The truth is, I haven't tried this one yet, but I am dying to, I don't really like heavy italian sauces, red or cream, so when I found this I got way excited, thinking I could finally do italian and have it be a little lighter and fresher. I thinking about combining it with some roasted cherry tomatoes, andor some bruschetta on the side!
1 pkg (16 oz) angel hair pasta
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. pecan halves, coarsley chopped
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c. fresh snipped parsley
ground black pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package direstions. Meanwhile in skillet heat oil. Add garlic and pecans; satue 3 minutes. Drain pasta. In large serving bowl combine pasta, garlic-nut mixture, cheese, parselt and pepper; gently toss to caot. Serve immediately.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Frito Salad
My friend made this the other nite when we got together, and it was fabulous. In fact, I'm going to have it for dinner while my hubby is out of town, might make a good lunch or side dish also! Yum!
4 cans red or pinto beans (or a combo), drained & rinsed
1 grn. pepper, chopped
2-3 grn. onions, sliced
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
12"ish" oz. bottle Catalina or French dressing*
1 reg. size bag Fritos or Fritos Scoops
Combine all ingre. except for chips. You can make it the day before & refrigerate until ready to serve. At serving time, mix in chips. It will keep fresh for about 1 1/2 hours or you can just let everyone add their own chips. :)
*For our recipe group she halfed the recipe, used Brianna's brand Zesty French dressing and used some "frito" like chips from Sun Harvest.
4 cans red or pinto beans (or a combo), drained & rinsed
1 grn. pepper, chopped
2-3 grn. onions, sliced
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
12"ish" oz. bottle Catalina or French dressing*
1 reg. size bag Fritos or Fritos Scoops
Combine all ingre. except for chips. You can make it the day before & refrigerate until ready to serve. At serving time, mix in chips. It will keep fresh for about 1 1/2 hours or you can just let everyone add their own chips. :)
*For our recipe group she halfed the recipe, used Brianna's brand Zesty French dressing and used some "frito" like chips from Sun Harvest.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Slow Cooker Italian Beef
This. Was. De. Lish. Normally when I cook things in the crock pot I am so sick of smelling them by the end of the day that I just can't stand eating whatever it is. This smelled SO fantastic all day and it tasted even better than it smelled. Mmmmm. So easy, so very very easy and so good. Give it a try! One thing was it might be a touch too peppery for some. I liked it that way but you may want to reduce the pepper a smidge if that makes you nervous.
Slow Cooker Italian Beef
from melskitchencafe.com
1 1/2 C beef broth
1 C water
1 t salt
1 t ground black pepper
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1 t onion salt
1 t dried parsley
1 t garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 (.7 oz) package dry Italian-style dressing mix
1 (5 lb) chuck roast
* I only had a 3 lb roast and I have no idea what kind it was : )
Combine water and beef broth with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.
Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 -12 hours, or on High for 4-5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork ( you can do this about an hour before eating so that shredded meat will absorb more of the juices). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese and use the excess sauce for dipping, or eat plain old.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
I'm a huge fan of Asian food, but haven't done much Thai cooking. This turned out to be SO good, and the flavors were unexpected-- kind of sweet and tangy. It was also super easy and even the kids liked it!
*Serves 4
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it – I used 1/2 teaspoon and it perfectly warm but not too spicy)
1 yellow (or other sweet) onion, cut in half and sliced in thin half moon strips
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pound), cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce(these are both in the Asian food section of the grocery store. You might be tempted to not buy them b/c you think you'll never use the whole bottle, but let me tell ya, I've gone through 3 hoisin sauces so far this year)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch fresh basil (about 1/2 cup), torn into pieces
2 large tomatoes, chopped
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until fragrant (don’t let the garlic burn!). Add the sliced onions. Cook until translucent, stirring every now and then, about five minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
Add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and stir until everything is well coated. Reduce the heat to medium low and sprinkle the tomatoes over the top of the mixture. Tear the basil by hand and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. Over medium heat, let the tomatoes and basil sit, without stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. Stir the mixture until everything is well combined and heated through.
Serve immediately over rice.
Recipe from www.melskitchencafe.com
*Serves 4
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it – I used 1/2 teaspoon and it perfectly warm but not too spicy)
1 yellow (or other sweet) onion, cut in half and sliced in thin half moon strips
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pound), cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce(these are both in the Asian food section of the grocery store. You might be tempted to not buy them b/c you think you'll never use the whole bottle, but let me tell ya, I've gone through 3 hoisin sauces so far this year)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch fresh basil (about 1/2 cup), torn into pieces
2 large tomatoes, chopped
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until fragrant (don’t let the garlic burn!). Add the sliced onions. Cook until translucent, stirring every now and then, about five minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
Add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and stir until everything is well coated. Reduce the heat to medium low and sprinkle the tomatoes over the top of the mixture. Tear the basil by hand and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. Over medium heat, let the tomatoes and basil sit, without stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. Stir the mixture until everything is well combined and heated through.
Serve immediately over rice.
Recipe from www.melskitchencafe.com
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Yeasted Waffles with Butter Syrup
I threw a little Mother's Day brunch yesterday for three close friends and we had these waffles. They were so. stinking. good. The syrup is my friend Crystal's recipe and the combination of the two is beyond amazing. And also, full of butter.
Yeasted Waffles
3/4 tsp yeast
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
12 tbsp melted and cooled butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, separated
The night before, mix dry ingredients and stir in milk then butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.
In the morning brush your waffle iron with oil and preheat. Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks and gently stir them into the batter. Cook 3 to 5 minutes on your waffle iron.
Butter Syrup
Boil:
one stick butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar
Take off burner and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
I also made these sauteed apples from Allrecipes. They were really good alone but also awesome on top of the waffles.
Yeasted Waffles
3/4 tsp yeast
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
12 tbsp melted and cooled butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, separated
The night before, mix dry ingredients and stir in milk then butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.
In the morning brush your waffle iron with oil and preheat. Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks and gently stir them into the batter. Cook 3 to 5 minutes on your waffle iron.
Butter Syrup
Boil:
one stick butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar
Take off burner and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
I also made these sauteed apples from Allrecipes. They were really good alone but also awesome on top of the waffles.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Lime Rice
I made Kristi's Honey lime enchiladas the other night with this rice (and some beans) and it was a great combo, and if i had a little more time it would have been good with some fresh Pico de Gallo, very Cafe Rio style. This makes a lot of rice, so i did half the recipe, and with the enchiladas i did corn tortillas and it was really good.
Lime Rice
in a sauce pan, saute
2 Tbs butter
1 yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
In a large pot bring to boil:
6 2/3 cups water
8 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 bunch of cilantro ( i didn't have any and so i didn't put this in)
2 tsp cumin
2 small cans diced green chili's
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp pepper
Add three cups of rice, and the butter/garlic/onion mixture. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 min. (stir occasionally so rice doesn't stick to bottom of pan)
Lime Rice
in a sauce pan, saute
2 Tbs butter
1 yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
In a large pot bring to boil:
6 2/3 cups water
8 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 bunch of cilantro ( i didn't have any and so i didn't put this in)
2 tsp cumin
2 small cans diced green chili's
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp pepper
Add three cups of rice, and the butter/garlic/onion mixture. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 min. (stir occasionally so rice doesn't stick to bottom of pan)
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