Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Posted on May 25th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: cheesey, easy, lunch, sandwich.

I have this sandwich that I make and every time I make it, I love it more.  I thought I’d share it.

Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – Serves 2

grilledcheese

Ingredients:

1- Avocado
1/2 lb fresh sliced roast turkey
1 Tomato
2-3 Slices Provolone cheese
Bread
Butter
1 large can of Tomato Soup – your choice.  I love this one.

Start by buttering the back sides of four slices of bread.  Take the non buttered side of one of the slices and compile the sandwich as follows: 1 slice cheese, thin sliced avocado, thin slice tomato, slice of cheese, 1/4 lb turkey, thin sliced avocado, cheese.  Then put another slice of bread on top, butter side out.  Set this one aside and make the next sandwich the same way.  Heat a Large flat skillet on Medium heat.  Place sandwiches butter side down and allow to brown on one side for 2-4 minutes.  In the meantime heat up the of tomato soup. Flip the sandwiches and heat the other buttered side for an additonal 2-4 minutes.  Watch the bread so it doesn’t burn, you want just a nice golden crisp.  When the sandwiches are done, cut them diagonally and serve them with the tomato soup….Ahhh.

Follow The Recipe Extra:

In order to just crisp the bread and still make the cheese nice and melty, I suggest that you pop the sandwiches in the microwave for about 1:00 on high heat.  Then put the sandwiches into the pan to cook.  This will start the cheese melting and allow you to take the sandwiches off when the bread is perfect.  I also suggest doctoring up your tomato soup with some extra basil, and parmesean cheese…sooo good.

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Rack of Lamb

Posted on April 27th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: chops, dinner, lamb, recipe.

Here’s the story:

Chapter 1: My husband loves lamb.
Chapter 2: I love lamb.
Chapter 3: I search and search until I find a recipe that makes the best rack of lamb.
Chapter 4: I combine several recipes to make a rack of lamb that makes my husband, “…promise to stay married to you for at least another year.”
The End

A Rack of Lamb:

Ingredients:

1 rack of lamb
1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbs rosemary (finely chopped)
1 Tsp Salt (or 2 Tsp sea salt)
1/2 Tsp black pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs Brown or Dijon or Yellow mustard (to your taste)

1 Tsp each of pepper and salt necessary for a rub.

Cooking supplies:

Aluminum foil
Large Sauté or flat skillet
Glass cooking pan
Make sure your oven rack is in the middle of your oven so you have room and preheat the oven to 450°.  In a big bowl combine the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Add in Panko crumbs and mix well.
Prepare your rack of lamb (if packaged in plastic) by removing any residual liquid with a paper towel (If you got your chops from butcher they should be dry enough).  Sprinkle salt and pepper onto all sides of the lamb and rub in. Set aside.
Prepare the skillet on the stove on med high heat with 2 tbs of oil.  When pan and oil are hot begin searing each side of the lamb rack.  You want to give it 1 min. or 2 min on each side or until it is a nice carmel-y color.  Don’t forget to sear the ends.
After searing, brush the rack with the mustard on all sides and roll it in your mixed breadcrumb mixture.  Rack should be evenly coated up to the bones.
Place rack in the glass pan, bones side down.  Use a small bit of foil to cover each bone end.
Place the lamb in the oven for 13-19 minutes depending on how done you want it.   When done baking let the meat rest 5 min under a foil tent before cutting and serving.  If you have a thermometer, taking it to 120° rare should end up Med-rare after resting which is how I like it.
Serve

lamb chops with artichokes

Follow The Recipe Extra:
Two things are important with lamb chops: 1-don’t overcook 2-cover the tips of the bones.  If you do those you should be fine making this impressive meal.  For additonal fancy-ness I make them with pre-steamed, artichokes that I season with olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley, then throw in the oven on a baking sheet for the last 5 min of baking.

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Fried Shoe-String Onions

Posted on April 20th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: onion, side dish, spicy.

I love shoe-string onions. I love them on everything, steaks, hamburgers, salmon and especially in a salad.

I finally decided to give making them a try. How hard could it be, you fry some onions? The good news is that it was just as easy as I thought.

Here they are for you to try!

fried-onions

Fried Shoe-string Onions

Ingredients:
1 medium sized white onion
1 egg
1 cup flour
paprika
cajun seasoning
pepper
garlic powder
salt
Canola Oil

Cooking Supplies:
Asparagus pot
or
small pot to fry in
tongs
colander
and paper towels

Start by shaving the onions super thin.  You can cut them into circles or however you’d like, but really, really thin.  Heat the oil in the pot. In a wide bowl beat the egg until smooth.  In another bowl (or a gallon sized zip-lock bag) combine all the dry ingredients.  Begin by placing sliced onions into the egg.  Hold the onions above the bowl after submersion and let the egg drip off until the onions are only lightly covered.  Place onions in the dry ingredients and coat.  Set coated onions aside for cooking.  Repeat with all of the onions you have cut.  Place onions one handful at a time in the hot oil.  Onions should stay in for a minute or two depending on how thin you cut them and how crispy you like them.  When they are golden, pull them out with tongs and set them on paper towels to drain.

Follow the Recipe Extra:

Lots of extras – First make your knife super sharp. Cut 1/4″ off the bottom of the round onion to make it more stable. Cut the onion so you get rings, they make for longer onions when fried.  Also, don’t be afraid to spice up the dry mix.  Finally for full disclosure while the flour mix is my own I got some technique help from this recipe.

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Poached Champagne Salmon over pasta

Posted on April 7th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: dinner, lemon, onion, pasta, salmon, sauce.

Sounds decadent doesn’t it?  So one night I was going to make my Nane’s pasta with clam sauce, but I only had salmon.  Then someone came over with a bottle of champagne.  I thought, “mmm…can I find a recipe that fits all three?”  The answer was, “with a little combination-yes”.  So here’s the recipe, taken from a HG-TV recipe, a Food Network Recipe and my Nane’s recipe.

Poached Champagne Salmon over Pasta:

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 large shallot minced
8 oz brut champagne
3 Tbs salted butter
1/2 tsp fresh dill
1 pint heavy cream
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tsp lemon juice
1 large fillet of Salmon
1/2 box Angel Hair pasta
parsley
black pepper
Parmesan cheese

Cooking Supplies:

Large high sided skillet w/lid
Pasta pot
Small sauce pot

Heat the large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil.  Add shallots and garlic and sauté until soft and golden.  Add champagne, lemon juice, salt and dill and bring to a boil.

In the meantime remove the scales from the salmon and cut the fillet into two pieces.

Reduce heat on the liquid to just a simmer.  Slide in the two fillet pieces and cover.  Poach 3-4 minutes.  Transfer the finished salmon to a covered plate. Leave liquid simmering in the skillet. In another pot, bring water to a boil and add pasta. Cook pasta 10 minutes or until soft.

In a small sauce pot, add 1 cup of the champagne liquid over medium heat.  Add heavy cream and butter. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and season with pepper and additional salt to taste.

Return salmon to champagne liquid to reheat.  Drain pasta and set on the plate.  Place reheated salmon on the pasta and cover in cream sauce.  Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese if you’d like.

Follow the Recipe Extra: The important part of this recipe is to balance the flavor of the champagne liquid and the heavy cream.  Too much cream and it will be a little bland, too much broth and it’ll be too champagne-y.  The key is to taste and taste.  Once you get a handle on the mixture, you’ll be able to make this recipe a million times and always get it right.

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Sausage and Peppers

Posted on March 30th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: dinner, recipe, sauce, sausage, spicy.

Another family recipe that we have all the time.  We like things spicy and sweet.

nane-cover

This is the cover of the cookbook my Nane made us for Christmas, full of all her recipes. Sausage & Peppers is in there. P.S. That’s a picture of the dessert table at my wedding.  She made everything on it but the cake.

Sausage and Peppers:

2 lbs sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large bell peppers (your choice of colors)
1 small Spanish onion
4 cups Marinara sauce
1 cup water

Cut the sausages into 2 inch pieces.  Pan fry the sausage with the oil on medium heat until sausage is cooked.  Drain oil fromt he pan.  Add peppers and onions and continute to sauté for a few minutes stirring constantly.  At this point, add marinara sauce and water.  Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serves 4-5.



Follow The Recipe Extra:
The thing about this recipe is it’s easy to customize.  We like it spicy so I always throw in some crushed red pepper flakes and serve either with pasta or a really good french bread.  You can also go with sweeter and add fresh basil leaves and use a tomato vodka sauce with fresh tomatoes diced and added in.  This way is good with pasta, I like a Manicotti or a Gemelli.

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Wasabi and Honey Glazed Salmon

Posted on March 23rd, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: dinner, fruit, recipe, rice, salmon, sauce.

I like sweet fish. I make a great pineapple salmon as well, but this is by far my favorite salmon recipe. Why? Because it’s like having a whole sushi dinner in your mouth at once. Delicious.

Wasabi and Honey Glazed Salmon:

2 Salmon Fillets
4 Tbs. sake
3 Tbs. Honey
3 Tbs. Soy sauce
1 tsp – 1 Tbs (depending on your taste)Wasabi paste
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 Tbs. oil
sesame seeds

Start by preparing your sauce so it’s ready for use when the time comes. Put the lime juice in a small bowl and slowly whisk hone through it. Stir in soy sauce, sake and wasabi paste.

On the stove heat a high sided skillet with the oil on medium-high heat. Add salmon to the pan and sear each side for 1-3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium or medium low and continue cooking the salmon until cooked through. Remove salmon from the pan and set on plate or a bed of rice.

Add glaze to the skillet and simmer for one minute making sure to stir constantly. Sauce will thicken a bit. Ladle sauce over salmon and rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a lime wedge for garnish.

Follow The Recipe Extra:
To complete the “sushi restaruant” taste this meal has to have steamed edemame as a side dish. There are tons of varieties that you can get from the frozen food section at the grocery store. Also I always use a sake in the dish that I can drink with dinner. I’m partial to Momokawa Pearl sake served cold.

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Minestrone Soup á la Aunt Teri

Posted on March 16th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: Stews, cheesey, dinner, onion, recipe, sausage.

For Christmas this year my family decided to make gifts for one another.  My gift included all of the family soup recipes.  I came across this minestrone soup recipe and though I’ve never really favored this soup, I thought I’d give it a try.  I’m beyond glad that I did!  It was rich, broth-y and filling.  I loved it and you will too!

Minestrone Soup:

1 lb. of Italian bulk sausage
2-3 stalks celery diced
2-3 carrots sliced
2 onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1-28oz can of italian diced tomatoes
2-8oz. cans tomato sauce
2 Tbs parsley flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 cans beef broth
1  tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
———————

2 small zucchini sliced
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 can great northern beans (or cannellini if you prefer)
1 cup uncooked macaroni noodles
Parmesan cheese

Begin by browning and draining the Italian bulk sausage.  Place browned sausage in a large stock pot with 3 cups of water on high heat.  Boil for 8 minutes then add all of the ingredients above the dashed line. Reduce the pot to a simmer and cook for 1 hour (or as much as 6 hours).

After the hour add the rest of the ingredients and the noodles.  Simmer for 1/2 hour more or until macaroni is cooked.  Serve with Parmesan cheese and a good bread.

Follow The Recipe Extra:
This recipe makes a ton of soup and it’s a filling soup at that.  Luckly its a soup that freezes very, very well.  Put any extras in a tuperware in the freezer.  When ready to reheat, put it in a stock pot and add a little water on med heat.  It will defrost nicely and taste wonderful.

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Fridays to Mondays

Posted on March 13th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Hey Readers!

So I was told by someone that Fridays aren’t a good day to post, and that works out for me, cause I keep forgetting :)    So I’ll be posting “Minestrone Soup á la Aunt Teri” on Monday!

Here’s a picture from Mexico for today…Don’t worry it’s food related as only a guy riding a giant shrimp could be!

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Mixed Fruit Jello Cake

Posted on March 6th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: cake, dessert, fruit, recipe.

Every year my big, extended family tries to go on a vacation together.  Usually it involves a combination of sun, a beach, hotels, a condo, hiking and always, always lots of good food.  We have a lot of summer b-days so we always need a cake.  We love to have Jello cake when it’s hot out.  It’s Refreshing! and chilly. It can usually be made with any combination of cake and jello but I prefer the following.

click for larger image Mixed Fruit Jello Cake:

1 box of Cherry Chip cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 large box Berry Blue Jello
1 tub of whipped cream
Fresh berries

For this particular cake I bake the cherry chip cake into two 13″ round pans by following the directions on the box. When the cakes are done, set them aside still in their pans and prepare the jello following the normal directions on the box.  When the Jello is ready and the cakes have cooled a bit take a dinner fork and poke holes all over the two cakes.  Then, pour the jello over the cakes, making sure you get both cakes thoroughly.  Put the cakes in the refrigerator over night.

The next day use whipped cream between the two cakes and stack them.  Coat the whole cake with whipped cream and sprinkle some fresh berries on top.  Serve.

Follow The Recipe Extra:
This is a really simple recipe so the extras are in short supply.  The best I can do is give you another of my favorite combinations.  Vanilla cake, pineapple and cherry jello.  It’s an easier pineapple upside-down cake.

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Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells

Posted on February 28th, 2009 by Danielle.
Categories: cheesey, dinner, pasta, recipe, sauce.

My grandma, who we call Nane, gave everyone in the family a cookbook that she had made and published for Christmas.  With great grace she also gave me permission to post everyone of the recipes I make from her cookbook.  So here’s the first of many recipes that the generations in my family have been eating for years. Thanks Nane!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells:

12 Jumbo Shells
1 10oz. Package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 Egg white, slightly beaten
2 Tbs. Milk
1 26oz. jar of Marinara sauce (your choice)
mozzarella cheese

In a bowl, combine spinach, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg white and milk.  Mix throughly.  In the meantime, heat a stock pot of water to boil and add the jumbo shells.  Cook only for 5-7 minutes.  Remove the pot from the stove and drain shells, carefully so as not to tear.  Put aside in a bowl.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 9×13 inch casserole dish, coat the bottom with a small amount of the marinara sauce.  Fill each shell and place in the baking dish in rows.  Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and cover with mozzarella cheese as desired.

Cover and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then remove cover and continue cooking for 15 minutes more.  Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Follow The Recipe Extra:

The key to stuffing shells is not to over cook them in the water.  Only cook for 5 minutes and check them regularly. Also to make filling easier, use a pastry bag or a corner-cut ziplock.

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