This was another one of those impromptu sides I managed to come up with in my head and on the fly. I don't do much with beans, but these turned out so good!

Ingredients:

1 can of white kidney beans (canellini beans) 

1/3 cup of white wine

1 medium-sized tomato, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

2 Tablespoons of pesto

1 Tablespoon chopped oregano

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a skillet, on medium heat, sautee the onions in the olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes.   

Add the tomatoes and sautee another 3 minutes. 

Add the beans, pesto, and oregano. Sautee another 1-2 minutes to encorporate the pesto.

Add the wine. Simmer until the wine has reduced to about half and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Optional: Sprinkle with your favorite cheese (parmigiano-reggiano, feta, etc.)

Pioneer Woman's Macaroni & Cheese

I'm adding this one to the Macaroni & Cheese Project list! This turned out really good; however, still not my favorite! It was creamy and flavorful, but I prefer to use more than one type of cheese. I'd say four out of five stars.

Ingredients
4 cups dried macaroni
1 whole egg
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (more if desired)
1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated (not pre-grated cheese), plus more for baking
Salt
Seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn. Pour in the milk, add the mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and the pepper. Add any additional spices if desired. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Queso Chicken "Burrito" Bowl

I'm a huge fan of Mexican food - not such a big fan of burritos. Actually, I like what's in burritos, it's just the wrapping that I can do without. So here is my Qdoba rip-off of the queso chicken burrito bowl.

1) Prepare the chicken:

- cut skinless, boneless chicken breast into cubes

- simmer in 2 cups of chicken broth and adobo sauce until chicken is cooked through

- Set aside

2) Prepare the rice:

- Cook one cup of white rice per package directions

- Stir in chopped cilantro and juice of 1/2 lime

- Set aside

Other ingredients you will need:

- one can of black beans, heated in their own liquid

- one cup of guacamole

- Pace 4-Cheese Queso Dip

- pico di gallo (diced tomatoes/onions/cilantro/lime juice)

- tortilla chips

- sour cream

- shredded cheddar cheese

In a shallow bowl, layer the items in order of - rice, beans, chicken, queso, pico di gallo, guacamole, sour cream.

Sprinkle tortilla chips around the perimeter of the bowl and drizzle some more queso.

Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins

1 Cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 Cup Sargento Low-Fat Cheddar Cheese 2 Tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt 4 center-cut bacon slices, cooked, drained, and crumbled 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced 1 1/4 Cups lowfat buttermilk 1/4 cup canola oil 1 large egg, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the first 7 ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Stir in bacon and jalepeno. Create a well in the flour mixture. Combine buttermilk, egg, and canola oil in a small bowl and stir well with a whisk. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well of the flour mixture and stir just until moist. Place 12 muffin cups into a muffin tin and divide the batter among the 12 cups. Bake for 16 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serving Size: Makes 12 muffins Number of Servings: 12

Aglio e Olio with Mussels and Shrimp

Ok - I take some of my food shots with my iPhone and the pictures aren't the best. Deal with it. I don't have time to set up my camera all the time and take pictures. I just want to eat!

Aglio e Olio

1 cup angel hair pasta - cooked to package directions; reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

salt/pepper to taste

wedge of lemon

In a saucepan, add the olive oil and garlic. Gently sautee the garlic in the olive oil - do not allow to brown. Add the red pepper flakes and stir. Add the cooked pasta and pasta water - toss to coat.

Sqeeze a little lemon on top and toss. Add fresh, chopped parsley if you choose.

Steamed Mussels
1 cup white wine

1/2 cup of water

1 sprig rosemary

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon of butter

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a steaming pot and place the mussels inside the steam basket. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until mussels have opened up. Remove the garlic and rosemary sprig from the simmer water and add the butter. Allow butter to melt and then pour over mussels. When adding mussels to the pasta, do not add any additional liquid to the pasta.

Sauteed Shrimp

6 uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp

olive oil

creole seasoning

Toss the shrimp in the oil and creole seasoning. Sear in a pan coated with olive oil. Flip and sear on the other side. Add to pasta.

Seared Salmon with Mango Salsa

Just another idea for salmon...maybe not the most creative, but hey - it was pretty darn good!

I bought some salmon from Costco and since I'm the only one who eats it, I can do whatever I want to it!

Mango Salsa
1 ripe mango, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalepeno, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 green onion, diced
lemon and lime juice
salt
pepper
cilantro, chopped

Mix all of the ingredients and allow to sit for about 30 minutes to create juice and allow the flavors to mesh.

I seared the salmon in a cast iron skillet using lemon infused olive oil. Then it went into a 375-degree oven to finish cooking. I topped it with mango salsa and stuck it under the broiler for a minute or two to warm the salsa.

P-Dub's Bowtie Lasagna - Remix

I revamped this "Pioneer Woman" recipe to be as healthy and low-cal as possible. Fortunately, it's not low on taste!

Ingredients:
1 pound 93% Lean Ground Beef

5 cups Whole Wheat or Barilla Plus Bow Tie (Farfalle) Noodles (cooked to package directions)

3 cups Jarred Spaghetti Sauce

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoons Garlic Powder

½ cups Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese

½ cups Fat FreeSour Cream

Nutritional Info:
Fat: 13.4g
Carbohydrates: 53.6g
Calories:453.1
Protein: 31.3g

Fry ground beef in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce. (I can’t guarantee your results on this, because I’m spoiled; I am a “home canner” and have the BEST sauce on my shelf, a home canned marinara sauce that I use for lots of stuff—pizza, spaghetti, and of course, THIS.)

Add your fried hamburger, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Number of Servings: 6

A Classic: Tuna Noodle Casserole

In my 30+ years on this planet, I have never had Tuna Noodle Casserole. I'm not sure why - although it was never a staple 'comfort food' in my house growing up. Honestly, the thought of it repulsed me a bit. My good friend, Rachel, had brought some for me to try and I really liked it. The recipe below is courtesy of Rachel P. with my changes in blue. I had only made changes due to the ingredients I had on hand. I also doubled the recipe to fit into a 9x13 pan.

Tuna Noodle Casserole by Rachel P. (Mrs. Peeps)

6 oz. egg noodles (wide or extra wide) partially cooked (about 6 minutes)

1 small can of tuna, drained and flaked with a fork

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1 cup frozen peas, cooked

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (or more) fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup fresh bread crumbs cooked in 1 T. butter until slightly crisp (I used Italian Seasoned bread crumbs)

**fresh grated parmesan cheese***

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large bowl, stir together first six ingredients until well combined.

3. Spread into a small greased 8x8 casserole dish then sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan cheese evenly over the top.

4. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes and serve warm

Vitenamese Pho (with Pork)

If you've ever had Pho, you know how good it is and how you crave it at the worst possible time! If you haven't - well, try this recipe! You'll see that this soup is simple and quick. The secret is in the condiments, served on the side, and added to the pho to taste. It's all about the condiments! Next time, I think I'll find a stalk of lemongrass to simmer in the broth.

Ingredients

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 scallions (green onions)

1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon fish sauce

pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices

1 teaspoon red chili paste

Egg noodles (superfine - Asian type)

Rice noodles (rice stick)

Condiments:

Lime wedges

fresh cilantro

fresh thai basil

bean sprouts

fish sauce

soy sauce

sriracha hot sauce

Sambal Oelek (red chili sauce)

In a large stock pot, add the chicken broth, water, scallions, garlic, and fish sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sliced pork. Simmer another 15 minutes or until pork is fully cooked.

In a separate pot, cook the noodles and set aside.

Serve the soup with the noodles and add in the condiments to taste.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

After perusing many recipes online for the perfect cream of mushroom soup, I had enough ideas in my head to come up with my own version. Co-worker tested and approved by 4 out of 4 co-workers!

Ingredients

1 container of button mushrooms

1 container of baby portabello mushrooms

1 large "hen of the woods" muishroom*

3 cups of chicken broth/stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sherry wine

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 small white onion, diced

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

olive oil

salt/pepper

Coarsely chop the mushrooms.

Heat a skillet and add approximately 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil**. Add the diced onion to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Sautee the onions until clear, about 5 minutes. Add the diced mushrooms. Sautee the mushrooms until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a stock pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until smooth to form the roux. Allow to cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir until the roux is incorporated. Allow to simmer 5 minutes. Add the thyme and sherry wine.

Add the mushrooms/onions to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream. Simmer another 5 minutes. Remove approximately 2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender or food processor. Place the pureed soup back into the pot. This step allows the soup to become thicker while allowing some chunks of mushrooms in the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer 20 minutes and serve.

* You can use any mushrooms you can get your hands on...mix it up!

** I had leftover bacon grease from breakfast so I used it to sautee the onions and mushrooms.

A quickie - Thai Simmer Chicken

So my quickie pantry-raid dinner was pretty darn good.

I wanted to make some chicken that would complement the yellow saffron rice I wad making. I didn't feel like grilling it or baking it...a simmer sauce sounded good. So here's what I did....

Butterfly two skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken on both sides.

Add to the pan:
1 cup (give or take) chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons red chili paste
2-3 tablespoons Vidalia onion salad dressing
1 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Simmer (covered) for about 20 minutes. Serve over rice and top with simmer sauce.

Yum!

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

There is a Caribbean restaurant east of Pittsburgh and they have authentic Caribbean food - including Jerk Chicken. They also have something called Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken. The chicken is stewed in veggies and spices and is tender and juicy and loaded with flavor. I have recreated this recipe and served it with a coconut curry rice. Yum!

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
1 whole chicken (about 3lb)
A splash of lime juice
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 onion
3 stalks of scallion
1 hot pepper (ideally scotch bonnet)
1 sweet pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 inch of ginger
3 tomatoes
Oil for frying
3 tablespoons of flour, stirred in to 1/4 cup of water
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons of dried thyme)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of kitchen bouquet browning sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of creole sesasoning (more if you want it spicy!)
2 cups of water

Wash the chicken with a splash of lime juice. Chop the chicken in to small pieces. Chop the onion, scallion, hot pepper, sweet pepper, garlic and tomatoes in to small pieces, grate the ginger and mix the flour in 1/4 cup of water. Season the chicken by rubbing in salt, pepper, thyme, onion, scallion, hot pepper, sweet pepper, garlic, ginger and tomato. Leave to marinate for one hour.

Scrape the seasoning off the chicken and fry in the oil until the chicken is sealed (about 5 minutes). Remove the chicken and drain off the oil. Melt the butter in the saucepan and fry the onion, scallion, hot pepper, sweet pepper, garlic, tomatoes and thyme for three minutes Add the water, soy sauce and browning and simmer for five minutes. Stir the flour/water mixture in to the stew then add the chicken. Simmer for five minutes, occasionally stirring gently.

Watergate Salad...or one of my favorite desserts

I had thought the name for Watergate salad came from the obvious Watergate scandal in the 70's - and maybe it did - but there doesn't seem to be any proof of that. This dessert actually came out in 1975 when Kraft first made the Pistachio instant pudding mix. Another name for this dessert is Hawaiian Surprise. I think I like that name better, although, there isn't much about it that's Hawaiian except that it does have pineapple in it.

I was hoping this dessert was made back in the 50's or 60's as the color and consistency of this dessert really looks like something out of the Atomic Age. Either way, it's retro....and fabulous!

Ingredients:
1 16oz tub of Cool Whip
2 boxes of Pistachio instant pudding mix
1/3 bag of multi-colored (fruit-flavored) mini marshmallows


1/2 can of pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 jar of maraschino cherries, drained and cut in halves.
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, fold the pudding mix into the Cool Whip until the pudding mix has been incorporated. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Chill and serve.

You can really alter the ingredients and add whatever you like or have on hand...but this is the classic.

Seared Salmon with Apricot and Sweet Chili Sauce

I am wanting to eat more fish, but can't always go out for it. Cooking fish, now, is a different story...for me anyway. I was brave and bought myself a salmon filet. Here's what I did with it, and I must say, it was delicious!

Ingredients
1 Salmon Filet
Lemon-infused olive oil
salt/pepper

For the glaze:
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon sweet red chili sauce
1/2 cup of pinot grigio (or other dry/semi-dry white wine)

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Sprinkle the filet with salt and pepper. When the skillet is hot, place the filet into the skillet and sear on both sides and then allow filet to cook through. About 4 minutes per side.

In a small saucepan, add the wine, apricot preserves, and chili sauce. Whisk together and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Serve glaze on top of the salmon filet.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I debated at first calling this soup since I ended up serving it over mashed potatoes, but technically, it is a soup. I searched all over the internet for recipes and could only find ones that had sugar or brown sugar in them. I do not understand this ingredient at all. Sugar? Stuffed pepper soup? No thanks. I know how to make stuffed peppers - so the soup can't be much different than that.

So, here we go. This is my own recipe. Is it good? Well, let's just say, none of it went to waste!

Most of the recipes make enough soup to feed an army. This recipe makes about 5-6 quarts.

2 bell peppers, diced
1 pound lean ground meat
1 quart of chicken stock or beef broth (I used homemade chicken stock)
1 quart of tomato juice
3/4 cup tomato paste
1 shallot, diced
1/3 cup of brown rice, uncooked
salt/pepper
olive oil

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot. Add the diced shallot and ground beef and cook until the meat is browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the stock/broth, tomato juice, and tomato paste. Simmer until the tomato paste has been incorporated into the soup.

Add the diced bell peppers and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the uncooked brown rice and simmer until the rice is tender, approximately 30-40 minutes. The rice will thicken the soup and you can continue to simmer the soup until it's thick enough for your liking. I made mine pretty thick since I was going to spoon it over mashed potatoes.

Salt and pepper to taste.