Grilled Panko Crusted Salmon with Honey Orange Vinaigrette

Copper river salmon is finally in season!  To celebrate, I tried something new.  Grilling fish.  Strait on the grill.  

Typically, my husband was always the grill master.  I just didn't want to deal with the extreme 700 degrees of our grill, and quite frankly the grill can be intimidating.  These days, I've had to overcome a lot of my fears, like giving birth, killing spiders, and manning the grill.  Since my husband works fairly late, I try to have dinner ready when he gets home so that we can all eat as a family.  Eating at 8pm, now, is no longer an option with a toddler.

Amazingly, the grill is a lot easier than I always thought.  Not to mention, less messy, less stinky, and AND....no more kitchen fires!  The key is to have a really hot grill, flip once, and oil the grates.  I use cooking spray--just stand back--those flames can really kick back. 

Now that we have overcome grilling, lets talk about this fish, shall we?  Copper river salmon is in season only in the summer months.  It's much more 'buttery' in flavor and texture.  In fact, it's the real reason I love salmon today.  Total fact.  Up until 7 years ago, I did not like fish.  Now, I don't know how I ever lived without it.

What I love about this recipe is the crunch from the panko crumbs (japanese bread crumbs that are, well, pretty darn crunchy!).  The finishing sauce, just brightens up the fish.  And who doesn't like sauce?  

Leaving the skin on helps with breakage of the fish on the grill.  Also, you don't even have to flip this thing, just cover with one of those disposable foil/aluminum pans over the top to create a steam cooking system.

Oh, and did I mention this takes 25 minutes?  Yup.

Grilled Panko Crusted Salmon with Honey Orange Vinaigrette

recipe adapted from "Cuisine at Home" magazine

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 T white wine vinegar

1 T Dijon

Zest of one orange

1 T shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon 

For the Salmon:

2 T.  olive oil

1.5 T. Dijon Mustard

2, 8 oz Salmon filets, skin on (or choose a size that you would eat)

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

2 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat grill

Wisk Vinaigrette ingredients together.  Set aside.

For the fish:  Mix together 2 T oil, and dijon and salt and pepper to taste.  Brush over salmon filets.

In a separate bowl: mix together panko, parsley, and 2 T olive oil.  Top each filet with the mixture.  

Oil grill (be careful of the flames).  Place salmon on the grill, skin side down. Cover with either a disposable aluminum pan, I used some aluminum pie pans I had.  Cook 5-6 minutes.  Or until fish is done.  Check often for flare ups.**  If topping seems to be getting too burned and fish is still not done inside, you can put fish on a sided cookie sheet on a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes (or until done).  I ended up having to do this.

**tip: Once the fish is on the grill, leave it alone. Don't move it until it's finished.  The skin will generally stick to the grill, don't worry about it, this helps get the fish off anyway.  Also, use a metal spatula and quickly, but gently get under the fish to pull it off the grill.

Serve over roasted asparagus and top with vinaigrette.

Chicken Marsala

Planning ahead can be really tough when you are busy.  Sometimes I get caught up in all the other tasks of the week that I can't be bothered with sitting down to write a menu for the week, plus a shopping list that I will probably forget or lose at home anyway.

This week, was just one of those weeks.  I came off a busy weekend and I needed to just live with using what was in my refrigerator and pantry.  I usually have chicken breast in the house, a few potatoes and an array of vegetables to chose from.  Since my mushrooms were at risk of biting the dust soon if not used, I decided to make chicken marsala....something I haven't made in ages.

What I liked about this was that it didn't dirty up a ton of my dishes, and I could do most of the work (pounding the chicken) while my daughter was sleeping.  Then, all I had to do was dredge in a seasoned flour mixture and saute.  Easy peasy.

Chicken Marsala

recipe by:  Cafe Coco

2 chicken breasts

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 oz mushrooms

1/2 cup dry marsala wine

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

Serve with: mashed redskins, and hericot vert if you would like.

Directions:
Rinse chicken breasts, and pat dry.  Beat with a mallot in between sheets of plastic wrap until chicken breasts are 1/4" thick.

Mix flour, basil, salt and pepper together and spread on a large dish.  Dredge each chicken breast in flour on both sides, shaking off the excess.  Set aside.

Preheat a large skillet.  Add butter and oil.  Once pan is hot and butter is melted, add the chicken breasts. Cook until chicken is brown on one side (about 3-4 minutes).  Flip.  Cook for about 2 minutes, add mushrooms.  Cook for 2 minutes, then add marsala wine and stir mushrooms around.  Cover and simmer on medium for about 8-10 minutes.  Check on the chicken to see if it is done.  Pour sauce and mushrooms over the top of chicken.  Serve.

Rack of Lamb with Mint, Golden Raisins and Pine nuts and Greek Yogurt Dip

I have a confession.

I do not like ham, Sam I am.

I'm being serious.  I don't like it at all.  My husband and I would order a ham every year for Easter.   (Lamb is really the more traditional course choice). My father in law would get in line, every year, at the Honeybaked Ham store for all of us.  Bless his heart for doing this.  The last Easter I hosted, the ham just wasn't very good.  And I asked everyone, "Is there a reason we get ham every year?  Does anyone really even like ham?"  I think it was a mixed response of,  "No we don't really care for it," and "We just got ham because that's just what we always did."  End of story....I needed no other reason to make some changes.

My husband's family are wild about lamb over the Christmas holiday.   I make leg of lamb for Christmas with his mom and we make lamb chops for Christmas Eve.  So why not a rack of lamb for Easter?

I've never made an entire rack of lamb, we've always just made single chops.  I must say, this is a welcomed change.  We paired the rack up with a 'relish' topping made of fresh mint, golden raisins, pine nuts, lemon zest and olive oil.  I also had a Greek yogurt dip on the side with fresh mind and shredded cucumber.  All raved over the lamb and its accompaniments.  I think we may have started a grand tradition.  The best part?  It's super easy, quick to prepare, and can all be prepped ahead of time.  Total bonus:  I get to actually enjoy my guests.  There is nothing better than that!

We used this lamb recipe--we seared our lamb racks on the grill until they had grill marks, then put them in a roasting pan in the oven until the thermometer read 135. (About 25-30 minutes).  We also made the pine nut/raisin relish.

Greek Yogurt Dip
16 oz container non-fat Greek Yogurt (I used Trader Joe brand)
1/2 english cucumber, peeled
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped fine

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, add yogurt and mint.  With a box grater, grate the cucumber.  Wrap the cucumber shreds in a paper towel and drain out the liquid.  Add cucumber shreds to yogurt mixture and mix until combined.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can do this the morning of.  The mint tends to brown after being chopped, so I wouldn't really recommend doing this the day before.  This is great with potatoes also!

We served the lamb with roasted baby potatoes and roasted asparagus.  Both were roasted in a 400 degree oven and mixed with olive oil and salt and pepper.  

Mascarpone Pasta with Peas and Carrots

My 21 pound one-year old could eat her body weight in pasta.  This isn't a joke.

After giving her a very good sized bowl at dinner, she signed "more".  So, I walk over to the stove, and scoop more pasta into her bowl.  A short time later, she signs "more" and deliberately points over to the pot sitting on the stove.  3 bowls later, she starts signing again, and pointing.  I had to draw the line.  I mean, her stomach was going to explode.

I've never had issues with sneaking vegetables in to my little one's diet.  Thankfully, she will eat nearly anything I put in front of her, but this pasta dish could hide nearly anything.  I put chicken in this pasta as well.

The best thing about this?  It is homemade (ie no powder cheese sauce here) and it really takes less than 15 minutes to put together.  I simplified a Giada recipe I loved that just took a bit more time than I wished to spend.  The end result, a very happy baby belly.

Mascarpone Pasta with Peas and Carrots
recipe derived from: Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
3/4 pound small pasta, I used fiori
6 oz mascarpone cheese
6 oz cream cheese
1 cup freshly grated parmesan (not from the can...)
1 cup low sodium or homemade chicken stock
2-3 large carrots, pealed and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup frozen peas
salt/pepper

Directions:
Boil two pots of water.  One pasta pot, and one medium sized saucepan.  In the pasta pot, boil the pasta with salted water until soft or el dente (depending on your taste or who you are serving).  Drain most of the water out (reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta water).  Meanwhile, in the medium saucepan, boil the carrots.  Once the carrots are soft, add the frozen peas and cook for about a minute.  Drain.

In the pasta pot with the pasta, add the chicken stock, mascarpone and cream cheese.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Add vegetables and top with parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.

Halibut Sandwich and Toasted Couscous Salad

Over the weekend, I was able to catch up on my favorite food network shows.  Giada's struck me (maybe it was because they were all hanging at the beach and there is no warm weather in sight in MI yet!).  After watching, my husband and I were drooling.  I look over at him, and said "Should we make this today?"  He gets up immediately from his seat and says, "Yes, I will get a pen a paper and write you a list".   That's my husband.  Mr. Helpful.

We made everything from the show, I made the kalamata dip (no pictured) first so we could snack on that while we prepped dinner.  The halibut sandwich (sorry the picture is rather dark!) was SO good.  Toasting the ciabatta bread with olive oil and then rubbing a garlic clove on it was probably my favorite part...and smelled SOO good!  The toasty couscous salad was also a play on flavors.  Every bite was different and unexpected.  I will definitely make it all again.  I wasn't a huge fan of the beer though.  I like dark bitter beer.  This was WAAAAAY too sweet.  I suppose if you enjoyed bourbon, you might enjoy the star anise and cinnamon in the beer.

Check out the recipes, here!

Beef and Broccoli

We are finally bringing red meat back into our diet. Mainly, because we had leftover tenderloin that needed to be eaten!

I found this recipe in my Women's Health Magazine a few years ago while reading poolside in Napa. Ahhh...those were the days! Most times I do that, I end up losing the recipe or throwing it out because lets face it, I am probably not going to make it. But this time, the recipe made it back in my suitcase unscathed. I'm so glad it did!

This is truly a great take on the beef and broccoli you would get at a great chinese restaurant...but way better. The best part, it literally takes 10 minutes (minus the wait time for the brown rice--thats 50 minutes). You could always make the rice ahead of time OR Trader Joe sells brown rice that takes 5 minutes I think? Anyway...its easy and I am all about an easy dinner these days. Trying to make dinner with an infant strapped to your ankle can be a bit tough!

A few notes: Black bean paste is in the asian isle (not mexican isle). It's actually NOT black beans, but soy beans. I found something that was similar (I wasn't able to find what the recipe called for which is made by Ming Dynasty) but it seems to work well. I use water not broth, and a smidge of red vermouth. I used ground ginger tonight because I ran out of my ginger stub I normally keep in the freezer...AND I left out the onions since my husband is allergic. It's good to know that leaving MOST of the ingredients out, the recipe still turns out!

Black Bean Sauce I used

This is the measurements and ingredients I used:

1- 8 oz beef tenderloin

1/2 cup water

2 T red vermouth

2 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 T black bean sauce w garlic

3 garlic cloves

1 large bunch broccolini

short grain brown rice

For the original recipe and directions, click here.

Turkey and Mushroom Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy

In New Year's resolution true fashion--my husband and I are working on a cleaner diet i.e. no junk food, no sugar....and for now, no red meat.

Normally this isn't an issue for us. We are both red meat lovers, however, we know our limits and for the most part limit it to once a week.

The holidays were red meat overload. 10 days straight....from filet, to tenderloin, prime rib, lamb chops, leg of lamb, and tenderloin again. I finally couldn't take it anymore.

While I love meatloaf (I know...how 1950's of me) I knew I had to stick to the plan....no red meat. So I replaced it with Turkey. You know what? I think I like this more!

Most recipes I looked at asked for both light and dark meat. I actually used light because I forgot to get the dark meat while at the store. But I will say....I've done this both ways and both taste equally as good. There are so many other flavors going on here, it really won't matter. I promise.

I paired this with mushroom gravy and this is by far the best meatloaf to ever hit my table!

Turkey Meatloaf

Recipe by: Courtney Monigold

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Turkey (white meat or a mix of both dark and white meat)

1 cup wheat bread crumbs

1/3-1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 T dried thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 T worcestershire

2 T ketchup (plus more for drizzling on top)

1 garlic clove

3/4 lb white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1/2 t onion powder

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bread pan with Pam.
2. In a medium to large skillet over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add carrots, cook for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from burner. Add onion powder, worcestershire, 2 T ketchup. Set aside and let cool. (Cooks tip: Reserve the dirty skillet for the mushroom gravy....it will add extra flavor).
3. In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, add ground turkey, eggs, thyme, parsley, mushroom mixture, and bread crumb mixture. Mix together until combined. Press firmly into bread pan. (Mixture will be wet) Drizzle with ketchup. Cook 50-55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Mushroom Gravy

Recipe by: Courtney Monigold (adapted from Group Recipes)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup minced mushrooms

1/4 cup red vermouth

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef broth (you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth also)

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/8 cup milk

1 dash salt & pepper

(Cooks tip: you can add a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce for additional flavor)

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in mushrooms. Sauté 5 minutes. Add vermouth. Cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove mushroom mixture from pan; set aside.

2. Melt remaining butter in pan; stir in flour. Cook and stir over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Whisk in broth. Simmer and whisk 3-4 minutes or until thickened.

Whisk in poultry seasoning and milk, continuing to cook until heated through. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper and worcestershire sauce, if desired.

Rib Tacos with Cherry Salsa and Chipotle Cream

Sometimes I over estimate how much people will actually eat.

The last trip we took to northern Michigan I packed 6 slabs of ribs. To feed six people.

Needless to say, I came home with 3 slabs. I had to give some of it away but after eating ribs one night...my husband politely declined ribs for the rest of the week...until I decided to disguise them!

I love tacos and these were no exception. These things were divine!

The cherry in the salsa, the smoky chipotle cream and the crunch from the cabbage, really pulls these things together!

Pork Tacos with Cherry Salsa and Chipotle Cream

Recipe by: Cafe Coco

Ingredients:

2 cups left over rib meat

4-6 corn tortilla shells

1/4 cup cojita cheese crumbled (or feta if you can’t find it)

Canola oil

Cabbage Slaw:

1 cup red cabbage

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salsa

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

3-4 tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1/2 clove fresh garlic, finely chopped

1 cup chopped fresh cherries

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

salt/pepper to taste

Chipotle Cream

1 cup non-fat yogurt

1 tablespoon chipotle finely chopped, seeds removed

Directions:

Cabbage Slaw: In a medium sized bowl, whisk lime and olive oil. Mix in cilantro and cabbage

Salsa: Mix all ingredients in a food processor for a few seconds until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Chipotle cream: Blend ingredients together in a small food processor or blender

Heat heavy bottomed skillet. Add canola oil. Add tortilla. Cook on one side for about 30-60 seconds, flip then fold. Cook on each side for about 1-2 minutes (Keep an eye on it...you want them a little browned and crispy).

Fill each shell with rib meat, cabbage slaw, salsa, cojita cheese, and chipotle cream

Fall Off the Bone Ribs

These are quite possibly the best ribs I have ever eaten.

Rewind to the beginning of summer, I was racking my brain trying to think of the perfect fathers day feast. I was tired of the same old burger and dog routine and decided that this year, that just wasn't going to cut it.

I decided on ribs, with only one problem. I didn't know how to make them. I was pretty mediorcre at the grill, and on top of all that, I wasn't really a fan of 'BBQ'. I thought at the very least, the guys (including my husband) would like them and that would be fine with me.

Fast forward the entire summer....these have turned into my new party staple! I have made these so many times. We have traveled to northern Michigan several times this summer for vacation. Everytime I have several slabs of baby back ribs in my cooler, leaving my friends asking for the recipe.

The secret is in the rub. Someone told me, just go get one at the store. Me? BUY a rub? I don't think so. Make it yourself. Chances are, you have all of these items in your pantry anyway.

The other secret? Sear, then bake. Most recipes call for doing this the other way around.

These may take some time...but your hands on time is minimal...which is what THIS mom LOVES!

Fall off the Bone Baby Back Ribs

Recipe derived from: Alton Brown

Ingredients

This works for 2 slabs of baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

• 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

Clean the membrane off the back of the rib slab (or have your butcher do it for you). You can You Tube a video of this if you aren’t sure what it looks like.

Rub the ribs on both sides with the rub. Let ribs come to room temp before grilling.

Get the grill REALLY hot. Sear both sides of the ribs about 3 minutes a side.

Tightly wrap each slab individually in foil and put in a large roasting pan, or baking sheet. (You can stack the ribs if necessary but try your best not to over stack).

Bake at 350 for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Serve!

Leftover ribs? Stay tuned....I've made rib tacos!

Homemade Halibut Fish Sticks with Pickle Caper Tartar Sauce

Bon Appetit has had my toungue wagging all week with amazing recipes that have not let me down. This recipe was so easy and so quick....perfect for a weeknight (or the weekend...whatever).

I know what you're thinking. Fish sticks? Really?

Really. Let me explain.

This is NO freezer burned, cardboard, bottom feeder, tasting fish sticks....let me assure you. (Sorry Van de Kamps...I'm sure you are really nice people, but I just don't see myself ever eating a frozen fish stick).

Instead these are crispy from panko bread crumbs, and flaky halibut dipped in homemade tartar sauce. Heaven. That's what these are. They are just plain good. Really, really good.

I used my Le Creuset pan for these because it gets really hot and helps get these things get extra crispy.

If you think fish sticks are a great concept, it is. But wait until you move onto the homemade tartar sauce: pickles, capers, lemon zest....sounds good, doesn't it?

I just made a few changes to the tartar sauce. To cut the fat, I used half low-fat mayo and half non-fat Greek yogurt. I also added lemon and lemon zest. To me, when I eat fish, I need lemon.

Check out the recipe at Bon Appetit!

Here is my version of the tartar sauce:

Tartar sauce:

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, such as Fage

1 dill pickle, coarsely chopped, such as McClure's

1 tablespoon pickle juice

1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:

Mix together in a medium sized bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Coming soon: HOMEMADE YOGURT!! I know you have probably heard me talk about wanting to make my own in the past. Now I have the chance--plus, I'll even review the product as well! Stay tuned!

Grilled Chicken with Grilled Peaches and Chipotle Peach Sauce

It's amazing what 2 hours on the beach, ALONE, can do for you. For me, I was able to catch up on my Bon Appetit magazines. I don't think I've focused on a single thing for more than 10 minutes since I became a mom. So I made up for lost time....and salivated over every single thing I wanted to make. I was sure to make a mental note of everything I wanted to try.

This was one that caught my eye. Since my husband has been giving chicken the 'stink eye' lately, I was sure this would get the thumbs up.

I didn't really make any changes except for pair it with jasmine rice, and grilled zucchini (I halved my chicken breasts because they were large). Don't be discouraged if it looks too fancy. Fancy does not mean difficult. The dressing took about 5 minutes hands on time. I made it ahead of time so dinner prep was really simple. Start to finish, the meal took about 30 minutes.

For the recipe, click here!

Halibut Fish Tacos with Peach Avocado Salsa

When I became pregnant last year, I had sworn off fish for months. Not by my choosing but of by choice of my woozy stomach. Unfortunately that lasted well past 'fish season' so I missed out on nearly the entire thing. Fortunately though, my normal tastes and appetite have reappeared (probably times 100 these days because I'm nursing). But because of this, the choices I make are so much more important.

While wandering the market near my house, I decided I would make fish tacos. My first choice in the past would have been to make these with mahi mahi, but since I was told it was previously frozen (something that just don't do with fish), I settled on what was delivered and cut that day, halibut. I was skeptical because halibut, while meaty, is very flaky. I worried that it wouldn't really stand up in a fish taco.

I was proved wrong, very wrong. Not only was this the perfect choice, halibut was the perfect accompaniment to the peach and avocado salsa! It gave these fish tacos a very delicate bite!

You've got to try these things! Fish tacos are one of my all time favorite summer meals. It's fresh, it's fast, and it's healthy!

Halibut Fish Tacos with Peach Avocado Salsa

Recipe by: Cafe Coco

Ingredients:

1 lb halibut filet

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 peach, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 lime juiced

1 tablespoon cilantro

2 oz. feta cheese

white corn tortillas

salt/pepper

canola oil

olive oil

lime wedges

Greek Yogurt (I use fat free)

To prepare the halibut: pre heat cast iron skillet on grill. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil. Season fish with sea salt or kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook skin side up for 4 minutes. Flip and cook another 4 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. Cover with foil for a few minutes. Then flake off the meat for the tacos.

To prepare the salsa:

Add avocado, peach, jalapeno, lime juice, and cilantro to a medium bowl. Toss lightly. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble tacos:

Warm tortillas (I just put mine in the microwave for 10 seconds in a damp paper towel.) Top with halibut, salsa, and feta. Garnish with Greek yogurt and lime wedge.

Chicken Piccata

Lately, my husband hasn't been the biggest fan of chicken. I'm not sure what brought on this new aversion, but I personally love chicken.

I think chicken is one of the most versatile things to create a dish, plus it's an inexpensive purchase at the grocery store. Since I am all about easy these days, I took my inspiration from Ina Garten's Chicken Piccata.

To save myself time and stress I prepped the chicken ahead of time while little "G" took her nap. So when dinner time came along, my hands on time was very minimal--with exception of standing near the stove to flip the chicken.

I pretty much followed Ina's recipe to a "t" with exception of the white wine. We don't drink white wine (only red), so I couldn't see opening a full bottle of white when I knew for sure it would go bad. So I used vermouth instead. Let me tell you, vermouth has been my best friend lately (no...I'm not drinking it). I've been using it to substitute white wine in a ton of dishes and it's worked rather nicely. I also doubled the recipe for the sauce. There just didn't seem to be enough with her recipe.

I served it with baby roasted potatoes* and steamed baby carrots. Turns out, my husband loved it despite his new found dislike for chicken. The bonus: the dish is super easy...with ingredients I always have on hand plus it's pretty impressive looking!

For the recipe, click here!
Alterations: Use vermouth instead of white wine and double the sauce recipe. I also added capers to the sauce. I added chicken/poultry seasoning, salt/pepper, and parsley to the bread crumb mixture.

*The baby roasted potatoes I just washed, and put on a roasting pan with olive oil, salt/pepper and put in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour.

Shrimp with Cheddar Polenta and Cilantro Pesto

Since I've become a mom, I've learned that I have very limited time to make dinner. (not to mention limited hands!). BUT we still have to eat and I need to put food on the table. So you will probably find many more 'mom inspired' meals around here! (Don't worry, I still hope to keep baking!)

I found this on the "Cuisine at Home" website. I get the magazine and I must say its great. All the recipes are very good, but family friendly, and pretty easy. I love all the step by step photos they provide--I love a good visual!

Speaking of good visuals, can you believe the photo?? My husband actually took it--he's getting better at this every day! And he took it with my new cannon rebel 15mega pixel camera. How is that for a 'push prize'? I love it and I hope it helps enhance the blog!

Anyway, I prepped the shrimp ahead of time and popped them into the refrigerator until my husband got home from work....and the rest of the meal came together in 5 minutes. Yup...5 minutes. How great is that?? The key: buy quick cooking polenta.

I didn't quite follow this recipe for the polenta on this recipe. Follow the package instructions on the quick cooking polenta, I used Colvita 5-minute quick cooking polenta. I added whatever cheese I had in the fridge--a little sharp cheddar and a little parmigiano reggiano. You could use whatever you have on hand.

Good meals DON'T have to take you hours!

Enjoy!

For the shrimp recipe, click here!
-Alterations: Toss ingredients with shrimp. Saute on medium/high heat in a heavy bottomed skillet with olive oil. Cook until pink on one side and flip. This should only take about a minute a side if that. Keep an eye on them. You want them to be in the shape of a C NOT and O. O=overcooked! You don't want that.

For the cheddar polenta recipe, click here!
-Alterations: Use quick cooking polenta. Add whatever cheese you have on hand!

Spaghetti Made with Spaghetti Squash

If anything about pregnancy that changed me, it has been my taste buds. I always had this inclination that pregnant woman craved meat. This theory has been proved so wrong in my case. If anything, I have reverted back to what I knew and loved as a child. And that is carbs. Carbs ALL the way.

But since becoming an adult, I became more mindful of my carb intake, and so these last few months have been heaven on a stick for me because if I feel like eating carbs...I'm eating the carbs.

I found this recipe in Fine Cooking Magazines (a fabulous magazine by the way) and I was pretty intrigued by the fact that you could substitute spaghetti squash for spaghetti noodles. I figured this was some dirty trick--somewhat like the trick whole wheat pasta plays on you. Its all fine and good--until the grit from the whole wheat kinda ruins it for you. At least, that is how it is for me unless I can find a strong sauce to stand up to the whole wheat. (Don't get me wrong--I don't want to get down on whole wheat pasta--its really not a bad thing. It's loaded with protein so I try to choke it down on the general occasion).

But spaghetti squash? This is no bait and switch. I swear. It's quite pleasant actually and it's a great way to get in some extra vegetables while cutting the carbs! I will so make this again and again.

For the recipe-check out Fine Cooking's website!
(I didn't make too many changes except cut down on the onion--and as you can see in the photo--I have to keep the onion pieces large so my husband can pull them out since he can't eat them. )

Sweet Potato Sage Gnocchi with Roasted Chesnuts

I think my problem lately is that I am categorizing cooking as a 'chore'. What I realized is that, I haven't been using my creativity....I've just been going through the motions of getting dinner on the table.

Sometimes it's just easy to make my 'go-to' recipes, because I don't even have to think. And since I seem to share a brain with the baby occupying my womb--sometimes it is totally necessary not to have to think if it means getting dinner on the table, period.

But yesterday was different. I grabbed a stack of neglected Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines and flipped through them. I was immediately drawn to the sweet potato gnocchi. I bit my lip, looked at the clock, and started calculating 'time'. How much time do I have...and how much time does this stuff take? And ......am I INSANE?

Rewind a few years ago when I attempted to make gnocchi. Me: so naive and excited to do it. I spent 2 hours preparing it....only to end the night crying on my kitchen floor like a baby when the little gnocchi's completely dissolved in the pot while cooking into a wet mashed potato mess. (I know this seen may seem familiar to MANY of you, especially if you saw "Julie and Julia". I was in tears of laughter during the seen where Julia was crying on her kitchen floor after dropping a chicken...because that has been me. Several times.)

I am not oblivious to mishaps in the kitchen. But, I can't live in fear of trying things that I have failed. And I certainly cannot live in fear of making homemade pasta forever. To be honest, I have been telling myself for months to try it again. Ever since we were in Italy this past May I've been craving homemade gnocchi. (Its basically what I ordered at every restaurant in every flavor, shape, size)

Sweet potato gnocchi, Lake Maggiore, Italy

So I reasoned with myself. SOMEONE knows how to make gnocchi. Not EVERY recipe is going to be a bust or it wouldn't get published. Besides what did I really have to lose, if its a total disaster, I would just order a pizza.


The reality of gnocchi:
1. It's very cheap to make--potatoes, flour, and egg...'nuff said.
2. It's very much like playing with play-dough. Who doesn't like to play with their food?
3. Surprisingly it doesn't make a huge mess--it can be contained to a sheet pan.
4. Once rolled, uncooked gnocchi can be frozen for later use--for a SUPER quick dinner.
5. IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!!


The gnocchi verdict:
The end result was a perfectly moist tender gnocchi. The hint of sage and nutmeg was the perfect fall flavor. And chestnut? Wonderful. Its something I have never tried and amazed I have waited this long. (Although I did have 3 people at my local market hunting them down for me).


My personal tips:
1. Keep an eye on the boiling pot of gnocchi. Mine didn't need 3 minutes to cook, it probably took half that time. Just wait for them to float to the top. Then scoop them out.

2. Use a good quality unsalted butter. If you can find an unsalted European butter such as Plugura, Irish butter etc, the taste will be so much better. The butter sauce is the star of the show--so be sure to use a good quality ingredient. (Always buy unsalted butter--salted butter as a general rule is a lesser quality product. Companies use the salt to mask impurities in the butter and taste. You can always add salt later).

3. I added a tablespoon of cream...just for added flavor.


Check out this fool proof recipe from Gourmet. I am so sad to see the magazine close!


Process of gnocchi:

Citrus Cornish Hens with Baby Vegetables and Baby Mashed Potatoes

Before I was even able to confirm my pregnancy, I started to research ways that I could tell my husband we were expecting. I just didn’t want to tear out of the bathroom with a pregnancy test in hand. I wanted to surprise him.

I remembered an episode of "Full House" when Rebecca told Uncle Jesse they were having a baby. She made him dinner with ‘baby’ everything. Baby vegetables…(and I think baby potatoes and something else I don’t quite remember. Give me a break I was like 7 and didn’t pick up on ALL the details!). So after browsing the net for awhile, I settled on making a meal with mini cornish hens, baby potatoes, and baby vegetables. And if that didn’t spark any interest, I had a backup plan. (A pregnancy test shoved into a gift bag).

So after 3 negative pregnancy tests over the duration of two weeks, I knew something was not quite right. I knew I was. Certainly I wasn’t crazy. So early one morning while my husband was in the shower getting ready for work, I locked myself in the guest bath. Two minutes later, my fate sat in front of me. Two lines. All I could say was “Oh god, now I have to figure out how to birth this thing.” All I ever wanted was to become a mother, and suddenly the reality sunk in that I would someday have to birth this baby.

How I composed myself to send my husband off to work was a miracle. I certainly couldn’t send him off to work with that news—he is always in a hurry to get out the door and what if all the excitement caused him to get into a car accident. I couldn’t live with myself. I would have to stick to my plan. Send him off to work. And make the dinner.

So off I went to the grocery store, pushing my cart, singing “I’m making a dinner to tell my husband we are having a baby”. (Silently of course).

Fast forward, 8+ hours. I’m laboring in the kitchen (no pun intended) getting dinner ready and my husband calls.

“Hi buddy (he calls me buddy), I am going to be a little late. Maybe an hour.”

I nearly fell over. He picks TODAY to be late? Does he KNOW I’ve been alone all day stewing this information ALL BY MYSELF???

Fifteen minutes before my husband is about to arrive, I get a phone call from my brother in law’s girlfriend. She needs to come over to borrow a cooler. I’m beginning to sweat.

Seven o’clock rolls around, and my husband finally pulls in the driveway. I suddenly get nervous and I think my knees might buckle.

Ten minutes later, we are eating. He finishes in about 10 minutes, not noticing anything except that he really likes it. He doesn’t take notice of the baby hens. He doesn’t notice the baby vegetables.

The backup plan, thank goodness I have another plan. I suddenly tell him I have a gift for him. I grab the gift bag and say, “It’s a gift. I got it for you in Italy.” He looks at me strangely, because one: we had been home for nearly 15 days, and two: we were never even separated in Italy, not once. He opens the bag, pulls out the pregnancy test with a clutched fist and examines it. For a looong time.

I prod, “Do you know what that is?”

He is still examining the stick. Confused. Then his head turns to actually read it to see that is says “Pregnant.”

He looks up and says, “NO WAY! SERIOUS?” “I thought you got me a nose hair trimmer!”

So that is how I told him—over dinner—well after dinner. I suppose in the end, running out the bathroom probably would have suited just fine…but what could be more fabulous than telling him over a great meal.

I found the recipe for the Cornish hens on the Food Network, by Giada De Laurentiis. Then I sautéed the vegetables in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil until soft. The potatoes were boiled until soft, drained and then mashed with a fork. You can leave them whole, but I ended up having gravy from the hens that I wanted to use.

The hens were amazing. I had never made them before and I am not sure why. They are super easy to make and very flavorful. You could even prep these early in the day, and have your roasting pan waiting for you after work.

The gravy for this is like nothing I have ever had. For those who have never ventured into making their own gravy, it's simply the pan drippings and a few other ingredients (I most often use flour and water). I really loved the cranberry bits in this recipe and the citrus undertones from the lemon and orange zest, it really makes this over the top good. I would definitely make this again; maybe sans an announcement.

Enjoy!