Linguine with Shrimp and Veggies

Another post from my new cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. This made for a very tasty lunch today!

Notes: 

• Since I can't go out and purchase a bottle of white wine and I didn't have any on hand I used veggie broth and a couple splashes of white grape juice instead.
• I used spaghetti instead of linguine because it's what I had on hand.
  

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 box (12 oz) linguine
• 2 Tbls. olive oil
• 1 bunch (~1 lb) asparagus, woody bottoms removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the linguine according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and the asparagus is tender but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from the pan and set aside.

Combine the lemon juice, wine, and reserved pasta water in hte skillet over medium-high heat. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Return the shrimp and asparagus to the pan and stir in the parsley. Add the drained linguine, tossingto combine. Add the tomatoes and toss. Sprinkle with cheese, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Apple Turnovers

Another new pick from my new cookbook, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. I am seriously addicted to these they are so tasty. It was my first experience with phyllo dough and I think it was very successful. These were really easy to make once I got the hang of it. There's really not much else to say! 

Notes:

• I didn't think Scott would like the cranberries so I left them out. 
• I don't know what happened, but somehow I ended up with enough apple mixture for 16 turnovers rather than 8 so I doubled everything else to use it all up (ladyfingers, phyllo dough, and canola oil). I really don't see how I could possibly have fit all those apples into the first 8. *shrugs shoulders* 
• Also, my turnovers did not take the full 20 minutes to bake, so I would keep an eye on them after about the 15 minutes mark.

Yield: 8 turnovers

Ingredients:

• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tablespoon cold water
• 6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• 4 ladyfinger cookies, crushed
• Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large nonstick skillet, combine the apples, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until the juices in the skillet thicken, another 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Lay a sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and brush with the oil. Top with a second sheet and brush with the oil. Sprinkle half o fhte crushed cookies on top. Add another sheet of phyllo and brush with the oil. Cut the layered phyllo into 4 long strips (I ended up doing my width-wise to use up more apple mixture). Put a small mound of the apple mixture about an inch from the bottom of one strip and fold the phyllo over the mixture into a triangle shape so a turnover is formed. Repeat with the other three strips. Repeat the whole process again with the remaining three sheets of phyllo so that you wind up with 8 turnovers. Be sure to reserve a little oil to brush the top of each turnover.

coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, place the turnovers on the sheet, brush the tops with the remaining oil, and bake until nicely browned, 20 to 25 minutes.  

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

My first recipe-test from my new cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger and it turned out great! I love it and am looking forward to eating on it the next few days for lunch - it was even better the second day!

I usually don't eat very much soup because I never feel full because there's nothing really crunchy, so this time I bought a french baguette and toasted it with some EVOO like Giada does and it is the perfect accompaniment to this delicious soup.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Notes:

• I always use less onion than recipes call for.  ; )
• I also added more chicken because it just didn't look like enough to me.

Ingredients:

• 4 t olive oil
• 8 oz. sk/bnless chicken breast halves, cut into small junks
• Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons copped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 2 t of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 t oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep te soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Slacker

I've been slacking way too much over the past few weeks when it comes to cooking. Been kinda stressed out and busy, but I should get going again soon. 

Saturday I got "The Food You Crave" cookbook by Ellie Krieger and I'm super excited. I went through and bookmarked everything that I want to try at first glance and am making at least 2 this week. I would try more, but I need to take baby steps for Scott! I'm also determined to lose 15 lbs. and try to be healthier. This whole Freshman 15 thing is no fun! So I might try to blog about that too as a self-motivator (no promises though.) : )

Carrot Cake III

The past few weeks Scott has been having to work nights (luckily not anymore), so finally Thursday night I was bored out of my mind and decided to attempt not only my first layer cake, frosted cake, but also my first cake from scratch. And we think it turned out well! Scott really liked it aside from all the pecans, so he will compliment it - it must be good!

Keep in mind that this was my first ever layer cake so I made some simple mistakes like frosting too soon and um...not having a cake stand! So I just had to make due with a regular plate. But it tasted good so that's all that really mattered. ; ) Also, my spring-form pan was an inch smaller than recommended so I made some cupcakes with the extra batter (sp?).  

I got the recipe off of allrecipes.com and followed all the adjustments from the first review. Any additional adjustments I think I'll make later will be under Notes.

Notes:

• I used 2 8x8 cake pans (all the store had) and then made 4 cupcakes from the leftover batter. 
• Next time, I'll use less pecans, if any, in the batter for Scott, and probably won't add the pineapple either, simply because of texture.

Yield: 1 9x13 cake, 1 2-layer 8x8 or 9x9 inch cake

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots (~ 1 lb.)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 8-oz. can of crushed pineapple, juice squeezed out
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour either a 9x13 or 2 9x9 cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, both sugars, pineapple, and 3 t of vanilla extract. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cook in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 c confectioner's sugar (poster measurements vary from 3-4 cups)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 c chopped pecans

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans (I reserved all for garnish.) Frost the cooled cake. 

My Chicken Parmesan

I have become incredibly picky when it comes to Chicken Parmesan since I started making my own. I finally got the original recipe off my old computer, just to find out that I've deviated from it a lot, so I'm providing what I do because I love it too much to go back to the original.

 

Notes:

• This is my own homemade recipe, so if it's hard to understand just let me know and I'll try to fix the problem!
• The measurements of the flour, buttermilk, breadcrumbs, and cheese are total estimates b/c this is the one recipe that I don't measure out anymore. So take them with a grain of salt and adjust to what you need. ; ) This is not a picky recipe at all.
• I always serve with a marinara sauce, on a bed of spaghetti, and with a side garlic bread; but Ina Garten serves hers with a Lemon Vinaigrette.

Yield: 2-4 servings, but can easily be adjusted

Ingredients:

• 2 sk/bn less chicken breasts (3/4 - 1 lb.)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I actually really like Shurfine)
• 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ~ 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and whole or minced
• salt and pepper

Special tools: Parchment paper, meat tenderizer (with flat side) or rolling pin.

Directions:

Between two pieces of Parchment paper, pound chicken breasts to a uniform 1/4" thickness.

Combine butermilk, mozzarella, and parmesan in good dish for dredging. Lay out breadcrumbs in dish or parchment paper. Set aside.

Heat oil and garlic in heavy, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on the garlic, you don't want it to burn!

Dust chicken with flour --  a thin, uniform coat and shaking off excess -- and then s&p both sides. Dip both sides of chicken in buttermilk-cheese mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge in Italian breadcrumbs.

Remove garlic from oil. Saute chicken 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Turn and saute another 3-4 minutes, or until brown and chicken is cooked through. 

Tip: 

B/c my pans tend to get and stay very hot, I allow the oil to heat up on med-high heat until the first side of chicken is a light brown, then I lower the temp to med, med-low so that the chicken can cook through, without burning the outside. This is especially helpful if the breasts are large. Just don't drop it too much because you want your oil to stay hot, so the breasts don't get soggy.

Enjoy!

"Four Cheese and a Tissue Please" Lasagna

I don't have a pic because I haven't made this in a long time because the recipe was on an old computer, but I finally got it back! I actually saw it in a Seventeen magazine years ago in a V-day special and got it off their site, but it's not there anymore so I don't have a link for the original.

This is hands down the best lasagna I've ever had and I can't wait to actually make it again. It's pretty labor intensive, but it's worth it.

Notes:

• This is a personal, homemade recipe (hence why I can't find it online anymore) from the girl's family, so there's a lot of seasoning to taste and also may not be written the best.
• At the end, make sure you sprinkle Parmesan cheese as the very last, top ingredient. If you put it under the mozzarella you'll get a nasty, hard Parmesan crust. Trust me, it's not tasty.

Yield: ? Sry, idk, but it makes a lot.

Ingredients:

• 1 16-oz. package of lasagna noodles
• 1 large diced onion
• 1 hefty Tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 hefty Tablespoons brown sugar 
• 6oz. tomato paste
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• Lots of sliced mushrooms
• Dried oregano, Fresh Basil, s&p, (any herbs you like really) to taste
• 1 lb. minced meat (your choice: beef, sausage, etc...)
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 tub Ricotta cheese
• 1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, to be sliced
• 3 cups heavy cream, or whipping cream

Directions:

Saute the minced garlic and onion until transparent. Add minced meat and cook through. Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with oregano, basil, s&p. Add brown sugar and stir well.cLet simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes and then add the mushrooms. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly. Once warm to the touch, add first cup of Parmesan cheese and stir until smooth. Add cup of of cheedar and stir until smooth. This mixture should be fairly thick.

Assembling the lasagna:

1. Spoon small amount of meat sauce in bottom of a large deep casserole dish ( FYI: will fill 9x13 Corningware dish to the brim). 
   
2. Add 3 sheets of uncooked lasagna noodles.
3. Pour a layer of cheese sauce
4. Layer of meat sauce
5. Layer of noodles
6. Layer of ricotta cheese
7. Meat sauce
8. Lasagna
9. Mozzarella

Repeat steps until out of ingredients or dish is full. Lasagna noodles and cheese sauce should be last 2 layers.

Top with leftover grated cheddar cheese and Parmesan.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Removed and let stand for 1 hour.