Another Update

Sometimes - life becomes overwhelmingly busy! I am disappointed in myself for not keeping up with my blog, especially since I do enjoy cooking so much!!

A lot has changed from my last blog of forever ago. I was able to go home for the holidays. I really really missed my mom - it was so good to see her! It was also nice to see the rest of my family, I miss my people now that I'm so far away from them. Additionally, I hired full-time to work at Embry-Riddle as the Associate Director of Academic Support. Fancy, huh? I very much like working full time, although I will say I am learning how to balance which has been a challenge. I never thought it would be so hard to work all day and then come home to make dinner. (Hint: it is hard, really hard. Especially when your brain is fried.) Brad and I also have just moved - we love our new place and are excited to have people over.

I do have posts ready to go with food I've made :) I'm just waiting for the internet at the new place and then prepare for food! I'm also going to focus on fast meals in the next month or so, fast healthy food is important and I would really like to do more of it. Thanks for reading. Happy eating :)

Stuffed Meatball Sub - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bulk Italian hot sausage
• 1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 cubes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup softened sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• One can Italian crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• Salt and pepper
• Four crusty sub rolls, ciabatta bread or individual ciabatta rolls, 7-8 inches long per person
• A handful of basil leaves, torn or shredded
• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

2. Place a bowl of warm water on a work surface. Arrange a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide the sausage into four equal portions. Form three balls from each portion, nestling one mozzarella cube into the center of each meatball and sealing the meat around it. Coat the meatballs with a drizzle of EVOO, place on the rack on the baking sheet and roast until firm, about 18 minutes.

3. While the meatballs are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, one turn of the pan, in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes.

4. Remove the meatballs from the oven, turn off the heat, then place the rolls in the oven and bake until crisp, a minute or so. Split the rolls and top each with three meatballs and some sauce, basil and Pecorino Romano.

This dinner ended up being very filling - I couldn't finish my sandwich!! They also tasted great. I made a few changes.
I bought the small mozzerella balls instead of cutting the large block up. The meatballs came out pretty big, next time I would cut them in half.
I didn't use olives. I don't really care for the saltiness and the texture. I didn't' miss them :) Definitely add them if you like them though!
I also used Parm. cheese instead of the Romano. The grocery store near us doesn't always have specialty items and if they do they run out quickly. I do like Romano cheese and I think it would've tasted great, use it if you can.
Enjoy :)

Shepard's Pie Stuffed Potatoes - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 pound ground sirloin or ground turkey
• 1/2 pound button or crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, for sprinkling on top

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
On a baking sheet, toss the potatoes with a hearty drizzle of EVOO and some salt. Bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
Turn the off oven and pre-heat the broiler.
While the potatoes are cooling, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the bell pepper and half of the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, then cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice lengthwise off of the top to expose the inside. Scoop out the potato flesh, taking care not to pierce the wall of the potato, and transfer to the bowl with the veggies (reserve the potato shells). Add the sour cream and paprika to the bowl and mash. Reserve warm.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground sirloin or ground turkey to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden brown, 4-5 minutes.
Add the remaining onion and garlic to the pan and cook until all the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes more. Push all of the ingredients to the edge of the pan and add the butter to the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
Fill the potato shells with the beef and mushroom mixture, then top each of them with the reserved mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Pop the potatoes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.

These potatoes were super filling! I followed the recipe as is. They came out delicious :) The only think I was disappointed in was the amount of left over potato. I didn't plan for so much to be left over and it went to waste. Plan for the left overs and serve with your favorite main dish.

Catalina Chicken - My Mom

Ingredients

Chicken Breast
Catalina Dressing (whole bottle)
Dry Onion Soup (one package)
Canned Jelled Cranberries
Salt and peper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the chicken in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix together the dressing, soup mix, and jelled cranberries. Pour over the chicken. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with white rice and a bread to soak up the sauce like a crescent.

This is literally the first thing my mom ever taught me to make.  I was pretty young, but it is so simple and inexpensive. I have passed this recipe along to friends who always seem to enjoy it. Brad and Nick also seemed to really like it, the chicken comes out really juicy and who can say no to crescent rolls! I also usually serve this with a veggie but I got a little lazy :) Enjoy this super easy dish!!

Chicken Pot Pie - Everyday Food

 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, diced medium
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• Salt and pepper
• 1 sheet thawed puff pastry
• 1 beaten egg

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Divide filling among four 8-ounce ramekins. Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry and cut 4 rounds to fit ramekins. Cut a small X in center of each to vent, then place on top of filling. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees until filling is bubbling and crust is golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

I made this last night because I really wanted to feel full after dinner so as to not eat snacks later. It worked :) Brad was also super excited, comfort food at 275 calories a bowl is always a plus.
I pretty much followed the recipe all the way through. I would make this again with the following changes:
First, I didn't need a whole onion. It was really strong and almost overwhelming. I would use half a small onion next time. I think onions are important for flavor but not when the over take the dish.
Secondly, since I plan to cut the onions in half I would add more celery, carrots and green beans. I bought a frozen package of green beans (12oz), next time I'll use the whole thing. I'd an extra celery stalk and carrot.
I also have no idea how much weight 2 cups of chicken is. I bought a pound and used 2 of the 3 pieces. I might go ahead and use all 3 next time - if you feel there is too much you could always add it to a lunch size salad the next day. I also didn't roll the pastry sheet out, I had plenty. It didn't take any longer to cook - it took about 20 minutes and then they started boiling over (which reminds me there's an oven to clean). Next time I'll cook them on a pan to catch the overflow.

Happy Comfort Food Season :)

Steakhouse Chili Pot - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 slices lean, smoky bacon, finely chopped
• 2 pounds ground sirloin, ask your butcher for coarse ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons chili powder, such as Gerhardt's brand
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• One can tomato sauce (14 ounces)
• 2 cups beef stock
• Sour cream, for topping
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, for topping

Preparation

In a large chili pot or Dutch oven, heat the EVOO, one turn of the pan, over medium-high to high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat renders, about 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until browned, 8-10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder, a little salt and lots of pepper.
In a bowl, stir together the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, hot sauce and tomato sauce. Stir into the chili. Stir in the beef stock and bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook until thickened, 6-7 minutes.
Serve shallow bowls of chili with lots of sour cream and parsley on top.

I keep wishing it was fall here in San Diego. After being home for my friend's wedding (Congratulations Lili and Dan!!), I missed the brisk and rainy weather. While I'm glad it didn't rain for the wedding, I did miss the 50 degree weather. I've decided the only way to make it feel like fall is turn on the AC and make cozy food.
This chili came out better than I expected. I say that because I've never had chili that didn't have beans in and I really like beans, so I was a little skeptical. I did fail to get enough ground sirloin- the market I went to didn't sell it. I had the butcher ground some for me; I grabbed two pounds but it only ended up being one pound ground up. I decided at that point to just buy 80/20 ground beef. I also didn't have lean smoky bacon, I cut off some of the fat and it was fine. I should have put it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes because it was a little hard to cut. I kept everything else the same.
I served this with a salad on the side. Balancing is always good! I also think keeping some more traditional toppings are good - we only had cheddar cheese and sour cream but chips, corn bread, jalapenos, etc. would've been good too.

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons - Food Network Magazine

(sorry the picture is messy - this is a picture of seconds, it was so good!)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (see below)

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven (such as Le Creuset), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices country white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.
Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Please don't be put off by the  expensive sounding ingredients/cookware. I bought the Food Network Magazine because there were pumpkins on the cover and I realized I'm going to miss fall. I found this recipe and definitely made some changes. It did, however, make me miss my mom :) be warned.

I bought low-sodium chicken stock, which worked fine. I'm not big on using a lot of salt or pepper - I add them of course but I think people should add it as needed when they are served. (My sister hates pepper so I did get used to only adding a little). Also, I did not use saffron or the orzo. Saffron is expensive, it will run you probably $15+ for a small amount. Since I'm not working full time, $15 is an insane amount to spend on a spice for one time use. I decided not to use the orzo - I really wanted the croutons to stand out and be the only texture in the soup. I did splurge on the Gruyere cheese, it was so good in the soup. Definitely make the grilled cheese croutons (I should've cooked mine a little longer!). They melt into the soup and are worth it.

This is a soup I plan on making again. While San Diego doesn't get "cold" we will have some chilly nights and I'm looking forward to enjoying this soup again.