Tuesday, July 16, 2013

BBQ Chicken with Bacon and Cheese

This was the first dish I made my husband Phil when we were dating. It is a copycat recipe of Chili's Monterrey Chicken. Although of course I do not put on the green onions. Phil must have liked it the first time because we are married now! Funny thing though, I do not believe I have made this again until tonight, which has been 8 years. I honestly don't know why now, because I really like it. I think because I have gotten so into cooking over the years that I just wanted to try new things all the time. So it was fun to make this again tonight. I added a twist too it this time though. I added a chili lime seasoning that I had in my spice cabinet. I don't think I will add that again. It gave it a smokey flavor and I really like the sweet flavor that it normally has. It was not bad, just not the same.

BBQ Chicken with Bacon and Cheese
Adapted from Chili's

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of bacon, cooked
Chili lime seasoning (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Your favorite BBQ Sauce

Preheat grill over medium heat for direct cooking.

Season chicken breasts with chili lime seasoning.

Grill 9 minutes a side over direct heat, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Brush with bbq sauce. Top with bacon and then shredded cheese.

Grill just long enough to melt the cheese.






Saturday, July 13, 2013

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Cookbook Recipe #56

Blueberries are on sale big time around here. I always buy a big container of blueberries when they are a good price. The container was so big though I didn't know what I was going to do with all of them. I thought what better to make then blueberry muffins. I have always like blueberry muffins with a crumbly topping on them so I was in search for a good blueberry streusel muffin when I came across this one in one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.

I learned a great tip from Ina Garten about making muffins. Use an ice cream scoop. It is the perfect size to fill the muffin tins and they all come out the exact same. What a great idea right? I use the kind of ice cream scoop that reminds me of the cooks in the lunch line in school. You know, the scoop they used for mashed potatoes? That style works perfect for this.

The muffins came out pretty good. I still have not conquered baking. I can make great desserts, but cookies and muffins just do not seem to be my forte. Phil said they were really good. Maybe I am just too critical of myself.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
2 cups fresh blueberries

Streusel

3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line muffin tins with paper.

Into a large bowl sift the flour, sugar, baking powder,baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl mix buttermilk, butter, lemon zest and eggs.

Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture with a fork. Fold the blueberries into the batter.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tins.

For the streusel, place all ingredients into a bowl and using a hand blender cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is in very small pieces.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of streusel on top of the muffins.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.









Saturday, July 6, 2013

Sizzling Rice Soup

Cookbook Recipe #55


I know another soup recipe, in the summer nonetheless. I just love it so much and when I look through my cookbooks they are always the recipes I want to make in them. This soup reminds me of my childhood. It has been a favorite of mine for years. It is one of the first soups I remember eating. There used to be a Chinese restaurant called the Imperial Palace that my family always went to in Omaha. I used to love going there because there were Koi ponds and rivers with Koi running through the restaurant. I always thought it was so cool. They also had Sizzling Rice Soup and we always got it. The waiter would bring the bowl of soup to the table with the squares of sizzling rice. Then he would drop the rice in and it would sizzle really loud. I loved it. Although there was never enough of the rice for me. It was the best part of the soup. I could have eaten all the rice meant for 4 by myself. Ever since getting the soup at the Imperial Palace I look for it on every Chinese menu. And if they have it I always get it.

I was going through this Oriental Cookbook the other day and came across the soup and it sounded so easy. So I decided to give it a whirl. The soup came out really good, minus one thing. No sizzle. It did say that you must work quickly and put the rice in the soup right away to maintain desired sizzle. I did not work very quickly so I am sure this is why. Oh well. Other than the sizzle the soup tasted very similar to soup at Chinese restaurants. I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe. I did not put any meat in, but you certainly could put about anything in. I also changed up the vegetables that I added as well. It is a very versatile soup. I just love that sizzling rice!

Sizzling Rice Soup
Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens Oriental Cooking

1/4 cup short grain rice
2 cups snow peas
5 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt
Pepper
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced bamboo shoots
Oil for deep fat frying



Cook rice according to package directions. Cool. Divide rice into eight portions and form into patties.

Heat oil over 375 (I used a deep fat fryer).

Fry patties four at a time for about 4 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, cook mushrooms in a pan over medium heat until done.

In a large pot heat up chicken broth, soy sauce, salt, pepper, bamboo shoots, and snow peas. Add cooked mushrooms. Keep warm.

Working quickly place all the fried rice patties in a large serving bowl and pour soup over top. (Speed is important to obtain the desired sizzling, (I did not do this)).








Saturday, June 29, 2013

Matzo Ball Soup

Cookbook Recipe #54

We have a Jewish Deli close by my work that we like to go to a lot. My boss is Jewish so he got us into the Jewish deli. They have the best sandwiches hands down. There is a deli in Chicago called the Eleven City Diner. I think that is the best Jewish Deli that I have been to. Their pastrami is AMAZING! I also always get Matzo Ball Soup when I go to a Jewish Deli. I know a lot of people are not a fan of the matzo balls, but I really like them. I had my first bowl of Matzo Ball Soup at DZ Atkins Jewish Deli in San Diego. That place was really good. They put noodles in their soup which is why I put them in the soup I made. Although you cannot really see them in the picture! The only thing with this matzo ball recipe is that it does not make a whole lot. I doubled the recipe and it still was not a lot. It was enough for me and another meal but that is about it. If you have never been to a Jewish Deli, I definitely recommend it.

Matzo Ball Soup
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Soups and Stews

4 eggs
1 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup club soda
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon celery salt
Salt
Pepper
1/2 package fine egg noodles
2 carrots, peeled and diced

Beat eggs well and stir in matzo meal, club soda, vegetable oil and salt. Mix well.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

In a large pot cook carrots for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Add chicken stock, water, soup base, poultry seasoning, celery salt, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Using an ice cream soup make matzo balls.

Drop into boiling water and turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook egg noodles according to package directions in a separate pot.

Add the noodles you want to use to your soup bowl. Add soup on top.







Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Two Color Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Cookbook Recipe #54

Yet another recipe from Southern Living. Have I told you how much I love these cookbooks? I was not having luck finding a main dish I wanted to make this week for my cookbook recipe so I decided to go for a side dish. I had a bunch of potatoes in the pantry so I started looking for a potato dish. Phil and I both really like oven roasted potatoes so when I came across this recipe for Two-Color Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, I thought it sounded pretty good. They were really good. I just really like how you get almost a little char on them. Gives them so much flavor. We both enjoyed the combo of the sweet potatoes and baby red potatoes. It was a great side dish to go with our pork chops.

Two Color Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Adapted From Southern Living Annual Recipes 2005



2 large sweet potatoes, diced
1 pound baby red potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place potatoes on a sheet pan.

Drizzle with olive oil. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Bake for 35-45 minutes.





Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Polpettine di Tacchino (Turkey Meatballs)

Cookbook Recipe # 53

I kind of combined a couple recipes in this book for the meatballs. I took ingredients from both recipes to make one recipe. As I liked certain pieces of each one. I have made even a different turkey meatball recipe from Mario Batali that was very similar to this recipe and I loved how they came out. It is going to be my go to meatball recipe from now on for sure because they are the moistest meatballs I have ever had. Sometimes meatballs can come out so dense. Not these, they are very light and tender. It is the combination of panko breadcrumbs and milk with the meat that makes them that way. One of the recipes calls to use italian sausage in the meatballs as well as the turkey. I did this last time and they were really good, but I decided to just stick to the turkey this time.

I would recommend giving these a try for sure. You can always change up the meat mixture to your liking.

Turkey Meatballs
Adapted from Molto Italiano by Mario Batali


1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Pasta sauce (for serving)
Pasta (for serving)


 In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Mix well. Mixture will be wet.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil.

Form meatballs into 1 inch balls.

Brown in the skillet on all sides over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add into your favorite tomato sauce to continue cooking for about another 10 minutes.

Serve with spaghetti.


Saturday, June 8, 2013

Roasted Tomato Soup

Cookbook Recipe #52


I have made this soup several times. It is soooo good. I got the recipe from Katie Lee's Joel's, well was Joel at the time, cookbook. It is a really nice cookbook, I would recommend it for sure. Lot's of different and rustic recipes. I really like rustic recipes, they are just so comforting. This soup is one of them. The only problem with this soup is that it does not yield very much. It is a lot of work for not a lot of product. If I am feeling ambitious I will double or triple the recipe so that I get more, but that requires a mound of tomatoes. Which means lots of seeding and peeling. For some reason the last couple times I have made this the tomatoes have burnt a little. I ended up turning down the temperature and then they were fine. Not really sure what I did different though. Maybe too much olive oil, who knows, it still came out delicious. When I was eating it I was thinking of an addition for next time. Maybe some sherry would give it a richer flavor, not that it needs it.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Adapted from The Comfort Table, by Katie Lee Joel

2 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, halved, seeded and cored
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line a couple baking sheets with foil.

Place tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 2 hours.

If tomatoes start browning too much turn temperature down to 250 degrees.

Let tomatoes cool to the touch. Remove and discard skins. Tear the tomatoes into bite size pieces and put into a medium saucepan. Add garlic and chicken broth.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes uncovered.

Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Use an immersion blender and blend tomatoes until desired consistency.

Stir in heavy cream. Simmer for 10 more minutes.