Steak and Arugula Salad

I took this recipe from iVillage, it is my kind of salad. Nice and beefy :)

1/2 cup buttermilk, for the dressing 1/3 cup mayonnaise, for the dressing 1 clove garlic, minced, for the dressing 1 tablespoon lemon juice, for the dressing 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese 1 hanger steak (about 1 3/4 pounds) 2 tablespoons canola oil 7 ounces baby arugula 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon lemon juice Salt and pepper 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved Read More http://www.ivillage.com/steak-and-arugula-salad-blue-cheese-dressing/3-r-211525#ixzz10gIKkGE9 Sign up for iVillage Special Offers

To make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Stir in the blue cheese. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Salt and pepper both sides of the steak. In a heavy, oven-safe frying pan over medium-high, heat the canola oil. Brown the steak for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook 20 minutes for medium-rare, depending on the steak’s thickness. Transfer the steak to a cutting board, let it rest for 10 minutes and then thinly slice the steak. In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the olive oil, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide the arugula among 4 plates. Place 3 or 4 slices of steak on each plate and sprinkle the tomato halves over the top. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and serve.

Ratatouille

My dear friend Jenifer made me this dish, out of the kindness of her heart, and I absolutely loved it. The cheese and the salt are very important...so don't skimp.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt to taste
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 zucchini, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
3. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Honey Chicken Kabob's

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
• skewers

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Chicken Schnitzel

Oh man. I may make this again this week, because it was a huge hit. I got it of of iVillage again, but I made my own changes. I used lemon, and I used Panko Crumbs in stead of bread crumbs, and I added the noodles with lemon sauce. You can make this however you want and I'm sure it is just dandy.

Chicken Scnitzel

2 large chicken breasts

2 cups Panko crumbs, sauted till golden with butter in a frying pan

1 egg

2/3 c flour

salt and pepper

Canola oil

1 package soba noodles (yummy buckwheat noodles that are SO good for you, found at Whole Foods or even better- Sunflower Market)

Sauce

2 T butter

1-2 T flour

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 T capers

salt pepper to taste

squeeze of lemon

Place your chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and one at a time, beat with a rolling pin till 1/4 inch thick. Cut in half, length-wise so you now have four schnitzel's. Beat the egg, and put in a shallow bowl. Put the flour in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put your toasted Panko crumbs in another bowl. Dip each schnitzel one by one first in the flour, then the egg, then the panko crumbs. Make sure to press into the panko crumbs to get good coverage. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 30 min.

Meanwhile, boil your soba noodles just until tender and drain. Melt the 2 T butter in a small sauce pan and add the flour. Keep stirring, and always try to keep the mixture moving. Add the cream and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the capers.

Rinse your soba noodles and drain as much as possible. (They are pretty slimey... don't worry about it.) Toss the noodles with the sauce and set aside to keep warm.

In a large skillet warm up the oil and when hot add the refrigerated schnitzel. If doing them not all at once, warm the oven to 175 degrees to have a place to keep them warm. Fry the schnitzel's for 2-3 min on each side at med-high heat, or until golden brown and cooked through. Keep warm in oven till ready to serve.

Curl up a pile of noodles on the plate and place warm schnitzel on top, and serve!

Watermelon Limeade

Such a lovely twist on the citrus beverages. I am going to try using raw sugar next time, to make the taste a bit more natural.

Watermelon Limeade

8 cups of cubed water melon

1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/4 c. sugar

mint/limes (garnish)

Blend up the watermelon in the blender (it may take two cycles), then strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Stir in the lime juice and the sugar and mix till completely dissolved. Chill- and serve.

S'mores Bars

These are on my TOP FIVE favorite treats list. They are so good, and so satisfying- it's almost sinful. I got this recipe from Brit- so thank you for making my life all the better.

S'mores Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows) *I used a whole jar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and/or line an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.
Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
4. Place chocolate bars over dough (2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate if necessary to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick).
5. Spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate.
6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles or panels and laying them together).
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

(I put chocolate chips on top because I am JUST that desperate for more sugar, calories, and deliciousness.)

Caprese Pasta Salad

I whipped this up pretty quick and it is SO GOOD. The recipe is from iVillage, so credit goes to them.

Caprese Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

8 oz dried rigatoni

1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup pesto sauce (homemade or store bought)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the rigatoni in some salted water with a dash of olive oil, just until tender.

While pasta is cooking, cube the mozzarella, halve the olives, and mix them with the pesto.

When pasta is ready, rinse in cold water, then pat dry with paper towel. Toss gently with the pesto mixture, and serve.

(If making ahead of time, take out of the fridge a half hour early, as it is to be served at room temp.)

Comfort Macaroni and Cheese

I received this delicious recipe from my dear cousin Liz, who honestly- is one of the most trustworthy mothers there is. I would only make a change as to add more varieties of cheese, to give the flavor a little more of a kick.

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

(I halved this recipe for my family of three, and we STILL have plenty of leftovers..)

Strawberry Lemonade

This is my inagural post and it couldn't be better timed. We all know its HOT out there, especially for me, cause I live in the south y'all. So what could be better than some FRESH, TART, SWEET, REFRESHING, Strawberry Lemonade? Yes please.

LEMONADE

1 3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
1 cup of smashed strawberries (or blueberries, raspberries, or even peaches...be creative)

Directions

1. Microwave 1 cup of water and the sugar to dissolve, add ice to cool and then move to step 2

2.Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

..More like "What's for Dessert!"

This is certainly something to imitate. But the truth of the matter, is that whatever concoction you end up with- the ingredients are ALL delightful and what your left with is certain to taste good. But as Serendipity is one of my favorite restaurants, and it is summer- a time for frosty treats, I thought this was a good one.

Ingredients:

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

• 6 pieces (1/2-ounce) chocolate , a variety of your favorites
• 2 teaspoons store-bought hot chocolate mix
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups ice
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate shavings

Directions:

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and slowly add ½ cup of milk until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room-temperature chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Tortellini and Spinach Soup

On Fridays I tend to watch (or TiVo) Rachel Ray. She had this really quick and easy meal idea. It's so quick and easy there's really no recipe to memorize.

I know it's hot today, but yesterday it was cold and soup was really good. But I just had some of this a minute ago and it was still good even though it's 75 degrees in my house.

Here's what you need:

A big carton of chicken broth or vegetable broth or somethin or other broth
One package of Buitoni fresh cheese tortellini (usually found in the cheese section)
Spinach
Onion
Lemon Zest
Nutmeg
Pepper
Chicken (optional)


I had some fresh onion in my vegetable garden when I went there to grab some spinach so I threw it in there as well. I like onion. If you like onion, throw it in with the broth.

Let the broth come to a boil. I had some leftover chicken thighs so I cut up a couple and let them cook in the broth.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the little tortellini guys and cook until they all float to the top and are tender.

Grab a bunch of spinach (and by a bunch, I don't mean a literal "bunch" of spinach, I mean throw a LOT of spinach in there cause it wilts to nothing).

Stir it around and let the spinach wilt. Grate some nutmeg in there (or sprinkle) and then zest a good amount of lemon in there, it really brightens the flavor.

Pepper if you want. Enjoy!

Jaime Oliver's Shell Pasta with Bacon and Peas

Shell Pasta with Bacon and Peas
adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution
serves 4

8 slices bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic
a small bunch of fresh mint (maybe 16 stalks)
salt and pepper
1 lb dried mini shell pasta
olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 cups frozen peas
3 tablespoons crème fraiche
1 lemon, cut in half, seeds removed
6 ounces parmesan cheese (hunk, grate it fresh.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt. Finely slice the bacon. Pick the mint leaves and discard the stalks. Finely grate the parmesan.

When water is boiling, add the shells and set a timer, cook shells until just al dente. Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil and the butter. Add the sliced bacon to the pan, grind a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp.

Chop the mint leaves while the bacon fries. When the bacon is cooked, add the peas, stir, and add the creme fraiche and the mint. When the pasta is cooked, drain it but do not rinse. Add the pasta to the bacon and pea mixture, stir to distribute. Juice lemon over the pasta, let mixture begin to bubble, then turn off the heat. Add the grated parmesan and stir in, then serve with additional mint and parmesan if desired.