My Boyfriend Dated A Chef

Bacon, cheesy goodness. Pure yum…

Serves 4. Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS:
5 oz bacon or pancetta
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 lb pasta (gemelli shown)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 oz Parmisan Cheese, finely grated (3/4 cup)
3/4 oz Romano Cheese, finely grated (1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and lightly steamed

DIRECTIONS:
Cut bacon or pancetta into 1/3-inch dice, then cook in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fat begins to render, 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

While pasta is cooking, whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese, romano cheese, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl.

Drain spaghetti in a colander and add to onion mixture, then toss with tongs over moderate heat until coated. Add egg mixture and peas, tossing to combine. Serve immediately.

Cooks’ note:
The eggs in this recipe will not be fully cooked, which may be of concern if there is a problem with salmonella in your area.

When I’m not in the mood for cooking and I want something super quick and delicious, I pull out the raviolis and a jar of vodka sauce. With a few minor additions to the sauce, these raviolis are fantastic as a main meal or even as a side. I am a firm believer that not everything has to be made from scratch with hours of slaving over the stove to taste good.

Serves 2-4.

INGREDIENTS:
1 package raviolis (I used the lobster + crab meat raviolis from BJ’s Wholesale Club - they are fantastic)
8 oz. vodka sauce (Francesco Renaldi makes a good sauce)
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

PREPARTAION:
Prepare raviolis according to package directions.

While raviolis are cooking, in a small saucepan combine vodka sauce, light cream and grated cheese (leave a little cheese for garnishing) over medium heat. Continue to stir while sauce is warming so it will not burn. When it starts to bubble, remove from heat.

Serve sauce over raviolis. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

This past weekend I took a trip to IKEA and they had these great little pots for $0.50 and herb containers for $2.99. I snagged 6 pots and 3 different kinds of herbs; basil, chives and parsley. I also grabbed  a few tall plants so that I could see some green while I wait for the herbs to grow. My little herb garden lives right above my sink in the kitchen. This way, there is no doubt that I will water them and be able to use fresh herbs in my recipes. I can’t wait!

I am a big fan of mexican food. If I let myself, I could eat it every night of the week. It must be the combination of spicy vege fantasticness mixed with tasty hot salsa, sour cream and of course guacamole. Anyway, I am loving this fajita recipe and I always make a little extra because leftovers are scrumptious.

Serves 2-4.

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon tien tsin (really hot chinese chile pepper flakes - substitute red pepper flakes if you don’t have the good stuff)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 water
2 teaspoons lime juice
tortillas
salsa
sour cream

PREPARTAION:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced chicken, peppers and onions. Stir and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through for about 5-7 minutes.

Add cumin, paprika, tien tsien, garlic pepper, oregano, garlic powder, water and lime juice to the skillet. Continue to stir until the water cooks out.

Heat tortilla shells in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add chicken-vege mixture, sour cream and salsa. Roll and serve.

This is the best chicken brocolli alfredo recipe I have ever had. It’s the type of alfredo that can be eaten day 2 and day 3. There is no seperation of pasta from sauce. You know what I’m talking about when the pasta seperates from the oily buttery sauce and it just looks disgusting in the leftover container. That’s not going to happen here! The only problem is that it’s a Wildtree blend, which is a culinary club. I’m not a big fan of clubs. I actually won the membership the first year and figured I would give it a try. Well, now I am an official club member, specifically because of this alfredo recipe. It’s a $25 one time membership fee…the seasonings are so good and save me some major cooking time! Friends and family, let me know if your interested in anything. I will be happy to purchase it through my club membership. I wonder if I’ll get kicked out for that?

Serves 4. Recipe adapted from Wildtree.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound fettucine pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1lb Boneless Chicken, cubed (shrimp is a great substitution)
1 crown of broccoli (I have used asparagus and spinach as well)
2/3 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Wildtree’s Alfredo Extraordinaire
romano or parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, cook chicken cubes over medium-high heat in a large skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Steam brocolli in a seperate pan for about 8 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and milk over medium heat. When totally melted, add 1/2 cup Wildtree’s Alfredo Extraordinaire. Whisk or stir briskly until combined.

Add brocolli and alfredo sauce to the chicken skillet. Allow to cook and marinate for 2 minutes.

Drain pasta. Return pasta to pan and mix in the alfredo, chicken brocolli sauce. Sprinkle with romano or parmesan cheese and serve.

Also known as Chicken Cordon Bleu but, this is the low fat version! Fat free cream cheese takes the place of the usual artery-clogging cheese that makes some of us feel guilty for eating it. I love cheese but it’s nice to take a break from it…at least one night a week!

Serves 2-4. Recipe adapted from Light Cooking for Two.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Chicken cutlets (1 pound total; about 1/4 inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 teaspoons fat free cream cheese
3 teaspoons fresh parsley
3/8 teaspoon minced garlic
2 pieces of thin sliced deli ham
4 1/2 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teapoons grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup skim milk
Vegetable cooking spray
4 teaspoons reduced-calorie margarine, melted
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Dash of paprika

PREPARATION:
Lay chicken pieces out flat and sprinkle with pepper.

Combine cream cheese, parsley, and garlic, stirring well. Place 1/2 piece of deli ham on each chicken cutlet. Spread cheese mixture evenly over ham. Roll up chicken, jellyroll fashion, starting with short end and tucking ends under.

Combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken rolls in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture. Place, seam side down, in  a small shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine margarine and lemon juice; drizzle over chicken. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 30 minutes or until tender.

I just made this last night and am completely blown away as to how fantastic it was. Was, in the past tense, because there isn’t one bite left. Pure yum.

Serves 2-4. Recipe adapted from Love and Olive Oil.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST
1 Wildtree So Quick & Easy Pizza Dough (I cheat and am totally OK with that. Feel free to use the grocery store pizza dough or the Boboli Crusts, I won’t tell and I am sure they will taste just as great. It’s all about what you put on it. I like the Wildtree crusts because they taste good. I have no affiliation.)
PAM for spraying cookie sheet

TOPPING
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon tien tsin (really hot chinese chile pepper flakes - substitute red pepper flakes if you don’t have the good stuff)
2 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves (1 1/2 to 2 ounces)
1 1/2 cups thickly sliced mushrooms (5 to 6 ounces)
1/2 cup drained roasted red peppers from jar, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup paper-thin red onion slices
8 large fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
5-ounce package soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

PREPARTAION:
Preheat oven to 500°F.

Prepare crust according to Wildtree package instructions. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet sprayed with PAM.

Mix olive oil, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic in small bowl. Brush 2 tablespoons of garlic oil mixture evenly over crust. Top with spinach leaves, then sprinkle with sliced mushrooms, roasted red peppers, red onion slices, fresh basil, and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle pizza evenly with remaining garlic oil.

Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheese begins to brown, 15-18 minutes. Transfer pizza to board. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Love this recipe! The combination of the balsamic mushroom sauce with the arugula and flank steak is so yummy and simple to make. 20 minutes and you’ve got a great dish.

Serves 4. Recipe adapted from Real Simple.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound flank steak 
salt and black pepper
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered (you can use almost any variety of mushrooms)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup light cream
2 bunches arugula, thick stems removed 
4 scallions, thinly sliced

PREPARATION:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and cook to the desired doneness, 7 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tender and browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

Divide the arugula, steak, and mushrooms among plates and sprinkle with the scallions.

For Valentine’s Day, I made my little Tilda monster her very own homemade dog biscuits. There are amazing dog cookie bakeries out there with gorgeous treats topped with icing and sprinkles and I almost ordered from them a few times. But, where’s the love in that? So, I searched the internet for a decent dog biscuit recipe and came across this one. It is definately labor intensive but well worth it. Miss Tilda covets these cookies and the mint and parsley freshens her doggie breath. Bonus!

Makes about 3 dozen heart shaped cookies. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 large egg

Special equipment: cookie cutter

PREPARATION:
Pulse flours, cornmeal, oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size butter lumps. Add 1 cup water and pulse until a coarse, dense dough forms. *My food processor is small and could not handle all of these ingredients. I ended up kneading it all together with elbow grease in a large bowl.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in parsley and mint until well distributed. Gather, then halve dough with scraper. Form into 2 balls and flatten each into a 6-inch disk.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

Roll out 1 disk of dough into a round (1/3 inch thick) on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, wrap in plastic and chill until firm.) Cut out as many biscuits as possible and arrange about 1/4 inch apart on 1 baking sheet.

Gather scraps and reroll, then cut out more biscuits. Repeat with remaining dough, using other baking sheet.

Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush biscuits with egg wash and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes total. Turn off oven and dry biscuits in oven overnight.

Basmati rice is a long grain rice with a delicate flavor. It is light, fluffy and free flowing, rather than clumpy and sticky like the crap gathering dust in my cupboard.  It is the perfect rice for the asian and indian dishes that I will be sharing.

The reason for the basic side dish start is because I bought basmati rice in a burlap bag and no directions were attached. It took me a few tries to perfect the cooking of it and so I’m sharing.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 teapoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon lime juice

PREPARATION:
Wash the rice thoroughly with your hands. Basmati has so much starch clinging to its grains. 

Bring water, oil and lime juice to a boil.

Add rice, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Do not stir, uncover or disturb rice until it is finished.