Thursday, February 2, 2012

One Pot Meal....

Hello,

I like to eat rice.  I prefer to make brown rice at home, but I do eat regular white rice when I am at work.  The other day I wanted to make a meal our of rice.  Sort of a one pot wonder.  So I made what could be considered Jambalaya.  It was soooo good!! I know I am always patting myself  on the back, but this was good.  I took the picture to early but didn't want to forget.  Once I let the dish rest it looked even nicer and taste even better.  
"Seafood Jambalaya"




Okay time to recall just how I made this dish.  Basically you can add whatever meat or non meat items you would like but this particular dish I used the following ingredients:

INGREDIENTS:
DICED YELLOW ONION
DICED CELERY
DICED GREEN PEPPER
DICED HAM
PEELED AND DE-VEINED SHRIMP
JUMBO LUMP CRAB
CANNED TOMATOES
CHICKEN BROTH
LONG GRAIN RICE
THYME AND PARSLEY
GARLIC
SALT AND PEPPER AND CAYENNE PEPPER

First dice your vegetables and ham and brown it in a large pan.  Once the vegetables are done add dry thyme, canned tomatoes, and garlic.  Saute this for a couple of minutes.  You should have enough tomatoes that its saucy.  Add your rice and enough broth.  To cook rice you use 2 times the amount of broth than the rice.  So if you are adding 2 cups of rice add 4 cups of broth.  If you don't have broth water would be fine.  Once the mixture comes to a boil turn  down the flame on your pot and cover it with a lid.  Set your timer for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes add cayenne to your liking and shrimp and crab.   Recover the pot and continue to cook for 15 minutes more.  Regular rice only takes about 20minutes to cook.  Now that your time is up you should have a saucy pot of food.  Remove the lid add the parsley and let the dish rest for about 10 minutes before serving.  The remaining liquid will absorb some and your meal will be delicious.  Before serving don't forget to taste for quality control.  Add salt and pepper and adjust the cayenne if its not spicy enough for you and your guest.

Enjoy,

Mo

Monday, January 30, 2012

What'ts That Green Stuff??

"Spinach Pesto Pasta"
Hello,

Have you ever heard of "Pesto"?  Usually pesto is made with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, walnuts or pine nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Just recently I needed a new pasta at work.  I am sure those who have followed my blog realize I get my most creative.  So I went to my fridge in hopes to find some pesto either with basil or sun dried tomatoes.  Didn't see either.... "Now what do I do?"
"Spinach Pesto on Spaghetti"

DING DING!!!! Spinach pesto!!! Yes you read me right spinach pesto.  I took two big handfuls of spinach added it to the Cuisinart, 1 handful of toasted walnuts, lots of garlic, couple handfuls of Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Then I hit the power button.  Boy was it bright green.  Much brighter than regular pesto, but I liked it.  You can add this or any pesto to any type of pasta.  I have used it on Spaghetti, Penne Pasta, and Tortellini filled with cheese. 

This recipe I used Spaghetti Pasta, Spinach Pesto, Sun dried Tomatoes, walnuts, olive oil, salt and pepper.  I like to toss in a little of whatever kind of nut I used in the pesto.  This way you don't have to worry about a food allergy because people will be able to see the nuts if they are allergic to it or not. You can add whatever type of ingredients you would like to your dish have fun with it.
I was very surprised that this actually taste so good.  My favorite pesto is still sun dried tomatoes, I will tell you all about that one another day.  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS:
SPINACH
WALNUTS
OLIVE OIL
GARLIC
PARMESAN CHEESE
SALT AND PEPPER

PASTA:
SPAGHETTI OR PASTA OF YOUR CHOICE
OLIVE OIL
SPINACH PESTO
WALNUTS OR PINE NUTS
SUN DRIED TOMATOES CHOPPED
SALT AND PEPPER IF NEEDED

Mo

Monday, January 23, 2012

Stuffed Pork Loin......

Hello,

Its been a while since I have posted sorry if anyone has come here and haven't found anything to there liking.  Recently I posted on my How To: page "How To Butterfly A Pork Loin".  I thought since I posted it I should at least give my idea of what to stuff it with.

"Stuffed Pork Loin"
You can stuff it with whatever you would like, but this particular Pork Loin I stuffed with dried fruit.  I like to take whatever dried fruit I have available.   I do however prefer to use the following: Dried Apples, Figs, Cranberries, and Apricots.  If you have other dried fruit available feel free to use what you like instead.

To get the fruit ready for stuffing I prefer to cook them.  In a small pot I add all the fruit that I would need, chopped yellow onion, dry or fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and a piece of butter.  After all of the ingredients are ready I cover them with water.  Just enough water to cover nothing more,  to much water would make it be soupy. You don't want that!  After the fruit becomes very soft and the water is just about gone you can remove it from the stove and cool it off.  I prefer to have the filling made the day before I have to stuff the loin. 

After you have butterflied your pork loin which you will see in my "How To" video you will place your filling on your meat and roll up.  I used to and many people still do,  like to tie the meat with cooking string.  I rather not these days.  Extra step for the same results I think. 
"Sliced Pork Loin"

Place your meat in a baking pan sprinkle with coarse black pepper, salt, and olive oil.  Cover with a lid or aluminum foil.  Your oven should be preheated at 400F degrees.  I prefer to bake it covered for the first 45 minutes and remove the covering so it can get some good coloring.  I then depending on the size of your loin continue to cook for an additional 30- 45 minutes or until done.  I try to reach at least 160-165 degrees on my meat thermometer.  You can tell from the picture to the right that if you rolled it properly it looks nice how the meat and fruit is wrapped together.  Try not to cut the meat to hot or it tends to fall apart.
Good luck and let me know what you stuff your next piece of meat with.

 Mo

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Stuffing Your Chicken Breast

Hello,

Recently I wrote a post on how to stuff a chicken breast.  A chicken breast can be stuffed with pretty much anything.  Herb bread stuffing, sauteed vegetables, spinach and cheese, etc.  I posted a video on my "How To" page of how to butterfly a chicken breast.  You can go to my "How To" page and watch several other videos of "How to".

Mo

Monday, January 16, 2012

Information:

Hello,

I don't know how many of my followers are coffee drinkers, but I do know we all are in the same boat of wanting to save some cash.  If you noticed the ad to the right for coffee I have a savings for you:

  Free Shipping on order $35+
- Use coupon code for $5 off your first coffee purchase- BLOGME5

Every little bit helps so I thought I would spread the word.

Mo


Friday, January 13, 2012

Information:

This is not my typical post, but I wanted to share with you all the following information that I found:

Are you in the need for some new dishes for your home?  I am not, but I do love nice dishes.  When I got married I actually asked for platters and bowls for my new home because I like to dress a nice table when I have a party.

Today I checked out "Cream Embossed Dinnerware".  I never knew what "embossed dinnerware was until tonight.  You must check it out to know exactly what I am talking about but I will try my best to describe it.  If you ever saw dinnerware and the design was raised so the plate wasn't so flat, that is "embossed".  It is very pretty from what I saw.   There's even a set of dinnerware with seashells on it. Those are my favorite.  Some of the prices are expensive for my wallet these days, but I didn't realize I could find a really nice pattern at my local "Target". 

Okay during the summer I like to invite some family and friends to a BBQ at my home a few times during the summer.  Usually I would have soda, water, kids drinks, and alcohol all stuffed in a cooler, but today I saw "Galvanized Beverage Tubs".  It is the coolest thing to have for an outdoors or even indoors party.  They even come with legs so its not sitting on the ground or needing to find table space.  I saw one where you could actually personalize it with your family name on the outside of it.  The cost was reasonable and anyone could afford it.  I am seriously considering one for this summer.

I am sure many of you have noticed that I do not do a lot of desserts in my blog, this is because I am not a big fan of them.  One because unlike cooking a savory dish which you can add a little this add a little that, desserts are pretty specific.  If you make a cake and don't add the right amounts there usually isn't any saving this dish.  I do on the other hand like to make things that can be individual per guest.  Such as ice cream or parfaits, etc.  "Glass Dessert Dishes" are perfect for these types of desserts.  With a glass dish you can layer the desserts with fruit or cake and show off the beautiful layers.  It makes your guest think you spent a lot of time on them.  I like it when they think I have been working hard in the kitchen for them.  Makes them enjoy it that much more.

I hope this bit of information was helpful let me know what you think.

Mo

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Stuff My What???

Hello,

Everyday when I am at work we prepare a boneless chicken breast dish for sale.  The other day I decided to make the chicken dish, so like usual it is something that we haven't had before.  Don't ask me why I am always going out of the box.  I just like to be different I guess! 

Once I trimmed the chicken breast of all the excess skin and fat that was left on it, I had to decide what to make with it.   Don't you just hate when you pay for the fat and excess skin?  I know I do...  These particular chicken breast were rather thick this time around, so I decided to "STUFF THEM"!!!

"Stuffed Chicken Breast"
Everyone loves a stuffed chicken breast.  Now the question I had to ask myself was, what was I going to stuff them with?  I never want to spend to much time on it so I remembered seeing some flame roasted peppers and onions in the freezer. "Why we would have ordered this I have no idea...But it worked out in my favor this time"  So I decided to stuff it with the flamed roasted peppers and onions, some oven roasted tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and feta cheese.  Had no clue how it would turn out but it was "DELICIOUS".

The first step in stuffing a chicken breast is butterflying it.  Butterflying is when you cut open the breast without cutting it into two pieces.  I will post a "How To" video on how I prefer to butterfly a chicken breast soon.  So be on the look out for that.  So good luck when you try this dish.  I prefer to use a very sharp paring knife.  Lay the breast flat and with the pointed part of the knife carefully cut down the side of the breast to make a butterfly.

INGREDIENTS:
BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST
FRESH PEPPERS AND ONIONS
OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES
FRESH BASIL
FETA
GARLIC
OLIVE OIL
SALT AND PEPPER
PAPRIKA 

The filling: since everyone won't have already prepared fire roasted peppers and onions I would recommend the following:  slicing some peppers of your choice and onions and sauteing them in the frying pan with garlic, salt and pepper, add oven roasted tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes, fresh chopped basil and crumbled feta.  With your chicken add salt and pepper, garlic and olive oil.  Stuff your chicken breast not so it is over stuffed but just enough to close the chicken breast.  I like to add some color to the chicken so I don't have to brown it in a pan by sprinkling it with paprika.  Place the stuffed breast in a baking dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a 400F degree oven.  This recipe was very good, but you can stuff your chicken with anything you would like.  A bread stuffing, sauted spinach and pinenuts, a cheese blend, etc.  The possibilties are endless.  Let me know what you came up with.

Mo