Chicken Soup

2008-11-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was Ina's Mexican Chicken Soup chosen by Judy of Judy's Gross Eats. I have made other versions of similar soups in the past, but this one is probably the best. It was perfect for the rainy New England weather we've been having.

The soup starts with carrots, celery and onions sauteing in a pan. Let that go until the onions brown. Then add garlic for 30 seconds, then proceed and add tomatoes, chicken stock, jalapeno peppers, cumin, coriander seed, (I skipped the cilantro), and fresh corn tortilla strips. Let that simmer for 25 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, roast chicken breasts in a 350 degree oven. The recipe calls for bone in, skin on breasts, but after my husband went to two stores to find them with no luck, we used boneless, skinless breasts. They worked fine. After the chicken is cooked, shred and add to soup. I think the breaking down of the tortillas added to the depth of the soup. We ate this Monday night, Tuesday night and I brought a little for lunch on Wednesday. Thanks Judy for picking a great recipe for before Thanksgiving....easy and not too heavy!

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

2008-11-25T20:56:00.006-05:00

So, this isn't the prettiest picture and with it almost my bedtime (9pm...haha) this is all I'm going to upload. I needed a quick, finger type dessert option for Thanksgiving, and No Bake Chocolate Cookies came to mind. These are so easy and require no electric mixer or oven. Perfect for making while the little one is sleeping.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies:

In a sauce pan melt 1 stick of butter, two cups of sugar, 1/2 cup milk, and 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Stir to combine and drop onto waxed paper covered cookie sheets. Let rest until set. Enjoy!
They are perfect with a nice gallon of milk!

Cowboy Spaghetti

2008-11-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Rachael Ray recipe, that believe it or not, I had never made before having it at a friend's house for dinner. We instantly loved this dish and had to make it at home. The spaghetti is tossed in a sauce with ground meat, fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, hot sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, and tomato sauce. To finish the dish toss with crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese and scallions.

The sauce has a nice flavor, different from your traditional spaghetti sauce. And, as you know, anything tastes better with bacon! We used Pastene brand spaghetti and if you've never tried the Pastene line of pastas, you need to. So worth the little extra money. I highly recommend making this dish. Our almost two year old loved it...so you know it's good. You can find the recipe in its entirety HERE.

BB; Herb Roasted Onions

2008-11-14T20:25:00.003-05:00

This week's challenge for the Barefoot Bloggers was chosen by Kelly of Baking with the Boys. She chose Ina's simple and delicious Herb Roasted Onions. I had every intention of making these yesterday and actually posting them on the "due" date, however, when I got home from the grocery store I realized, much to my dismay, that I had forgotten a bag of food at the store. I frantically called the store...as this bag also contained a few new spice containers which cost a pretty penny....they had my bag...phew! So, I went back today and retrieved my bag, which also contained the onions and lemon. So, there you have it, one day late! Moving on...I want to thank Kelly for picking such a great, easy recipe. These smelled great and now so does my house.

The onions are tossed in a marinade consisting of lemon, mustard (I used a stone ground variation), fresh thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and oil. Then the onions are roasted in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. After removing them from the oven, drizzle with left over marinade. We had already eaten dinner by the time I made these, but we did still snack on a few bites. Thanks, Kelly!

Chicken Chili

2008-11-06T20:21:00.002-05:00

Last weekend's dinner was another Ina favorite; her Chicken Chili. Once we found and tried this recipe a few years back, it has become a staple in our house once the weather starts to get a little cooler. This chili is lighter than its meat and beans counterpart, so have an extra helping!

Onions are sauteed, then added to them is garlic, red and yellow peppers, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, crushed plum tomatoes, and basil. This simmers for about 30 minutes then baked, shredded chicken is added and simmered for 20 minutes. It comes together easily and makes enough for company...

...or for left overs the next night! We enjoyed ours topped with sour cream and shredded cheddar. If you haven't made this recipe yet, you really should. A+ Ina!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T12:12:00.005-04:00

Well, the day is finally here....Halloween! We did a costume run though last night (you can see the jammies sticking out the bottom). The "baby" is 21 months old and is a bat this year. I must have taken 10 pictures and most of them were of him crying because he thinks he's ready to use the camera...silly man! Hopefully he scores mommy and daddy some good candy tonight!

And for food....this dish is from Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals cookbook. It's called Sesame Ginger Pork with Soba Noodles and it's delicious and quick to prepare. It calls for soba noodles but I use whole wheat spaghetti instead and have had great results. I also double the water chestnuts because I like them. Everything else is pretty much the same. So, if you like pork, ginger, sesame, soy sauce and noodles...this dish is for you!

Have a great Halloween everyone!

7 Things Meme and an Award

2008-10-30T08:21:00.009-04:00

I want to thank Cat, of the Cat's Pajama's for tagging me with a 7 Things Meme. After some careful consideration, here are my results:

7 things I’ve done before
1. Worked at an embroidery shop
2. Played college field hockey
3. Pierced my nose, belly button, tongue and got a tattoo (the only thing remaining is the tattoo)
4. Touched a car cigarette lighter to see if it actually gets hot (it does!)
5. Made my little sister eat dog food
6. Cut 14 inches off my hair and donated to Locks of Love
7. Given Birth

7 things I do now
1. Work for a fortune 500 company
2. Take care of my husband, dog and toddler plus work full time
3. Read CNN on a daily basis
4. Take a commuter bus to work to save on gas and pollution
5. Vacuum my house every day
6. Sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at least 50 times daily
7. Read food blogs and magazines

7 things I want to do
1. Completely remodel my kitchen
2. Eat more fruit and vegetables
3. Own a Mercedes
4. Go to Hawaii
5. Read more books—or at least one book
6. Make a scrapbook
7. Help my husband build a brick oven in the back yard

7 things that attract me about the opposite sex
1. Strong commitment to all things
2. Desire to succeed
3. Playfulness
4. Gray hair
5. Sense of adventure
6. Always having an answer to all my silly questions
7. Willing to admit and correct mistakes

7 favorite foods
1. Chimichangas
2. Sweet and Sour chicken from my favorite Chinese restaurant
3. Spaghetti and meatballs
4. Nachos
5. McDonald’s milk shake
6. Cereal
7. Turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes

7 things I say most often
1. Come on
2. Seriously?
3. Yikes
4. Bummer
5. I’m going to punch you in the gut bag
6. This may or may not hurt
7. You’re on my short list

And, I'd again like to thank Cat for giving me the I Love You This Much Award! Cat's blog is always filled with great recipes and she's not afraid to share a story or two! I love reading her blog, and if you don't already read it, check it out HERE! So, with that said, I'd like to pass this award on as well as tag the following with the 7 Things Meme. I read these blogs on a daily basis. They are wonderful and inpirational. Check them out!

Courtney of Cooking Up Family

Josh and Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod

Melissa of It's Melissa's Kitchen

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

2008-10-28T20:14:00.009-04:00

Last week while reading Prudy's blog Prudence Pennywise (as I'm sure many of you read as well) I was inspired to make her Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Chicken. I have said this before, and I'll say it again, I'm always looking for easy to prep recipes during nap time, that still taste great and aren't cold by the time the husband gets home. After running to soccer then the grocery store I was able to whip this up in no time. Thanks, Prudy! This recipe is a winner.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Chicken (tacos) from Prudence Pennywise. You can find Prudy's exact recipe HERE, as well as check out her mouth watering photos. For my measurements see below:

3lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

Two cans petite diced tomatoes in their juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon (eyeball) crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon (eyeball) cumin

1/2 teaspoon (eyeball) chili powder

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on bottom and season with pepper. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar and spices. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high4-6 hours.

I served ours taco style with corn tortillas and all the taco fixings. I've made enough chicken to use in several other dishes for the remainder of the week.

So, thanks again Prudy for another fantastic dish. This one will be a keeper at my house!

BB; Vegetable Pot Pie

2008-10-27T13:07:00.002-04:00

Last week's Barefoot Bloggers Challenge was Ina's Vegetable Pot Pie chosen by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. This was a perfect choice. When I originally saw this recipe in my cookbook I was a bit apprehensive because I'm not a fennel or asparagus fan. But, after deciding to give this a go, a few substitutions later, we had the perfect Sunday lunch.

Our filling consisted of the following right from Ina's recipe, potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, pearl onions and sliced onion. We chose to omit the fennel and substituted green beans for the asparagus. We also left out the Pernod, used MUCH less butter and fat free half and half in replace of the cream. The end result....a perfectly golden delicious pot pie...and it didn't even need the meat! Thanks Deb, for choosing such a great recipe.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-10-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

Here I go again, posting another half eaten picture, and come to think of it, this picture is horrible. It doesn't do justice to this wonderful (and easy) soup. This Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup comes from the Cooking Light Magazine and we've made this at least ten times. With the temps dropping to almost freezing in these parts nothing warms you up at night like a nice bowl of homemade soup.

This soup is a take on the classic, using a rotisserie chicken (if you don't have left overs), carrots, celery, onion and egg noodles. A little evaporated milk is added at the end to boost the creaminess. This makes for great lunches--so I always make extra. Be sure to serve with some nice crusty bread. You can find the recipe in it's entirety here.

Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken

2008-10-23T20:13:00.003-04:00

This has got to be one of the easiest meals to prepare and the results are fantastic. This recipe comes from the Everyday Food Magazine by Martha Stewart and we've made this several times. I am constantly looking for quick meals I can prepare during "nap" time that will hold until the husband gets home at night. This one does the trick.

All you have to do is mix dry beans with a jar of salsa, a few chipotle chiles (I like to add a little extra of the smoky sauce), flour and a cup of water in the bottom of your slow cooker. Then arrange boneless, skinless chicken thighs on top. On top of chicken dump chopped onion, and red pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. That's it! Dinner in a snap! You can find the entire recipe here, in case you didn't like my "mix this", "dump this" version.

I served mine with low fat sour cream on top, but I bet this would made a great nacho topping!

Real Spaghetti and Meatballs

2008-10-19T15:00:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine recently had a new baby girl so we decided to make them a big batch of the Barefoot Contessa's Real Spaghetti and Meatballs, because if anyone knows, new baby means zero time for cooking. We of course, couldn't make Kim a batch of meatballs without making a batch for ourselves. Being married to an Italian man, I've had my fare share of meatballs, but this recipe has won our hearts and we've been using this recipe only for a few years now.

The only substitution we make is with the bread crumbs. It calls for 1 cup of white bread crumbs, we use Panko instead. I find the Panko lead to a moister ball.

So, if you haven't made these meatballs yet, you need to. We've made them in various sizes for spaghetti and meatballs, appetizers or for sub sandwiches. My almost 2 year old couldn't stop walking around the house saying "meatball" all week. He'll be sad to find out I ate the last two while he was taking a nap!

Enjoy!

My New Favorite Salad

2008-10-17T13:00:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we went to a family birthday party and were instructed to bring a salad. I feel like I'm always making the same type of salad, and this one is really no different, but was so good we had it again this week for dinner.

It's very simple...lettuce (I used a spring mix), chopped walnuts, cubed sharp cheddar (VT preferably--only because that's where I grew up), sliced green apple (to keep the apple from turning brown squeeze a little lemon juice on top), shredded chicken and the best part....drum roll please....crumbled bacon with a few shallots thrown in the grease at the last minute! Yum!

I could eat this salad every day. I'm sure everybody has a variation of the same salad, but thought I'd share this one anyway. I didn't make the dressing homemade but opted for this Newman's Own variety...Raspberry & Walnut Vinaigrette. The dressing is wonderful, I highly recommend.

BB; Butternut Squash Risotto

2008-10-15T20:00:00.004-04:00

So, this recipe comes a week late and the sad thing is I actually made this probably a month ago! I've been really behind with posting. Anyway, last week's Barefoot Bloggers dish was Ina's Butternut Squash Risotto chosen by Rachel of Rachel Likes to Cook. I did make a few changes. First, I skipped the Saffron and added a little fresh Sage instead. And I also omitted the Pancetta as I forgot to buy it at the store. Needless to say with with the changes I made this still turned out fabulously. We ended up eating it with some shredded chicken from a store bought rotisserie chicken...talk about easy dinner!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Cat of the Cat's Pajamas for giving me the "I Love you this much Award".

If you haven't checked out Cat's blog you need to. She cooks up some fabulous dishes and her stories always have me wanting more. Thanks, Cat!! I plan to pass this award along soon, so be on the look out!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

2008-10-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

The most recent issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine is full of great fall recipes. I chose to make the slow cooker pot roast first. This recipe was a cinch. The vegetables (I added potatoes to the veggie list) are layered on the bottom of the crock pot, the meat placed on top, a drizzle of Worcestershire Sauce and that's about it. Let it cook for 6 hours and ta-da, dinner is served. It's done nothing but rain in New England for the last 4 days so this--make your house smell good all day--dinner was perfect. The recipe can be found HERE, and I would highly recommend making this!

Pecan Squares, Delish!

2008-09-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

For a dinner party this weekend I couldn't resist making the Barefoot Contessa Pecan Squares. These squares are so decadent and delicious you'll want to make them over and over. I'm addicted! I halved the recipe and it still called for 5 sticks of butter, so if you're on a diet, these are NOT the squares for you. For the rest of us, easily tempted folk, give these a try. They come together pretty easily and if you have some extra time, dip the ends in melted chocolate for an even grander finish! You can find the recipe HERE.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

2008-09-29T21:41:00.003-04:00

Just in the nick of time! I finally got the Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup made, and it's not even midnight! Chelle of Brown Eye Baker chose this Barefoot Bloggers recipe and being a big time NON-lover of mushrooms this soup turned out pretty good. I debated making a substitution, but I simply ran out of time so I halved the recipe and made it as is. This recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook, which I received from my husband on my recent birthday, so I was happy to finally crack it open. I will probably not be making this recipe again, as for my strong mushroom dislike, but it was worth the challenge and I'm sure my husband will love a bowl when he gets home tonight.

Barefoot Thursday

2008-09-25T09:01:00.004-04:00

A busy few weeks at our house led Thursday to creep up on me...so needless to say we haven't made the cream of mushroom soup. Last week was exterior house painting and this week has been catching our breath week. Keep an eye out this weekend for the soup. I look forward to reading all the other Barefoot Blogs to see how you all did!

BB; Grown Up Mac and Cheese

2008-09-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was the Barefoot Contessa's Grown Up Mac and Cheese chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl. I am a self professed cheese lover, and this mac and cheese was good (I had to omit the blue cheese) but I don't feel like it really stood out as I was hoping it would. The bacon added a nice touch though. So, don't get me wrong, this is a good recipe, just not a gold medal winner. You can find the complete recipe HERE.
First you start by cooking the bacon in the oven. This is a mess free way to cook bacon--no messy splatter on the stove. While the bacon is cooking, boil the pasta and make the rue.

Add the warm milk, cheeses (cheddar and Gruyere--I omitted the blue cheese due to pregnancy), salt, pepper, nutmeg, crumbled bacon and pasta. Give a good stir.

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with bread crumbs and fresh basil. This recipe calls for making two individual size dishes, but for the sake of left overs (I can't believe I'm saying this) I doubled the recipe and used a large casserole dish. I also forgot to buy white bread so I used Panko bread crumbs mixed with the basil. They added a nice crunch.

Like I said, this was a good recipe and I would recommend making it, the bacon added a nice smoky depth. All mac and cheese wins in my book. Enjoy.

Yum Yum Yum

2008-09-07T12:37:00.005-04:00

With my 30th birthday one day away, I decided to make myself (and family) some of the best looking brownie treats I had seen in a long time. I took this recipe from Peabody and I believe she adapted it from Buttercup Bakes at Home by Jennifer Appel. These are some of the best tasting bars I've had. They start with a layer of brownie, then have a layer of marshmallow, followed by a layer of chocolate, peanut butter and Rice Krispies. Finger Licking Good!

Recipe for Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars:

Brownie Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients:
7 ounces mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup Jif peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate, butter, and ¾ cup of the semisweet chocolate chips on medium heat. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set Aside.

In a large bowl, place the eggs and whisk thoroughly. Add in the sugar and vanilla.

Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in the dry sifted ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and even with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the corner of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.Remove the brownies from the oven, and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.

While the brownies are baking, place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.

Remove from heat, add the cereal,and mix well. Allow this to cool for 3 minutes or so.

Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting. Makes 12 3×3-inch bars.

These were belly aching good! I highly recommend.

Broccoli Gratin

2008-08-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

The latest addition of the Everyday Food Magazine published by Martha Stewart featured broccoli. I enjoy eating broccoli but sometimes a little cheese helps it down the hatch! When I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. It was simple to prepare. It called for only 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, but coming from someone who professes to LOVE cheese I needed to add a little extra! This was a perfect side dish and a great way to use broccoli that is headed towards its last viable days in your fridge. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Serves 6
3 slices white sandwich bread (I used about 1.5 cups of Panko breadcrumbs instead)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk (I used 2 cups whole milk and 1 cup skim)
2 heads broccoli (about 2 pounds total), florets finely chopped, stalks peeled and finely chopped
1 cup shredded white cheddar (4 ounces) (I added about 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in upper third. In a food processor, pulse bread and 1 tablespoon oil until large crumbs form; season with salt and pepper (I melted a tablespoon of butter and mixed in the Panko, this saved me from having to get out the food processor). Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; add broccoli. Reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 cup cheese (plus the Parmesan).

Transfer mixture to a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish; top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Bake until breadcrumbs are golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

And here's a picture of my tired sous chef...long day in the kitchen buddy??

Barefoot Bloggers Butterflied Chicken

2008-08-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was Butterflied Chicken chosen by Stefany of Proceed With Caution. Being someone who doesn't love to touch raw chicken (although I get by) I wasn't necessarily excited about "deboning" a chicken. My husband, however, saw this challenge as a reward. He was pretty excited to get his hands on the little bird and cut away. The noise of the scissors and the bones was enough for me, I went outside to wash the cars!

Ina's marinade was perfect. The strong hints of rosemary and lemon complimented the chicken perfectly. We decided to season a few bone in chicken breasts and cook them along with the whole chicken. We've had our share of chicken this week...3 night's of left overs and even some chicken salad at lunch. I think we're done for awhile, but will definitely use this marinade again...perhaps not on an entire deboned and butterflied chicken, that was a little more work than a weeknight can handle! I will note we used a slightly larger chicken (as that was all the store had) and it took about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour to cook on the grill.

We served our chicken with mashed potatoes and a side of green beans with shallots and bacon.

Here's our simple bean recipe. Anyone will eat beans covered in bacon!
Cook 4 pieces of bacon in a large frying pan on medium heat. Once finished remove bacon and crumble. Add two diced shallots to bacon grease (if there's a lot drain some so the shallots are not swimming). Cook until soften. Add blanched green beans to shallots and return bacon to pan. Cook until warmed through.

Coming tomorrow, Broccoli Gratin.

Beef and Broccoli

2008-08-21T20:55:00.003-04:00

Tonight's dinner was beef and broccoli from the Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight cookbook. Several months ago we did Weight Watchers and both had good results. We've stopped "counting points" per say but like to still throw in a WW meal every now and then. This cookbook is full of fan favorites. The beef and broccoli comes together quite quickly and tastes a lot like the Chinese Food restaurant version, although a lot healthier. We served ours over brown rice.

3/4 lb beef top round, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
2 T cornstarch
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
2 T oyster sauce
2 T honey
2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 lb broccoli cut into florets (4 cups)
2 t canola oil
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger (we used pickled ginger because that was all we had on hand)
3 garlic cloves mined

1. Combine beef with 1 T cornstarch; toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining 1 T cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, honey, soy sauce, and sherry in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the broccoli and cook until crisp tender; 3-4 minutes, drain. (We transferred the broccoli to a cold water bath to retain its green color).

3. Heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the beef. Stir-fry until just cooked through, 3-4 minutes; transfer to a plate.

4. Add the ginger and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the beef and broccoli and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Serve with brown rice and enjoy! This was the first time we've made this recipe but because of its ease and great result we'll add it to the dinner rotation.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

2008-08-20T21:05:00.003-04:00

Tonight's dinner was a quick, easy buffalo chicken salad courtesy of Rachael Ray. I like Rachael's recipes, but never find them to be truly 30 minute meals...it always take me MUCH longer. Anyway, this recipe is true to its 30 minutes. The chicken gets a quick saute in butter and olive oil, who doesn't love butter? It's then tossed with buffalo sauce, we used Franks Red Hot. The salad is romaine, shredded carrots and chopped celery in ranch dressing. It calls for crumbled blue cheese, but I forgot to buy that....it was still good without! I highly recommend this salad for a quick meal. You can find the recipe HERE.

Barefoot Thursdays

2008-08-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was Panzanella from the Ina Garten Parties Cookbook chosen by Melissa of It's Melissa's Kitchen. Being married to an Italian man I had to look up exactly what Panzanella meant...check it out HERE. At first I was a little nervous about this recipe because I don't like raw tomatoes (I know, I know) but I was surprised at how much I liked this salad. Ina hit the mark with this one! The dressing was just right, not too over powering and the fresh veggies (tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion and basil) tasted great with the toasted bread. We did make one omission, we left out the capers. Being a carb lover I had to include a photo of my favorite part.....
And yes, I ate the veggies too! Thanks Melissa, for choosing such a great summer time recipe. We will be making this one again.

Kid Friendly Meal

2008-08-11T13:36:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late in posting this meal, but last week we made one of my favorites, Mac N Cheese and served it along side Oven Fried Chicken. This meal reminds me of one of those all you can eat buffets! Mac N Cheese has always been one of my favorite comfort meals and I usually make my mother's recipe but am always up for trying new things. I've made the Barefoot Contessa version several times, but this one comes from Tyler Florence.
I liked this recipe because it called for heating the milk with onion, cloves, garlic, bay leaves, mustard and thyme. That really smelled great on my stove! I will be adding this version to my recipe box. You can find the recipe HERE.

We choose to make the Barefoot Contessa Oven Fried Chicken (recipe HERE) to serve along side the mac n cheese. I am always making Ina Garten meals, however, this recipe was not one of my favorites. The chicken looks beautiful, however it was lacking in the flavor department. The breading was flavorful, and the chicken moist, but overall I found it to be a bit bland. This was our first attempt at oven fried chicken so perhaps next time we'll season the chicken (under the skin) prior to cooking.
We did enjoy this meal like we were kids! Something about fried chicken and macaroni and cheese....just makes you smile!

Real Barbecue

2008-08-02T20:59:00.002-04:00

Tonight we had Kansas City Barbecued Spare Ribs, Red Beans and Rice, and local grown corn. A true barbecue! It was finger licking good. Of course a thunderstorm rolled in right when it was time to fire up the grill, so we started the ribs in the oven and finished them, post storm, out on the grill. They turned out great. The rice was a new recipe for us and it was also delicious. Will definitely make that again.

The rib recipe comes from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Follow these directions to make Kansas City style Spare Ribs:

For the rub:
2 T kosher salt
2 T mild or hot Hungarian paprika (we used regular)
1.5 T cumin
1 T dried oregano
2 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1/2 t ground allspice
1/2 t ground cinnamon

2 to 3 slabs meaty pork spareribs (6 to 7 lbs trimmed of excess fat).

To make the rub, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Coat the ribs with rub and place in a large, resealable plastic bag. Press air out and seal tightly. Place in a bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.

For the Sauce:
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 T finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup ketchup
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T granulated sugar
2 T cider vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t dry mustard
fresh ground black pepper

To make the sauce in a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and saute the celery and onion until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, including pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside. Pour some of the sauce in a small bowl to use for basing the ribs.

Allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Grill, rib side down (we started in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours then moved to the grill), over indirect medium heat until the meat is very tender and has pulled back from the ends of the bones, 1.5 to 2 hours.
During the last 20 minutes of grilling time, baste frequently with the small bowl of sauce. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Reheat remaining sauce and serve on the side with the ribs.

The Red Beans and Rice comes from the Southern Living Secrets of the South's Best Barbecue (the website is here).

2 t olive oil
6 oz smoked turkey sausage
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1.2 t dried thyme
1/2 t ground red pepper (we used cayenne)
3 bay leaves
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
2 (14 oz) cans beef broth
1 1/2 cups seeded chopped tomato
3 T sliced green onions

Coat a dutch oven with cooking spray; add oil. Place over medium high heat until hot. Add sausage, onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add rice and next 3 ingredients; saute 30 seconds. Stir in beans and beef broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve topped with tomato and green onions.

BB Smoked Salmon Spread

2008-07-24T08:30:00.001-04:00

This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe was Ina's Smoked Salmon Spread chosen by Ashley of the Spicy Skillet. Now, I'm not one for smoked salmon, or any salmon for that matter, but decided to make the recipe as is as my husband said he'd eat it and we served it to our friends H&M on Sunday. The feedback I received was that the spread was good, however it make a lot for three people, we have quite a bit left over. We served it with crackers. Because I'm not a salmon person I can't say as if we'd make this again, but it gave me some ideas for salmon substitute...really anything blended into cream cheese would be good! I am looking forward to the August round of recipes and am hoping for some delicious summer time treats...as it's quickly approaching it's end.

Smoked Salmon Recipe:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudites or crackers.

My Son Can Bake...

2008-07-23T21:01:00.004-04:00

I thought I would share this as it's just too darn cute. My 18 month old son is taking cooking classes at his wonderful daycare center. Last week they made chocolate/frosting covered pretzel rods. We originally took this picture to share with his Grandma, but though you all might enjoy seeing what an 18 month old can bake. He walked around the kitchen with a big smile on his face holding the bag containing his homemade treats. He could not have been more proud of himself.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

2008-07-23T09:16:00.004-04:00

Okay, so here's another picture of a partially eaten dessert, can you tell I can't wait to dive in when it comes to dessert?? This is an adapted recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. Her recipe is a Peach and Raspberry Crisp but I used blueberries instead of raspberries. I made this for a dinner party Sunday night. The peaches at the store were slightly on the under-ripe side, but we left them in a brown paper bag overnight with a few bananas to hopefully improve the ripening process...although not much changed. Oh well, the crisp turned out great (looks a little soupy in the picture but that might be because it was hot out of the oven). I served it with a little vanilla ice cream. It was a hit! If you're looking for a quick summer time dessert recipe give this one a try. Thanks Ina!

BB Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

2008-07-21T16:17:00.005-04:00

Better late than never! We made the Barefoot Contessa Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread this weekend for the Barefoot Bloggers challenge. This recipe was chosen by Sabrina and Alexander of Cooking with the Kids. The recipe was overall quite tasty but it turned out a bit dry. It was about 95 degrees and very humid so don't know if that attributed to the dryness. It would have gone nicely with a big bowl of chili but couldn't bring ourselves to be making chili in the middle of the summer. We ate ours with the Barefoot Contessa's Parker's Fish and Chips (forgot to photograph that!). You can find the Cornbread recipe HERE.

Beef Goulash

2008-06-30T21:30:00.008-04:00

Last night we had Beef Goulash from the Cooking Light Magazine. It was kind of a dismal rainy day in New England so rather than tending the grill with an umbrella we went for a meal that was made on the stove top and made the whole house smell good. We served it with egg noodles and a nice crusty bread. Even the littlest eater was a member of the clean plate club.

You can find the recipe on CookingLight.com or here Roasted Tomato-Beef Goulash:

Here we have all the ingredients ready to go....beef, onions, garlic,fire roasted tomatoes (they're key), carrots, celery, salt, pepper. The recipe calls for caraway seeds but I'm not a fan so we omitted them.
Here the meat is nicely browned in the pan. I love how it caramelizes on the edge of the pan!

Here is everything in the pan. Once everything is combined it simmers on the stove for an hour and a half, and that's where the house really starts to smell great.

And the finished product. The goulash is served atop a bed of egg noodles. It was delicious, the meat was tender and perfectly cooked. The fire roasted tomatoes were a nice "smokey" touch. We would definitely make this recipe again. And best of all, it's a "Light" recipe! Eat up.

BB: Parmesan Chicken

2008-06-26T08:01:00.001-04:00

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was Parmesan Chicken chosen by Megan of My Baking Adventures. We made this meal at a normal hour on Sunday, much better than the Pasta and Pesto which we made at midnight! This chicken is really simple but has great flavor. We found cooking it slowly over medium/low heat kept it from getting too browned. And as a bonus, our year and a half son has been gobbling it up, and he's not a huge chicken guy!

Recipe Courtesy of Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa (serves six):

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows (we halved the vinaigrette)

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin. (We used a meat mallet)

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate (we used glass pie plates). On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. (We used 2 pans to speed up the cooking process and using the medium-low heat really kept them nice and golden. We also wiped the pans out between batches just to remove some of the really dark bits).

Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 1/2 cup good olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

We served ours with a side of sauteed zucchini, yellow squash and onion. This was a great meal and will definitely make it again. In fact we have so much we're eating the left overs several nights this week. One night we turned the chicken into baked chicken parm and served it with spaghetti and a quick homemade sauce..yum! No picture of my four pawed sou-chef tonight. He slept through the whole process on his bed only to get up when we opened the dishwasher...a dog loves nasty food smells!

Lemon Cake

2008-06-14T20:45:00.002-04:00

Okay, so this picture is of a half eaten loaf of Lemon Cake. It was so tasty that we had to cut right into it before I remembered to take a picture.

We had a BBQ this afternoon and after much dilemma on what to bring we decided on the Barefoot Contessa Lemon Cake from Barefoot Parties. This is quite possibly the best tasting lemon bread. The glaze on top is sweet and lemony while the syrup poured over the bottom adds just a slight touch of sugar. I could easily eat this entire loaf! We kept one loaf (above) for ourselves and gave the other to the BBQ hosts wrapped in parchment paper tied with kitchen string. Very simple.

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest lightly packed (6 to 8 large lemons - Use only fresh lemon juice and zest)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, the key to great cakes is beating the butter and sugar until the mixture's until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs, (break the eggs into a dish before adding to the batter to avoid a bad egg or shells in the batter) 1 at a time, and the lemon zest. Sift together the flour, to make sure there are no lumps, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cook 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, cool for 10 minutes, invert them onto a rack set over a tray and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides. To freeze these cakes, prepare them except the glaze. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze. When you're ready to use, defrost and glaze.

Take Out Made In

2008-06-13T21:37:00.005-04:00

Tonight's dinner was Chinese Barbecued Pork served with spicy broccoli and brown rice. A few months ago the husband and I decided to do Weight Watchers so we could both shed the rest of the "baby" weight. With the baby almost 17 months, it was time. Anyway, we bought a Weight Watchers cookbook called Take-Out Tonight. It is full of easy recipes to make at home that are a LOT healthier than what you might order at a restaurant and really take very little time to prepare...which in our house is a must!

So, for the pork (from the WW Take-Out Tonight cookbook):

Marinade a 1lb trimmed pork tenderloin for 6-24 hours in a zip lock bag in the fridge. Roast on a greased roasting pan fitted with rack in a 450 degree oven for 25-27 or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

To make the marinade combine 2T honey, 2T hoisin sauce, 2T sake or other white wine, 2t oyster sauce, 2t reduced sodium soy sauce, and 1t sesame oil. I don't have a picture of the meat marinading because it just kind of looked weird.

Here's the broccoli I made prior to cooking. I steamed it in a wok with a little water, a few drops of sesame oil, a tablespoon or so of soy sauce, a shake of sesame seeds and a shake of red pepper flakes. I covered the pan until they were crisp tender.

And here's the end result. The pork with broccoli and brown rice, which I also added a little soy sauce to. Soy sauce is so good, too bad it's so salty!

Tonight's dessert is a chocolate skinny cow. My favorite part is the chocolate filled cone...the little chunk of chocolate at the bottom, yum!

BB: Pasta, Peas, and Pesto

2008-06-12T09:06:00.000-04:00

Our first Barefoot Bloggers dish was chosen by Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food. She chose Pasta, Peas and Pesto. Yum you say. In typical fashion we decide to start making this meal around 8:30pm on the hottest day of the year so far. The thermometer read 95 degrees and the humidity was at least 100%. Needless to say, it was a hot adventure!

We managed to get through the task with only one minor issue--which you might notice in the final product picture--but it was remedied after the fact. Here goes...Recipe Courtesy of Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa: Pasta, Peas, Pesto

Ingredients:

3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil

1 1/2 cups pesto, packaged or see recipe below

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise (I used just shy of a cup)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted (I used 2 cups)

1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pesto:

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (I used maybe 3 cups)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good olive oil (I used just shy of 1 cup)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

What to do:

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

I made the pesto first:

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top. Yum, love Pesto

Back to the main recipe now that the pesto is made. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. I used a reduced fat mayo (I know, probably not the best tasting, but needed to spare a few calories). And here's where the heat got to me. I misread where it said to use 1.5 cups of pesto, I just added the spinach, etc right to all the pesto I made...so you can imagine the HUGE amount of sauce I had created. At first I was annoyed that I had misread the recipe, but after a good laugh we decided extra pesto sauce was just fine...we used a little extra when coating the noodles.

Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature. And, for the finished product we have the slightly overdressed pasta, but none the less, it was delicious. We ate ours with some ricotta and herb stuffed chicken hot off the grill.

And it appears my fruitful kitchen helper was defeated by the heat. No pesto for you this time big guy. Stay cool.

Barefoot Bloggers

2008-06-03T09:46:00.004-04:00

I did it. I joined Barefoot Bloggers. I love Ina Garten and am glad to have found something I can actually do! One of my friends thought Ina's name was In A Garden (honestly)...she thought she was Barefoot In A Garden...we still joke about it today.

My First Post

2008-05-28T14:24:00.000-04:00

This is my very first post. I created this website to share ideas with family and friends. And also to possibly join one of those cooking blog groups...each person makes the same recipe from a certain cookbook and shares their pictures/thoughts on their blog. In order to join you must first have your own blog...hence this blog. So, we'll see what I end up doing. And as for the title, I do have a black lab and I'm a terrible baker!