Stovetop Roast Chicken with Lemon-Herb Sauce

Another recipe from America’s Test Kitchens. I love chicken and the easier to make the better! I think I will be trying this soon.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

3 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks and /or thighs) trimmed

Table salt and ground black pepper

1 TBS vegetable oil

3/4- 11/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Lemon-Herb Sauce:

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)

1 tsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 TBS. minced fresh parsley leaves

1 1/2 TBS. minced fresh chives

1 TBS. juice from 1 lemon

1 TBS. unsalted butter, chilled

Table salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

For The Chicken:

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch non stick skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken pieces skin side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Using tongs, flip the chicken pieces skin side up. Reduce heat to medium low, add 3/4 cup of the broth to the skillet, cover, and cook until the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees and the thickest part of the thighs/ drumsticks registers 170 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 10 to 16 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, skin side up.

Pour off the liquid from the skillet into a 2 cup measuring cup and reserve. Wipe the skillet out with paper towels. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium high heat until shimmering. Return the chicken pieces skin side down and cook undisturbed until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp, the thickest part of the breast registers 160-165 degrees, and the thickest part of the thigh/drumstick registers 175 degrees, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Using a spoon, skim any fat from the reserved cooking liquid and add enough broth to measure 3/4 cup.

For The Sauce:

Heat the oil in the now empty skillet over low heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium high, add the reserved cooking liquid, and bring to a simmer, scraping the skillet bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to 1/2 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from the resting chicken; return to a simmer and cook for 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the parsley and chives, lemon juice, and butter; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce around the chicken and serve immediately.

Tips:

When browning the chicken to avoid getting oil everywhere use a spatter guard. Also, you could make this with all white meat chicken or all dark meat chicken as you prefer.

Garlicky Shrimp Pasta

Again this is a recipe I got from America’s Test Kitchen Season 10. I have yet to make this but see it in the future for sure!

Ingredients:

1 pound extra large shrimp (21to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and each shrimp cut into 3 pieces

3 TBS. olive oil

5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 tsp.), plus 4 medium garlic cloves, smashed

Table salt

1 pound of mezze rigatoni, fusilli , or campanelle (see note)

1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (see note)

2 tsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine

3/4 cup clam juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

3 TBS. unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

1 tsp. lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

Ground black pepper

Directions:

Toss the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2 teaspoons of the minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Let the shrimp marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Heat the 4 smashed garlic cloves and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is light golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic from the skillet; discard garlic. Set the skillet aside.

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, return the skillet with the oil to medium heat; add the shrimp with the marinade to the skillet in a single layer. Cook the shrimp, undisturbed, until the oil starts to bubble gently, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the shrimp and continue to cook until almost cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl. Ass the remaining 3 teaspoons minced garlic and the red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute; stir in the vermouth and cook for 1 minute. Add the clam juice and parsley; cook until the mixture starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and sauce to the pasta and adjust the consistency of the sauce with the reserved pasta cooking water. Season with black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing the lemon wedges separately. 

Notes:

Marinate the shrimp while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Any short tubular or curly pasta works well in this recipe. If you prefer more heat, use the greater amount of red pepper flakes given. I used to omit them entirely but found that it adds a nice dimension to the dish, if you don’t like spicy,try the least amount on the recipe and I don’t think you will be disappointed!!

Apple- Upside Down Cake

This is a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen Season 10 DVD. I actually own this and just got around to watching all the episodes and since apple season is pretty much upon us, I wanted to post this.

Ingredients:

Topping:

4 TBS. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, plus extra for the pan

4 Granny Smith apples ( about 2 pounds), peeled and cored. (see note)

2/3 cup packed (4 2/3 ounces) light brown sugar

2 tsp. juice from 1 lemon

Cake:

1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 TBS. cornmeal (optional, see note)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. table salt

3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed (1 3/4 ounces) light brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

6 TBS. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

For the topping:

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch wide by 2-inch high round cake pan; set aside. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Halve the apples from pole to pole. Cut 2 apples into 1/4 inch thick slices; set aside. Cut the remaining 2 apples into 1/2 inch thick slices. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1/2 inch thick apple slices and cook, stirring two to three times, until the apples begin to caramelize, 4 to 6 minutes. (Do not fully cook the apples) Add the 1/4 inch thick apple slices, brown sugar and lemon juice; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the apples are coated, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared pan and lightly press into an even layer. Set aside while preparing the cake.

For the Cake:

Whisk the flour, cornmeal (if using), baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the sugars and the eggs together in a large bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the butter until combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla; whisk until combined. Add the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly over the fruit. Lightly tap the pan against the countertop two or three times to settle the batter. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick  inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a small knife around the sides of the cake to loosen. Place a wire rack over the cake pan. Holding the rack tightly, invert the cake pan and wire rack together; lift off cake pan. Place the wire rack over a baking sheet or large plate to catch any drips. If any fruit sticks to the pan bottom, remove and position it on top of cake. Cool the cake 20 minutes (or longer to cool it completely) then transfer it to a serving platter, cut into pieces and serve.

Notes:

We like the slight coarseness that cornmeal adds to the cake, but it is fine to omit it. Golden Delicious apples can be substituted for the Granny Smith apples. You will need a 9-inch non stick cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches high; anything shallower and the cake will overflow. Alternatively, a 10-inch ovenproof stainless steel skillet (don’t use cast iron) can be used to both cook the apples and bake the cake, with the following modifications: Cook the apples in the skillet and set them aside while mixing the the batter. (It’s okay if the skillet is still warm when the batter is added) and increase the baking time by 7 to 9 minutes. If you don’t have either a 2 inch high cake pan or an ovenproof skillet, use an 8-inch square pan. This recipe serves 8 people.

Pasta Carbonara with Bacon

Again I got this recipe from the Pillsbury website. I also thought that Carbonara was always made with bacon or pancetta (Italian bacon). It sounded good so I will try this eventually.

Ingredients:

6 oz. uncooked fettuccine or spaghetti

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (1/4 lb.)

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

3/4 cup chopped plum (Roma) tomato (1 medium)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (8 medium)

1 container (6 oz.) Yoplait Greek fat free plain yogurt

Directions:

Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on the package. In 10-inch skillet, cook bacon and garlic until crisp. Drain; remove from skillet, and set aside.

In small bowl, slightly beat egg. Beat in milk, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Place cooked Fettuccini in skillet. Add milk mixture, spinach, tomato, and green onions. Cover; cook about 5 minutes over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until spinach is tender.

Stir in yogurt; cook over low heat just until heated through.

Tips:

Usually when a recipe calls for milk they mean whole milk. It really gives it more body than the 2% or low fat. You of course could leave the onions out or even the yogurt. When trying a recipe for the first time I will make it as it is written just to get a feel for it then the next time I will add or leave things out. Of course the first time I make this I will be leaving the onions out.

Easy Apple Pie Foldover

This is another recipe from my favorite website. I have not made this one yet, although I think I will soon, with apple season around the corner.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (1 1/2 medium apples)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBS. water

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 TBS. all-purpose flour

1 TBS. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 TBS. butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts

1 egg

Directions:

in 2-quart saucepan, mix apples, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of the water and the lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender.

In small bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar and salt. Gradually stir into apple mixture, cooking and stirring until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Let pie crust pouch stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Remove pie crust from pouch; unroll crust on ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon cooled fruit mixture evenly onto half of crust to within 1/2 inch of edge.

In small bowl, beat egg and 1 tablespoon of water; brush over edge of crust. Fold untopped half of crust over apple mixture; firmly press edge to seal. Flute edge; cut small slits in several places in top crust. Brush top with remaining egg mixture.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm or cool.

Tips:

You can also sprinkle the top with granulated sugar after brushing with egg mixture to give it a bit more sweetness. You can also serve this with vanilla ice cream as well.

Personalized Individual Pizzas

This recipe only gives three variations, but you could make this anyway you wanted. This is good if you have kids who don’t like the same toppings on pizza or if you are having a sleep over. It can also be used for a small gathering of friends as well. It is pretty much a do it yourself kind of thing, so all you need is the dough and any toppings you want.

Ingredients:

Cornmeal, if desired

1 can (13.8 oz.) Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup pizza sauce

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz.)

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)

Italian Sausage Pizza:

1/8 lb. bulk Italian sausage

1/2 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, if desired

Margherita Pizza

1 TBS. shredded Parmesan cheese

3 to 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices plum (Roma) tomato (about 1 medium tomato)

1 TBS. thin fresh basil strips

Pepperoni Pizza

8 to 10 slices of pepperoni (from 3 oz. package)

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray, sprinkle with cornmeal.

Do not unroll dough. Cut roll of dough into 4 equal pieces; shape each piece into a ball. Roll or press each  ball of dough into a 5-inch round making edges slightly thicker to form a rim. Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet; brush each with oil.

Bake 6-8 minutes. Top each round with 1 of the variations above. Bake 10-13 minutes longer or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Monkey Bread

I made the monkey bread today and I have a few pictures of the process, so here they are!

This is the beginning, before I realized I missed a few ingredients!

This is all the ingredients. It really is not complicated.

Granulated sugar and cinnamon

How the biscuits are cut up.

Beginning to layer the sugar coated biscuit pieces with raisins

Layered sugar coated biscuit pieces with raisins, melted butter and brown sugar on top

 

Just out of the oven after 30 minutes

Finished product, turned out of pan after cooling 10 mins. Looks yummy!

 

So you can see, it is not difficult. Maybe a bit time consuming, but on a weekend or day off it is perfect! Not to mention to smell of cinnamon in your house. Yum! I am now going to have some. Have a great day! Ciao!!

Grands! Monkey Bread

I got this recipe from the Pillsbury web site. It is free and a wonderful source for recipes and videos. They also have a wonderful community section as well. This is also my next sweet recipe that I am making.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 tsp. of cinnamon

2 cans (16.3 ounces each) Pillsbury Grand's Home style refrigerated buttermilk biscuits.

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (if desired)

1/2 cup raisins, if desired

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shorting or cooking spray. In large storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Separate dough into 16 biscuits, cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.

In small bowl mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.

Bake 28-32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Double-Meat Personal Pizzas

This is a recipe that I got from the Pillsbury website. It looks like a fun Friday night dinner. I am looking forward to making this and as usual, you could use any of your favorite pizza toppings for this.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 can (13.8 ounce) Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves, if desired

1/2 package (3 1/2 ounce size) sliced pepperoni

2 TBS. grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Lightly spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough on work surface. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces; place on cookie sheet. Press out each piece of dough to form 6x5 inch rectangle. With fingers, create slight rim on edge of each dough rectangle. Bake 8 minutes.

Spread about 2 tablespoons pizza sauce just to rim of each crust; sprinkle with oregano. Top with peperoni, beef, and cheeses.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cheese in center is melted.

I am a huge fan of pizza and I am always looking for ways of making it quickly without having to buy frozen pizza. This is a good thing for sleep overs, so everyone can have what they like too.

Bertolli Ricotta Bruschetta

This is another recipe that I got off the Bertolli website that looked good. It is an appetizer but could be used for the bread in a meal if you wanted.

Ingredients:

1 loaf Italian bread, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 clove of garlic halved

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups Bertolli tomato and basil sauce

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

2 TBS. chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Arrange bread on baking sheet. Evenly rub with garlic, then brush with olive oil. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Evenly spread pasta sauce on bread then top with cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is golden. Sprinkle with basil.

Bertolli substitution: Use your favorite prepared pizza crust instead of bread for a quick meal.

My Substitution: Use mozzarella or any Italian blend cheese instead of the ricotta.

 

Bertolli cost of recipe: $10.00

Cost per serving: $0.50

Farfalle with Herb-Marinated Grilled Chicken

This is another Bertolli recipe and I have not made this yet. Although I do not have a grill ( they are not allowed where I live) you can still make this recipe in a gill pan.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup Bertolli extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano leaves (optional)

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 jar Bertolli Tomato & Basil sauce, heated

1 box ( 16 oz.) farfalle or penne pasta, cooked and drained

Directions:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice basil, parsley, oregano, and red pepper flakes in shallow bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade Grill or broil chicken, turning once, until thoroughly cooked; slice.

Spoon sauce over hot farfalle and top with chicken. Garnish if desired, with additional parsley.

 

Bertolli says that the cost of this recipe is : $9.92

Cost per serving: $1.98

 

If you make this, let me know how it turns out!

Pulled Chicken Recipe

I mentioned in my last post that I would post the recipe for the pulled BBQ chicken if it worked out. It worked out wonderfully!!! I am trying to figure out how to put it in recipe form because it came out of my head. I can tell you how to make it, but I am trying to break it down in easy to understand steps for everyone. I will have it here hopefully by the end of the week. Just an FYI, my internet and phone are going to be switched to AT&T tomorrow, so I am not sure how long I am going to be offline.

BBQ Pulled Chicken

This is my own recipe and it is not exactly the recipe yet. I have to figure out how to make this work first. Since I make BBQ pulled pork, there is not really any reason why this will not work. Although I thought that about the pineapple upside down cupcakes and look how that turned out!! I think that if I use the same principals in the BBQ pork recipe I should be okay. I am attempting this on Saturday, so you will know the outcome soon. If everything works out well, I will be posting the actual recipe that I used here, if not, well I will tell you why.

Olive Garden Dipping Sauces for Breadsticks

Again, this recipe is from the Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

Menu description:  freshly prepared Alfredo or marinara sauce served warm.

Alfredo Sauce:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter

1 TBS. minced garlic ( about 3 cloves)

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Make Alfredo sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic to the butter and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the cream, salt, pepper, and cheese. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until thick, stirring often.

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups or so.

Tips:

When using minced garlic, I buy the already minced kind in the produce department. Mainly because I use it in most recipes and it is already minced for you.

Marinara Sauce:

Ingredients:

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup diced onion

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic ( about 1 1/2 cloves)

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

3/4 cup of water

1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning herb blend

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Ass the onion and garlic and sauté for 1- 2 minutes, or until the garlic begins to turn a light brown. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, and then add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring often.

Tips: If I was making this, I would leave the onion out. Also, I don’t think I would add the sugar either as I am not really fond of sweet sauces. Again, I used the already minced garlic, so it is easier.

Olive Garden Breadsticks

If you have ever been to Olive Garden, you know how great these breadsticks are. Again, this recipe is from the book Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

Ingredients:

2 TBS. granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. active dry yeast

1 cup plus 1 TBS warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

16 ounces bread flour (3 cups)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Topping Ingredients:

2 TBS butter melted

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

 Directions:

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy on top. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer to mix the soften butter into the flour. If you don’t have a stand mixer; use a mixing spoon to combine the butter with the flour. When the yeast mixture is foamy, pour it into the flour mixture and use a dough hook on your mixer to combine the ingredients and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer; combine the ingredients and then knead the dough by hand on the counter top for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a covered container and let it sit for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it doubles in size. When the dough has doubled, measure out a 2-ounce portions and roll the dough between your hands or on a countertop to form sticks that are 7 inches long. Place the dough on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, cover, and set aside for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size once again. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the breadsticks for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. When the breadsticks come out of the oven, immediately brush each one with melted butter and sprinkle with a little garlic salt.

Tips:

If you are pressed for time or just don’t want to deal with making the breadsticks from scratch, I have seen frozen bread sticks in my grocery store freezer section, use those instead for a quick version of these.

Olive Garden’s Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

Again, this is from the book, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur and the following paragraph is his and not mine.

Menu Description:

Grilled beef medallions drizzled with balsamic glaze, served over fettuccine tossed with spinach and gorgonzola-Alfredo sauce.

This menu item builds on Olive Garden’s great Alfredo sauce recipe with the addition of gorgonzola cheese. The tangy cheese sauce works well with the sweet-and-sour balsamic reduction that is drizzled over the beef medallions. Find three (3) 6-ounce sirloin steaks (or what ever cut you prefer) and slice each of them into four 1 1/2 ounce fillets. Get pounding with a kitchen mallet and make those steaks about 1/2- inch thick and they will grill up to the same size medallions on the original dish. Between the pounding and the meat tenderizer in the beef seasoning, you will turn even the cheapest cut of beef into a tender morsel. Build your dish as described below and you will have re created the taste and presentation of the original rich, tasty dish.

Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoons of Knox unflavored gelatin powder

Directions:

Make balsamic glaze by combining balsamic vinegar, honey, and unflavored gelatin in a small sauce pan over low heat. Stir often as mixture comes to a simmer. Turn off heat when mixture begins to boil, then remove it from the heat and cool at room temperature. The glaze will thicken even more as it cools.

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese  

1 (12 ounce) box fettuccine pasta

Directions:

Make the Alfredo sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream, garlic powder, pepper, and cheeses, and simmer over medium/low heat for 10 to 12 minutes until thick. Bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until done then drain.

Beef Seasoning

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. meat tenderizer (McCormick brand works well)

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

3(three) 6-ounce sirloin steaks cut each into four 1 1/2 –ounce medallions

4 cups chopped fresh spinach

3 TBS. chopped green onions (about 2 onions)

Directions:

Preheat grill to high. Combine the beef seasoning ingredients. Pound beef medallions to about 1/2 inch thick and sprinkle both sides with seasoning blend. When your grill is hot, cook beef medallions for 2 to 3 minutes per side until cooked to your preference.

Garnish:

Ingredients:

3 TBS crumbled gorgonzola cheese

2 TBS chopped sundried tomatoes

Directions:

Just before serving the dish, add the chopped spinach and chopped green onions to the Alfredo sauce. For each serving toss approximately 1/3 of the fettuccine pasta with about 3/4 cup of the Alfredo sauce in a medium bowl. Spoon onto a serving plate, and then arrange 4 beef medallions on the pasta. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar glaze over each beef medallion. Combine the gorgonzola cheese crumbles with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle about 1 1/2 table spoons of this mixture over the beef medallions. Repeat for the remaining servings.

This recipe says it makes 3 servings per recipe, so if you are making it for 4 or more people you will have to double or even triple it depending on how many people you are serving.

Bertolli Spaghetti & Meatballs Review

I decided to make the spaghetti and meatball recipe last night. Let me begin by saying that I have an issue with making meatballs. I never get them right, they either end up all mashed or not in the right shape. So, I was rather hesitant to attempt this recipe, but as luck would have it, they turned out right!

The meatball recipe is easy enough and I also used a 1/2 pound of ground pork with the ground beef to keep the meatballs moist. The recipe is dead on when it says it makes 12 meatballs, they are pretty large so this is a filling meal.

The sauce itself is amazingly good for a jar sauce. It tastes fresh and has chopped tomatoes and garlic in it. Bertolli is a bit more expensive than the other sauces and it is totally worth it. Well, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this recipe and I think it will be on the menu more often now. I know that I will be making the meatballs and sauce to make subs as well. We will see how that turns out and maybe I will put the recipe here too.Ciao!

Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Again, this is not my recipe, it is from the book To Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur. I love this soup at Olive Garden and I was stalking the Olive Garden website hoping that they would post their recipe there and to my knowledge they have not yet. So here is a recipe that is supposed to be as good as the real thing!!

Ingredients:

Gnocchi:

1 cup potato buds

3/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 scant tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup boiling water

1 egg yolk

2/3 cup all- purpose flour

Directions for Gnocchi:

Mix potato buds with the salt and nutmeg. Stir in the boiling water and continue mixing until no dry flakes remain. Stir in egg yolk until the mashed potato mixture has an even pale yellow color throughout. Stir in flour and knead for about a minute with your hands. Use a half teaspoon to measure out small portions of the dough. Using floured hands, roll the small dough portion around between the palms of your hands, making a ball, then press each ball down onto floured wax paper, making a small disk, When all the gnocchi is made, begin the rest of the soup.

Ingredients:

Soup:

2 TBS. vegetable oil

1/2 cup of shredded carrot

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 TBS. cornstarch

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups of water

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 roasted chicken with meat removed and chopped ( about 1 pound of meat)

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Directions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Whisk cornstarch into the chicken broth and add to the vegetables along with the water. When the mixture begins to boil, add the gnocchi. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the half and half and simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until soup begins to thicken. Add the chicken and spinach and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the soup has thickened and the spinach is tender.

Now, if you want to make this recipe quickly I suggest using frozen gnocchi and a rotisserie chicken from your favorite store. Again I have not made this yet, so if anyone tries it out, let me know!!

Recipe Books

I have these books that are called 'Top Secret Recipes Unlocked'. I love these books because they have a lot of recipes from restaurants that I totally fell in love with there. These books give you the almost exact recipes and they usually turn out the same. So, I have decided that since I have these little gold mines, I will post recipes from them here. I will start with recipes that I want to make eventually and move on to some of the others. There are some that I can not post as they come with pictures on how to assemble the finished product. I will look at those and if it seems too complicated without the picture I will skip that recipe.

Todays dinner was taco salad, which I love. It is quick and easy. Not to mention very customizable. I will post my recipe for that here maybe tomorrow as well. I am kind of tired today and there is nasty weather in the area.  

Mississippi Mud Cake

This is another recipe I have had for a while but never have tried yet. So again, if you make this let me know how it turns out. It looks amazingly rich and sinful!


Ingredients:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter
1 (4 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs
1tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
1 (10.5 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
Chocolate frosting

Directions:
Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until toasted
Microwave 1 cup of butter and semisweet chocolate in a large microwave-safe glass bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into a greased 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with miniature marshmallows; bake 8-10 more minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle warm cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans.


Chocolate Frosting Recipe:


Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Stir together first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth.


I would assume that you can change the pecans in the recipe to any kind of nut you like. Although I have not made this recipe.

My Love of Food

I think that my love of food started when I was a kid. Since it is Friday today I will talk about a Friday night ritual in my family. My parents divorced when I was four, so when my mom and I moved back to Florida I found myself spending time with my aunt, uncle, and two cousins I really did not know. At first we lived with them for a bit until my mom could find a place to live for us. On Friday nights, it was the 'no cook' night. So, the kids (all three of us) had to get together and agree on what we wanted for dinner.

Since 90% of the time, more than one kid can not agree on anything it took some doing! We could choose from pizza, Mc Donalds, Browns chicken, etc... But we all had to agree. For me, I was not the picky eater here, that was my cousin Tyson. Usually most of the time, we did agree but there were a few times that I was fearful that we would not be eating dinner!!

I also claimed Fridays as 'no cook' days when I had my kids. And for the most part they did agree on what they wanted. Although sometimes, the adults did  not want what the kids wanted! If that was the case, then I would make exceptions to the you both have to agree rule, as long as it was within reasonable amount of distance. There were times where my ex and I wanted Taco Bell, so the kids could choose what they wanted and they pretty much were good about agreeing with each other.

So, since today is Friday and still a 'no cook' day in this house, I am thinking pizza tonight for me. I love pizza.  Still working on the recipe from scratch though. Have not been experimenting a lot lately. But I have some free time and might try to do it again. I love Friday nights because they are so full of possibilities food wise for me. Sometimes I go out and lately staying in has been nice. Just chilling with a good movie and good food. I love Fridays. So, tell me, how do you spend your Friday nights?

Bertolli Spaghetti & Meatballs

I have tried and tried to make meatballs and for some reason I can not do it. They either come out all messed up or they fall apart totally. I have not made this recipe yet, so I am hoping someone will make this and tell me how it works.

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

1/4 tsp. salt

1 jar Bertolli Tomato and Basil sauce

8 ounces of spaghetti, cooked and drained

Directions:

Combine ground beef, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, water, egg, garlic, and salt in medium bowl; shape into 12 meatballs.

Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat in 3-quart saucepan. Gently stir in uncooked meatballs.

Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until meatballs are done. Serve over hot spaghetti and sprinkle, if desired with parmesan cheese.

Bertolli says cost of this recipe is $8.39

Cost per serving: $2.10

I am hoping that this recipe is my final try for the meatballs. So make it and tell me how it comes out.

Chicken With Peas, Parmesan & Prosciutto

This is a recipe I got from Bertolli recipe club. I have not made this yet, but hoping that someone will and let me know what it is like. I love Italian food and Bertolli is one of the few jar sauces that I actually like.

Ingredients:

1- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks.

1TBSP olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jar Bertolli Vodka Sauce made with fresh cream

2 ounces prosciutto, chopped

1/2 cup frozen green peas, partially thawed

1/4 grated parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese shavings (optional)

Directions:

Season chicken if desired, with salt and ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook onions stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook stirring frequently about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook turning occasionally, about 6 minutes or until browned. Stir in sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in prosciutto, peas, and grated parmesan cheese. Simmer 1 minute or until peas are heated through and chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve if desired over hot cooked pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese shavings.

 

According to Bertolli, the cost per recipe is $11.60

Cost per serving of this recipe is $2.90

When I make this I will omit the onions, but I left them in the recipe because I know others like onions. If you make this, let me know how it turns out!!

Mashed Potatoes

I love mashed potatoes and the easier they are to make the better!! I actually stole this tip from Rachel Ray a while ago and I have to say it honestly works every time!! So feel free to steal it and use it.


When I make mashed potatoes, lately we have been using red skin potatoes. It really depends on your preference of potato. When you get ready to make this, make sure you cut your potatoes in about the same size pieces or this trick will not work so well. Put the potatoes in water and bring to a boil, once they have reached a rolling boil, put a lid on them and turn the heat off. Let them sit for 11 minutes with the lid on the pot. Now the idea is that when the 11 minutes is up the potatoes will be fork tender and ready to mash. Finish the mashed potatoes in the usual way. I use lots of butter and milk. I have also added in some other things such as cheese and bacon. If this is done correctly your mashed potatoes should be quick and easy!!